"Livin' on a Prayer"

Now, those of you who really know us, know that we aren't big concert goers. I've only ever been to one (Jack Johnson) and Spencer's track record is about the same as mine.

But...if there's one thing we are into, it's radio contests. And free stuff. We lap that right up. And for some reason, Spencer and I seem to have the magical touch. One Christmas, we won tickets to two different performances, and Spencer won every single one of my Christmas presents. :) Amazing, I tell you. Last summer, we won tickets to the Ohio State Fair. Just a few nights ago, Spencer was this close to winning American Idol tickets. Honestly, it's radio contests that keep me from just listening to NPR all the time.

So, a few months ago, when I heard a radio announcer shout out a number to call for "tickets," I automatically hopped on board. I didn't really know what was up for grabs, but gosh darn it, I wanted it. :) Much to my surprise, I was whichever caller they were looking for and a highly enthusiastic radio announcer informed me I was on my way to see Bon Jovi at Nationwide Arena. With this said, he practically gushed about how fantastic Bon Jovi was in concert, and asked me if I was a fan.

Caught red-handed.

I quickly racked my brain for any Bon Jovi songs I knew. "It's My Life" and "Livin' On a Prayer" were all I could muster. Since I didn't dislike those songs per say, I said (in a high pitched squeak), "Yeah...?" It was rather unconvincing, but he gave me the tickets anyway.

Luckily, Spencer was much more excited than I was, so my guilt at stealing the tickets from some Bon Jovi aficionado who had probably stayed up half the night prepping his dialing finger was assuaged. But...that didn't keep me from looking up basic facts about him just before the concert so that I could toss them around if anyone wanted me to prove anything. :)

And...I was duly impressed. Bon Jovi is really good in concert, for anyone who's on the fence about going. And I knew quite a few more songs than I thought. Spencer could hardly contain himself upon seeing all the gadgets the band used for the show (fancy screens, etc.), and kept on exclaiming things like, "Whoever engineered those things is a genius!" and "Whoa, he's using them as steps now?!" or "Do you have any idea how much those probably cost?!" Fancy technology is always the way to Spencer's heart.

Dinner at the North Market before the show

We didn't get the memo that rock stars apparently start their concerts

whenever they're good and ready. We had a lot of time to chill in our seats.

Our View:

All in all, we had a great night. We danced (badly), we sang (off-key), and we fit in perfectly with everyone else who was doing the exact same thing. Could we now be called Bon Jovi fans? I don't know for sure, but I will say this: when "Wanted, Dead or Alive" came on the radio the other day, I didn't change it. :)