Sometimes the scheduling gods align and you get a collaboration you might never have expected. Such was the case Saturday night (July 9) when Billy Joel was in town performing at Detroit’s Comerica Park and was able to call upon Def Leppard‘s Joe Elliott for a guest turn during his show.
Def Leppard had a night off from “The Stadium Tour,” with the band actually set to play Comerica Park tonight (July 10), so as a teaser for the upcoming show he joined Joel and his band for their Saturday night concert for Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
Sporting a black T-shirt and black and white animal print jacket, Elliott energized the crowd as Joel’s band showed off their rock chops and the “piano man” chimed in with supporting vocals as well.
While Joel has an extensive catalog of his own material to play, he’s been known to keep fans on their toes with select covers scattered into shows. In addition to Elliott’s guest turn on “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” the Joel set included bits of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Start Me Up” and “Nessun Dorma.”
And while the pairing with Elliott might not be the most obvious, Billy Joel has dipped into the hard rock community for guest appearances before. In 2017, Joel brought out Axl Rose for a show in Los Angeles, while AC/DC’s Brian Johnson stepped in for a guest turn during a New York Madison Square Garden show in 2014. Rose joined Joel for the singer’s “Big Shot” as well as AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Johnson meanwhile rocked out with Joel on AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
See fan-shot videos of the Joe Elliott-Billy Joel collaboration below. You can also look for Def Leppard on “The Stadium Tour” this summer with Motley Crue, Poison, Joan Jett and Classless Act. Get your tickets here. Meanwhile, Joel’s tour dates can be found at this location.