An Evening With Old Friends

I can't think of any other way to sum up an evening spent with Bon Jovi. I'm not delusional. I don't have imaginary friendships with the members of Bon Jovi. I don't labor under the delusion that any of these fabulous men are aware of my existence on the planet.

However, every time I go to a Bon Jovi show, from the moment they take the stage, I feel like I'm getting together with old friends. I guess that's what happens when a girl first sees a band when she's 12 years old, and she's still just as stoked about seeing them when she's pushing the ripe old age of 35.

The real treat of the evening came when we got to get up close and personal with the Jovi. He appeared on a side stage in the crowd, not far from where Lauren and I were sitting. We just kind of looked at each other, taking our great height into consideration, and then looked at the other four foot garden gnomes in the audience and we knew what had to be done.

We just plowed over people. I'm not sure if we left anybody injured in our wake, but Christ...this is JOVI! What were we supposed to do? Ace like ethical human beings or something? No...our only choice was to turn the other people in the crowd into human bowling pins and knock them the hell over.

Listen, in the presence of greatness, people tend to abandon all sense of reason and decency. The saddest part is that I don't even feel bad. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Just keep that in mind if you see me at a Bon Jovi show. I'm bigger than you. I'm not afraid to use my size to my advantage. If you're in my way, I'll have to crush your ass to get even a milimeter closer to JBJ.

I got some GREAT pictures. Lauren is using my sexy Canon camera at the show tonight (Yeah, she's going again), so I'll have to post my photos tomorrow. For tonight you'll have to make due with this Kenneth Cole advertisement.

Listen to me...."You'll have to make due."

Jesus...I know you all just canceled your dates for Tomorrow night so you can sit home and stare at this God all night long.

Go ahead...try to deny it.

The music was great. The relics of the 80's that comprised the audience did not disappoint, either. Acid washed jeans abounded. Deep fried piggyback perms were abundant. There was no shortage of poorly executed mullets and two-cent floozies. I mean, come on people. I know the eighties are sort of making a bit of a comeback. But these slobs are wearing the outfits from the first time around, blissfully unaware that there was a twenty five year gap in which that leather vest with no shirt underneath was not acceptable. Well, that particular fashion trend never was, isn't, and never will be acceptable. But you know what I'm getting at here.

Anyway, I must point out how gracious Bon Jovi are. They pull all the old warhorses (Livin' on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name, Runaway) with a huge grin on their faces and an unparalleled (spelling?) enthusiasm. They always seem humbled by the fact that the audience acutally knows every word to every single song, and they seem to genuinely enjoy the fact that they've had this connection with their fans.

Take, for instance, "Livin on a Prayer." They played the first couple of cords of the song, and then the audience just took over from there, without Jovi even chiming in. The jumbotron overhead projected an image of a beaming JBJ during the crowd performance. Upon its conclusion, he said, "See....this is why I keep coming back to Boston!"

You know he's had to sing that song nine million times in his life, but there is he, happy as a clam to do it for the nine million and first time for us. The band seems to enjoy the music as much as the crowd down.

Very refreshing.

I tell you, there is nothing like a Bon Jovi concert. If you have't been to one yet, you haven't lived.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.