In the past 2 days I have heard Blaze of Glory at least 10 times. Now I haven't heard this song in years and now it is on what seems like all the time. Am I being taunted because I left it off my set list? Is there some sort of hidden message I am missing? I also heard I'd Die for You on the way into work this morning. Another great track that I don't have on my list. Who is trying to tell me what?
One more week of obsessing to go..........
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Contest Nerves
I have been second guessing every word I wrote for the contest entry since the moment I hit send on the entry email. Is it complete stupid? Should I have picked a different song for the interlude in Bad Medicine? Why did I pick the Rolling Stones? I don't even like the Rolling Stones so who knows where that came from.
Since there is no "take backs" and no second entries allowed I am stuck with what is there.
Its going to be a loooooonnnnnnnggggg 2 weeks until the announcement of the winner is made.
Since there is no "take backs" and no second entries allowed I am stuck with what is there.
Its going to be a loooooonnnnnnnggggg 2 weeks until the announcement of the winner is made.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
"Live Before You Die" Blog Contest Entry..............
Well here goes. After many changes and edits and "should this read like this or this" moments I am ready to post away, send my link to the contest judges and hope for the best. Most of the pictures have been provided by Bon Jovi for use in the contest and the remaining 3 are mine from the Tampa show in April. (Just goes to show I will travel to see a Bon Jovi show)
I wrote this from a review of the show perspective. So this is how I would have explained it all the next day. Remember this is suppose to be my dream show and how I would like to have seen things happen. So when you say "Why that song?" the answer is simple. BECAUSE. I want to hear it and its MY dream show.
So read along and try and see if you get the "feel" of being there with me. Let me know what you think and wish me luck. Contest closes on the 26th and the winner is notified on the 28th. I will be holding my breath until then..................
Contest Entry
Location: Soldier Field; Date, July 31, 2010; Feeling: Electric
It’s the last night of the current leg of Bon Jovi’s The Circle Tour 2010 and after making the 13 hour drive west from New Jersey we are ready to have some fun. Our seats are spectacular, inside the pit, right on the center aisle between Pit 2 and Pit 3 sections. For once I will be able watch the band and not the video screens. Finally I am Saturday Night……
With the opening act over and the stage set for the Boys from the Garden State you can feel the energy in the crowd start to rise with anticipation.
As the crowd begins to fill their seats you begin to hear “This is Our House” while all the lights are still up. Everyone is looking around to see what’s going on. You can feel it about to start and know you are in for “One Wild Night”.
The lights cut down and the video wall behind the stage begins to show video of the band walking through a tunnel with what sounds like channels being changed in the background. The crowd begins to scream and it is only seconds before the pure magic of a Bon Jovi show will begin. I am instantly transported back to June 11, 1989, the night of my first ever Bon Jovi show in their and my home state of New Jersey. The old Giants Stadium may have been knocked down and carted away in pieces but the memory of that show will remain with me forever. To this day the butterflies in my stomach start every time the lights go out and I can hear the show begin to start. I have seen a lot of bands and been to many shows but no other band has yet to match this feeling for me.
As the video screen morphs into the images of the band drawing closer you can guess the band has arrived on stage as the screams of those of us close enough to see in the dark have given the first hint that it is all about to begin with……..
Jon Bon Jovi’s voice saying “Shot through the Heart and Your to Blame. You Give Love a” while the crowd responds with “Bad Name”. Richie Sambora begins to wail on the guitar, Tico pounds out the drum beat and the lights and the crowd comes to life as Jon begins to sing. You see him come onto the stage to the screams of all his adoring fans, including my best friend beside me. While this song is usually deeper in the set to keep the energy high, it was an amazing treat to have it open the show and start us off with a kick. It was totally unexpected and a complete shock but it really did start off one hell of a show.
“Bad Name” draws to a close and the band launches right into “Raise Your Hands”, one of my favorite songs to hear in concert. If you have never been to a show you might wonder what everyone is doing, but just follow along in a game of “Bon Jovi Says” and you will catch on quick.
From “Slippery When Wet”, the bands breakthrough album, we headed to the “Bounce” Album for the title track. Singing and bouncing along to this song is better than any work out you can get at a gym.
As the band begins “Last Man Standing” it is a testament to the staying power of a band that many critics wrote off when grunge took over the music scene and left the “hair bands” behind. “There’s no dancers, There’s no Diamonds, no this boy don’t lip-sync” and when you are as good as this band, you certainly don’t need them.
