A New Era ... Complete with Snafus :-)

Well, good morning my Jovifriends! (though honestly, I'm not sure how many of you are up yet ... LOL)

Unlike my usual ramblings-on I'm just going to do a mostly picture-oriented post today.

Why?

Because I actually TOOK pictures.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I rarely take pictures at shows. I prefer to just experience the whole thing and let my memories take the snapshots. But, given this was the opening of the new stadium I thought I'd give it a try. I don't even have a real camera, so I'm super-grateful to my dear friend Rike for letting me use her second one. *muah Rike*

So, where do we begin? At the beginning, I suppose ... (this was my view from pit 4 row 3)
(note, you can click pics to see larger view)





















The location was great with incredible views ... the only problem was navigating around the moving video camera LOL



















And even though I was concerned that Jon might not come over a lot onto Richie's side, there were no issues there whatsoever ...
























As this was my first attempt at actually taking pictures, I tried to get some of everything ...

I was on a mission to get one of Richie and David together



















... and even Tico (damn, that's a tall order ... the picture, not Tico LOL ...sorry Teek)



















But, not surprisingly ... in the end I mostly ended up with lots of Jon :-)
























































































And even though it was obvious (though not vocally and certainly not energy wise) that Jon's allergies were probably bothering him ...



















... his playful nature and teasing of the audience certainly was right on target


















...even with the slight sound snafu during "Runaway" (which in my opinion ADDED to the magic of the evening, rather than detract from it) ...
























There were a couple of other little technical things -- Richie's guitar not quite kicking in at the opening of the solo in "Wanted" ... or Jon's tech not comprehending what song was next, which is why Jon started singing the opening line of "Who Says..." -- his tech had thrown the maracas up to him, Jon threw them back at him, gave the guitar sign a few times and still no guitar appeared LOL -- when it finally did, Jon just laughed and took it. No attitude. No frustration. Just fun.

(as an aside, I was slightly concerned that Jon seemed to be shaking his left hand out a lot ... hopefully it was just tight because of the break ... don't stress, Jon, you push the strings harder and then it hurts more)

I'm still going thru all the pictures and will likely post a second set later today (because I actually do have to do some work before heading to the stadium again. Haha.)

In closing, a few words (ok, probably more than a few LOL)

The show was absolutely amazing. The heat outside, the excitement of the new venue, having the chance to see friends from all over the world, a rip-roaring Richie solo during "Dry County", the fireworks (woofrickinhoo!!) during "Keep the Faith" ... it all added to this fantastic night.

Yes, there is always a special magic when Jon Bon Jovi and his band of brothers hits the stage. But last night was different - it was a true sense of homecoming. Jon mentioned that it was 21 years ago that they played Giants for the first time -- I remember it well. :-) -- and how extraordinary it was that they are still there. He shouldn't at all be surprised ... even back then, the logo/slogan said "Bon Jovi Forever" ... as it shall always be.

Okay ... gotta go for now. Will definitely post some more images later - including a fun tongue shot and a couple with Hugh and Bobby. Until then, rest up for tonight -- same time, same stadium, almost same seat (but on David's side.)

Lorenza Rocks "the Room"

Greetings Jovinuts! Well ... the party in the Big Apple has begun. :-)

Most everybody has arrived (the crazy Germans, the Italians, the Aussies, etc) ... and there are others on the way (FictionMistress and RocknRow are on the plane right now, actually.) New York has been invaded by Bon Jovi fans. Its a wonderful thing. :-)

Anyhoo, a bunch of us hit the Living Room on the LES (that's Lower East Side) last night for Lorenza Ponce's album release show and party. And, what a fantastic night it was!

The crazy Germans and I got there on the early side (I REALLY wanted to get out of the office LOL), had a quick drink and met up with some other folks - including D from Phoenix and my friend L - and caught up for a few minutes with Lorenza and Kazee. Its a great venue - as Lorenza says, a very "in the trenches" type of place -- one of those little NYC "come as you are" spots.

