Review and photos by: Kyle Brown
Edited by: Erica McNatt
Nostalgia. When someone is asked what is nostalgic to them, some may say the toys they grew up on, or certain cars and car companies. Some may even talk about television shows and movies. Then there are the ones who will say the music they grew up on and still listen to.
That was certainly the case for the over 40,000 fans in attendance—most of them in their mid-30s and above—at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday night.
“The Summer Stadium Tour” brought out some of the most nostalgic bands from the ’70s -’80’s era. Cheap Trick, Journey, and Def Leppard made a triple bill, as each act was their own headlining show. Cheap Trick opened the night at promptly 6 p.m. while storm clouds threatened the area. Not even phased by the possibility of rain, the band delighted fans with songs like “He’s a Whore,” “Surrender,” “I Want You To Want Me,” and “Dream Police.” As they say in show business, the show must go on.
I arrived a bit late for their set and was not able to capture any images as per photo policy. However, I had a decent view where I was stationed to be picked up and brought to the rest of the media members.
Frontman Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson, guitarist Rick Nielsen, and drummer Daxx Nielsen steamrolled through their set with ease. Zander’s performance, however, is what I was most shocked about while listening to their set. The 71-year-old singer still has quite a voice on him. With age, the higher notes seemed to be a bit of a struggle at times, but when that happened, the crowd seemed to give a helping hand. It was so easy to see why they were invited on this tour. The classic rock community still loves Cheap Trick.
Journey took the stage next at 7:30, celebrating 50 years as a rock band. As soon as they hit the stage, Mother Nature showed how excited she was to see the iconic band as a heavy rain poured on all in attendance. The 18-song setlist began with the songs “Only the Young,” “Be Good to Yourself,” and a guitar solo that bled into “Stone in Love.”
Arnel Pineda, lead singer of 16 years, is surely making Steve Perry smile down on him with every performance. Pineda was able to reach the higher-register notes, as well as the lower ones, flawlessly. This was very evident during “Stone in Love” and “Escape” in particular. Pineda also kept the crowd engaged throughout the set by having them swing their arms back and fourth and sing the lyrics during the “Na Na Nana Na” parts of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.”



All eyes were glued to keyboard/guitarist Jonathan Cain when he played a piano ballad that made the stadium go eerily quiet. This allowed the rest of the band to take a quick break and come back on when the ballad opened into “Open Arms,” which the crowd went nuts over. The crowd seemed to sing the song just as loud as Pineda and the loud speakers.
Things picked up rather quickly as “Line of Fire” and “Dead or Alive” played next. “Wheel in the Sky” had a very fun guitar jam, and drummer Deen Castronovo sang “Lights” beautifully. One of the loudest cheers came at the end of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).” Fans of all ages sang and danced loud and proud from the stage all the way to the nosebleeds.
“Don’t Stop Believing” and “Anyway You Want It” rounded out the set with a literal bang as confetti cannons showered the crowd. The fans were more than happy with the setlist that spanned five decades of music.


Def Leppard hit the stage at 9:30 after a countdown clock struck zero, accompanied by some smoke, bright lights, and a little bit of rain. The set was designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their album Pyromania.
At this point in the night, the sky was turning dark as the sun was setting, which provided a really cool visual for anyone in the rear or upper levels of the ballpark. The color array of the stage lighting was executed very nicely.
A “Cleveland rocks” chant was started by lead singer Joe Elliot. As this was happening, the other band members left the stage, and Elliot gave a stellar acoustic performance of “Two Steps Behind.” That performance then led into a semi-acoustic/electric performance of “This Guitar,” where all the band members joined Elliot at the front of the huge stage, including drummer Rick Allen, who used maracas. The crowd seemed to eat up what Def Leppard was dishing out, and a sense of unity came over the entire venue.



“Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” featured fun guitar solos and a drum solo that showcased the bands musical abilities.
Much like Cheap Trick and Journey, Elliot had to rely on his fellow band members a bit to help carry some of the high notes. Touring can take a huge hit on your vocal abilities when playing night in and night out like these guys have been. It became more evident during the last four songs of the set, when “Rock of Ages” was being sung. Elliot seemed to not be pushing as hard and let his bandmates help out when needed. At 64, Elliot still sounded great, but he was also smart enough to know the tour must go on after Cleveland. Saving his voice is a must. That is by no means a complaint either. Everyone deserves to see this event. I respect him a lot for saving his voice for other cities to enjoy.
One of my favorite parts of the night was how “Photograph” ended. For what seemed to be a crowd favorite, the song ended to a thundering applause and cheers that easily hit the 30-second mark before the band began their last two songs.


“Hysteria,” which featured an extended outro played before the most famous song in their arsenal of hits, “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” The night ended with the crowd wanting more, but the time curfew was reached and the ballpark lights came on, signaling it was time to pack up and go home.
“Until next time, and there will be a next time! Until then, do us a big favor. Don’t forget us, and we won’t forget you!” Elliot said as he left the stage.
As iconic and nostalgic a band like Def Leppard is, have no fear, Joe. We will never forget you.