Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Poison Detail 2020 US Stadium Tour

Mötley Crüe are ripping up their “cessation of touring agreement” and hitting the road in 2020 for a US stadium tour with fellow hard rock acts Poison and Def Leppard, sources have confirmed for Rolling Stone. While specific dates and venues have yet to be announced, the three acts will perform at stadiums around the country.

Mötley Crüe played 158 shows on their 2014/15 Final Tour, wrapping up with a hometown show at the Forum in Los Angeles on December 31st, 2015. Prior to the tour, the band claimed to sign a “cessation of touring agreement,” which they said was a binding document that would prohibit them from ever playing again after the tour ended. At the time, the group’s management failed to produce this alleged document despite repeated requests.

“Legally, we can’t play again,” bassist Nikki Sixx claimed to Rolling Stone backstage at a 2014 show in Denver. “The only loophole is if all four band members agreed to do it, we could override our own contract. But we know that will never happen. There are people in this band who will refuse to ever do it again, and you’re talking to one of them. There is no amount of money that would ever make me do it again because I have such pride in how we’re ending it.”

Def Leppard remain one of the most popular touring acts in rock. They stayed largely out of the U.S. this year with the exception of their Las Vegas residency where they broke out extreme rarities like ‘Die Hard the Hunter’ from 1983’s Pyromania and ‘Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad’ from 1992’s Adrenalize. In 2018, they played a highly-successful co-headlining tour of U.S. arenas and stadiums with Journey. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.

“We are having an Indian summer and it’s because we have this integrity,” guitarist Phil Collen told Rolling Stone on the night of the induction ceremony. “We never stopped actually in the 40-odd years that the band’s together. We just keep going through thick and thin, all the bad stuff, good stuff. And I think that shows, and we’re just enjoying this Indian summer.”

Def Leppard toured with Poison in 2017, which marked the first outing by the Bret Michaels-led band since 2012. In 2011, they toured with Mötley Crüe and the New York Dolls. It was the first time to two biggest bands of the hair metal era hit the road together. Unlike nearly every other act from that time, both bands still have all of their original members.

Listen to the Best of Def Leppard on Apple Music and Spotify.

Format: UK English