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Tuesday, 23rd June 2015
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Tampa, FL - Media Reviews

Florida is the Lightning Capital of the US By Sandy Shores

Yesterday, we headed out for a trip to the Tampa Amphitheater at Tampa Fairgrounds to see the Tesla, Styx and Def Leppard Concert. Tampa is just over 2 hours away, on the west coast of Florida. We arrived at the concert in the middle of a terrible lightning storm, that hung over the fairgrounds for over an hour. The first band, Tesla, cancelled their show, as the weather was showing no signs of subsiding. We waited in the van until the lightning passed.

Here in South Brevard we’re fortunate to be located in an area that is central to some great venues that showcase very talented artists.

Maxwell C King Center for the Performing Arts and the Wickham Park Pavilion in Melbourne are just 5 minutes from us. At the King Center we’ve been fortunate enough to see Peter Frampton, Dennis DeYoung from Styx, Daryl Hall and John Oats and Riverdance. Next month we will be driving 5 minutes down the street to see the 80’s band, Whitesnake.

The Wickham Park Pavilion hosted Runaway Country that showcased Blake Shelton and Luke Brian, the last 2 years. The show brought more than a dozen artists and tens of thousands of fans here in Melbourne.

We’re about an hour away from the House of Blues Orlando and the Osceola County Fairgrounds, that showcase various events.

And, we’ve got the Tampa Amphitheater at Tampa Fairgrounds, where Styx and Def Leppard put on an incredible concert last night. Def Leppard sounded amazing! They were better live than their recoded albums. After the show, we headed back to the van feeling a bit like drowned rats, dodging raindrops and trudging through mud puddles.

I love to be able to jump in my van and enjoy a great show for an evening. And during the summer months, we are reminded that we are living in Florida, the lightning capital of the United States.

By Active Rain 2015.


Styx Battle Tampa Lightning to Kick Off Electric Summer Tour With Def Leppard and Tesla By Mike Mettler

JY, in turn, also has a deep respect for the headliners. “We love playing with Def Leppard,” he affirms. “Joe Elliott knocked on our door, and we hugged like old friends, like we hadn’t missed a beat in 8 years since we had last seen each other. Phil Collen also came over and hugged me, and their crew treated our crew so well. There’s a very dear spot in our hearts for them, and vice-versa. I sense that these bands belong together more than every 8 years, so 3 or 4 years down the line, we’ll do this once more, at the least.”

The godfather of Styx is encouraged by the diverse audience mix he saw while looking out at the crowd in Tampa. “I saw at least half of the people singing along with our songs,” JY reports. “I mean, I can’t see very far, and maybe they snuck up to the front, but nonetheless, there’s a resonance with them. Their fans and ours are a little bit different, but it’s good for them, and it’s good for us. Def Leppard is completely a class act. They’re a phenomenal band, and we’re a phenomenal band. Hopefully, we’ll convert some of their fans, and they’ll come back to see another Styx show. These days, for a classic-rock band, this is how we rebuild our audience.”

Concurs keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, “Def Leppard are such a fun and affable group of people to be around. Who wouldn’t be excited about touring together with them? It’s a great show, and it’s diverse enough between the two musical styles. You cast the net wider to play to people who wouldn’t normally get the chance to see you. Also, they’re Brits, so they have a great sense of humor. They don’t take stuff too seriously.” (It’s true — as he approached a group of us standing backstage, Joe Elliott sang a few guttural syllables and then added, “or words to that effect,” before he sauntered down a ramp, headed directly to the stage to commence Leppard’s headlining set.)

By Styxworld 2015 - Read the full review via the link.


Rain did not stop phenomenal Def Leppard and Styx show in Tampa By Jason Michaelsen

As someone who was born in the 70’s, raised in the 80’s and partied in the 90’s, seeing Def Leppard, Styx and Tesla was a dream come true. Unfortunately, Mother Nature prevented Tesla from playing as a thunderstorm passed over the Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphiteatre, an outdoor venue.

After a 90 minute delay, a patient but anxious crowd jumped to their feet as Styx took the stage.

