Enter to win free tickets to see Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick at Tampa’s Ford Amphitheatre on Fri., Aug. 14
July 31st, 2009 by Cooper Levey-Baker in Arts, Editor's Desk, Music, News, Sarasota-Manatee
Here’s how it works: Tell us why you deserve free tickets for a night of craziness with your favorite ’80s rock gods in the comments section below, then email us your contact information. We’ll announce our winner on Tues., Aug. 11!
July 31st, 2009 at 10:09 am
Music has always and still is such an integral part of my life. I was a rat rink for a while as a child, and no roller skating session was complete without a trip around the wooden floor skating to Poison’s “Talk Dirty To Me” complete with air guitar solo and Def Leppard’s “Rock Of Ages.”
My first vinyl record player was from Sears (like the one ET disassembles to phone home…which resulted in a failed home experiment of my own, but that’s a story for another time.) Anyhow, the first vinyl 45 I purchased after earning money by raking my neighbors leaves was Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me.” After that, no more read-along storybook records or childrens’ songs on Peter Pan records ever disgraced my turntable. I was hooked on rock and roll. Next week I was raking and mowing lawns to purchase Def Leppard’s “Pyromania” album (okay, and Styx’s “Kilroy Was Here” ..another guilty pleasure.)
Then cassette tapes were the big thing because they didn’t skip or scratch. I remember I was broke one summer and I would wait by the radio for hours to record Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time” (yes, BMI, we were stealing music long before the days of Napster. Don’t know why you only recently started to care!) Anyhow, I so desparately wanted it that my friend played it over the phone and I held my phone up to my tape recorder’s mic to capture the audio, which sounded like it was coming through a styrofoam cup and string. My mother was so touched by this that she brought home the cassette single for me as a surprise the next day.
I also remember when my mom bought our first CD Player. We went to K-Mart and my very first CD was Def Leppard’s “Hysteria.”
All in all, 80s rock bands were always there for me in times of both joy and pain. They often expressed the sentiment I could never find in my own voice growing up, and played an integral role in shaping the person I am today.
July 31st, 2009 at 11:23 am
I am requesting tickets not for me but for my good friend, Danielle. She is such a busy woman – running a restaurant with her hubby, raising a 16-year-old stepson, and pregnant all at the same time. I have no idea how she does it. She’s turning 30 in August and wanted to spend it watching Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick rock out but with the economy being what it is and business being slow and her needing to save money for the baby, she won’t be able to purchase tickets. Please! Please let me win these for her so that she can rock out 80s style one last time before turning 30 and then having a baby!
July 31st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I should win the tickets because you, Creative Loafing, would be helping me get over my fear of the 80s. Somehow I managed to get through this most fashionably scary decade alive. I know what you are thinking! it’s a miracle! Now I cower in fear at the sight of big hair, spandex, legwarmers, hair bands, and old photos of Madonna. Please help a girl get over her fear by exposing her to what she fears most. I mean what if spandex comes back in style? What or what would I do? Help!
July 31st, 2009 at 7:44 pm
i think i deserve to go to this concert the reason being is that in the eighties i have seen pinkfloyd, iron maiden,judaspriest triumph ,foghat,rush,aerosmith,vanhalen,ozzy and many other 80’s hair metal bands but i never got to see def leppard,poison nor cheaptrick and i think i would be able to say i have seen almost every important 80’s bands there are to see. i also seen skidrow, billy idol and so on and so forth so it would be nice to win not only that i work 7 days a week and never take anytime off but this would be a reason to do so thankyou.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I would love to win these tickets because all summer my husband has been talking about this show and how much he would love to go and see all three of his all time favorite bands live in concert, but we can’t swing even lawn tickets right now. If I won I could surprise him with the date night of his dreams!!!! Thanks for the chance!
Bre and Tommi Miller
August 11th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Once again Cheap Trick will be opening a concert bill that they very well should be headlining. When are these guys going to get the credit they deserve? I love Cheap Trick and would truly like to attend this show. Just don`t see the point in dishing out top dollar for a 35-40 minute set, from a group that very well should be playing close to 2 hours of pure powerpop bliss.
August 12th, 2009 at 7:24 am
About three years ago i quit my job working for Hills County to start my own business. At first i thought it was the best decision i had ever made. Get to work on my own, no more sitting behind a desk 8 hours a day…but of course the recession hit hard. Now i needed to find a secondary income to make ends meet. Thought i was going to make it, but then i got laid off from my part time job. So now im in the same boat again, shortage of money. I love all of these 80s bands and wish i could go to the concert. But i cant use my bill money to buy concert tickets. Please consider me for these tickets, i havent had a fun night out in sooo long.
Thanks!
August 12th, 2009 at 10:51 am
[...] a flurry of last-second entries in our ticket giveaway contest for Friday’s big Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick show at [...]
November 9th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Okay… This is for my ex.. I love him sooo mcuh…And he loves your music and in the relateship I could never give him anything… And he gave sooo much… We are still friends… If I could do this for him and share this with him it would mean alot… To see him smile that look on his face and to see his blue eyes lite up.. That would make my day just to see him haven fun for a change.. He never gets a break he has had a hard life as child growing up and still does… He has sang your music and played your music.. And every time we partyed at home we crank up your songs and party it up at home… If I could give this one thing to him even now it would be really sweet… I would be really thankfull…. Thanks