Bon Jovi: Live at Soldier Field Part II

Saturday morning July 31, 6.30. I wake up out of a deep sleep to the sound of Livin’ on a Prayer. I am disoriented and it takes me a couple of seconds to realize that it’s my wake up call on the morning of the big concert day and the radio is playing one of my favorite Bon Jovi songs. I shake my head, smile and tell myself this can’t be real, it definitely must be destiny. I bought tickets for the concert 3 weeks earlier when I started the bucket list after one of my colleague’s wife died at the age of 38. Seats close to the podium at a Bon Jovi concert was one of the things on the list.

Chicago seemed for now the last concert in the US and I decided that I might not get the chance again to see them any time soon so I convinced my friend Virginia to come with me. I searched online for tickets and decided that if we were doing this we might as well go all the way so I was ecstatic when I found tickets in the circle, Pit 4, row 3. On the left side of the stage, the side where Richie normally plays as Virginia is a big Richie fan. For me it has always been Jon.

It’s a beautiful Californian morning when I leave the house; the clouds are starting to lift as I drive over to pick up Virginia. Top down, wind in my hair, sun on my face and Bon Jovi on the speakers, life is good! When I arrive at her house and see Virginia outside the house, I can’t help laughing. We look like twin sisters: both wearing black skirts with cream colored jackets…..She shakes her head and tells me she should have checked with me. Too late now, we are on our way. Just before 9am and we are in the United Red Carpet lounge at SFO , sipping our mimosas, toasting each other that we are crazy enough to fly to Chicago for less then 18 hours, just to see Bon Jovi. After a quick 3 hours and 15 minute flight, we land in Chicago. I have booked the Hyatt Regency at O’Hare as we have an early flight back on Sunday morning. The shuttle takes us to the hotel and by 5pm we are checked in. Time to get ready and I take out my jeans and white shirt that I had planned for tonight. Virginia has one look and shakes her head in horror. “I can’t believe it; I was planning to wear jeans and a white shirt as well, are we really going to the concert looking like the bopsie twins?”, she asks me. So I compromise and decide to wear my black shirt instead.

I had it all planned out (of course, after all I am little miss efficient), we would land at 4.20, get ready and leave the hotel by 5.15. The plan was to have a real Chicago dinner at the original Morton’s of Chicago Steakhouse. We were supposed to be at Morton’s at 5.45 to make it in time for the concert at 7, but my careful planning had not counted on a traffic jam on Saturday afternoon, damn! I am sitting in the taxi cursing myself and impatiently checking Google maps on my Blackberry to see how far away we are. I also check what tonight’s opening act is so when we finally make it to Morton’s by 6.10 I start to relax and decide I can enjoy dinner as I don’t mind missing part of Kid Rock.




We have a great dinner and a great time talking to our waiters about our Bon Jovi adventure. They give us advice on what is the best way to get to Soldier Field from the restaurant. They tell us that last time Bon Jovi played in Chicago they had dinner right here in Morton’s.









After another taxi ride, this one a lot quicker, followed by a ride in a bicycle taxi for the final leg to the stadium, we are inside Soldier Field by 8PM, just in time to hear Kid Rock sing last years hit “All Summer Long”. This was my favorite summer song last year and I sing along while we make our way thru the stadium trying to find our seats. We get to our seats and for the first time I realize how close to the stage we really are: the last 2 seats on row 3, next to where the stage ends and the circle begins.

















Kid Rock plays for another hour and it’s actually a good show. We take pictures and chat with security and smile at the little girl behind us that has a sign that says “I picked this” a BJ logo “over this” a picture of Chuck-e-Cheese. The new generation Bon Jovi fans are here! The next day her picture is actually on the Bon Jovi Facebook.

Then it is finally time: the show we came here for is about to begin. The stage has been changed after Kid Rock, the lights go out and I have goose bumps on my arms and realize I am holding my breath…..and there they are….kicking it off with Happy Now and We Weren’t Born to Follow from the latest album, followed by Bad Name.




















I look around after the first song and don’t think there is one person in the whole stadium still in their seat. And they are close…so close it is a dream come true. We could not have had better seats except maybe front row. Richie is close and even Jon seems to be more on this side of the stage and comes right over where we are, right there in front of us.......




















Born To Be My Baby, Lost Highway, Blaze of Glory and Its My Life, one great song after another. Virginia and I smile at each other as we sing along with It’s my Life. Her 3 year old daughter recognizes it from my ring tone and will sing along with it and ask "can you play life again”, after it finishes and she will add “I like Jon Jovi”. We are singing and dancing and I am hoping the night will never end. Bad Medicine is meshed up with Pretty Woman. I had hoped for the version with Old Time Rock and Roll, but they did that the previous night. The security guy pulls me aside and tells me we should go to the back of the circle now as Jon is about to go up there for the next song. He tells us to give him our purses and he locks them next to the stage….its good to make friends with the right people……




















We are pretty close when Jon comes to the front of the circle. One song with Kid Rock and then “Something For the Pain” and “I’ll Be There For You”.
We are at the edge of the circle and Richie walks right by us both on the way there and back and touches Virginia’s hand both times, mine on the way back. We look at each other and smile….this is good, this is better then good.

