road trip!

I recently went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which was in Brooklyn on March 29. And why did I go? To see my favorite band, Def Leppard, inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! It was a once-in-a-lifetime event and there was no way I wasn't going to go. We got the cheap seats months ahead of time, my sister got a big discount on the hotel room (she works for the chain), and breakfast was complimentary. All we had to pay for was gas for the car and our food at the venue, so it was a pretty cheap trip overall.

My sister decided to drive to my house in the night before and then we drove to Brooklyn the next morning. I have to say, driving in Brooklyn was really tough. It's just so much more congested than any city in my area. I managed, though. When we pulled up to the hotel there was nowhere to park at all so I circled the block. When we came back around, there was a spot on the corner. I have no idea if it was really a parking spot, but I didn't care. I was just glad there was *somewhere* to pull over. My sister went into the hotel to find the valet while I sat in the car with the flashers on, hoping and praying no one would hit me as they came around the corner. We finally got the valet to come out so we grabbed our stuff and went inside. Check-in took forever! It turned out the person at the desk was new, so I couldn't get too upset, but those helping her were pretty slow, too. Very nice, but so slow. We finally got up to the room and just hung out until it was time to change clothes and leave.

We took an Uber to Barclay’s Center, which cost about $30 (it was peak time for an event); he was very friendly and a good driver thankfully! It was our first time taking Uber and even though it was more than I would have liked to spend, it was so, SO worth it to not have to drive in that traffic and then find parking. Getting to the hotel and figuring out where the valet was was enough for me! We were going to try taking the subway to Barclay’s; however, neither of us had been on one in about 20 years and we just didn’t want to deal with figuring out how it works, or risk getting lost and being late. (Yup, we chickened out.)

When we got to the venue we hung out outside for a few minutes in hopes of finding somewhere we wanted to eat. We ended up going inside and splitting an order of chicken tenders and fries. We each got a bottle of water at $7.00 a pop! Of course, they took the caps off so we had to be super careful we didn't spill it once we got to our seats. Guess who spilled 2/3 of hers?? Me. That sucked because I knew I'd be thirsty and I wasn't about to pay another $7.00 for another bottle. I sipped slowly!

The event itself was fun, but very long–over five hours! (I'll be interested to see how long it is when it airs on HBO in late April.) Our seats were on the second tier, which was very high and very steep and we both had a feeling of vertigo while trying to get to our seats. Stevie Nicks opened the show and she really was fantastic. She did a duet–Leather and Lace–with Don Henley, and Stop Dragging My Heart Around with Harry Styles. She also sang Edge of Seventeen and Stand Back. Radiohead and Janet Jackson didn’t perform. The Cure, The Zombies, and Roxy Music all performed. I didn't know any of their songs, so that made it seem much longer. It was enjoyable, but not my taste.

And then it was time for Def Leppard! They were inducted by Brian May of Queen. The acceptance speech was touching, as Rick Allen got really choked up when Joe Elliot talked about their tragedies and how Rick was able to come back from his accident, and had he not, there may not have been a Def Leppard. They performed their set, which was Hysteria, Photograph, Rock of Ages and Pour Some Sugar on Me. The all-star jam ended the night. Def Leppard brought out Brian May, Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of The Zombies, Stevie Van Zandt of The E Street Band, Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera and Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles. And.....the surprise of the night was Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople. They sang Mott the Hoople's All the Young Dudes, which is Joe's favorite song I believe. It was a great performance. 

Here are some of the pictures.  Almost all of the pictures I took were of the video screen because our seats were so high up.

Part of the video montage. Look how young they were!!

Brian May giving the induction speech.

Def Leppard on stage.

The all-star jam.

Joe Elliot with Ian Hunter singing All the Young Dudes.

And then it was all over! Time to head back to the hotel. This time we braved the subway since we didn't want to have to try and find the Uber driver in all the traffic. We had to really pay attention to the signage, but we made it to the right train and got back to the hotel in one piece.

I’m so happy to see Def Leppard get into the Hall of Fame finally, and I’m thrilled I was able to go. I got to see history in the making. It’s amazing that they’ve been making music for 42 years and they’re still going. It's going to be a sad, sad day when they finally stop touring. Hopefully that will be a long way off!