With the crowd energized, a black veil that read “Def Leppard” dropped. Moments later it fell as though a cable had broken, then flew up like a rocket was propelling it from underneath. With a blaze of lights, the UK band, consisting of Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Allen, Rick Savage and Steve Brown (standing in for Vivian Campbell who is currently battling cancer but is set to rejoin the group soon) began playing “Rock Till You Drop” sending the audience into a frenzy of clapping and screaming. The interaction between the members and the passion you could see in their faces as they performed each song is what has kept this band around for so long with such a devoted following. Watching Joe Elliott’s face as he bellowed out each melody showed the love and passion he has for music. Encouraging the audience to sing along with “Two Steps Behind” kept the energy level high even with the slower tempo. Needless to say, when the band played “Pour Some Sugar on Me” the audience screamed and sang along as though letting the entire surrounding areas know they were there. Finishing out their set with “Rocket” the crowded arena erupted in cheers and clapping, showing that after all these years Def Leppard is a group that has transcended time.

Sitting in the stand and listening to both of these groups, it was as if time had moved in reverse. Both Def Leppard’s and Styx’s performances were high energy, dramatic and passionate; they sound just as amazing as they did when these songs were performed for the first time. If you have the chance to see them, do not miss it.

By Rock At Night 2015 - Read the full review via the link.


Def Leppard Kickstarts Their 2015 United States Tour in Tampa: Review + Photo Gallery By William Clark

There's no chance that any fan would forget this performance anytime soon, in what was still a successful launch of a great summer tour.

Three resilient forces in hard rock have partnered up for one impressive live show, which thousands of fans gathered to witness during the launch of Def Leppard‘s summer tour with Styx and Tesla at Tampa’s Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheater.

During the first few hours of the evening, however, it seemed as though the first night of this extensive run wouldn’t even happen as a ferocious lightning storm had it’s way with the fairgrounds.

Rock and roll doesn’t hold a reputation for having a weak fan base, however. Instead, crowds of fans stood firm at the venue’s front gate, enduring the elements while chanting their demands for entry.

The odds were seemingly stacked against this unification from the start; Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell went public with the latest development in his cancer battle prior to the start of the tour, which would prevent him from playing during the first few shows while he received medical treatment.

In his absence Trixter‘s Steve Brown once again stood at attention, but it was uncertain whether this thunderstorm would prevent the show altogether.

Fortunately enough, the storms held off long enough for the members of Styx to hit the stage. While the audience certainly wasn’t thrilled about the absence of Tesla, the mood was quickly refurbished to the energetic themes of “The Grand Illusion” and “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man).”

Styx have always been one for putting on an impressive stage performance, and this night was no different. Vivid LED animations rotated through the cover artwork to such treasured installments as ‘Pieces of Eight’ and ‘Paradise Theater’ while James Young stepped forward to the main microphone for the signature “Miss America” anthem.

Sporting a clean look was keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, who interacted with the audience by turning his back to the instrument while still nailing the distinctive parts to “Come Sail Away” and “Renegade.” Bassist Ricky Philips and drummer Todd Sucherman stood tall while laying out the backbone to these staples, whereas Tommy Shaw proved to be every note the vocalist he was back during the 1980s.

The members of Styx did an admirable job at warming up the rain-battered crowd, however it was the performance from Def Leppard that sealed the deal for ticket holders. This veteran British rock unit delivered one of their most energetic concerts in recent memory, beginning with the themes of the ‘High and Dry’ fan favorite “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop).”

Frontman Joe Elliott could be found nailing the song’s high notes with some intense falsetto, as the rest of the band pounded out the instrumental parts with drop dead accuracy. Vivian Campbell is surely the guitarist for Def Leppard, but it became instantly apparent that Steve Brown is the next best man for the job as he grooved to the beat while nailing out extended solos on his assortment Eddie Van Halen-brand guitars.

Similar to Styx’s seven song set, Def Leppard had to drop two anticipated deep cuts (“Promises” and “Paper Sun”) because of mother nature, however the band still threw out an unexpected surprise when bassist Rick Savage ran out on the catwalk to crank out the bass line to “Rock On,” a cover of David Essex’s song of the same name that first appeared on Def Leppard’s 2007 album ‘Yeah!’

Joe Elliott manned an acoustic guitar for an intimate version of “Two Steps Behind,” where the rock vocalist and the Tampa audience took turns during the chorus. The obligatory electric version of “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” subsequently sent the crowd into a frenzy, but not as much as it’s twin “Switch 625” did.

Following a few blistering renditions of “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” Def Leppard moved straight into an encore of “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” – the latter of which featured vintage footage of the band performing back during their ‘Hysteria’ years.

As the members of Def Leppard stood together for a group bow, Steve Brown respectfully stood back, instead offering a few waves before heading backstage.

“Do us a favor, Tampa: Don’t forget us and we won’t forget you,” Elliott proclaimed. There’s no chance that any attending fan would forget this performance anytime soon, in what was still a successful launch of a great summer tour.

By Musicenthusiastmag 2015.

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