“We Weren’t Born to Follow” brings us into the current album and starts the run of songs from “The Circle”, which includes “Love’s the Only Rule”, complete with the crowd joining in and supplying the “Oh Oh Oh Ooooh” of the chorus, and “Superman Tonight”. As Jon sings “you’re looking for a hero, but it’s just my old tattoo” the video screen fittingly displays Jon’s Superman Tattoo. It may be just an old tattoo to Jon but many think it’s a symbol that he is one of, if not the best, front men in the business. A true modern day “Superman”. A husband, father, musician, actor, humanitarian, the list could go on and on.
The stage lights go off for a second as the unmistakable opening notes of “Runaway” fly from the keyboard of the recent Tony Award winner David Bryan. I bet you’ve never realized how many songs have a keyboard part that completely makes the song what it is. Listen for it and you may be surprised at how many there are.
“Just Older” is another one of the songs that never fails to make me smile. Having grown up listening to Bon Jovi music from the age of 9 I have to agree that “I’m not old, just older”. You are only as old as you feel and tonight I felt like a teenager all over again.
Richie Sambora assumes lead vocals on “Lay Your Hands on Me” and transforms the rocking classic into a smoky blues tune. Sambora is both an excellent guitarist and a quite capable lead vocalist, providing Jon a few minutes to catch his breath and prepare to continue the party.
“Summertime” and “We’ve Got it Going On” round out the first half of the show before Jon proclaims “Lights Out” and the stadium plunges into darkness.
When the lights come back up they are focused on the ring of stage that separates the exclusive inner circle from the rest of the stadium. Jon is standing alone smiling as he is looking out into the crowd. He begins to sing “Hallelujah” (originally by Leonard Cohen) accompanied only by David Bryan on keyboards. The song, which was featured in the documentary “When We Were Beautiful”, has been sung by many other artists recently but none have delivered it with the passion or emotion that could be felt at that moment.
Richie Sambora comes from the main stage and joins Jon where the two sing “I’ll be There for You”, beginning a short acoustic set that brings David with an accordion and Tico with a wooden box to the front to join Jon and Richie. “In these Arms”, with David Bryan sharing lead vocals, and “Something for the Pain” round out the acoustic session.
Jon introduces the band and as he gets to David it’s my turn to finally scream for my favorite band member. Making an accordion look sexy? Damn right Jon. Damn right.
The band hustles back to the stage and “It’s My Life” begins followed by “Hey God”, “I Got the Girl” and “Bed Medicine”, with an interlude into “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones. There is no band better at taking the energy of a stadium from an ultimate party atmosphere to a feeling of a small intimate show and then back to the party high like Bon Jovi. “Blame it on the Love of Rock n Roll” continues the party feeling and “Born to be my Baby” throws it into overdrive.
After a round or two of back and forth Na Na Na Nah’s between Jon and the crowd to end Born to Be my Baby, the video screens change to the iconic image of the winking red smiley face of “Have a Nice Day”. I have to admit, that little red guy makes me smile every time.
“Who says You Can’t Go Home” completes the set but “It’s alright” because as the band leaves the stage you know what songs are on the must play list of every Bon Jovi show and 2 of them have yet to be played. There is not even a remote chance that the band would leave its loyal fans without two of the classics that have made the band the constant concert draw that it is…………………..
With the screaming and cheering of the crowd loud enough to continue to vibrate the stadium the opening notes of “Let it Rock” begin to fill Soldier Field and the band reappears on stage for the first song of the encore. Being that this song is rarely if ever played live the fans who truly follow the band know they are witnessing something special.
Always a crowd favorite, “Wanted Dead or Alive” gives the crowd another chance to sing at the top of its lungs before the end of the night. Even when it comes on the radio I can’t help but turn the radio up and sing as loud as possible. Since I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, thankfully most of those times there is no one else in my car with me, but with close to 50,000 other people singing with me we sound good.
You know what’s coming and anticipation can be felt all around you as there is only 1 song left. You hear the keyboard begin to tell you a tale about Tommy and Gina that started “once upon a time, not so long ago”. We’ve held on all night wanting and waiting and our patience has been rewarded. Fireworks fill the sky on the upbeat of the chorus and the only word to describe the feeling in the stadium is euphoria.
Tonight, just like every time I have seen them in the past, the band has definitely gone “The Distance”. You get your money’s worth and then some. Sure there are always songs you wished they played, like “Keep the Faith” complete with maracas, “Always”, “99 in the Shade” on a sweltering summer night, or “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” but there has to be a limit somewhere. There was not a song tonight that I would have switched out for one of those. Ok, maybe “99 in the Shade” but I wish for that one every time I am at a summer show.