So what's my only regret?  I didn't have any pizza while I was in NY--NY style is my favorite! I did, however, have an authentic NY bagel so I can't be all that upset.

Def Leppard/Journey concert roadtrip: part one

This one is going to be long, so consider yourself warned. I'm posting two parts. Part one is the concert and part two, sometime this week, is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

This past week I took a concert road trip with my sister to see my favorite band. Anyone who reads my blog or knows me, likely knows that's Def Leppard. They were playing in Cleveland at the Quicken Loans Arena with Journey. I live in CT and she's in NY, but since she's always wanted to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, we decided to see them in Cleveland and make it a mini-vacation.

I drove to NY last Sunday (a four hour drive) and spent the night at her house. We left early Monday morning around 7:00 am in order to get to Cleveland (a five hour drive) check into the hotel and make it over to the arena by 4:30 pm.  When we got to the hotel we were able to check in right away, which was nice because it gave us a couple hours to relax, unpack and change clothes--we had to look nice to meet the boys from Def Leppard!

We stayed at the Renaissance, which is across from Public Square. It's an old hotel, so the rooms were a bit smaller than we're used to.  We had to hunt down the in-room coffee maker, which was on a shelf in the nightstand, and there wasn't room to keep our suitcases out, but overall it was good and the bed was comfy (very important for me!). The service staff were very friendly. My one gripe was that there was only one restaurant in the hotel, which served lunch and dinner only. Kind of a pain when you want some breakfast and don't want to go far. We had to walk out into the mall, which is attached, and head to Dunkin Donuts. I actually liked the mall being there, as it connected several buildings and a casino. You can basically go for several blocks and not have to go outside at all. Actually, we were able to walk from our hotel to the arena without having to go outside in the 90+ degree heat. (And that was especially nice, walking back at 11:00 pm at night after the concert.)

I mentioned having to be at the arena by 4:30 pm. That's because we decided to go all out for this show and buy the front row meet & greet package for Def Leppard. (We had a pretty rough year last year and decided we needed to indulge ourselves a bit.) Check-in time was 4:30 pm and We got to the arena around 4:00 pm.  The check-in tables for Journey and Def Leppard were side by side, and there were many more people for Def Leppard. (Although, Journey wasn't doing a meet and greet so that's probably why.) While waiting in line we discovered we'd forgotten several items that we always bring, probably because I switched purses and we relaxed a little too much beforehand (oh, those pesky Lifetime movies!):  Sharpie markers, just in case we met any band members other than at the meet and greet; my ear plugs, since I'm old and can't take the volume level anymore; and a mirror and lipstick, so we look picture perfect to meet the boys.

We got checked in, got our goody bags and wrist bands, and then went through security. The goody bag was a canvas travel bag with the Def Leppard logo, and inside was a nice set of luggage tags and a travel wallet, along with Def Leppard postcards. We also got a signed poster.

We then waited around until 5:00 pm, when the hostess brought us into the arena for our group photo on stage. It wasn't with the band, just the group of concert-goers. It was pretty cool, though, to be up on stage in front of Rick Allen's drum kit with "Def Leppard" on the screens in back of us. We chatted with the security guys, who were very friendly. (This is always a good thing--butter them up so they don't harass you for taking pictures, or maybe they'll be nice and give you the guitar pick that landed on the floor in front of them.)