The band took the stage at just about 8pm and did a nice vamp of the opening of "Casual Girl" as Lorenza walked thru from the back of the room to the stage. As expected, the place was packed and the energy was amazing.

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed myself the last couple of times I saw Lorenza live, it was even better this time around. The band was great and the sound just blew the roof off the joint. They played most of the tracks from "Soul Shifter" and perhaps its because I have now listened to the album at least 30 times (according to that nice little tracker on iTunes LOL) or maybe it was because there was so much love in the room, every song really had a special electricity to it.

For me, one of the tests of a real musician is how they perform on stage. You can produce an album to death, but when its just you and the band, THAT'S where the truth often lies. I can tell you, Lorenza completely captivated the audience, her vocals were amazing and her ability to juggle multiple instruments, lead the group, engage the audience and not miss a beat is mind-boggling.

She kept the set moving along as the timeframe is quite short ... but I did enjoy hearing her relay a story last night about an artist she went to see - the inspiration for "What Happened to You?" - who didn't quite live up to her expectations. I think that has happened to many of us at some point. I know I had a rude awakening once when seeing one of my favorite classical musicians. I had listened religiously to his recordings and then ... BAM ... saw him when he was in NYC and ended up really depressed, almost angry, about the letdown. Like I said, live performance is key.

After the show, most of the crowd went upstairs to hang out for a bit. As always, Lorenza was absolutely gracious and signed CDs and took pictures for hours. (p.s. Lorenza, I love the new line of shirts!) I also had a chance to catch up a bit more with Jeff Kazee, another musician I truly respect. (p.s. if you are in/near NYC, you must, MUST come to see Kazeedigs "Exile on Canal Street" on June 23rd ... visit his facebook page for more info. The picture of Jeff amuses me ... its like he's in the middle of telling a scary ghost story ... nice phantom right hand. Haha.)

So, after a few "adult beverages" and greetings with the slew of EuroJovis, a number of us went out for a late dinner. A couple hours and lots of laughs later, I ended up falling into bed around 1:45am. Ahhh, THIS is the life. :-)

Next up ... Jon Bon Jovi and 'da boys hit the new Giants Stadium ... Lorenza, 3 BJ shows, MEMPHIS and a road trip with the crazy Germans. I'm in for quite a week. LOL

P.S. Thanks to Rike for the pics from last night. xoxo

MEMPHIS in the Morning

So, David Bryan visited with Jim Kerr on Q104.3 at 7am this morning to talk about Memphis (and a bit of Bon Jovi as well LOL) ... and so, OF COURSE, I woke up early to hear it. :-)

I must say ... I became a musician so I didn't have to get up at these ungodly hours (probably David was thinking the SAME thing!)

In any case, he performed "Memphis Lives in Me" live on air ... here's the picture the radio station tweeted ...



















He sounded GREAT considering it was an early morning after the show in Hershey last night.

Anyhoo, David talked about the possibility of a movie being made. He talked about missing the first show with Jon in thirty-two years because of the Tony Awards (DAVID - I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU!) ... all around it was a great interview. Hope they podcast it.

P.S. He also mentioned they were going to "do something" at the Tony's but he couldn't disclose what it was. I can't wait to experience it ... ordered the dress yesterday. Just need to find the right jewelry. Haha.

P.S.2. Updated later to include video :-)

4 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS

Breaking News: "MEMPHIS" Wins "Outstanding New Broadway Musical"

Outer Critics Circle
* * 2009-2010 Award Winners * *

Winners are notated in *RED*


OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
American Idiot
Come Fly Away
Fela!
* Memphis
Sondheim on Sondheim

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE
(Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
* Memphis
The Scottsboro Boys
Yank!

