During a June 2 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk“, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen talked about the possibility of the band playing a series of shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. While he noted that it would be a great experience, he also voiced concerns about the venue’s massive visual production overshadowing the music itself.
When host Eddie Trunk asked if he had seen any performances at the venue yet, Collen said he had only attended a cinematic screening but has watched concert footage online.
“I have. Well, I only saw ‘The Wizard Of Oz‘ [immersive experience] in there, but I’ve seen lots of stuff [online about it]. And this isn’t a diss or anything, but it seems that it’s the Sphere featuring whatever band it is. It could be anyone. And that’s what we’d be a bit scared of. I mean, I’d love to play there — it’d be awesome, it’s incredible, and it’d be a great experience — but I think that people focus on just the production as opposed to the band. So we’ll see. I don’t know. I mean, I could be wrong. But, yeah, I’d love to play there, absolutely. We definitely would. So we’ll see,” he explained (via Blabbermouth).
Thinking back on his visit to the 17,600-capacity arena, the guitarist mentioned how the immersive visuals affected his family.
“We were there, obviously, [for] ‘The Wizard Of Oz‘, and [my son] Jackson caught one of those apples that come out of the sky, which was kind of cool. But it’s fascinating. It’s amazing. I just wondered [what it would be like to see a band there], ’cause I wasn’t quite sure. I haven’t seen a band in there, and that’s always a concern that you’d come out there and it’d be, like, ‘Yeah, the Sphere was great. Oh yeah, and I saw U2 or The Eagles there as well,’ type of thing. Or it doesn’t matter, whether the whole experience kind of overshadows one or the other. It depends. But, yeah, I guess we’ll find out,” he concluded.
The Las Vegas Sphere has become a major destination for live entertainment since it opened in September 2023. Located just off the Las Vegas Strip, the building features a 16K resolution wraparound LED screen and the advanced Sphere Immersive Sound system, powered by HOLOPLOT.
A number of veteran rock acts have already booked residencies at the venue, including U2, Phish, Dead & Company, and The Eagles. U2 opened the building with a highly successful 40-date run stretching from September 2023 into March 2024, performing their 1991 album Achtung Baby in full to over 700,000 fans.
Heavy metal has also found a home at the Sphere. In March, Metallica expanded their upcoming “Life Burns Faster” residency, tripling the engagement to 24 shows. The run begins in early October 2026 and stretches into 2027, carrying over the band’s “No Repeat Weekend” format where no songs are repeated during their Thursday and Saturday performances.
Def Leppard have officially expanded their massive 2026 world tour, adding a new leg of concerts scheduled for October and November. The newly announced shows will bring the band to audiences across the United States, Mexico, and South America. Extreme will continue their run as the tour’s primary opening act.
The global tour originally kicked off in India this past March, immediately following the band’s highly successful Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace in February.
Back in January, Def Leppard released a new standalone single titled “Rejoice”.
Frontman Joe Elliott shared the straightforward creative process behind the new track, explaining how he approached guitarist Phil Collen with a specific vision.
“This song’s been an amazing journey from concept to conclusion,” Elliott explained at the time. “I said to Phil one day, ‘I’ve got this idea for a lyric where the narrator is at absolute rock bottom and wants to rise up to a higher level. Do you have a musical piece that might match with that?’ And he said, ‘As it happens, yes I do.’”
Def Leppard 2026 World Tour Dates:
- Jun 13 – Rättvik, Sweden @ Dalhalla
- Jun 16 – Helsinki, Finland @ Veikkaus Arena (w/ Extreme)
- Jun 19 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion Zürich (w/ Extreme)
- Jun 23 – Dortmund, Germany @ Westfalenhallen Dortmund GmbH (w/ Extreme)
- Jun 26 – Belfast, UK @ Belsonic (w/ Extreme)
- Jun 28 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro (w/ Extreme)
- Jun 30 – Sheffield, UK @ Utilita Arena (w/ Extreme)
- Jul 2 – London, UK @ O2 Arena (w/ Extreme)
- Jul 4 – Birmingham, UK @ BP Pulse Live (w/ Extreme)
- Jul 6 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live (w/ Extreme)
- Jul 8 – Paris, France @ Acor Arena (w/ Extreme)
- Jul 30 – Wacken, Germany @ Wacken Open Air
- Aug 2 – Dubai, UAE @ Coca-Cola Arena
- Oct 15 – Hollywood, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Live
- Oct 17 – Queretaro, MX @ Autodroma Queretaro (w/ Extreme)
- Oct 19 – Mexico City, MX @ Palacio de los Deportes (w/ Extreme)
- Oct 21 – Guadalajara, MX @ Arena VFG Guadalajara (w/ Extreme)
- Oct 24 – San Salvador, SV @ Estadio Cuscatlan (w/ Extreme)
- Oct 27 – Alajuela, CR @ Parque Viva (w/ Extreme)
- Oct 30 – Quito, EC @ Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa (w/ Extreme)
- Nov 2 – Bogota, CO @ Movistar Arena (w/ Extreme)
- Nov 5 – Buenos Aires, AR @ Movistar Arena (w/ Extreme)
- Nov 8 – Santiago, CL @ Movistar Arena (w/ Extreme)
