Def Leppard

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Last summer Def Leppard and Poison were “feuding.” This summer they’re on tour together.

Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott says that kind of back and forth — Elliott was quoted as saying Def Lep was superior to Poison; Poison, comically, took exception — is common.

“Most people in bands bitch about other bands, and then when they meet them they’re fine,” Elliott says with a laugh on the phone from Spain during a recent pre-tour vacation.

“It’s three hours of the hits,” he says of the combined forces of his band, Poison, and openers Cheap Trick. “It’s a recession-proof tour, or at least it’s challenging the recession.”

Q. With collaborations with Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift and appearances on CMT, Def Leppard seems to be embarking on a second act in Nashville.

A. It just so happened Tim McGraw had been a fan and someone printed out an interview of Taylor Swift saying there’s only one band she’d do “Crossroads” with and it’s Def Leppard. So we’re all like, “Wow, who is this girl?”

Q. Will you, Poison, and Cheap Trick perform together at all?

A. I doubt it because there isn’t enough time. Spontaneity is something that went out when the hippies died. If you want consistent jams, I think Phish and the Dead are the best way to go. When we’re playing for 90 minutes, we’re dropping between eight and 10 top 40 hits because we have to make room for Cheap Trick. We’re all struggling to get the perfect set list because there’s a lot of hits to be played. “

Q. Will much material from 2008’s ” Songs From the Sparkle Lounge “ make the set list?

A. Of course. The one thing we’ve tried to do is maintain the ability for me to be able to walk onstage and say, ” Here’s a song from our latest album. “ Like all vintage bands — us, Aerosmith, the Stones, U2 — we’ve got to keep playing new music or otherwise we’ll just stagnate and why not just move to Vegas? Which is another option down the road. (Laughs) ... There’s going to be the hardcore down in the front who bought the new album and a lot of people on the lawn who haven’t bought anything since ” Hysteria. “ That’s just the way it is. Trust me, I go to 1/8Paul3/8 McCartney gigs and I know that there are people there who never even bought Wings albums, you know what I mean? It’s like ” Band on the What? “ (Laughs).