"I'm not as pretty as Justin Bieber...

And I don't dance as well as Justin Timberlake.

But I've been around longer than the two of them put together!"

So proclaimed Mr. Jon Bon Jovi, as he rocked the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City last night. It was pretty much epic.

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And I was there. Oh yes I was! It all began a few months ago when my friend Lindsey sent me a text: "Do you like Bon Jovi?" Yes. Yes, I do. Why? Her sweet husband, David, had given her tickets to the concert, but it was still uncertain who would go with her. It would have been fun for them to go together, but if that didn't work out, she was inviting me. Well that would be pretty cool. But I didn't really get my hopes up; I thought since David bought the tickets, he should probably go with her if at all possible. In the end, it wasn't. Okay, maybe it wasn't technically impossible, but it was definitely impractical and highly so. The concert was on a Wednesday night here in Salt Lake, and they live in Rexburg, where Emma and Jase had school, both Wednesday and Thursday. Then there are Hanna and Olivia, who also need to be cared for. It would have been a giant hassle for David to come.

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)

Lindsey drove down from Rexburg yesterday afternoon, and we left almost immediately for a yummy dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Then we hopped on Trax and headed downtown. It was freezing cold, but nothing could dim our excitement. We found our seats, but it would be quite a long wait for the concert to begin. It was scheduled for 7:30, but increased security slowed down the process. It wouldn't actually start until well after 8:00. We decided to go find some matching t-shirts to memorialize the night. 

That took a long time as well because two ladies in front of us spent 20 minutes (not even exaggerating) to decide what they wanted and in what sizes and then, in the end, they didn't even buy anything! Grrrr. Back in the arena, there was even more pre-concert excitement. To our left, down a few rows, it appeared someone was ill. Several security personnel were gathered around, along with the medical team. But then it looked like two people were sick. How could that be? How could two people become sick at the exact same time, sick enough that they would need six security folks and two medics? I was confused. Soon it became clear that these two weren't really sick, but intoxicated, like really drunk, and security was attempting to remove them from the arena. And they didn't want to go. It took a while, but finally the security staff was able to get them out of their seats and help them stumble (literally) up the stairs.

And once again, I found myself asking the question, "Why do people drink?" I mean what is the point? Can it possibly be worth it? Can it be worth it to lose control of one's judgment and behavior? Can it be worth it to make a scene and then possibly not even remember it the following day? Can it be worth it spend serious cash on Bon Jovi tickets and then not even get to enjoy the concert? I don't get it.

Anyway, all that excitement used up time, and at about 8:10, Bon Jovi took the stage and for the next couple of hours, held the audience captive in the palm of his hand. Many there were die-hard groupies. The band had only to play one note, and they immediately knew the song and were ready to sing along, word for word. It reminded me of me last summer at the Neil Diamond concert. He has like a million songs, and I know every word to all million. I'm not as familiar with Bon Jovi; I mostly know the big hits like "You Give Love a Bad Name" and my favorite "You Want to Make a Memory," which he sang, along with his other ballads, on a catwalk extending into the audience. It was my favorite part of the concert. 

After such an incredible performance, it wouldn't take much effort on my part to become one of the legit groupies. I was totally engaged the entire evening, which is a good thing, considering what he does to audience members who aren't. While he was out on the catwalk, one girl in the front row was texting on her phone. He totally stopped singing and sat down right in front of her:

"Are you texting?" he said. "Really? I'm up here trying to make a living, and you are texting during my concert?" Then he took her phone and starting reading her text messages to the audience. It was beyond hilarious.

Thank you, Lindsey and David, for a fabulous evening, one I won't ever forget. 

"I'm not as pretty as Justin Bieber...." Ahh, I beg to differ. Eye candy doesn't get any better.