Def Leppard, Goo Goo Dolls and The Struts head to Simmons Bank Arena in April

Def Leppard's 2027 North American tour stops in North Little Rock on Friday, April 16, its first date on the arena's calendar since a fall 2020 booking.

The last time Def Leppard turned up on Simmons Bank Arena's calendar, the date was Oct. 2, 2020, a stop on the fall "20/20 Vision" run with ZZ Top as special guests, though the band canceled that tour. More than six years on, the band has a new date across the river: Friday, April 16, 2027, at 7 p.m., with Goo Goo Dolls and The Struts on the bill. Tickets start at $104.25 through Ticketmaster.

The tour was announced Oct. 8. It's a 45-date North American run that opens March 2 in Allentown, Pa., and wraps July 2 in Indianapolis, so North Little Rock lands about six weeks in. That's usually a good spot to catch a big production: the early-tour kinks are worked out and the band isn't yet worn down by a summer of amphitheaters. Fan-club presales started Oct. 12, and the general on-sale opened Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. local time, so tickets have been available for a couple of weeks. One detail is worth knowing before you buy: $1 from every ticket sold goes to City of Hope, the cancer research and treatment organization.

The bill is the draw. Def Leppard bring the Sheffield arena-rock catalog that has filled rooms like this for decades. Goo Goo Dolls aren't an opening act in the usual sense. The tour coverage calls them a co-headliner, a four-time Grammy-nominated band with a catalog people of a certain age can sing from start to finish. The Struts open, and they're the right fit for a Def Leppard crowd: glam-leaning, loud, and built for a big stage. Three acts on a 7 p.m. start means you should get there early if you want to see all of it.

Simmons Bank Arena is the right room for this. It holds 18,000 and sits on the North Little Rock side of the Arkansas River.

Before you buy, note that a few outlets have listed this show on a different date; at least one regional report put North Little Rock on April 18. The listing we're working from, the Ticketmaster event and KATV's local report all say Friday, April 16, 7 p.m. Check your ticket.

The gap since 2020 doesn't need much explaining. Big touring calendars got scrambled that year, and Arkansas stops on national arena runs don't come up often. What matters now is that the date is set. The run lands on a Friday night in mid-April, which is the start of concert season around here: warm enough to linger in the parking lot after and early enough that the summer festivals haven't taken over every weekend.

Plan for traffic on the bridges and the lots filling early. And if "Photograph" and "Iris" in the same night sounds like a good Friday, this is the show.

Sources: KATV: Def Leppard, Goo Goo Dolls coming to Simmons Bank Arena in April (katv.com); Ticketmaster: Def Leppard and Goo Goo Dolls, North Little Rock, Apr 16 2027 (ticketmaster.com); Tixel: Def Leppard Announces 2027 North American Tour with Goo Goo Dolls and The Struts (tixel.com); KY3: Def Leppard & the Goo Goo Dolls announce tour dates in Missouri & Arkansas (ky3.com); KATV (2020): Def Leppard and ZZ Top to perform at Simmons Bank Arena (katv.com); Blabbermouth: Def Leppard Announces Select Fall '20/20 Vision' Tour Dates With ZZ Top (blabbermouth.net); Def Leppard, ZZ Top October concert canceled (KTUL) (ktul.com); Def Leppard - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)