Uncasville, CT - Media Reviews

Def Leppard, Styx, and Tesla at the Mohegan Sun Arena By Brian Gallo

What happens when you take Tesla, Styx and Def Leppard and put them on the same tour? You get a sold out show and a night of rock & roll that you will never forget. Even the holiday weekend could not stop the fans from coming to see this tour. The Mohegan Sun Arena was filled to near capacity. Fans were there to see them all. A mix of tees supporting each band could be seen walking about.

Tesla was the first to hit the stage in front of this amazing energetic crowd tearing right into it with Edison’s Medicine. They had the crowd on its feet at once rocking and singing along. After that, the crowd was given a run of top hits including Song & Emotion, Hang Tough, Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out), Signs, Love Song, Little Suzi and Modern Day Cowboy. Looking out into the crowd you could see the atmosphere was already being set for an amazing night of music.

After Tesla got the crowd wanting more, Styx gave it to them. With 43 years of history, this band is still putting on a show and not missing a beat. With Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowen leading the way through hit after hit, they gave the fans a set they will remember. They tore through top hits that included The Grand Illusion, Too Much Time On My Hands, Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man), Miss America, Lady and Blue Collar Man (Long Nights). This led into a medley by Lawrence Gowen performing Heart of the Sunrise, Bohemian Rhapsody, and(Sittin On) The Dock Of The Bay. They finished strong with Come Sail Away and Renegade. Fans were out of their seats and singing along loudly.

All this led to the headliners Def Leppard who simply tore the stage up. They are a band that has proven time and time again they are rock stars and legends. They give it their all when they hit the stage and the passion shows. The 17 song set list included all their top hits. The set list consisted of Rock Rock (Till you Drop), Animal, Foolin’, Promises, Paper Sun, Love Bites, Armageddon It, Rock On, Two Steps Behind (which was performed acoustic by Joe Elliot alone), Rocket, Bringin On The Heartbreak, Switch 625, Hysteria, Let’s Get Rocked, and Pour Some Sugar On Me. Rock Of Ages and Photograph combined for the encore which ended the set and night with a bang.

This tour is made up of three bands that are testing time and still touring strong. Fan get three sets of pure entertainment. You leave this show wanting to see it again.

By New England Concert Reviews 2015.

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Def Leppard Brings Along Styx And Tesla To Rock The Mohegan Sun Arena By JP

As the July 4th weekend drew to close, there was one last blast of fireworks to be set off at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday night. That blast came in the form of classic rock giants Def Leppard, Styx and Tesla, who rocked the arena to its core for four straight hours. The show was also a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those in attendance as not one song that was performed that evening was less than fifteen years old. The newest song in any of the three band's set lists was Def Leppard's "Paper Sun" and "Promises," both from the band's 1999 album "Euphoria." Many fans were there, reliving their youth, when these songs ruled the radio airwaves.

The trip began promptly with a forty-five minute opening set from California rock band Tesla. Their short hits packed show began with the thunderously loud, electrifying opener "Edison's Medicine (Man Out Of Time)" followed by "Song & Emotion," (Tesla's tribute to the late Def Leppard guitarist, Steve Clark). As people were continuing to file into the arena, each song brought a bigger response from the crowd, as fans sang along to Tesla's famous cover of "Signs" and also their huge "top 10" single "Love Song." Singer Jeff Keith made a note to the audience that Tesla also opened for Def Leppard on their "Hysteria" tour 28 years ago.

Sticking to the tight schedule, Styx took the stage with a grand pre-recorded entrance before welcoming everyone to "The Grand Illusion." Their sixty minute set covered many of their iconic seventies hits, including "Lady," "Fooling Yourself" and "Blue Collar Man." Original member James "J.Y." Young took the lead vocals on a roughed up version of "Miss America," while guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw lead the audience through the clap-along chorus of "Too Much Time On My Hands." An amazing version of Styx's hit single "Come Sail Away" closed things out, before the band returned for the two song encore of "Rockin' In Paradise" and "Renegade."

As the Def Leppard curtain was lowered from the ceiling, fans were scrambling to their seats just before the lights went out amongst a pre-recorded instrumental that jolted the speakers. Fans instantly attached themselves to the band's performance of older songs "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)," "Animal" and "Foolin'." Guitarist Phil Collen finished off "Paper Sun" with a blistering solo, before guitarist Vivian Campbell took over on the arena rocker, "Armageddon It."

Lead singer Joe Elliott stood at the end of the catwalk with an acoustic guitar in his hand to led the audience in a sing-along of their 1993 hit "Two Steps Behind." He then called out for "guitars!" and "drums!", signaling the beginning of the rhythm heavy delivery of "Rocket." Drummer Rick Allen and bassist Rick Savage teamed up with the duel guitars of Collen and Campbell for the adrenaline fueled instrumental "Switch 625." The set closers "Hysteria," "Let's Get Rocked" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" left the energy level in the arena on maximum.

Every fan was on their feet, stomping the floor and banging the seats for the band's encore, which began with the gibberish "Gunter glieben glauten globen." As the two song encore of "Rock Of Ages" and "Photograph" left a lasting impression on fans, both new and old, Def Leppard finished the jam-packed night of classic rock with the idea that nostalgia is a great thing that continues to keep us all young at heart.

By JP's Music Blog 2015.

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