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER
Rob Ashford Promises, Promises
* Bill T. Jones Fela!
Susan Stroman The Scottsboro Boys
* Sergio Trujillo Memphis

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kate Baldwin Finian’s Rainbow
Barbara Cook Sondheim on Sondheim
* Montego Glover Memphis
Bebe Neuwirth The Addams Family
* Catherine Zeta-Jones A Little Night Music

Award Tally for 2 or more: Memphis (4), La Cage aux Folles (4), Fences (3) and
The Orphans’ Home Cycle (2)

A Special Shout-Out to one of my Juilliard classmates for her win! :-)

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Nina Arianda Venus in Fur
Laura Benanti In the Next Room, or the vibrator play
* Viola Davis Fences
Laura Linney Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell The Royal Family

How to Spell Heartbreak ...

So, I received a tweet tonight that nearly brought tears to my eyes. It was this picture ...



Yes, my friends ... that is what remains of our beloved Giants Stadium as of the end of this past week.

I know I'm blessed to live in NYC (though I must admit that living here is sometimes a HUGE pain in the a$$!) ... and I've been lucky to attend dozens of shows, games and other events at the stadium -- including every concert done there by our boys -- from that very first show to Live Earth to those amazing nights during the HAND tour.

It has been truly a privilege to watch Jon Bon Jovi and his band of brothers in that venue. The good years. The "not so good" years. The legendary rainstorms. The large flying rodent-insects (Hugh will remember that from the HAND tour.) Although I am a huge Giants fan, when I think of the stadium I think of Jovi. I know we'll all be making new memories in just over a week from now, but until then here's a trip down memory lane ...

(its amazing there is even video from this!) ...



one of my faves ...



and, of course ...



I'm counting down the days 'til all the Jovinuts from around the world arrive. Can't wait to see y'all! More details about a meet-up before Friday's "Memphis" show coming soon. Just trying to work out the specifics. If you're around, would love for you to join us.

Mother's Day ... Bon Jovi Style

Greetings fellow Jovinuts. Sorry I haven't blogged much ... its been pretty quiet in Joviland with the exception of some appearances and a few news items you can get from the Google alerts. No need to blog about those.

One piece of news that IS worth writing about is the amazing EIGHT nominations for our beloved MEMPHIS. I am so happy for Chad Kimball and Montego Glover - they really ARE Huey and Felicia - and do a fabulous job each and every night. Here's a picture my friend L got of the signage after the announcement.



















So, Happy Mother's Day to all those moms out there.

I am blessed that my mom is a Jovinut too. She gets it. She leaves me random phone messages like "what's up with our boys?" or calls me when she sees Jon on some random entertainment program.

The first show I ever took her to see, we were first row between Jon and Richie. (Probably wasn't a great idea to spoil her right off the bat, huh? LOL) Anyhoo, she spent the whole concert being serenaded by Richie, who was SUCH a gentleman and tipped his hat to her and smiled and (dare I say) flirted with her. At the end of the show he gives her his guitar pick. So ... what happens? She falls in love with TICO!

So here are a few videos for my mom.

I have been lucky to be at some of the legendary Bon Jovi shows - including every Giants show and almost every MSG and Borgata one. But here's one I really wish I could have seen ... in Helsinki of all places! That would have been cool ...



... and here's a video from a show I actually attended ... (still miss those Christmas shows ... and now with Bobby on tour with them, I don't think we're going to get a Hope concert this year either :-( ... BLAME JON!)



And, of course, a more recent appearance of the gravelly voiced one (damn, that was one helluva show! A night I will NEVER forget. And ... Jon Bon Jovi has many, MANY talents ... but him playing drums, not so much LOL.)



Well, that's all for now folks. I'm sure things will be heating up soon as we prepare for the onslaught of Jovifans from around the world. (Can someone put a big stopper in that volcano, please?!) In less than two weeks, my crazy Germans will have invaded the Big Apple. This is welcome news to every retailer in the tri-state area. ROFLMAO

Until then, "rocketh on!"