The night ends with Dry County. I have to say that the set list tonight is not my favorite. I had hoped for at least Always, which is still my very special Bon Jovi song, Blood on Blood, Hallelujah and Superman, but it doesn’t matter in the end, the songs are all great, the band is great and the show is great. Although they thank Chicago after Dry County, we know the night isn’t over as they haven’t played Prayer yet. The question is: how many more songs will we get. It’s almost 11.30 by now.

And they are back for the encore: Wanted, followed by I Love This Town.

























And then there are the first notes of Livin’ On a Prayer and although I love the song, I don’t want to hear it as it means the night is over. Jon starts without any music: “you got to:……. hold on….. to what you got… it doesn’t make a difference if you make it or not….. we got each other and that’s a lot for love, so we’ll give it a shot…and oh..” and then lets just the crowd finish the first chorus “oh we’re half way there…..oh oh living on a prayer, take my hand, we’ll make it I swear…oh oh livin’ on a prayer”. Around 60,000 people singing what is probably the most classic Bon Jovi song. I cannot describe what it is like; you have to be there to experience it. It is absolutely fantastic and I cannot imagine a better way to end this wonderful night.

Thank you Bon Jovi for putting up a fantastic show. You have been my inspiration thru the years: thru the good times and the bad, the laughter and the tears and after all these years you guys still rock….. and definitely not in chairs yet :-). I panicked when Jon tore his calf muscle on July 9 and I they posted it on FB that Sunday. That was a bad day: first my country lost in the world cup final and then I saw the post on FB about Jon and I was afraid the concert was going to get canceled. But Jon being Jon, had them, as he said on FB, put Humpty Dumpty back together to finish this part of the tour and tonight he was his usual charismatic and passionate self. Tonight truely was a dream come true.


Thank you Virginia for putting up with me and joining me on this crazy journey.

Don't Pursue Happiness, Create it

It must be a conspiracy….or destiny. Whatever you call it, something, somewhere is pushing me to pursue my dreams. Last night after a long, long, long week in the office, I decided that I was finally going to watch the movie UP. I had had it from Netflix for at least 2 months now. It had traveled with me to Taipei…and back…..Texas…...and back…….and New York….. and back….A couple of weeks ago I told one of my friends that I still hadn’t watched it and she told me to watch it alone at home as I would probably cry my eyes out. A good thing I never got around watching it on one of my plane rides as crying your eyes out next to fellow passengers is probably not such a great idea.

So with nothing planned on Friday night I decided it was time to watch this movie. I poured myself a glass of wine and started watching. My friend had been right. I started crying after about 15 minutes when Ellie dies without having pursued her dream of building a house on top of Paradise Falls. Carl finds the book Ellie shared with him years ago, when they first met as kids. They both had a dream of becoming explorers. He looks at her book again after all these years and comes to Ellie's page that says “stuff I am going to do" and I tell myself: you see, keep pursuing your dreams, do the things you always wanted to do before it is too late.

To pursue Ellie's dream, the old man decides to go on an adventure and ties enough balloons to his house so it can fly and off he goes to find Paradise Falls for his Ellie.













It is a long and challenging trip, but with the help of a young boyscout called Russell and a dog called Dug, he finally finds Paradise Falls.












He puts the house exactly where Ellie had pictured it, but just as he has the house up and enjoys the views, he has to pack up the house again to fly to save his little boyscout friend and Kevin the bird. By saving them, the house gets destroyed and the old man is sad that he could not finish Ellies dream. Until he goes thru Ellie's book again and scrolls past the pages of her dream about Paradise Falls. The next pages in the book have captured a lot of memories of the great times they shared during their life together, including the many times they lie down, look at the sky and dream about how one day they would find Paradise Falls. At that moment he realizes that eventhough Ellie never made it to Paradise Falls, them talking about it, the dreams and memories about it in itself have given her a lot of happiness during her life and he finally he feels at peace.



What I learned from this is that you don't always have to achieve all your goals. Having dreams and thinking about them, planning them in itself is what create happiness. And in the end remember one thing: you are the only one that can create your happiness. Dont wait for it or for somebody else to make it happen for you.

Bon Jovi: Live at Soldier Field

Last month the wife of one of my colleagues died unexpected. Age 38. For a couple of years now, I have had a list in my mind of places I want to visit and things I want to do, but I never made a real bucket list. When I heard this sad news I decided that it was time to make my bucket list. I told myself that life is too short and I was going to try to do as much of the things on my list as I could and enjoy every day from now on.

