Bon Jovi Rocks Atlanta, Georgia
May 11, 2001

It's hard to believe May 11 has come and gone. Until I was actually standing outside Philips Arena, it seemed like the Atlanta show was still "forever" away. Then, while waiting to go inside, I suddenly got that tingly excited/happy/nauseated feeling in the pit of my stomach that let me know that in just about an hour and a half, I'd be seeing the greatest band in the world one more time.

I had hoped to meet some of the people I knew from the web before or after the show, but nothing worked out. I was told the restaurant where one gatherwing was happening didn't exist by two different people who worked at the Omni. Then I found it after the show. Still, I got to see some old friends again: Ursula, Brandy, Anthony, Renee, Angie, and Lynne. It was like the Southern fan reunion since not one of us is actually from Georgia.

Before the show, Ursula, Brandy, Anthony, and myself had a great time enjoying Atlanta. We watched part of CNN Talk Back Live, then went to Centennial Park and played in the water fountains. Visitors try to run through the water without getting wet. We failed miserably, but it was fun. And it wasn't so bad getting drenched since it was hot and humid out.

Well, back to the show. SR-71 was by far the best band I've ever seen open for Bon Jovi. They were great! About 3 songs in, the lead singer Mitch Allen, encouraged everyone to stand up, which was just fine with me. I was dying to get up and enjoy myself like one should at a rock show, but didn't want to be the only person standing. You could tell Mitch has really been doing his homework. His performance style emulated Jon's. He moved and spoke in such a way that would lead you to believe Jon is one of his primary influences. I could be wrong about that, but I'm right about one thing: give this kid a chance and he will go on to become a legendary front man. He's got "it," a combination of talent, charisma, and looks. Butch from Marvelous 3 joined them for a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me." Butch was wearing a Bon Jovi SWW tour shirt that it looked as if came from his own closet. It definitely earned him brownie points from the crowd.

During SR-71's set, the manager approached Ursula and I. My first reaction was panic, "Oh God, I got these tickets from a scalper and they're not real and I'm going to get kicked out." But it turned out that there were two women who had seats 9 and 10 that needed our seats because we were on the aisle. One was in a wheelchair, so she couldn't sit mid-section. Of course, we were happy to help out by moving. Then we got REALLY happy because moving placed us smack dab directly in front of THE MAN. We had great seats where we were (directly between Jon and Richie), but they just got 10,000 times better! Ursula and I kept pointing to the center microphone and asking each other, "Do you know who's going to be standing right there?"

Bon Jovi had the same roof top stage as last year. This year the beginning of the show includes clips of Behind the Music and the win at the My VH-1 Awards before launching into the satellite seach for the band and elevator entrance. The show started with One Wild Night, which was very energetic. They then went into Bad Name (thank God, they get that one over with early) and It's My Life. I'm surprised that It's My Life comes so early in the set this time around, but when a band puts on an amazing show the way Bon Jovi does, they do not have to rely on pulling out the biggest hits later to reengergize the audience. There again, there are so many hits from so many years in a Bon Jovi show, that you'd have to have lived in a glass bubble to not be able to sing along all night long.

Keep the Faith, was excellent as always. I've said it publically many times. There's something about Jon singing, shaking those maracas, and doing that little jungle routine that I find incredibly sexy. Now, Ursula is one of the girls that shares this passion with me. So, experiencing that song with someone who "understands" what it does to a woman, or this woman and that woman anyway, made it even better. I enjoyed the addition of Sympathy for the Devil in the song. It's an interesting combination, but it works.

Click on pics to view full-size images

I've been assured that they did indeed play Living on Prayer, but I have no recolletion of it whatsoever. In fact, at the end of the show I asked Ursula if they had done it because I was hoping to get another encore. I'm not sure where my mind was, but if I had to guess it was probably on Jon or I may have been distracted by security harrassing someone on my row. Or, maybe I just hadn't recovered from Keep the Faith.

During Born to Be My Baby, I had one of those thrill of a lifetime moments. I'm sure we've all felt like Jon was looking right at us many times, but knew that he really wasn't, right? Well, this time he really was. I now fully understand the concept of how someone can have piercing eyes. Jon looked right into my soul and lit a fire! My knees got weak. I got lightheaded. He did one of those come-hither finger motions that I would have been more than happy to oblidge if I'd been able to move. There was a brief moment of connection between me and Jon Bon Jovi that, for me, held the kind of intensity only found previously in my dreams. The outside world did not even exist. For a moment, nothing existed but Jon.

