Bon Jovi - July !7, !001

For those of you who may not know, long before Cousin Ryo was the writer of The Stone And Roll Guru blog, I was a soundman/DJ for a comedy appearance in Northern New Jersey. I spent several years working for The Mickey Who? Comedy Show and had a lot of fun doing it. Mickey (the manufacturer and boniface of the show) was a faithful ally and we were both huge Bon Jovi fans.

So on a cold February night, I talked Mickey into getting tickets to see Bon Jovi at Giants Stadium that July. It would be the 1st time I witnessed the dear boys from the Garden State live in concert.Mickey had concerns that he would end up sitting adjacent to a big burly guy instead of some hot babe, which is actually quite funny. If you factor in that more than 70% of Bon Jovi concert attendees are female, then it`s obvious that percentages were on Mickey`s side for sitting adjacent to a babe. However, if you knew Mickey well, you`d know that he had a best opportunity of sitting next to the burly bouncer guy, because that`s just Mick`s luck. I assured him that if a burly biker dude ended up cramping his style, he and I could switch seats. I mean that finally sold him on getting a ticket.On a hot summer afternoon in July, we packed up my car and headed over to Giants Stadium for some afternoon tailgating complete with Nerf football, cold drinks, and grilled pizzas. Have you ever grilled a Mama Celeste pizza for one? If not, I highly recommend it. Mickey, a pizza connoisseur, loves them. We hung out in the warm summer sun, enjoyed good food and good company. There were not many concerns about what time we went into the show, neither of us cared if we missed Eve 6, but we both wanted to see Sugar Ray prior to Bon Jovi taking the point for the night.As we entered Giants Stadium, we caught the very tail end of Eve 6`s set. I don`t even recall what song it was. It`s possible that they were performing Inside Out, but I can`t be certain. Mickey and I were more concerned in the t-shirt stands then the band. It`s not that I don`t like Eve 6, because I do, I simply wasn`t overly excited to see them do a condensed set.Sugar Ray was up next and while I don`t remember which songs they performed, I know they were good. By the time Sugar Ray took the stage, Mickey and I had already found our seats and settled in. Sugar Ray played a tight, 45 minute set that was a lot of fun. They performed all of their hits and I mean the closer was Fly, which is a capital song. By the time Sugar Ray`s set ended, no one had shown up to sit adjacent to Mickey. We were still wondering if he would get the babes or the bikers.On my left was a 12 year old girl dressed in a Superman T-Shirt. She was a cute kid, attending the concert with her parents. The agitation was written all over her side and it was obvious that she was a huge Bon Jovi fan. What I didn`t see was how huge of a fan she was.The night wore on and we waited for the headliners to read the stage. As the sun started to decide over the western horizon, the lights for the arena went out and the thunder of the crowd exploded. Bon Jovi walked onto the present and tore into their opening number, One Wild Night. What a big way to get the show!As the birdsong played on, the burly dudes arrived, just as Mickey had predicted. Cramming into the aisle next to him were approximately 6 dudes, all kissing and humping one another. They weren`t gay, just obviously intoxicated, and of line they started moving into Mickey`s space. I looked over at him with a joke and asked if he required to change seats. He was ok at the time. He was willing to apply the dudes the welfare of the uncertainty that they would shuffle off to their own seats after the beginning song.Raise Your Hands came next, one of my favorite Bon Jovi tunes ever, and I went nuts. Singing and clapping along, I was euphoric in the moment. Mick was enjoying it as well, but the dudes had not left and I noticed that he kept glancing in their direction. When You Make Love A Bad Name was performed and the dudes still hadn`t left, I knew it was time to intervene."Do you wish me to get charge of this?" I asked.Mickey looked at the guys again and I could see him contemplating. I live he cherished to be a decent guy, but was likewise torn over the fact that the dudes might try to know him next. No heterosexual male wants to be humped by some drunk guy at a Bon Jovi concert - that`s a fact. Mick nodded, putting the nice guy inside him away, and I moved immediately. I approached the dudes and politely asked them to go out from us. When my request was denied (by the actions of them not moving) I sought a higher power. Security came in and ultimately had the drunks find their seats. Now we could relish the sleep of the night hump free.Bon Jovi just continued to drift with the hits. Jon was a superior frontman on stage, getting the gang into it, and vocalizing with the force that he can bring. He made certain the fans were acquiring their money`s worth and having a big time. After a spectacular rendition of Bed Of Roses, it was Richie Sambora`s turn to make the microphone. That`s when I would get out exactly what a vast fan the 12-year old girl sitting adjacent to me was.Not only had she sung every book to every song so far, but when Richie took the guide vocals for Stranger In This Town she sang along with that song too! While most folk were heading for the rest rooms, this daughter was singing like the isthmus was playing Living On A Prayer. Now that was a literal fan!The hits continued after Richie`s solo spot. It`s My Life, Keep The Faith, Blaze of Glory, Lay Your Custody On Me, and Bad Medicine were all performed with a ferocity. It was Saturday night in New Jersey and Bon Jovi was rocking the hometown crowd. Their execution was legendary and though I had seen a lot of concerts up until that point, this point was active for one of the better I ever witnessed. I sat in question as to why I had never seen the band live before that night.The encore was exceptional with Always, Someday I`ll Be Saturday Night, Wanted Dead Or Alive, and a large translation of Twist and Shout. Bon Jovi proved to be everything that I had hoped for and more. The set was awful and their concert was incredible.This would likewise be the final concert that I ever saw before 9/11. The man changed after that, becoming a darker place, and maybe that is why I think this concert so fondly. It was the last carefree rock moment that I had.SetlistOne Wild NightRaise Your HandsYou Give Love A Bad NameBorn To Be My BabyLivin` On A PrayerBed of RosesStranger In This TownIt`s My LifeI Got The GirlJust OlderKeep The FaithBlaze Of GloryWild In The StreetsLay Your Hands On MeI`ll Sleep When I`m DeadBad MedicineEncoreAlwaysSomeday I`ll Be Saturday NightWanted Dead Or AliveTwist & Shout