Hello all. Well, after getting some grief (in jest) from friends about the fact that I hadn't wrapped up the chaos that was February and early March, here I am to do just that! :-) #WillY'allShutUpNow LOL
Anyhoo, so when I last wrote, I was about to talk about the Mohegan Sun show. Geez, what can I say? That I was a bit sick of getting on a frickin' bus by this point? Oyyy. That the show kicked off with a fabulous set by Lorenza Ponce? That it was the best set list I've experienced in quite some time? That we had a blast staying up until the wee hours of the morning laughing and drinking? Ok ... that works! :-)
There was NO WAY my friend S and I were going to miss Lorenza in Connecticut...so nothing made me happier than to have the opportunity to sit in the friends and family section on her big night and cheer her on ... quite loudly, as my seat neighbor would attest. Hehe. I even wore my lucky concert shirt for her ... (those who know me are VERY familiar with that shirt. LOL)When you think about how much has happened in the short time between the release of Soul Shifter and now, it really is remarkable. So, Lorenza and her great young band of Andy, Zach, Brett and Greg took the stage just before 8pm, playing a slightly longer set than is usual for an opening act (yay!) We were lucky to get quite a few songs from her album (like my favorite Testify), as well as some great covers ...
We had a great time backstage between her set and when Bon Jovi was due to take the stage. Having already seen the set list for the night (as she was playing on a number of songs), I totally cut Lorenza off from telling me what was on it. I NEVER want to know beforehand. Luckily, my friend C doesn't feel the same way because she was sitting 2nd row in the pit and likes to record (her videos from that night are breathtaking!)
By now, everyone has seen the set list. When the band opened with Radio Saved My Life, we knew it was going to be special. But then to get Wild In the Streets (FINALLY! Don't think I've heard that since Giants on the HAND tour, maybe???), I Got the Girl, the gorgeous acoustic version of Superman Tonight, Living in Sin, Raise Your Hands, Thorn in My Side ... and then, there was, of course, this little gem ...
I yelled. I screamed. I cried. (Ok ... almost cried.) S and I just looked at eachother and shook our heads in disbelief ... then sang EVERY WORD .... VERY LOUDLY! We were all in shock that Jon Bon Jovi had actually given in and did a "European set list" in the U.S.
Here are a few pictures from that night ...
Thinking about it some more ... I just HAVE to include the video for Thorn in My Side ... Jonny's been practicin' LOL ... duo starts around 3:30 ... *sigh*
Okay ... yes ... the show was on the shorter side (damn casino curfews) ... but quality over quantity was definitely the right way to go! After the show, a bunch of us girls hit Michael Jordan's Steak House for the healthiest of post-concert meals -- espresso martinis, truffle oil fries, lobster mac and cheese ... you get the idea, right?
S and I finally fell into bed around 4:00am. But, couldn't sleep long, right? For the next day was ... again ... Bon Jovi Day!
Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows how much I take the bus. So, you can imagine my sheer delight when my dear friend JerzyJovi called and said "get off the bus, we're coming to get you!" YAY! ...okay, it was a little mean though that I had to sit in the car the whole way back smelling the half-baked Mystic Pizza (yes, as in the movie Mystic Pizza) that she was bringing back for her family. LOL
In any case, we made it home just in time to get ready for MSG 3. The fun that never ends! Admittedly, after the dream show in Mohegan and the marathon show at MSG 2, I wasn't expecting much out of this show. It was a good, solid show ... well, except for that little sound problem (hmmm...twice in one week...wonder what's going on there!) and I'm sure as much as Jon tried to shrug it off (seriously, sh*t happens ... it's live performance), he couldn't have been too pleased this happened in Madison Square Garden.
So ... even though I had taken so many pictures in the previous shows, it didn't seem to dissuade me from taking just a few more. Come back later ... cuz those pictures are up next!
