With the weather looking iffy as usual this summer of 2017, my dear wife Karen and I decided we’d go for the lawn-to-pavilion upgrade if the folks at Lakeview Pavilion offered it.

I’d called in the morning the day of the Lady Antebellum concert, asking the box office if they’d have that table out with the big deal: Turn in your lawn ticket and add a twenty to upgrade for a seat under the roof – and closer to the action on stage. We’d done it last year, to see Rob Thomas and Counting Crows. And we’d decided that when you purchase the original ticket on the $20 bargain day, that’s not such a big hit. Anyway, the man on the phone told me the decision wasn’t made until much closer to show time.

So we departed as soon as we could after Karen got out of work. That gave us smooth sailing into the parking lot to join the line of cars waved fairly close to the main entrance by the long line of workers.

After a short walk dodging the puddles of the lot and appreciating the various sound systems employed by tailgaters, we joined the very long line waiting for the gates to open.

Everybody was chill. It did not rain. The table was there. We upgraded.

Our seats were in the front section of the cheap pavilion seats, if you get my drift.

We were quite happy. They provided a much better view than those folks up on the lawn would have.

And through the night, interspersed with the three sets of country music, we were reminded why we like this amphitheater.

Sunset over Onondaga Lake, where boats dock behind the stage.

Interesting architectural angles.

People-watching.

And with 15,000 people enjoying the show, I thought, it’s ours. Syracuse has this place. That’s a good thing.

Tomorrow: A look at the bands