I may have been in Chicago, over 800 miles from my home in NJ but as the song goes “It doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter where you go, If it's a million miles away or just a mile up the road, Take it in, take it with you when you go”. I will certainly be taking the memory of the journey from New Jersey to Chicago and back with my best friend and an iPod filled with music with me for the rest of my life. Sure wish I could take this “Homebound Train” back home.
Set List Recap
You Give Love a Bad Name
Raise Your Hands
Bounce
Last Man Standing
We Weren’t Born to Follow
Love’s the Only Rule
Superman Tonight
Runaway
Just Older
Lay Your Hands on Me
Summertime
We’ve Got it Going On
Hallelujah (acoustic)
I’ll Be There for You (acoustic)
In These Arms (acoustic)
Something For the Pain (acoustic)
It’s My Life
Hey God
I’ve Got the Girl
Bad Medicine (Satisfaction)
Blame it on the Love of Rock and Roll
Born to Be My Baby
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Encore:
Let it Rock
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin’ on a Prayer
I wrote this from a review of the show perspective. So this is how I would have explained it all the next day. Remember this is suppose to be my dream show and how I would like to have seen things happen. So when you say "Why that song?" the answer is simple. BECAUSE. I want to hear it and its MY dream show.
So read along and try and see if you get the "feel" of being there with me. Let me know what you think and wish me luck. Contest closes on the 26th and the winner is notified on the 28th. I will be holding my breath until then..................
Contest Entry
Location: Soldier Field; Date, July 31, 2010; Feeling: Electric
It’s the last night of the current leg of Bon Jovi’s The Circle Tour 2010 and after making the 13 hour drive west from New Jersey we are ready to have some fun. Our seats are spectacular, inside the pit, right on the center aisle between Pit 2 and Pit 3 sections. For once I will be able watch the band and not the video screens. Finally I am Saturday Night……
With the opening act over and the stage set for the Boys from the Garden State you can feel the energy in the crowd start to rise with anticipation.
As the crowd begins to fill their seats you begin to hear “This is Our House” while all the lights are still up. Everyone is looking around to see what’s going on. You can feel it about to start and know you are in for “One Wild Night”.
The lights cut down and the video wall behind the stage begins to show video of the band walking through a tunnel with what sounds like channels being changed in the background. The crowd begins to scream and it is only seconds before the pure magic of a Bon Jovi show will begin. I am instantly transported back to June 11, 1989, the night of my first ever Bon Jovi show in their and my home state of New Jersey. The old Giants Stadium may have been knocked down and carted away in pieces but the memory of that show will remain with me forever. To this day the butterflies in my stomach start every time the lights go out and I can hear the show begin to start. I have seen a lot of bands and been to many shows but no other band has yet to match this feeling for me.
As the video screen morphs into the images of the band drawing closer you can guess the band has arrived on stage as the screams of those of us close enough to see in the dark have given the first hint that it is all about to begin with……..
Jon Bon Jovi’s voice saying “Shot through the Heart and Your to Blame. You Give Love a” while the crowd responds with “Bad Name”. Richie Sambora begins to wail on the guitar, Tico pounds out the drum beat and the lights and the crowd comes to life as Jon begins to sing. You see him come onto the stage to the screams of all his adoring fans, including my best friend beside me. While this song is usually deeper in the set to keep the energy high, it was an amazing treat to have it open the show and start us off with a kick. It was totally unexpected and a complete shock but it really did start off one hell of a show.
“Bad Name” draws to a close and the band launches right into “Raise Your Hands”, one of my favorite songs to hear in concert. If you have never been to a show you might wonder what everyone is doing, but just follow along in a game of “Bon Jovi Says” and you will catch on quick.
From “Slippery When Wet”, the bands breakthrough album, we headed to the “Bounce” Album for the title track. Singing and bouncing along to this song is better than any work out you can get at a gym.
As the band begins “Last Man Standing” it is a testament to the staying power of a band that many critics wrote off when grunge took over the music scene and left the “hair bands” behind. “There’s no dancers, There’s no Diamonds, no this boy don’t lip-sync” and when you are as good as this band, you certainly don’t need them.
