Def Leppard Ready to Kick Off 'Spectacular' Vegas Residency with New Song, Deep Cuts: 'Taken It Up Many Levels' (Exclusive)
- - Def Leppard Ready to Kick Off 'Spectacular' Vegas Residency with New Song, Deep Cuts: 'Taken It Up Many Levels' (Exclusive)
Mark GrayFebruary 3, 2026 at 11:20 PM
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Def Leppard
Ross Halfin
Def Leppard kick off their Las Vegas residency Tuesday night
Frontman Joe Elliott says the 12 shows will be unlike anything fans have seen on tour or in previous Vegas iterations
The rockers say they're looking forward to unpacking for the month ahead, as shows run Feb. 3-28
It’s only a month into 2026, but Def Leppard can already plan out its music catalog far into the future."We've really got enough material, and we'll have enough material to take us through to the end of the decade pretty much," bassist Rick Savage tells PEOPLE exclusively. "We’re a few songs short of having two albums."As of now, the "Love Bites" hitmakers are still writing new material and expect their 13th studio album to be released late this year or in early 2027. "It’s an ongoing process, really. If we needed to put the album out next week, we absolutely could, but we're still writing, we're still recording, we're still finishing off," Savage, 65, says. "It's like we always say, the last 20% takes 80% of the time to get it right. So, we're kind of in that process."
Def Leppard
Ross Halfin
For now, though, the focus is on Las Vegas, where Def Leppard will begin its third residency on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The 12-show run, frontman Joe Elliott says, will be unlike anything fans have seen on tour or in previous Vegas iterations. "We've scrapped everything we've ever used over the last five or six tours, which was adapted all the way, but we've just actually got rid of it and came up with a whole new stage show, including set list," he said, noting that, in addition to the smash hits, the band will perform songs that haven’t been played since the '90s. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ new single, "Rejoice," will also be a part of the mix.
Having watched the new Caesars Palace show from the audience, Elliott, 66, says the show is "pretty spectacular."
The Vegas residency and the new single come at a time when Def Leppard has a lot to celebrate: 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of their sixth studio album, Slang, and the 20th anniversary of the Yeah! album. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of Def Leppard’s formation and the 40th anniversary of Hysteria, the band’s biggest commercial success.
In some ways, the rock icons aren’t surprised by the success, as members had very lofty goals from the first day. "There was no halfheartedness about it. We wanted to be the biggest band in the world right from the beginning," Savage says. Having received so many accolades over the course of Def Leppard’s 49-year history, the Vegas show and the production that comes with it is "where we've always wanted to be," Elliott says. "It's taken it up many levels, not just one level."
Def Leppard
Ross Halfin
Vegas also allows Def Leppard to have a home, albeit temporarily, something the touring doesn’t offer."The biggest difference really is unpacking your suitcase. I've never done that," Elliott admits. "I've never hung my clothes up in a wardrobe on tour in 46 years of touring and put the suitcase away. It's just a different world. I've owned houses for less time than I will have stayed in this room when we leave."Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency runs from Feb. 3-28.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