It was actually a great exercise and a week or so later I had a first bucket list together. The list ranges from simple things like going on a hot air balloon trip, exotic travel destinations, to more challenging things like hiking Kilimanjaro. Also on that list is to have front row tickets to a Bon Jovi concert, one of my all time favorite bands. So when I saw the “LIVE BEFORE YOU DIE” contest on the website, right after my resolution to live life to the fullest, I thought this was too much of a coincidence and I decided that I had to take on this challenge and started writing my blog.

When I close my eyes I can picture the Chicago dream concert:

My friend Virginia is coming with me to the concert as she is also a big Bon Jovi fan. She and I were at the San Jose concert in February. We really regretted we didn’t have seats closer to the stage, so we promissed ourselves that one day we would be there, in the circle. On Saturday morning we fly to Chicago and after checking into the hotel in the afternoon, we start with getting manicures and pedicures, accompanied by a glass of bubbly to celebrate. After that it’s time to change and get ready for the concert. A limo takes us to Soldier Field. Our seats are PIT3, row 1. Virginia is a big Richie fan and he is always on that side of the stage, so she is totally excited. By the time we get to our seats we are both giddy with excitement and have to pinch each other to make sure this is real and we will see them in less then 45 minutes live, right in front of us.

The lights go out, the crowd starts to cheer and there they are……. Blood on Blood, followed by We Weren’t Born To Follow and Bad Name and the whole stadium is on their feet. When Jon has just the crowd sing the chorus of Bad Name, I have goose bumps on my arms.


We weren’t born to follow











It’s a warm summer night in Chicago, the air is hot and so is the music and the band. The first slower song is one of my favorites: Open All Night. We are so close that we can almost touch Jon and I am thinking that this is a dream come true. I sing along as I know all the words. Open All Night is followed by When We Were beautiful, another great song of the new album. Then they turn it up again with the next couple of songs. I love Captain Crash and always smile at "She wears a plastic crown like Cinderella and rollerskates in bed" and when Kid Rock joins for Bad Medicine, the place is rocking. Tonight's version of Bad Medicine is a mesh up with Old Time Rock and Roll and now the party is in full swing.




It’s time again for a couple of slower songs. The first time I heard Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah by Bon Jovi was in San Jose, but this time, being so close, it takes my breath away and almost makes me cry, it is such and amazing song and I think Jon’s version is the best ever.

Hallelujah, San Jose February 2010












Hallelujah is followed by 2 more classics, Always and I’ll Be There For You. I know that I will never forget this night as long as I live. Some of my all time favorite songs, played right there in front of me, this is such a special experience. Always was my first Bon Jovi song. I remember when the song first came out, back home in Holland, it went straight to number 1 in the charts. I loved it from the very first time I heard it on the radio and I immediately bought my first Bon Jovi album, Crossroads. I was hooked after that. After Always, Jon leaves the stage to Richie, who does an awesome version of I'll Be There For You.

It is hard to imagine it could get any better after this, but they turn it up a notch yet again with It’s My Life, Who Says You Can’t Go Home and Keep The Faith ending the night with In These Arms. Virginia and I smile at each other as we sing along with It’s my Life. Her 3 year old daughter recognizes it from my ring tone and every time she hears the song, she will sing along with it and after the song is over she will ask if we can play "life” again telling us she likes Jon Jovi. In These Arms is another song I absolutely love. Tonight is the normal version, my favorite is the acoustic version.

By now I almost have no voice left, but its ok, my voice will come back, a night like this probably won’t. And the night is not over yet, there is more: they come back for 2 encores: Wanted and of course Livin’ on a Prayer, the old time classic.










Wanted and Livin' On a Prayer

This is bitter sweet. I know when I hear the first notes of Livin' On a Prayer that this will be the end. Without it, the night wouldn’t be complete, but I am sad that this wonderful night is coming to an end.
















Thank you, good night!

No, thank you Bon Jovi. You and your music have been my inspiration thru the years: you were there thru the good times and the bad, the laughter and the tears.

To top of the night we have backstage passes so we will be able to meet the guys that have created all these wonderful songs, maybe we will even get their autographs. Although I listen to their music all the time, after a night like this I dont think there will be any other way to get the real Bon Jovi experience, then to see them in concert, up close and personal.

I don’t expect to win the tickets, but just in case, after I finished this blog, I already booked 2 tickets from SFO to Chicago with my United miles. Just in case my bucket list wish will come thru......

My Chicago dream set list:

BLOOD ON BLOOD
WE WEREN’T BORN TO FOLLOW
BAD NAME
BORN TO BE MY BABY
SUPERMAN TONIGHT
OPEN ALL NIGHT
WHEN WE WERE BEAUTIFUL
CAPTAIN CRASH
JUST OLDER
WE GOT IT GOING ON
BAD MEDICINE PERFORMED W/ KID ROCK W/ OLD TIME ROCK N' ROLL (BOB SEGER COVER)
LOVES THE ONLY RULE
RAISE YOUR HANDS
HALLELUJAH
ALWAYS
I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU
LIVE BEFORE YOU DIE
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN
IT’S MY LIFE
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
KEEP THE FAITH
IN THESE ARMS
WANTED
PRAYER