DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"OK, just to nip in the bud any Twitter/Facebook rumours you may have read regarding our recent performance at Saratoga Springs where the band didn't do an encore, here's the deal...

"After the Boston gig, which was the first show on the whole tour where it was actually cold afterwards, I caught a hacking cough which just ripped the hell out of my voice. Despite all the usual stuff singers do such as lemon tea, steam, etc. it just wasn't going to heal overnight, but with sufficient rest and plenty of warming up I thought I might manage to do the following show in Saratoga Springs. I was tough and I was ploughing through it as best I could, but by the time we got to 'Photograph', there was barely anything left in the tank and it was starting to hurt, so I decided after struggling through 'Sugar' that I had to make a decision... do the encore and risk doing so much damage that we might have to cancel a bunch of shows, or blow out one song and sort out a doctor to have a look at me, which we did the following morning.

"The result being after a couple of cortisone shots, I seem to be mending quite nicely!! The cough has gone, and the gig in Bangor, Maine on Wednesday night, albeit challenging, was a big improvement and with today being a day off, it's a perfect opportunity for me to rest up and address this issue, which seems to have a few people unduly worried about my health!!

"In most occupations, a cough doesn't really affect your ability to work — not so for people who use their voice for a living!! I've had a couple of tough gigs, it's happened before and no doubt it'll happen again, but for now, I'm OK, the tour will roll on, we will ALL give our all, as we do every night, and we move on.

"Thank you to all of you who have publicly & privately supported me on this."