We then headed back to meet the guys. For some reason I thought it would be a longer walk when we got out of the seating area, but it was quite close. Seemed like just a few steps, really. While waiting in line they drew the raffle--the prize being the privilege of standing on the side of the stage for the first two songs. Unfortunately we didn't win; however, we preferred to see the beginning of the show from the front anyway, so we weren't upset. Then it was time to meet the guys!! While we waited, Stuart, Vivian's dog, made an appearance. He was trotting around while the band's assistant waited.  I was hoping to pet him, but she didn't let him go too far. It was a treat to see him, though.  Kind of makes you realize that even though the band are rock stars, they're human just like the rest of us. (If anyone wants to follow Stuart on Instagram, he has his own page:  Rockstarstu.) As we got closer to the front of the line, my sister was quite nervous and made me go first, even though we were meeting them together. When we peeked around the corner, it was a little surprising to see just how close they all were to the line for the meet and greet--they were only about three feet away! First up was Sav, then Vivian, Joe, and then Rick. Unfortunately Phil wasn't there because he had to fly home a couple days earlier to deal with a family emergency. I was disappointed--he's my favorite--but I understood. I've met him a couple times before, anyway. I honestly would have been way more upset if Sav wasn't there, as he is my sister's favorite and she would have been devastated to not meet him after waiting 35 years for the opportunity! We each shook hands with them and introduced ourselves. I said my name and then, "Nice to meet you" and that's about it. Oh, and I told them TWICE that she and I are sisters; I'm not very smooth socially. My sister asked for and got a big hug from Sav. We posed for the pictures and then it was over. I don't think it took three minutes from intro to exit, but that's the way organized meet and greets go. Autographs and extended conversation aren't allowed since they typically have about 100 people to push through in a certain amount of time so the band can get ready and get on stage in time.  I knew that going in, though, since I did the meet and greet in Las Vegas in 2013. I still felt it was worth it. They're my favorite band, after all, and I've been listening since I was nine years old. When it was over we went to our seats in the FRONT ROW, right in front of Vivian's spot. For whatever reason, security was having an issue putting on everyone's wristbands so it took a few extra minutes to get there.

We then had some time to kill until showtime so we walked around to try and find Def Leppard's new beer. We wanted to have the can as a souvenir (see below). We found it, but unfortunately the vendor didn't tell us that we can't have the empty can until after they poured the beer. We didn't think to ask, as it didn't occur to us that we wouldn't be able to keep it. The venue's policy is that everything is poured and no cans or bottles, even opened/uncapped, are allowed in the venue at all. Since neither of us drink beer, that was $10.00 a piece down the drain. I later saw online that some people were able to keep the can, but I wasn't about to walk around all night trying to find the right vendor. We checked a few, but was it.


We went back to our seats and watched the countdown. As usual, I spent the time making sure my camera was ready to go.  I always bring my Pansonic Lumix point-and-shoot camera. It's been good to me over the years; however, this time I found that my cell phone actually took better pictures, so I ditched the camera about three minutes into the show in favor of my phone. It was hard letting go since I'm a freak about taking great concert pictures, but I did it.

Finally, it was showtime!  Def Leppard was on first, as they are rotating the opening and closing with Journey. The intro started with the beginning of Excitable.  I was hoping to see the same intro on the video screen as the previous shows, which was kind of a montage of their albums along with sang snippets from each album; however, it just showed the city name and then rose up above the stage when the show started.  From then on, the show was a big blur. The set opened with Rocket and they cranked out the usual hits, one after the other. Sav did his usual bass solo that leads into Rock On, which was followed by the acoustic version of Two Steps Behind. Then came my favorite part, one of their new songs:  Man Enough. Lots of people don't like this song, but it has quickly become a favorite of mine and, man, does it rock live!  And I love the screen graphics for this one, which I posted below. The show ended with Photograph.

Here are a few of the pictures I took. I took 400+! I have to admit that they came out pretty decent for a cell phone camera, but I'm thinking I might look for a new camera next year. It seems like no matter what I use, it just can't handle the light shining off of Joe's blond hair, so Joe is a bit overexposed in a lot of pictures this time around. (Note:  You're welcome to download these pictures for your own personal viewing, but please don't post them on Facebook or other social media, you blog, other websites, etc.)

"Rocket! Yeah!"

I think this is my favorite out of all the pictures. Sav is looking pretty good!

This is one of the best out of the pics I took of Joe.

 These were the graphics during Man Enough.

 Vivian Campbell

 The Thunder God himself, always smiling. He was pretty tough to get a picture of this time.

The guys sounded great, as usual, and had lots of energy. I mentioned that Phil wasn't at the show. Steve Brown of Trixter took his place. Just about everyone had positive things to say about him, and so do I:  he was a great fill-in for Phil, had lots of energy, seemed to be having fun, and was respectful. And the guys treated him like he was a part of the band, which was nice to see. There was one person who said that no matter how good he was, he'd never be a Lepp. Well, he's not trying to be a Lepp. He's a friend of that band and is filling in for a few shows (Phil is now back on tour). I'm guessing that person would rather have seen the shows cancelled...

