On October 1, 1987, Def Leppard opened the North American leg of the Hysteria tour at the Glens Falls Civic Center, unveiling the In the Round stage they had spent days rehearsing inside the building, a center-floor production with Rick Allen’s drum riser rotating to face every side of the arena. With Tesla opening, the curtains dropped at the first chords of “Stagefright,” and the band tore through “Hysteria,” “Animal” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me” before closing with “Photograph.” Hysteria was still a slow starter, and just 5,786 fans turned out in a 7,500-capacity room, with no idea the album was about to become one of the best-selling records of the decade. Thirty-nine years later, it ranks No. 6 on our list of the greatest concerts in Glens Falls history: the night a small Adirondack arena launched one of arena rock’s defining productions.
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