Styx & Def Leppard

Last week I went to see Styx and Def Leppard at my favorite beautiful venue, Bethel Woods in upstate NY.  Traffic as usual was heavy as expected, I always try to give myself 45 minutes extra for that reason, it really isn’t that bad and well worth every second! Parking lots at Bethel that night was pretty good and organized for as many people that were there.  Bethel always does their best at accommodating everyone.  By the time the opening act Tesla came on, the weather had cooled down a bit so it wasn’t so hot out. Tesla was the first act on the stage at 7:30pm, playing their hit songs including Signs, The Way It Is, and Getting’ Better.  Tesla is definitely not my favorite band, however people were really into them around me and seemed to really enjoy their set.  I’m not saying they weren’t good, I’m just saying I am not a Tesla fan. Around 8:15pm Styx entered the stage. I am so happy I was able to interview their front man Lawrence Gowan.  He absolutely killed it on the piano!  I was completely in awe of how he can play it backwards.  Styx of course played all their hits also that night including "Come Sail Away", "Fooling Yourself", "Rocket Man" with a mix of "Bohemian Rhapsody" which was a hit with the crowd.  Speaking of the crowd, I turned around at one point and could not see any grass or seats… It was just a sea of people.  I am pretty sure I was one of the youngest ones there.  I asked one of the security guards how many people attended that night and he said over 13,000.Def Leppard came on stage around 9PM playing ALL their hit songs from "Rock Rock", "Animal", "Foolin", "Hysteria" to my favorite "Pour Some Sugar On Me"!  I have been a Def Leppard fan for years since I was young.  It was mentioned by the band this was their first time coming to Bethel Woods and they were so excited to be playing at such an iconic venue.  I would definitely buy tickets again to see them and Styx!