Thanks to some help from my sister I was able to drag Jeff out to see my school girl heart-throb, Jon BonJovi in concert. It was a really incredible show, and Mr. I'm Sure I'll Have an OK time but I'm not too excited about it was so stoked by the show that he surprised me with tickets to Jon's encore concert at Gwinnet Arena last night.
We had great seats again (on the floor, center ice) but what a difference a month makes. The song selection was different. More slower mature stuff and a little less of the rocking stuff I loved from the 80s and 90s. Midshow they addressed the recent tabloid stories. After the admonition not to believe everything you read Jon turns the mike over to Richie. I've never thought Richie had the vocal range to be a solo singer or to front his own band. I wont change that view, but he sang I'll Be There for You, purportedly for Heather, and it was moving. After that the show picked up a lot. I don't think Richie was the tide turner though, it was a couple of very lucky folks in the stands.
Jon pops up on a pedastal in the middle of the crowd for a couple of songs mid performance. First his big solo hit from Young Guns II (another fond droolfest from my adolecence), Blaze of Glory. All the folks by this platform are understandably excited. But this one poor girl was so taken I really thought she might pass out. She calms herself enough to enjoy the show as he begins his second song, Always. It quickly becomes easy to forget this is a song about breaking up, because overwhelmed girl's boyfriend is on his knees in the aisle with a nice shiny diamond popping the question. Anyone who missed what was going on figured it out as soon as the song was over and Jon looks at her and says "Well, are you going to give him an answer?" As romantics everywhere know, she said yes. Points to the boyfriend for not asking on Valentines day. Maybe he just got lucky, but this was orginial. And despite it being a break-up song I suspect Always will be one of their songs forever. After this little episode the concert picks up tempo, the band makes the standard jokes about beautiful Atlanta women and Richie being on the market, life goes on. And I've gotten to remember what its like to be 12 again, wearing out my New Jersey tape playlist on the handy DellPod.
Jeff has some great photos if you are interested.