Collen was just on the G3 Tour, with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci, where they played at Beacon Theatre in New York City this past February. “I loved it, and I got so much out of it. John Petrucci and Joe Satriani are so amazing as musicians and as people,” he said.
He is stoked that the entire Def Leppard music catalog is available for streaming and downloading. “That is awesome, and we are getting such great attention from that,” he said.
Equally thrilling for Collen is their co-headlining tour with Journey, which will kick off on May 21 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. “We had a great time last time we toured with them. This tour should be a lot of fun,” he said. “We will be playing in bigger venues, such as baseball stadiums, which is really fun.”
Speaking of their North American tour with Journey, on June 13, they will be performing at Madison Square Garden in New York City. “That is crazy, and it should be really exciting,” he said. “We are changing up the set.”
With his blues side project, Delta Deep, Collen just released a live album, and they are working on more songs. “We are working on our second album. It sounds incredible. The type of music is more sophisticated and the grooves are better. I am really excited about that. We have about four or five songs finished, and we will keep adding as we go,” he said.
He recorded the live Delta Deep album in New York State in Pawling at Daryl’s House. “That was amazing, and the whole night was really special. We were lucky to record that there,” he said.
Collen also opened up about his first recollection of guitar legend Link Wray. “On my 16th birthday, I got this album called the Guitar album, which had Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Link Wray, and all the great players. It was a good introduction to all of that music. It was really cool,” he said.
For the Def Leppard fans, he concluded, “The fact that we are actually releasing everything on digital is awesome, since everybody can access it on their phone. We are also going to be out on the tour. For us, it’s amazing, since both go hand in hand. I am really looking forward to being able to do that.”
To learn more about Def Leppard and their 2018 touring schedule, check out their official homepage.