Next up was Journey. I have to admit, once Def Leppard was done, I didn't have a whole lot of enthusiasm to see Journey. I like their music and I like seeing them...when they're the opener. It just seemed really odd for them to be the closer, and it continued to feel odd even after the show was over. Def Leppard's music is different, as is their overall energy level and feel, and it seemed like a big energy dip when Journey came on. The first few songs were a little slow. Not in the beat, but in getting the crowd going. It picked up soon, though, and they put on a good show. At the end of Don't Stop Believing they shot off confetti and streamers.  It was cool, but I definitely felt bad for the people that had to clean all that up. Arnel, the lead singer, has a fantastic voice and has so much energy. He sounds similar to Steve Perry. Even though the guy has been with Journey for 11 years, people were still saying (online) that "he's no Steve Perry." Well, no, he's not. No one is Steve Perry except Steve Perry. Arnel was the guy they chose to replace Steve 11 years ago and they've continued to perform. Would people rather Journey called it quits?? Arnel was very interactive with the crowd, too, especially the kids. One had a sign that said it was his first concert, so Arnel pulled him up on stage. I think the kid was in shock. LOL.  My only real complaint about Journey was the solos. The drum solo, while absolutely amazing, was LONG. Neal Schon's guitar solo was agonizingly long, too. He always plays The Star Spangled Banner, but it seems more like the Star Mangled Banner when he's done with it.  I know, artists have their own take on things, but I just wish it sounded more like the actual song and wasn't quite so long.

Arnel Pineda. This guy has a ton of energy!

Neal Schon

Steve Smith's drum solo. Amazing!

Jonathon Cain

The end of Don't Stop Believing. So much confetti...

Still more confetti coming down.

And then it was all over. Time to go back to the hotel. It was so nice being able to walk inside and not have to venture outside in the dark late at night. Nothing was open in the mall, so we went over to the casino and hit up the food court. I got a breakfast burrito, which was delicious. I saved half for the following day. I didn't win any money, but I only lost $20.00, so that's not bad at all. We got back to the room around 2:00 am and then I flipped through my concert pictures until I decided around 3:00 am it was time to go to sleep. I tried to sleep, but it wasn't easy with the ringing in my ears! I tried to buy ear plugs at the venue, but they didn't have them. I asked Security, but they weren't allowed to hand them out. Oh well. My hearing got back to normal by Tuesday night.

Part two will be posted later in the week. Thanks for reading!

another def leppard concert under my belt

Monday night my sister and I went to see our favorite boys in concert in Syracuse, NY. Always the best time of year for me. Even better than Christmas.

It was at the newly-built Lakeview Amphitheater, which was a total surprise to us--for some reason both of us assumed it was at the NY State Fairgrounds.  I wasn't on the ball this year.  Normally when I buy tickets for a concert, I spend a lot of time researching the venue, the seating charts, the general area, etc.  I want to know where I'm going, where the good restaurants are, and, most importantly, what kind of view I can expect from my seat.  This time?  I didn't even look to see where it was being held.  I'm slipping in my old age, I guess. Or getting lazy. Good thing I checked the ticket before we left the hotel!

The theater is a quick drive from the hotel we stayed at, maybe 15 minutes; however, the person at Hotel Reception suggested we leave at least an hour, maybe more, before the show started. Apparently there can be a lot of traffic in that area and it's a long walk from the parking lot.  He wasn't kidding--the theater FAQ says that two of the parking lots are a 30 minute walk from the venue!!  Luckily we were able to park in the Orange lot, which was about a 10 minute walk.  And it was very hot and dusty.  The parking lot is all dirt and gravel.  (Note to self:  if I go there again, I WILL NOT wear black leather boots.  What a mess!)

The amphitheater.

We had great seats in the 7th row on Sav's side; however, that was the side where the sun sets.  So, we baked until about 8:45 pm when the sun finally went down.  We went outside a few times and stood near the side gate.  Someone famous was talking to various concert-goers and taking pics with them, but I had no idea who it was.  His sticker said he was a guest of Def Leppard.  I wanted to approach him, but I didn't.  I'm shy like that.

Tesla opened up and played for 45 minutes.  For some reason, I'm not a fan of listening to Tesla on the radio or on CD; however, I do like their music live. They were pretty good.