“We Weren’t Born to Follow” brings us into the current album and starts the run of songs from “The Circle”, which includes “Love’s the Only Rule”, complete with the crowd joining in and supplying the “Oh Oh Oh Ooooh” of the chorus, and “Superman Tonight”. As Jon sings “you’re looking for a hero, but it’s just my old tattoo” the video screen fittingly displays Jon’s Superman Tattoo. It may be just an old tattoo to Jon but many think it’s a symbol that he is one of, if not the best, front men in the business. A true modern day “Superman”. A husband, father, musician, actor, humanitarian, the list could go on and on.
The stage lights go off for a second as the unmistakable opening notes of “Runaway” fly from the keyboard of the recent Tony Award winner David Bryan. I bet you’ve never realized how many songs have a keyboard part that completely makes the song what it is. Listen for it and you may be surprised at how many there are.
“Just Older” is another one of the songs that never fails to make me smile. Having grown up listening to Bon Jovi music from the age of 9 I have to agree that “I’m not old, just older”. You are only as old as you feel and tonight I felt like a teenager all over again.
Richie Sambora assumes lead vocals on “Lay Your Hands on Me” and transforms the rocking classic into a smoky blues tune. Sambora is both an excellent guitarist and a quite capable lead vocalist, providing Jon a few minutes to catch his breath and prepare to continue the party.
“Summertime” and “We’ve Got it Going On” round out the first half of the show before Jon proclaims “Lights Out” and the stadium plunges into darkness.
When the lights come back up they are focused on the ring of stage that separates the exclusive inner circle from the rest of the stadium. Jon is standing alone smiling as he is looking out into the crowd. He begins to sing “Hallelujah” (originally by Leonard Cohen) accompanied only by David Bryan on keyboards. The song, which was featured in the documentary “When We Were Beautiful”, has been sung by many other artists recently but none have delivered it with the passion or emotion that could be felt at that moment.
Richie Sambora comes from the main stage and joins Jon where the two sing “I’ll be There for You”, beginning a short acoustic set that brings David with an accordion and Tico with a wooden box to the front to join Jon and Richie. “In these Arms”, with David Bryan sharing lead vocals, and “Something for the Pain” round out the acoustic session.
Jon introduces the band and as he gets to David it’s my turn to finally scream for my favorite band member. Making an accordion look sexy? Damn right Jon. Damn right.
The band hustles back to the stage and “It’s My Life” begins followed by “Hey God”, “I Got the Girl” and “Bed Medicine”, with an interlude into “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones. There is no band better at taking the energy of a stadium from an ultimate party atmosphere to a feeling of a small intimate show and then back to the party high like Bon Jovi. “Blame it on the Love of Rock n Roll” continues the party feeling and “Born to be my Baby” throws it into overdrive.
After a round or two of back and forth Na Na Na Nah’s between Jon and the crowd to end Born to Be my Baby, the video screens change to the iconic image of the winking red smiley face of “Have a Nice Day”. I have to admit, that little red guy makes me smile every time.
“Who says You Can’t Go Home” completes the set but “It’s alright” because as the band leaves the stage you know what songs are on the must play list of every Bon Jovi show and 2 of them have yet to be played. There is not even a remote chance that the band would leave its loyal fans without two of the classics that have made the band the constant concert draw that it is…………………..
With the screaming and cheering of the crowd loud enough to continue to vibrate the stadium the opening notes of “Let it Rock” begin to fill Soldier Field and the band reappears on stage for the first song of the encore. Being that this song is rarely if ever played live the fans who truly follow the band know they are witnessing something special.
Always a crowd favorite, “Wanted Dead or Alive” gives the crowd another chance to sing at the top of its lungs before the end of the night. Even when it comes on the radio I can’t help but turn the radio up and sing as loud as possible. Since I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, thankfully most of those times there is no one else in my car with me, but with close to 50,000 other people singing with me we sound good.
You know what’s coming and anticipation can be felt all around you as there is only 1 song left. You hear the keyboard begin to tell you a tale about Tommy and Gina that started “once upon a time, not so long ago”. We’ve held on all night wanting and waiting and our patience has been rewarded. Fireworks fill the sky on the upbeat of the chorus and the only word to describe the feeling in the stadium is euphoria.
Tonight, just like every time I have seen them in the past, the band has definitely gone “The Distance”. You get your money’s worth and then some. Sure there are always songs you wished they played, like “Keep the Faith” complete with maracas, “Always”, “99 in the Shade” on a sweltering summer night, or “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” but there has to be a limit somewhere. There was not a song tonight that I would have switched out for one of those. Ok, maybe “99 in the Shade” but I wish for that one every time I am at a summer show.
