Thank God - I don't have many addictions as I managed to avoid the drug-induced haze of the '60s (too busy studying) and I have never even smoked one cigarette! BUT, I admit it - I'm a "concert junkie".
My habit started way back in 1956 when I was 8 years old and my older cousins - Roslyn, Lydia & Ginny - took me to my first concert to see Elvis in St. Louis. I wasn't quite sure what all the screaming was about but I loved the music.
After that, I couldn't stop -- there was Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, the Supremes, Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, Ike & Tina, Rod Stewart, Sonny & Cher. I'm so lucky as I've seen the best rockers and the list goes on. BUT, when Elvis died I had to find a new rock idol and thanks to my sister Ginny, it's definitely Bon Jovi.
You might think I'm crazy because I've waited in line over 8 hours just to get into a Bon Jovi concert in Mannheim Germany; then left because the crowd was totally out of control and I feared getting killed in the stampede to the stage!
I even created a 10 minute video to try and win a Bon Jovi European Tour Manager's contest which of course I lost to a much younger chick. In October 2007, Ginny and I flew to New Jersey to see him open the Staples Center there.
So, it certainly didn't seem unreasonable when she asked me to fly to St. Louis in May to see his last USA 2011 tour date. See, he hadn't been in St. Louis in more than 10 years and the die-hard fans started a viral petition - emails, Facebook, Twitter - you name it. They took to the INTERNET and virtually demanded a Bon Jovi concert.
Even without Richie Sambora, it was one of my top 5 concerts as I think the band tried even harder to give a great concert! The visual effects were taken to another dimension with a jumbo tron screen that broke into smaller sections, then scrolled around to the back of the stage to create another performance venue for him. He needed a second stage - because those St. Louis fans came through -- the entire arena --even the area behind the stage was sold out!!
Check it out for yourself:
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