Def Leppard Set to Launch ‘Spectacular’ Las Vegas Residency Featuring New Track and Fan Favorites: ‘We’ve Taken It Up Many Levels’
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The band kicks off their month-long Las Vegas residency on Tuesday night.
Even though 2026 has only just begun, Def Leppard is already looking far ahead when it comes to their music catalog.
“We’ve got plenty of material, enough to carry us through to the end of the decade,” bassist Rick Savage told PEOPLE exclusively. “We’re only a few songs shy of having two full albums ready.”
The “Love Bites” rockers are still writing new tracks and anticipate that their 13th studio album will drop either later this year or in early 2027.
“It’s an ongoing process,” says Savage, 65. “If we had to release the album next week, we could, but we’re still writing, recording, and polishing things. You know how it is—the last 20% takes 80% of the time to get right. That’s where we are now.”
For the moment, though, all eyes are on Las Vegas, where Def Leppard will kick off their third residency on Tuesday, February 3. Frontman Joe Elliott promises that the 12-show run will be unlike any tour or previous Vegas stint the band has done.
“We’ve scrapped everything from our last five or six tours and started fresh,” Elliott said, noting that in addition to the hits, the band will dig into songs that haven’t been played live since the ’90s. Their new single, “Rejoice,” will also feature in the set.
Having seen the new Caesars Palace production firsthand, Elliott, 66, called the show “pretty spectacular.”
The timing couldn’t be better. In 2026, Def Leppard celebrates the 30th anniversary of their sixth album, Slang, and the 20th anniversary of Yeah!. Next year will mark the band’s 50th year together and the 40th anniversary of Hysteria, their biggest commercial success.
Still, Elliott and Savage say that the band’s achievements aren’t entirely surprising, given the ambition they had from the start.
“We never did anything halfheartedly. From day one, we wanted to be the biggest band in the world,” Savage said.
With the Vegas residency, the band is finally experiencing the production level they’ve long dreamed of. “It’s elevated everything, not just by one level but many,” Elliott said.
Residencies also offer the band a sense of stability that touring can’t.
“The biggest difference is unpacking your suitcase,” Elliott said. “I’ve never hung clothes in a wardrobe on tour in 46 years. On tour, you’re always in transit. Here, we actually have a temporary home. It’s wild—I’ve owned houses for less time than I’ll spend in this room while we’re here.”