Oh Yes!

1983: My cousin, Jonathan, had me listen to a new band's first single, "Runaway." I am only slightly exaggerating when I say that moment may have changed my life. I have been a diehard fan ever since (28 years, and going strong!)!

2011: For reasons I can't even begin to fathom, I had never been to a Bon Jovi concert! Clearly, that had to change. So recently, a friend (Delicia) and I were talking and someone mentioned that The Band was coming to Houston, and wouldn't it be fun if.... Well, I was online asap, and it was done before she could change her mind!

Tuesday morning (concert day!), I had a special visitor, who set the stage for the day: I got a text telling me to open the door -- and there they were! Bon Jovi, on my doorstep! OK, it was a cheesy poster (framed!), circa 1986 -- big hair, spandex, and pouty faces. It was AWESOME! Delicia found it at a garage sale for me -- I may keep it until I die! Or maybe not.

The actual trip to Houston had all kinds of snags and hitches; we got a late start, got stuck behind a traffic accident and missed our flight (no biggie - caught the next one, 30 minutes later!). But those snags were so much milder than the ones I envisioned; I was sure one of Delicia's kids would get sick, or someone in my family would have a crisis.... Since none of the terrible things I imagined actually happened, the minor glitches that did happen seemed like no big deal. WE GOT TO HOUSTON! Sure, we were a little late, but we still had plenty of time.

The hotel was perfect -- Holiday Inn Express, one of my favorite hotels -- right across the street from the Toyota Center, where the concert was held. The excitement was building...! We glammed it up, and went for some dinner at House of Blues, which, minutes after we arrived was packed with Bon Jovi-wear-clad concert goers. Eat, go to arena, try to breathe calmly... Nope, can't do it!

Doors opened at 630, concert was to start at 730. I was suprised how empty the arena was at 730 -- including no band playing. Finally, about 815 the music started. And oh, man! It was everything I hoped for (realistically. I would have loved backstage passes, personally meeting the band, etc., but come on -- I live in the real world, even if I occasionally take vacations from it!)!!!

In front of us were three couples who were poster children for "Why You Shouldn't Drink Alcohol at a Rock Concert." They came in warning us they would be loud and crazy, and they started out that way, but by halfway through the concert, they were too drunk to do much but sway into each other. By the end, they were bleary messes. We were coveting their camera, though -- they got some amazing pictures! Me, not so much. Delicia got some good ones for us!

It was also cool to see the people in the audience around us. We saw people in their 60s or so, as well as teens and younger (even two babies with their familes, but that's another opinion for another post!). There was a mother-son duo, where the boy couldn't have been more than 10-12 years old. I love that there is such a multi-generational appeal. Proves their awesomnicity!

Delicia: Calm, mellow fan

Marylynn: Rabid, maniacal fan

(These pictures are from the Bon Jovi website; it would have been amazingly fantastic if WE were close enough to take them, but no. Sigh. Maybe some day -- cuz this was NOT my last Bon Jovi concert!)

So basically, it was awesome. I could say that after it was over, we used all our excitement and energy to do something really wild and fun; but here's where being... ahem ..... over 18 ... really showed. We went to bed. But, we got to sleep AS LONG AS WE WANTED TO, with no kids, spouses, jobs, or dogs waking us up -- which might have been my second favorite part of the trip -- then had a leisurely breakfast -- which NEITHER OF PREPARED. Then we LEFT OUR ROOM (kind of) A MESS, checked out, caught a taxi, and went to wait for our flight. And wait. And wait.

To make a long story short, instead of catching the 10 am flight to be home by noon, we ended up going through Austin to be back to Dallas by 5. Just in time for rush hour traffic. Thank goodness for friends who helped pick up the slack with carpool and watching our kids! And supportive husbands who encouraged the craziness.

So basically, almost everything that could go wrong on this trip did -- except for the most important thing. We saw the show. Would I do it again? I think the title of this post answers that question.....!