Bon Jovi Charlotte concert recaplet

I should start this entry by saying I did not feel well on Thursday and that carried over into Thursday  night.  So while I wanted to be rocking out to my boys, singing and dancing and screaming my head off, it was a challenge to get into the groove. Unfortunately. I still enjoyed the concert a great deal - no shock there - but I wish I had felt good and been super-excited like I was 4 years ago during the Have a Nice Day tour.

That said, I was excited to have floor seats, but not so much once the show started.  There was an Amazon standing a bit in my way, so it was hard to see sometimes. I could watch the vid screens, but I was spoiled those times in 2006 when we were on the side of the stage and could really see EVERYTHING that was going on.  The plus, however, is that I basically could see David Bryan the entire time and as anyone who knows me knows, he's the one I've come to see.  I listen to Jon and ogle Dave.  That's my forte, actually.  ;o) I won't go after floor seats again and in the future will actually try to get side stage seats whenever possible. I just like them more.

 Not bad seats BEFORE everyone stands up...

Ooh! It's Dave!  And Jon and Richie.  And Bobby Bandiera.  But mostly it's Dave!

Overall it was a good show.  They always trot out Bad Name, Bad Medicine, Wanted, and Prayer. I think the audience would revolt if they didn't.  But having heard 'em live for many years, I'd be fine without them.  Prayer was the final song and the entire place went nuts.  The whole audience was finally engaged.

Engagement was a problem, in my opinion, for the audience that night.  It was like they wanted the hits and songs they knew, but if it was something they did not know - like the new record - then people all around me would sit down.  SIT DOWN.  AT A ROCK CONCERT. That's so, so wrong.

 I was able to take this shot because people were SITTING DOWN!  Looney tunes.

I realize I take it personally when the audience doesn't know the new songs and that's just a quirk of mine. If I'm paying the price for a ticket these days then I'm going to sing along.  We sat next to a mom who was my age with her teenage daughter (maybe 14?) and they had never been to a Jovi show before, so I know for the newbies in the audience it's important to get the hits like Bad Name, etc.  That mom was probably waiting for the past 20 years for that stuff.

 It's Dave on the big screen!!

It was still a bummer to see a lack of enthusiasm from the crowd during I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Captain Crash. I love those songs and even if I did not, they are GREAT live songs.  I had no interest in Captain Crash till I heard it live in 2002.  And ISWID is just made to be played live.  So I sang and danced and clapped and everyone around me was SITTING DOWN.  That sound you hear was a knife going into my heart.  *sigh*  But hey, I love it even if others did not!  I had not expected to hear either of those songs so...BONUS!

The big surprise for me was Jon and Richie doing Diamond Ring.  Even if I did not get my Only Lonely, I got some oldies and some great songs. Another bonus!  It was also nice to have Richie doing something other than I'll Be There for You, which he did on the HAND tour. 

Richie, however, was looking his age.  He just looked kinda rough.  And I was very glad he was not taking his shirt off.  I love my Richie, but I'm guessing all that time before rehab was not kind to him.  Of course, I think my beloved Dave looked fab. Did you expect anything else from me?  LOL  There just weren't enough big screen close ups for me to drool over.  Bummer!

I wasn't trying to get his abs on film. Honest.  Or...was I?

The rest of the set list was good, but there are always songs I wish were included. I was sorry that Love's the Only Rule was not included (it was usually the set ender during the tour) and they did not do the acoustic set that they did throughout the tour.  I had been looking forward to both of those.  I know they were mixing things up as they went along, but I'm selfish. 

April 23, Charlottte, NC, Time Warner Cable Arena

Happy Now
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine w/ Bad Case of Loving You [Robert Palmer cover]
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

ENCORE:
Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

There are videos out there on You Tube if you want to check out performances, but I'm just going to link to Blame It On The Love, an unofficial Bon Jovi blog, where they are already posted because I'm too lazy to embed them here. LOL
  
It was a good set list, but in Shannonland, it would be different.  My ultimate set list would be as follows. In no particular order except by album:

She Don't Know Me (which they will NEVER do, so....)
In and Out of Love
Only Lonely
Silent Night
Never Say Goodbye
Born to be My Baby
Wild is the Wind
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
In These Arms (with David Bryan on lead vocals)
These Days
This Ain't a Love Song
Edge of a Broken Heart
Just Older
Mystery Train
Have a Nice Day
Complicated
Lost Highway
I Love This Town
Love's the Only Rule
When We Were Beautiful
We Weren't Born to Follow
I Get a Rush
Someday I'll be Saturday Night
Always

I'm sure I'd add more songs to this if I thought about it, but I don't wanna think about it right now.  And you can't make meeeeeeeeee!!!

I do wish I had another chance to see them on this tour, but Charlotte was the end of the arenas and now they are on a break until mid-May and then start the stadium leg of the tour.  I thought for some reason that the tour was going to keep going into 2011 and I guess it might, but usually they end things at Giants Stadium during the summer or early fall, so I'm not holing out hope. But if another leg of the tour turns up, you bet I'll find a way to be there!