My Bon Jovi and Jon's injury report of New Meadowlands Stadium

[madmonkeygirl]

Ok strap yourselves in. I am back and i have ALOT to tell. This being my 1st as many of you know trips to see them in their hometown at the New Giants Stadium show on July 9th. All i can say is WOW....I ended up with 5th row PIT VIP package which included backstage tour and dinner. Will start with the tour....

Was neat to see all the technical stuff and the video equipment etc underneath the stage. Since there were 2 opening bands including Kid Rock and all his instruments we could NOT go on the stage (a bit of a disappointment for me but i quickly got over it) i took tons of pictures of trunks of video and electical stuff at this point.

We were then taken to another underneath the stage where Jon's guitar famous black guitar with the initals and date etched on it. At this point i was one of the few who actually posed with his MARACAS and MIC STAND. The mic stand was extremely light. I was able to pick it up and move it. I shook those maracas too. Some say i jinxed him by doing that we will never know lol...

It was time to move on to Richie's guitars. Here was the problem. There were so many of us some crowded around to the point i couldn't even see them all let alone take pictures. He had a guitar tech one of his many techs since he uses up to 52 guitars at one time tuning up a black shiny guitar (i did manage a picture of this guitar up close) didn't get to pose with one of his guitars on the stands. We WEREN'T allowed to touch them oh well. Unfortunately the people i made friends with were huge Richie fans and didn't get the chance to get their picture with one of his guitars.

Dinner was catered and pretty decent. Just felt there were too many on the tour and broken down into 4 groups with 2 groups eating while 2 groups doing the tour. They had way too many in my opinion compared to smaller indoor venues and there wasn't that much more to the tour than the above. Oh well i got what i wanted the picture of me and the MARACAS and the MIC STAND so i was one happy camper.

We were taken into backside of the stadium at the start of the tour and just looking at it for the first time was MASSIVE. i thought the outside was MASSIVE this place is HUGE.

For the tour i had my Fuji camera and that way saved my better camera for the actual show which turned out amazing. I LOVE my new camera :)

Next up part 2 and the actual show....

[madmonkeygirl]

ok PART 2...onto the show

I had 5th Row PIT 2 Seat 5 which was perfect. Not close to Richie but looking at the stage a bit to the right of Jon's mic stand. It seemed Jon liked to use this side of the stage for most of the show and would often stand directly in front of me giving me the optimum viewing experience. The stage was set up higher than normal so those in the first 3 rows had obstucted view of the stage and Jon while i was directly in his eye sight line being 5th row :) Hey i will take what i can get.

Onto the show...wow amazing, awesome, i was deeply just in awe and lost in the music each song and singing along. I did manage amazing photos and tons of them with a couple of videos as well which will be up on YouTube soon. Starting the show with Raise Your Hands which i found to be perfect for the stadium and a hometown show. :) I literally Raised My Hands for most of the entire show...

I had a few Jon moments which are just wow...first one was during You Give Love a Bad Name. Now don't get me wrong i love this song just they sing it every single show so to me i could so do away with this song but hey...so 3rd song in they start up with this song. Before i know it Jon comes and stands in front of me my line of sight. And looks right at me singing "paint that smile on your lips, blood red nails on your fingertips" i screamed and i could see he was trying to keep from laughing yet flashed that famous Bon Jovi smile and everyone turned around to look at me lol. That's it i was a goner.

During "Love's The Only Rule" once again i was so immersed in this song and the way Jon sings it and the lyrics Jon steps right into my line of sight and starts singing to me and i completely forget the lyrics he sang (goofball i am).

I managed a few Jon looking at me shots through out the entire show. Richie too :) Richie doing Lay Your Hands On Me. At first i didn't want to hear him doing a Jon song. That is Jon's song and i LOVE that song. But when he stepped up to sing that song saying to the audience "I know it's not Sunday but i'm going to take you to church anyways" i knew what song he was going to do. And to be honest he does one HELL of a job with that song (video will be uploaded to You Tube).

I did have a David sing along moment since his keyboards were back aways but on the right side of the stage where he belongs not on Richie's side. So near the end of the show i was ignoring him so i figured ok here's a chance to give him some attention. The guy in front of me sat down so i had a direct line of eye sight to David Bryan. I smiled at him singing along and waiting for him to acknowledge me. After a moment he looks out and makes eye contact smiles and sings along with me singing and smiling back at him. Even for a few seconds that was pure AMAZING. I felt better giving David some attention..

