Our main (and really, only) reason we went to Costa Rica was for the Def Leppard concert. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen them in concert. (Though I know I’m not on the extreme end. I’m part of a Def Leppard fan club on Facebook where some members have been to over 90 concerts. I’m probably hovering between 10-20).

In many ways, Def Leppard provided the soundtracks to many key milestones. I studied during my final year in high school to Pyromania. I wrote my bachelor’s thesis while listening to Hysteria. Many hours were spent while studying for my P.E. exam with Adrenalize playing in the background.

Best of all, they’re a great concert band. We’ve been to some concerts where we loved the music, but the concerts were just meh (looking at you, Heart and Boston). So when the opportunity comes up to see them, I try to get there if I can.

I thought it was serendipity that within weeks of moving to Panamá, they announced a Latin America tour. So Costa Rica it was!

Parque Viva was very similar to other amphitheater venues we’ve been to, with the exception of the food! Any amphitheaters we’ve been to has had one or two choices for food. Parque Viva had literally dozens of choices, from burgers to pizza to wraps to empanadas to burritos and more.

Extreme was the opening act, and was much better than we expected. But the crowd was there for Def Leppard.

We could have gotten tickets to be down closer to the stage, but that area was standing room only, and would have required standing in the same spot for about six hours. We opted for assigned seats, even if they weren’t as close.

I think this is one of my favourite pictures of the night. It was taken at the start of Love Bites. I loved how you can see all the phones up, all recording.

They played a solid two hour set, and included all their hits, plus some of my other favourites. it was the first time they’d played in Costa Rica, and it was fun to hear the lead singer end with his classic, “Until next time…..and there will be a next time!!”.

Then, there was the walk back to the hotel. We were very glad we were within walking distance of the venue, considering what the traffic looked like.

Until next time…..and there will be a next time!!

(Of course there will be. I already have tickets for a Def Leppard concert in March.)