Since I decided to kick off an afternoon of catching up on blog posts with a reference to Bon Jovi & Daughtry, I felt like it would be appropriate to post about the last concert I attended. Can you guess what it was? Maybe Bon Jovi & Daughtry at the American Airlines Center (AAC)? Good guess!
I can't believe the concert was almost a month ago! For me, it was a night I had waited almost 20 years for having been a Bon Jovi fan since the release of Slippery When Wet. I heard that Daughtry was going to be opening for Bon Jovi on this tour, and I originally tried to get several girl friends to go with me to the kick off of the tour in New Jersey back in October. Yes, Chris was willing to let me go, but only if I could get someone to go with me which turned out to be harder than expected. At that point, they hadn't announced any Dallas dates, so I was convinced this would be my only opportunity to see 2 of my favorite bands. Of course, patience is a virtue and several weeks later, they announced that they would be in Dallas on April 14th. By this time, I knew I was pregnant and couldn't image how I would feel 28 weeks into it. But, I honestly didn't care. Angie called me on Thanksgiving day to let me know that she had scored us tickets (which was annoyingly difficult to do), and I did what probably looked like something like the Mypos Dance of Joy. (Considering how crappy I was feeling then, that was a pretty significant thing!) The following Teusday was our first appointment with the OB. He probably thought it a bit odd that one of my major concerns was if there was any reason I shouldn't be able to go to the concert. He chuckled and said absolutely not. I'd be fine. How the baby might feel about it and his subsequent expression of his displeasure at the loud noise was a whole other issue. Worst case, he might toss and turn enough to make me uncomfortable, but that was about all. So, I marked my calendar for April 14th!
Almost 5 months later, Angie and I ventured to the AAC for what was to be an unforgettable show! When I said that tickets were hard to come by, I wasn't kidding. We almost ended up sitting BEHIND the stage. Luckily, the tickets that Angie eventually got for us weren't behind the stage, but they were in section 324, row T. If you check out the seating chart, you'll first notice that section 324 is on the highest deck of the arena. So, where does that put row T? Let's just say that I'm pretty sure that T stood for "tippy-top". We were literally in the highest row of the AAC. Picture this, a 7 month pregnant women and her friend who happen to be on some medication that was screwing with her equilibrium trying to get up very steep stairs. Luckily, between the 2 of us, we managed to scrape together enough balance to make it up without too much drama, but it had to be funny to watch. As it turns out, the seats actually weren't that bad. In fact, for what we paid for them compared to what some of the better seats were going for, I was really pleased!
Daughtry - This isn't the first time I had gotten to see Daughtry. For my birthday last summer, we saw them with Nickleback at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. (Yes, an outdoor concert in August in Texas.) The great news is that they just keep getting better. They didn't really have much more material to work from than they did last summer, but they're really good at throwing in good covers. In this case, he threw in a verse of John Cash's I Walk The Line (which Chris also did during his time on American Idol). He closed the set with a cover of Filter's Hey Man, Nice Shot. The one very cool thing he was able to pull of in the arena that wouldn't have worked as well (or at all) outdoors was this little "rock star trick" (as he called it). Take a peak:
Bon Jovi - Oh, what to say about the rock icons that make up Bon Jovi? First, I was immensely grateful that they sound as good live as they do recorded. If you read my post about the Nickleback/Daughtry show back in August, you'll have found a few choice words I have for bands that sound like crap live. It would have broken my heart if Bon Jovi had fallen into that category. Thankfully, they didn't. They sounded incredible!
Second, this was the "Lost Highway" tour. I have to admit that I'm only really familiar with the songs they have released but have loved them all. I thought they did an outstanding job of playing the new stuff but peppering in the classic hits that we were all expecting (Livin' on a Prayer - check out that hair!, Bad Medicine, & Blaze of Glory just to name a few). Several things struck me about their music that night all of which contribute to why I love it & them so much:
- Their songs do 1 of 2 things. They either (1) tell a story, or (2) convey a message. They aren't just happy, fluffy songs - not that there's anything wrong with happy, fluffy songs … at least not in moderation and when I'm in the right mood. I always seem to be in the mood for Bon Jovi's music. My 3 "recent" favorites from Bon Jovi are Everyday, Have a Nice Day, & It's My Life. I also realized that much of what Daughtry writes & records is the same way (listen carefully to Home & What About Now).
- Speaking of It's My Life, I love the way that they write their songs with references to their previous work. In this case, It's My Life makes reference to Tommy & Gina from Livin' on a Prayer. Of course, It's My Life also has a fantastic reference to Frank Sinatra in the line "My heart is like an open highway / Like Frankie said / I did it 'My Way'". I'm not sure if I'm qualified to call anyone a lyrical genius, but these guys are pretty good!
Finally, they just flat out put on a excellent stage show, and they played for an incredibly long time. If I checked my watch correctly, they played for almost 2 ½ hours.
Sexy Dads Club - Kuddos to Jon for having kept himself is stellar shape. I'm not sure there are many 46 year old men who could look as good as he did in denim & leather! And, well, what can I say about Chris Daughtry - he's just HOT! But, maybe (hopefully) it's a sign of maturity to not only admire that each of these front men are devastatingly handsome but to admit that what is almost more attractive is each of their reported devotion to their wives & children (in Chris' case step-children). In a world gone mad - celebrities & common men seemingly equally susceptible, it's amazing to see 2 hunky, talented men who actually want to go home to their families at night. Sigh. So, these guys are the founding members of my Sexy Dads Club. Don't worry, I realize that at some point I have to induct Chris. ;-)
So, you might be wondering - how did Logan handle the concert? The answer is remarkable well. For all of the noise and commotion going on around him, he barely moved. He stirred around for about 15 minutes about half way through and then settled right back down. I think the loud thumping music in Monica's spin class has gotten him totally tolerant of loud noise. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
That's probably all my fingers care to type on this subject. To summarize - it was an amazing concert put on by bands fronted by 2 of my favorite artists and worth every penny.
here: My First Mother's Day (sorta). 
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