Final part to come with Jon hurting his leg or so everyone though....what really happened.

[madmonkeygirl]

OK final Part 3 review....

For those of you sticking thru this long review I thank you very much.

Ok end of 2nd to last song Jon does a famous move and he stops. He thinks he pulled something in his leg. But during the show i noticed he wasn't drinking as much water and tea as he normally does and he was sweating more than usual. Not a good sign. So he stops and says to the crowd..."I think i pulled something in my leg. I'm not as young as i used to be. I'm getting older." or something on that order. And he then says "I have one good leg and no where to go" and kind of looks at the band to let them know to continue.

All the way he tried to walk it off and it looked like he had a bit. So they start up into the last song "Livin On A Prayer" but as the song goes he uses the mic stand as a crutch for his leg. And it looks like his leg is locking up on him. Not a good sign. The whole PIT was quiet and he tried to get us to be loud etc but we were all concerned. The look on his face was he was in PAIN. Pure PAIN but he wanted to get thru the last song for us fans. I zoomed out when he used the mic stand holding it up to the PIT crowd to have us sing along and you can see he was on one leg.

The final bow he was hobbling on his good leg (right leg) and after needed help from David Bryan to get down the back stairs of the stage. Left us all worried sick and wondering what happened.

Well it turns out good news. He had a massive leg cramp and only a leg cramp (gee he wasn't drinking enough liquids thru the show like he normally does). I can relate since i get horrible leg cramps like that as well. I'm just glad he is OK and it was nothing more than a leg cramp.

[madmonkeygirl]

Ok final thoughts...what i forgot earlier during Have a Nice Day Richie broke a guitar string and Jon had to stop the song and wait for him to change out guitars. He gave him this "look" rather funny.

Jon forgot the lyrics to Who Says You Can't Go Home. Frankly i could do without this song to be honest.

During Lay Your Hands On Me Richie mumbled lyrics he forgot them as well not sure why they kept forgetting lyrics at this show but it was hysterical that they could and they were pure showmen and just kept on going.

Hearing Captain Crash and Beauty Queen From Mars live was amazing. Hadn't heard this song since 2006. I used one of my glow bracelets to wave in the air and Jon did take notice. :)

Hearing These Arms Are Open All Night done on the catwalk just i am still in awe i heard this rare song done live. I can now cross that off my "must hear live list". Unfortunately Jon was on the catwalk so his back was to the PIT crowd oh well. I will take what i got. I had tears in my eyes to be honest when he started this song. I was like "am i hearing this correctly?" one of those i am dreaming type of moments.

[madmonkeygirl]

To be honest this 1st hometown show for me was just up there. I had my moments with the guys and i did take tons of pictures but would LOOSE myself in the songs and moments and just sing along taking it all in. Soaking myself in since i was so close to the stage and everything. I wish they had done more than 1 show in some ways but in other ways i was so wiped out after this 1 show that i was greatful they only did 1. It seemed like Jon made tons of eye contact with me and instead of normally snapping away i just ran with those moments and made eye contact back and sang along smiling the entire time. :)

Sucks i'm back to reality now but i know there will be more to come. Greatest Hits Tour to happen in 2011 thru 2012. Greatest Hits cd to come out 2nd week of November. So until then .....

[CoasterMatt]

There's no way she's back to reality yet, we're going through the photos now :)

[keith - SuPeR K!]

Glad you had an awesome time! :)

[madmonkeygirl]

Ty so much Matt for letting me go to this AMAZING show. No i am NOT back to reality yet. Will take me awhile to so i apologize for that. TY for being my photographer editor in chief i couldn't do the editing without your expertise. I only hope you are proud of my photos as i am of taking them. I'm still in AWE at some of the way some shots turned out. That i REALLY took them. That i was REALLY there. I tried to soak in as much as i could being my first time. :) I had a BLAST and that's what counts. Those 2 and a half hours went slowly which was a blessing. I didn't want it over with fast either.