Blaze of Glory was spectacular as always. This song is always a great sing-along song for the crowd and one of the "coolest" in their catalogue. Jon perfectly captured the old west in a way that no one else could have. It should have won the Oscar.

Jon started "Someday I'll be Saturday Night" solo and acoustic. He sounded great by himself. This is, and always will be, one of my favorite songs.

Our ballad for the evening was "Bed of Roses" which has always been one of the most meaningful songs to me. Richie's finest guitar work of the night was displayed here. And I was utterly mesmerized by Jon from the moment he reappeared on the stage. It was beautiful and moving, the kind of song that sweeps you away to a place where love is true and lasting.

Bed of Roses took another woman a place many of us would also like to go, but most would probably have more respect than to do so. Jon brought somoene out from the side bar to dance with him. Well, she grabbed herself a handful of Jon's Bon-Bon and went back for seconds. I think the first time she grabbed his monitor, so she tried from a different angle. Or maybe she just couldn't get enough. I've heard some people say Jon was laughing and others say he had that deer in the headlights look. My view was of the behind, so I had a clear view of what was going on back there. I can't help but think that if it were Faith Hill who'd been kind enough to thrill a man by dancing with him and he did her that way, security would have kicked him out and he could have landed with a law suit. I also think of a friend telling me about Jon doing an appearance at a radio station in '97 and a woman grabbed his butt. He spun around and told her, "Don't you EVER touch me like that again." C'mon, people, would you want someone you just met molesting you? Think about it and if you're ever lucky enough to be arm in arm with Jon, give him some respect.

We had a treat with the performance of These Days. Just Older and Captain Crash demonstrated to any nostalgia fans that Bon Jovi is just as capable of fun, rock and roll, and touching people as they ever were. Lay Your Hands on Me almost brought the house down. Tico and Dave's trading off at the beginning is always one of the musical highlights. It's one of those songs you can't fully appreciate until you hear it live. The tried and true combination of Sleep, Bad Medicine, and Shout closed the first portion of the show. I got a little annoyed with Jon when he compared Jesus and Elvis. As a big fan of all three of these men, I was put off by that. People who don't get Jon and his sense of humor could have taken it as very sacrelidgeous and disrespectful. I've a feeling that Elvis himself would not have been flattered and would sit Jon down and tell him he's crossing a line with that bit.

Our first encore was Say It Isn't So. I was thrilled to hear this song live. Lyrically and musically, I think it's one of their best. And, by the way, anyone who thinks of Jon as a mediocre singer should see him live. His voice gets stronger the longer he sings. He hits the low notes and, yes, he hits the high notes. Not many performers can combine the kind of talent, charm, and showmanship of this man. He covers the stage, brings in the crowd, and his actual performance as a singer and musician never suffers. In case you're wondering, his knee must have been feeling fine or he has a high threshold for pain. He was just as energetic and bouncy as we expect him to be. And if anyone reading this got any pictures of Jon during Say It Isn't So with that beautiful magenta lighting behind him, please e-mail me. I'll pay you, trade with you, anything! My shots from that song are blurry.

Wanted was great for the most part. Ursula and I (and about 10 other people I can think of off the top of my head) have a pet peeve when it comes to this song: why has Richie started pronouncing "wanted" as "wan TED"? He used to pronounce it correctly as "WANT ed." Then at some point in the 90's, it changed. What happened? I know, it's petty and meaningless, and the world isn't going to end because Richie sings "wan TED" but that's why it's called a pet peeve. Well, the good news is that Tico, Dave, and Hugh did nothing to annoy me! Ha ha. Sometimes I think I pay too much attention to what these guys do.

Our final encores were Tequila and Twist and Shout. Both were full of excitement. Tequila was a lot of fun and Twist and Shout was a party all by itself.

Overall, the show seemed short, even though it was a normal length. I missed hearing songs like Next 100 Years and I'll Be There for You. I was holding out hope that we'd get Wild is the Wind. And I'd still like to see I Got the Girl and Mystery Train. But, you know, it took 12 years for me to be able to hear I'll Be There for You, Never Say Goodbye, and Born to Be My Baby all for the first time last year in St. Louis last year. There's always hope. My only real disappointments now are that I don't have another show to look forward to and that over half my photos are blurry.

If you'll be seeing Bon Jovi any time soon, you're in for the time of your life. Enjoy every minute because it will be gone before you know it. Atlanta rocked. Time to recover.