Aprons, Heels, and Yoga Pants

I recently wrote about my love for concerts, so now you have to hear about my “first time.”

Two flat chested, big haired, 15 year olds dropped off by our mothers at The Metro Center in Rockford, IL to see Bon Jovi. (you know you loved Slippery When Wet!) Our moms were good sports. They would go on to drop us off and pick us up at concerts pretty often until we could drive ourselves. My mom loves to recount the story of waiting for us to come out of a Motley Crue concert,  (I was young, ok?), and all she could hear were loud explosions as she waited, terrified I wasn’t going to make it out. Those were the days….lots of fire and loud banging noises involved in concerts.

I remember the excitement and anticipation as we entered the building. First stop would be the over priced t-shirts, which we would eagerly put on in the bathroom, so as not to meet Jon in street clothes.

Since our seats were so far back Jon looked like a little ant on stage, there would be no concern for how our clothing looked. This was back in the day when you waited outside your favorite record store until opening hours, so you’d be first in line to purchase your concert tickets and get first dibs on the best seats possible. Sadly this was the best possible our price range could buy! It remained a mystery for years, wondering what special powers it took to get front row….or even on the floor! With age comes great wisdom, and we would discover later in life a little thing called the fan club. 😉

Hang on….there’s a happy ending to this magical night. We knew Jon’s routine well. After all, we all remember “Livin’ On A Prayer” being played to death on Friday Night videos. I never tired of it….the music quietly playing in the beginning, silhouettes of Jon and the gang walking side by side…Jon’s gorgeous hair flowing in the breeze.

Therefore, during that song I just knew he’d fly. When the moment came, I grabbed my friend’s hand and yelled, “He’s going to fly!” I also noticed a little platform all the way at the back of the arena, very close to our pitiful seats. That was it….my rock star was flying toward the back of the audience and I would soon be able to tell him of my undying love for him. All I’ll say is we made it to the front of the platform, he sang a tear jerker, looked right down at those two little girls with star struck eyes and gave us a wink……I was TOAST!

It was with that same friend I ended up on stage with Jon just a couple of years ago. About 27 years after that wink that sold me on concerts.