Good Times With Bon Jovi

It isn't often, especially since becoming a mom, that I get the opportunity to go to a concert, but last Fall, my brother Jarrod (and die-hard Bon Jovi fan), scored some tickets for Tuesday night's big show in OKC. It was a long, long wait-- I'm not going to lie, but oh was it worth it!

Jarrod has seen Bon Jovi now five times, and this was my second experience. Daughtry opened for them, which in and of itself, was phenomenal. That band can rock-- there's just no other way of putting it. Of course, if I'm being honest, the show was really all about Bon Jovi for me, because after seeing them perform in Chicago many years ago, I knew it was going to be a fantastic show. There are a lot of bands that I love, but if they can't put on a good live show, I really have no desire to see them in concert.

Our journey to OKC began around 3:00 that afternoon. The four of us (me, Jarrod, Amanda, and Matt) all piled in The Toaster, and off we went on the two-hour drive to the city. I was hoping to get some pictures of some stupid billboards along the way-- you know, the ones for the Microsurgical Vascectomy Reversal and so forth, but with the storms we've had recently, the billboard was trashed. Bummer! The most excitement we had on the way up there was Jarrod incurring yet another crack in his already scarred windshield, when some gravel flew up on us part-way into our drive. We watched as the ding in the glass turned into a crack, and began creeping across the windshield. Lovely! Of course, that was totally photo-worthy-- as was Jarrod's violating the speed limit the entire drive down there.

When we got to OKC, we nabbed a great parking space underground at the arena, and took a short walk to Bricktown to grab a bite to eat. To our dismay, Stumpy's was closed, so we opted for Spaghetti Warehouse, which was pretty good. I even got dessert-- by golly if I'm going to live it up for an evening, I'm getting a piece of cheesecake to go with my side of Bon Jovi! Of course, we can't forget the stupid photos that followed, namely the one of the nasty "gum wall", and Jarrod pretending to lick it. Ew.



The wind that day was horrendous, which blew my already over-amplified 80's rocker hair into whole new territory. The thing about Bon Jovi concerts is that you're bound to see some seriously trashy-looking women-- not as bad as say, at a Poison concert, but it can get pretty bad. We spotted some girls wearing serious "hooker boots", who really had no business wearing them (see photo-- if you dare). After our stupid photo session had ended, we headed out to the arena and waited to get in. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my camera in (damnit), but I could bring dad's in, because it didn't have a detachable lens. Better than nothing, and honestly, it did a fair job of getting some decent pictures-- a bit grainy, but not terrible.



Daughtry opened, and as I said, it was awesome. During a short intermission, Jarrod encountered a guy (in the restroom line, of all places), who had seen Springsteen in Dallas on Sunday, Bon Jovi in Dallas on Monday, was there in OKC for Bon Jovi (duh), and was going to Kansas City to see Bon Jovi again on Thursday. Bastard. I want to live like that-- a highly disposable income, and no responsibilities! Where can I sign up for that job?



So, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived, and there they were-- Bon Jovi, live on stage, ready to rock our world once again! Good times! The set list was amazing-- new stuff, older stuff, really old stuff-- a nice variety. Of course, Jon looked amazing, and had so much energy that I think he would actually make a great aerobics instructor. I've never seen a guy with that much energy. I was like, "Dude, I'm just standing here, watching you play, and I'm exhausted." Richie totally rocked the house, especially with his "I'll Be There For You" solo, which was cool to see. One of the best highlights of the show was when Chris Daughtry came out and did a duet of "Blaze of Glory" with Jon. It was off the hook, and of course, the arena went crazy. For the record, Jon had exactly three wardrobe changes-- in case anyone was wondering.

We finally got out of there after 11:00, and the show started at 7:30. They definitely give you your money's worth, there's no doubt about that. I'm not usually a huge souvenir person, but I bought a totally old-school Bon Jovi tank top, and some dog tags to frame up with my ticket stub. We were all completely wasted-tired by the end of the night, and Amanda and Matt fell asleep in the backseat, while I tried to keep Jarrod awake on the drive back. Speaking of which, we ran over some pretty fresh road-kill before we even got out of OKC, which was disgusting. Jarrod asked if I wanted some road-kill fur for my scrapbook. Smartass. Anyway, they dropped me off about 1:15, and as much as I wanted to take a shower to cleanse myself of all the sweating I did (it was hot in the arena, even with a tank top on), I was lucky to even have the energy to get out of my clothes before I got into bed. Maybe I'm getting too old for this!



Nevertheless, it was exactly what I needed, considering all my personal drama right now-- a good getaway with good music. Call it cheesy, but nothing, and I mean nothing makes me feel better when I'm low, like good music. It's the absolute best pick-me-up. So, thanks to Jon and the guys for a great show, and for brightening my day!