If it's summer, Def Leppard is on the road somewhere in America.
The veteran British band enjoys touring the States during the sticky season.
"We love playing in America during the summer," guitarist Phil Collen said. "It's something that's an annual thing. We love the camaraderie."
When Def Leppard returns Saturday to the Borgata, expect a long run of hits.
"The music world has changed but I still think well-constructed pop-rock songs have their place," Collen said. "I think a great song will be embraced no matter what. It doesn't matter when you write and record it."
When it came to catchy pop-rock songs during the early '80s, there was no finer band than Def Leppard.
“Pyromania,” the band’s breakthrough album, was loaded with accessible tunes and topped the pop charts in 1983. Such sonic confections as “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages“ and “Foolin’” connected with fans thanks to some of the biggest hooks of that era. Fans could sing along with the chorus and there was no better hair metal band at crafting verses than Def Leppard.
“Give much of the credit to (producer) Mutt Lange,” Collen said. “He preached melody and rhythm. It was also never enough for Mutt. He kept pushing us to up the ante and because of that we came up with some amazing verses in those songs. He helped make each of those songs better. He was never satisfied. He would say, ‘Try this and that.’ Working with him was a great experience and it helped us. The way he approached recording stayed with us and that's a really good thing.”
It’s been 42 years since Pyromania,” which sold more than 10 million copies, was recorded.
“We have had some amazing highs and some brutal lows,” Collen said. “It didn’t get much better than 'Pyromania.' People loved that album and still love it. But we’ve had to deal with some tough stuff in this band but we always bounced back because this band is everything to us."
Drummer Rick Allen remained in the group even after he lost his left arm due to a car crash in 1984. After recovering, Allen proved that he could still keep time.
Def Leppard survived guitarist Steve Clark's overdose in 1991. The band — which also includes vocalist Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage and guitarist Vivian Campbell — also lived through the emergence of grunge which took the air out of hair metal a quarter-century ago.
"We do what we have to do," Collen said. "We've dealt with so much. We’re like a family but it might even be bigger than that. In most families, someone leaves after they turn 18. But we’ve been together (for more than four decades) and we’re still moving on. We’re still creating and we’re still doing these tours.
"I don’t know how to top what we do," he added. "It’s an amazing thing. I'm just so glad that we still tour and we can make new music. We could easily stop what we're doing and just relax but we don't want to do that. We're doing what we love to do.”
Part of the reason Def Leppard continues to create is due to its fervent base. "Our fans have never let go," Collen said. "They've been so supportive over the years. We put out albums, they buy them. They come back again and again to see us live. It's been a dream."
It's been nearly a decade since Jackson Browne played Atlantic City in 2016.
The iconic singer-songwriter, who has crafted such hits as "Running on Empty," "Doctor My Eyes" and "The Pretender" will perform Saturday at the Hard Rock.
Pop-rockers Incubus, best known for their smash, "Drive," will play Friday at the Hard Rock.
The "Pop 2000 Tour," which features Ryan Cabrera, Chris Kirkpatrick and O-Town, will stop Friday at Harrah's.
