We got to our hotel early to spend the day with my friend Ursula Riggs (now Smith) of Carryville, Tennessee. This would be our third Bon Jovi show together. Since our hotel was directly across from the Fox, we went over to check out the theater, a place of elaborate Egyptian\Moorish design. The ceiling is adorned with stars, sunrise, sunset, and "moving" clouds. The story goes that it was to be torn down in 1929, but the community came together to restore it. Now it is one of the jewels of downtown Atlanta. I had to agree with Jon when he said he was glad they didn't tear the place down. Hey, any place I see Bon Jovi becomes a national landmark in my opinion.

We took several pictures of the marquee. People driving by would give us odd looks, but we just smiled. The Japanese fan club went by at one point. Interestingly enough, I met a through-the-mail acquaintance, Shari from England. Then I saw my pal Debbie from Florida walking down the street. Funny how you run into so many people you "know" at these events.

Urp and I went to the door to look inside the theater and, low and behold, we could see Richie through an open curtain down on stage for soundcheck. We watched him and listened as the band practiced some of the new songs. Jon's voice was undeniable and incredibly beautiful! We were hoping Jon, Tico, and Dave would venture over to Richie's side of the stage for a while. We were elated to catch a glimpse of Jon as he walked by. It seemed to make it all more real. We also caught a glimpse of an UPWC: unidentified pregnant woman with a camera. One highlight of soundcheck was hearing Tico sing Waltzing Mathilda which, for some reason, he did not perform that night. Our stomachs were knotted in excitement as we headed back to our warm hotel rooms to wait for the show. How many more hours?

It seemed to take forever for 7:15 when the doors opened to arrive! Billy Falcon opened the show about 15 minutes early. He did a nice acoustic set including "Power Windows," one of my favorites from him. Richie and Lance Quinn joined him for a few songs.

The Bon Jovi set started with a couple of Beatles covers--"Help" and "With a Little Help from My Friends," appropriate choices since all funds raised were going to help others. Jon's voice sent chills through me. Dave played beautifully. Tico's every beat was precise. I'm still captivated by the perfection of the interaction between Jon and Tico. And, of course, Richie captured every emotion with his guitar. It was weird and a bit sad to not see Al on stage. No one can or will ever replace him, but I hope he'll be happy.

The house started rocking with "Bad Medicine." That one can get any crowd going. Urp and I were on top of the world. They continued with classics like "Bad Name" and "Keep the Faith," which is always one of the most exciting live songs. Richie sang "Stranger in This Town" and got a bleak reception. I was worried for Dave when he started to sing since he doesn't have the following Richie does, but my worries were quickly eased. Dave got a great reaction to his rocking version of the Stones' "Somebody to Lean On." I was so happy for him--the crowd was thoroughly into his performance.

Every time I see "Blaze of Glory" live, I'm proud of Jon. It seems to be one of the songs that the crowd enjoys most. I think every voice was singing along with this acclaimed hit. In fact, I think the crowd was outsinging Jon! After traveling around 2300 miles for the last 3 Bon Jovi shows I've attended, I finally saw them do "Dry County." Jon put a lot of emotion into these lyrics and I could really feel the power of this song. During the guitar solo, Jon challenged an audience member to a game of pinball. Of course, we all knew he would win because, as he said himself, it was HIS machine!

We were treated to some new songs: "Something for the Pain," a great rocker, and "This Ain't a Love Song." The latter is a beautiful slow song that gave us the chance to get off our feet, sit back, and enjoy something we weren't able to sing along with (yet).

Other classics were included: "Lay Your Hands on Me," "Blood on Blood," "Sleep When I'm Dead," and "Bed of Roses," beautifully opened with "You Belong to Me." It was so easy to get lost in Jon's voice during this classic. But the highlight of the entire show to me was "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night." Jon told us a story about a guy he met that day whose life had been touched by this song. He was in a wheel chair, but could stand up now. This song had helped him get through his ordeal and therapy. Jon seemed humbled by someone's sharing the effect the songs can have. You knw, I don't think Jon and Richie will ever realize how much their lyrics have affected people! From "Santa Fe" to "Fear," I've found inspiration, happiness, or at least entertainment. "Saturday Night" is no exception. The first time I heard this song, it was special to me. It did not take long for it to become my favorite Bon Jovi song. I've never been able to choose before, but after seeing it live, there's no doubt... this is my favorite. The lady who was sitting next to me could see how psyched I was when this song started and she was kind enough to let me use her binoculars. I got to see up close as Jon sang the words that have meant so much to me.

Our encores included "Prayer," "Wanted," "Always," and the Christmas songs, "Please Come Home for Christmas" and "I Wish Every Day Could Be Like Christmas." During "Please..." Jon danced with a little girl. Again, I had the binoculars and it was adorable. And it also showed exactly what this show was really about--the children.