I may have been in Chicago, over 800 miles from my home in NJ but as the song goes “It doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter where you go, If it's a million miles away or just a mile up the road, Take it in, take it with you when you go”. I will certainly be taking the memory of the journey from New Jersey to Chicago and back with my best friend and an iPod filled with music with me for the rest of my life. Sure wish I could take this “Homebound Train” back home.
Set List Recap
You Give Love a Bad Name
Raise Your Hands
Bounce
Last Man Standing
We Weren’t Born to Follow
Love’s the Only Rule
Superman Tonight
Runaway
Just Older
Lay Your Hands on Me
Summertime
We’ve Got it Going On
Hallelujah (acoustic)
I’ll Be There for You (acoustic)
In These Arms (acoustic)
Something For the Pain (acoustic)
It’s My Life
Hey God
I’ve Got the Girl
Bad Medicine (Satisfaction)
Blame it on the Love of Rock and Roll
Born to Be My Baby
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Encore:
Let it Rock
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin’ on a Prayer
Friday, July 9, 2010
Contest Update
I am still working on the contest entry. I have spent some time formulating things in Word and adding the pictures that they give you to use. Once I finished I made a playlist of the songs in the order I put them in for the blog post to see how it flows. Well there is some tweaking that needs to be done. While I love "Let it Rock" and would be psyched to hear it in concert it doesn't fit where I put it in the set list. So do I switch it with something further down? Leave it out all together? I am still deciding. Maybe this is the reason I haven't heard it in concert for as long as I can remember.
I know some would say that it's just a contest and not real, but if you don't take the challenge seriously how can you expect to have a shot at winning?
So for now I am headed back to the drawing board, or in this case my iTunes library and my Word document. With some more thinking and some shuffling of my set list I may be ready to cross my fingers, post the entry and wish for the best.
Stay tuned.............
I know some would say that it's just a contest and not real, but if you don't take the challenge seriously how can you expect to have a shot at winning?
So for now I am headed back to the drawing board, or in this case my iTunes library and my Word document. With some more thinking and some shuffling of my set list I may be ready to cross my fingers, post the entry and wish for the best.
Stay tuned.............
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Ok, here goes nothing......
So today begins a blog....what to blog about??
Well let me start with why I finally decided to start a blog. It's something that I have been toying with on and off with for a while and always said to myself "who would want to read what I have to say?".
Those of you out there that know me, know that I am a big fan of a little band from New Jersey called Bon Jovi. I have seen them a time or two and am always trying to get to a point where I can see them again. You can thank (or curse, your choice) them for being the catalyst behind me finally starting a blog. See, they are having a contest for tickets to a show. Yeah it's in Chicago but that is a non issue as far as I am concerned. It's on a Saturday night and if I have learned anything from going to a show or two it's that "Someday I'll be Saturday Night" and I am pretty sure I can round up my concert buddy and we can make the drive should I win.
All the details of the contest can be found here but the idea of it is to write a blog post about what your ideal show would be that night, the last night at Soldier Field. Having been to a few shows I think I can handle this contest and am looking forward to it. There's always a song I wished they played, a song I wish they hadn't or how just hearing a song can bring back a memory of a past show with friends and the great time we shared. So when you see a post in a few days don't start asking yourself "When did she go to Chicago?" instead ask "When is she leaving for Chicago?". Wish me luck.
Well let me start with why I finally decided to start a blog. It's something that I have been toying with on and off with for a while and always said to myself "who would want to read what I have to say?".
Those of you out there that know me, know that I am a big fan of a little band from New Jersey called Bon Jovi. I have seen them a time or two and am always trying to get to a point where I can see them again. You can thank (or curse, your choice) them for being the catalyst behind me finally starting a blog. See, they are having a contest for tickets to a show. Yeah it's in Chicago but that is a non issue as far as I am concerned. It's on a Saturday night and if I have learned anything from going to a show or two it's that "Someday I'll be Saturday Night" and I am pretty sure I can round up my concert buddy and we can make the drive should I win.
All the details of the contest can be found here but the idea of it is to write a blog post about what your ideal show would be that night, the last night at Soldier Field. Having been to a few shows I think I can handle this contest and am looking forward to it. There's always a song I wished they played, a song I wish they hadn't or how just hearing a song can bring back a memory of a past show with friends and the great time we shared. So when you see a post in a few days don't start asking yourself "When did she go to Chicago?" instead ask "When is she leaving for Chicago?". Wish me luck.
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