Def Leppard's Joe Elliott Reassures Fans

Def Leppard unusually didn't perform an encore in Saratoga on Monday leading some worried fans to speculate that there was a wider problem. However, Joe has issued a statement explaining what happened.

"OK, just to nip in the bud any Twitter/Facebook rumours you may have read regarding our recent (August 20th) performance at Saratoga Springs where the band didn't do an encore, here's the deal...

"After the Boston gig (August 18th), which was the 1st show on the whole tour where it was actually cold afterwards, I caught a hacking cough which just ripped the hell out of my voice. Despite all the usual stuff singers do such as lemon tea, steam, etc. it just wasn't going to heal overnight, but with sufficient rest & plenty of warming up I thought I might manage to do the following show in Saratoga Springs. I was tough and I was ploughing through it as best I could but by the time we got to 'Photograph', there was barely anything left in the tank & it was starting to hurt, so I decided after struggling through 'Sugar' that I had to make a decision... do the encore & risk doing so much damage that we might have to cancel a bunch of shows, or blow out one song & sort out a doctor to have a look at me, which we did the following morning. 

"The result being after a couple of cortisone shots, I seem to be mending quite nicely!! The cough has gone, & the gig in Bangor, Maine on Wednesday night (August 22nd) albeit challenging, was a big improvement & with today being a day off it's a perfect opportunity for me to rest up & address this issue which seems to have a few people unduly worried about my health!! 

"In most occupations a cough doesn't really affect your ability to work—not so for people who use their voice for a living!! I've had a couple of tough gigs, it's happened before & no doubt it'll happen again, but for now, I'm OK, the tour will roll on, we will ALL give our all, as we do every night, & we move on. 

"Thank you to all of you who have publicly & privately supported me on this..."

Def Leppard's tour with Poison and Lita Ford continues tonight at Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana

(Bravewords)