Next up was REO Speedwagon.  They played for an hour.  I always enjoy seeing them.  I noticed that a couple songs seemed to be slowed down a bit, which make me wonder if Kevin Cronin was having issues with his voice. It didn't seem as powerful as the last time we saw them.  It was a great set, though.

Then came the main attraction: Def Leppard!  They played the usual 90 minutes (please play longer!!).  The show started off with the curtain covering the stage.  They started playing "Let's Go"--a new song--and then the curtain was whisked away.  Then it all went by in a blur, as it usually does. They sounded great and Joe's voice seemed to be healed.  I was thrilled they played "Let it Go."  It's one of my favorites to hear live. They also played "Dangerous"--another new song--and it seemed to go over well.  I was really hoping they would play "Man Enough," but no such luck.

My only complaint was the security guard.  He kept letting people move up when seats became empty.  That's OK with me, but rather than letting us move up, he let the two people behind us move up.  So, my panties were in a bunch for a bit, but I got over it.  When the row in front of the thrust/cat walk opened up, my sister and I ran over to take some last minute pics as the guys were saying goodnight.  And then it was over.

Next was breakfast at Denny's at 1:30 am.  They got slammed with people after the concert, so it took awhile to get the food.  When we finally got it, it was good.  There was definitely a subdued vibe in the restaurant.  Most people seemed tired.  Or maybe they were half deaf and their ears were ringing. (Not me!  I wore my ear plugs.  Yeah, I'm old...)

I think this is my favorite picture. 

I went to bed around 3 am, an hour I haven't seen in a very long time.  Then I got up at 7 am and did my workout.  OMG that workout was so hard!!  Obviously, I was very tired, my back, knees and feet hurt from standing the previous night, plus there was the four-hour drive there.  But I got through it. It was hard, but I was so happy I got it over with.  (That's actually my new motto:  Just get it over with. Seriously.) I'm also happy to report I didn't eat a bunch of junk food.  I had bought trail mix, but I put it in the trunk for the drive up there.  I knew if I had it in the car I would polish off most of it.  And trail mix has a crazy amount of calories!

On my way home I stopped at Wegman's, a huge grocery store in the Northeast.  It's kind of like a giant Whole Foods, but with much better prices.  I got some hot food for the ride, and also stocked up on cheese blocks.  Then I drove home.

And that's a wrap.  Another concert that has come and gone. I had a great time with my sister and we had a great time in general.

a new, catchy tune

I was in bed the other night, scrolling through Facebook while Bob was fast asleep next to me.  Usually when I'm scrolling through I'm keeping an eye out for the important stuff:  non-dramatic posts by friends, Def Leppard updates, and cute cat pictures and videos (which I have to admit is usually Priority #1). 

I think anyone who knows me, and even those that just know me on Facebook, know that Def Leppard is my all-time favorite band:  I travel all over to see their shows--including Canada and Vegas, I listen to them all the time (sorry, dear!), and my license plate references them.  They recently announced their new album (or is it MP3 now?) would be released the end of October; I was happy for something to look forward to since they take a long time to release material.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw an update from a fellow Def Leppard fan...and it was a link to their new song, Let's Go! I had no idea they would release a song early.  As I laid there in bed, in the dark, with my husband sleeping, all I could think about was hearing the song.  I didn't want to wake up Bob, so I went into the bathroom and played it on my phone.

My first thought was how much it sounds like songs from the Hysteria album, which isn't a bad thing; it was my favorite album.  The song reminds me a bit of Pour Some Sugar on Me.  I like that it sounds more "produced" than some other songs from their more recent albums and I also like that it sounds a bit heavier.

I liked it on the first listen, but it took several listens to really like it and get excited about it.  Listening to the lyrics, the beat, and all the guys singing along, this song makes me feel the same joy and anticipation I feel when I see them live.  When I listen to this song, it's as if I'm in the arena, hearing AC/DC blasting on the speakers right before they take the stage.  I haven't felt that way about one of their songs in a very long time.  And it feels good!

I'm more excited than ever to hear the new album. October 30 better arrive soon!

If anyone wants to listen, go here:  Let's Go by Def Leppard