What a difference a couple days makes! On Friday, the Darling's Waterfront Pavilion was warm and sunny and ready to rock! Much like Wednesday’s Journey show, the afternoon sound check whetted the appetites of the hungry Leppard fans as they waited in line to get in. Those who were waiting in line early got an extra little cherry on top to hold them over to the big show.

When show time came, Tesla greeted Bangor with wide smiles and shredding guitars, making quick work out of standards like “No Way Out” and “Little Suzi”. Singer Jeff Keith apologized for his voice being a bit rough, but as they lifted the crowd up with “Signs”, you could hardly tell. And the audience really came alive as they closed the set with “Love Song” and “Modern Day Cowboy”.

REO Speedwagon was in fantastic form. Heavily laden with awesome harmonies, they came out and threw down sweet soft rock ballads end to end. With their huge collection of classic tunes, they had no trouble supplying the audience with endless chances to sing along at the top of their lungs. Vocalist Kevin Cronin worked some serious front man magic getting the crowd pumped up. All the big singles were there… “Keep on Lovin’ You”, and the tie severing “Time for Me to Fly” and “Take it on the Run”. A solid set all around.

The roar of the audience, over 11,000 strong, practically shook the ground as Def Leppard took the stage. As they ripped up the first notes of “Let Go” and “Animal”, the crowd was almost louder than the band. Bangor was feeling it. They also played some brand new songs that fit right in with the classic Def Leppard sound. And then they followed with a slew of their monster chart toppers from the Pyromania and Hysteria era.

During band introductions, when Joe Elliot got to guitarist Vivian Campbell, of Whitesnake and Dio fame, he was making jokes about him being from Belfast…Ireland. Gotta love those witty Brits!

From their cover of “Rock On”, to bringing the house down with another round of some of their biggest mega-hits like “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, Def Leppard came to town and showed us how it’s done. For the second time in a week, Bangor got its socks rocked off, and how sweet it was.

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