Some pictures will be posted by Matt since he's my editor and helping me with some of them. :) Video of Richie Lay Your Hands On Me will be uploaded to YouTube when i have the time to.

[madmonkeygirl]

Ty Keith for that comment. I really really did. I still can't believe i was there for a hometown show. It seems so surreal to me. I know i didn't dream i was there i was really there and got sung to by Jon and David. :) And i'm super glad it was only a leg cramp that Jon suffered thru and nothing more major.

[CoasterMatt]

Here's the first pic I've got ready... Rose took it, I just edited it a lil bit and turned it black & white...
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/pantsonfire/images/P1000316.JPG

[madmonkeygirl]

Ty Matt for doing that for me. Not one of the better pictures i took that night but hey. Yes i am HARD on myself. Ty for editing the pictures. I appreciate that. I have ALONG way to go photography wise but I WAS enjoying myself in the show too. :) I think i did decent for my first shot with this new camera and being 1st show in their hometown state.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Welcome home! :) Sounds like an amazing trip!

[lashbear]

That pics too small - do you have a larger version? :p

PS: I like the post-editing on it. Very professional.

[madmonkeygirl]

Ty it sure was a dream trip to be honest and the concert as well. Never in my wildest dreams could i realize how amazing it would have turned out to be.

On a side note something very odd i found today. During the backstage tour part we were underneath the stage and i took a picture of one of Richie's guitars (it's black) that was on a table being tuned up. Only later did i realize after Matt was going thru my pictures with me. That in one particular picture of Richie he is playing the VERY same guitar with his hat over his eyes but he's looking RIGHT at the camera and smiling at ME. I get goosebumps just thinking about this. Out of all the guitars that happened to be on that very table and me taking the picture of the guitar alone and then the picture of Richie later on in the show a Richie moment is just i can't find the words to express this. Just a coincidence or i tend to think my brother was watching over me that night (since it was 4 months to the day he passed away) and made that possible.

[blueerica]

MMG - it sounds like you had the BEST time EVER.

I can't even imagine what that would have been like.

[Snowflake]

Ty Matt for doing that for me. Not one of the better pictures i took that night but hey. Yes i am HARD on myself. Ty for editing the pictures. I appreciate that. I have ALONG way to go photography wise but I WAS enjoying myself in the show too. :) I think i did decent for my first shot with this new camera and being 1st show in their hometown state.

I think that is a great photo Rose.

[katiesue]

Sounds amazing!

[madmonkeygirl]

Ty Snowflake. You should see the other ones that did turn out AMAZING that i am in AWE I actually personally took. Wish Matt would put THOSE up on here.

Ty Erica i sure did. Just so unbelievable. I'm still trying to take it all in even days after the fact.


UPDATE ON JON:
I did learn that Jon is now officially on crutches. Ouch.... :( my cheese is sad.

[innerSpaceman]

Just catching up on this now. And wow, what a tale. I'm so glad you had such an immersive experience. How awesome and fun.



(But yes, you did jinx Jon) :p

[Alex]

Who's Ty?

[Gemini Cricket]

Yay! Sounds like it was a blast. Sad to hear that John hurt himself.

[Kevy Baby]

Who's Ty?Ty Pennington (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Pennington). He is the host of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-home-edition)

[madmonkeygirl]

Ty Brad. Yeah well it happened and i know he was doing so many dance moves that night plus not drinking in the humidity and sweating more than normal and there ya have it. The one last jump he did and i was sorry i didn't take a picture but then he landed wrong and that was that but he's a true showman because he kept going well one last song and instead of Livin On A Prayer i sang "Limpin On A Prayer".

He didn't want the injury to keep them from playing the remaining shows this summer (about 13 more dates to play) so they played the last 2 nights as well with him not moving around as much on stage obviously.

I really think this is my ULTIMATE show just being in the hometown crowd so close to have my moments and sing alongs and pictures.

Plus now i will always have the memory of Jon hurting himself and me getting a nasty as heck spider bite from that night.

[CoasterMatt]

Here's a visual of what a torn calf muscle feels like...
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/coastermatt/images/P1000546%20%281280x943%29.jpg

[madmonkeygirl]

Matt you so did NOT have to post THAT picture. :( It makes my heart sad when i look at that. I was RIGHT THERE to witness it. A show i WON'T EVER forget now....