Topping the bill on the final day of Rock USA was Def Leppard, supported by guests Styx, Tesla, Jackyl, and Dellacoma.
Def Leppard received a warm welcome from the Rock USA crowd and the British rockers returned the favor by putting on a memorable show.
With no shortage of commercially successful chart toppers like “Bringing OnThe Heartbreak,†“Animal,†“Pour Sugar On Me,” “Hysteria,†â€Let’s Get Rocked,†“Rocket, †and more, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell, Rick Savage, and Rick Allen kept the packed arena singing along.
For early die-hard fans of the band it was a welcome relief they left room for some early classic rockers like the dual guitar favorite “Switch 625,†and the haunting “Foolin,” as well as a few other tracks from the albums High ‘N’ Dry and Pyromania.
With a choice selection of hits and rockers, the boys from Sheffield ended the four-day festival on a high note.
Styx made a strong showing playing a classic selection of their songs with a lighted backdrop depicting album covers from the songs as they were played. They performed several tracks from their extensive catalog, enough to appease every fan’s musical appetite.
From the rocking “Renegade†and “Blue Collar Man,†taken from their album Pieces Of Eight, to the early classic “Lady,†taken from their album titled Styx II, Styx played and harmonized, bringing those songs from turntables and CD players to the live stage.
The set also included keyboard player and vocalist Lawrence Gowan singing a medley of hits by other artists including Elton John’s “Rocket Man,†Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,†and Otis Redding’s “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay,†before moving onto the Styx classic “Come Sail Away,†taken from their multi-platinum selling album titled The Grand Illusion.
The band consists of members James ‘JY’ Young and Tommy Shaw (lead vocals and guitars), Ricky Phillips (bass), Chuck Panozzo (bass), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals and keyboards), and Todd Sucherman (drums).
Tesla with vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarists Frank Hannon and Dave Rude, bassist Brian Wheat, and drummer Troy Lucketta, blazed through a set of recognizable favorites that included “Love Song,†“Gettin’ Better,†“Little Suzi,†“Edison’s Medicine,†the crowd sing along favorite “Signs,†and more.
Frank Hannon thanked the crowd for putting up with the sun before blitzing into the opening notes of the rocking track “Modern Day Cowboy,†taken from their début album Mechanical Resonance.
On a sunny evening Tesla proved they can still rock and are here to stay.
Jesse James Dupree and the rest of the Jackyl posse, including Jeff Worley on guitar, Roman Glick on bass, and Chris Worley on drums, roared through a short but wild set.
The band has played this festival before and reaching into their bag of hits like “Down On Me,†“When Will It Rain,†“I Stand Alone,†and more, knew how to get the crowd going.
Not to be left out was show closer and a trademark of every Jackyl show, “The Lumberjack,†which features vocalist Jesse Dupree displaying his outdoors-man like talents by playing a solo using a chainsaw.
The crowd was entertained and Jackyl set the stage for the rest of the bands that were to take the stage that night.
Opening the day was Dellacoma . The band is vocalist Dellacoma Rio, and bassist Rick Reynolds, both from the land ‘Down Under,’ and guitarist Art Struck and drummer Matt Cook, both from Dallas, TX.
It’s no easy task being an opening act on a strong bill but Dellacoma held their own with a strong set, the bulk of which comprised of tracks from their first full length album titled South Of Everything. The set also included a couple of tracks from their début EP titled The Dead Will Rise, as well as a rousing rendition of the rock classic “Mississippi Queen.â€
Though an opening act now, if Dellacoma sticks to delivering their hard-hitting style of rock, it’s only a matter of time before the band reaches headline status, so stay tuned.
Rock USA delivered four days of “Solid Rock. No Limits.†Given the enormous challenge of putting on a large multi day rock festival, Rock USA came though with flying colors. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, friendly fans and a solid music line up made for an enjoyable four days.
Much of the credit for the success of the festival should go to the security personnel, from the managers and supervisors, to staff manning the gates at various sections, everyone was very friendly and accommodating.
This was Rock USA’s 6th year and management is constantly looking for ways to make improvements to the festival.
According to information posted on their Facebook page (please see link below) there will be improvements made through changes and additions next year. These changes will include “adding a pit, bringing G.A. closer, lengthening the sets, shortening time between sets, and more acts per day.”
Visit their site and purchase your tickets now for what looks to be an exciting and rocking festival next year.
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Def Leppard
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Styx
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Tesla
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Jackyl
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