2007: At the Garden State

After the first couple days spent in NYC, and another couple of shows at the Prudential Center from our favourite band, we drove south to the heart of the Garden State and the place where the band's mentor lived for almost 20 years: Red Bank....

It was November, 5th, and We woke up to a surprisingly sunny day which we started off smothly by taking breakfast in a very cosy cafetaria at the city center. We then visited some hot spots in Red Bank, before getting to the car and started to drive through the state by daylight. As we were driving by what we saw was a very quiet and peaceful place with houses resembling the movie "Home alone" or cartons like "The Simpsons" with a gardens ahead of them . Crossing the river we got to "Middletown" and a much more reserved area where we could only see gates at every couple of miles. Among these mansions is located Jon Bon Jovi's french chateu, with the river at its backyard and a very green landscape of trees making sure no one can disturb their peace. Not very far, "Ramson" is another mansion area where we were able to take a look at both Jon's and Richie's homes of the late 80's, early 90's. It was like we were inside our imaginations, visiting places we had seen in so many pictures, but had never figured we would be able to actually visit.

Moving south by the shore, we got to Bruce Springsteen's home town of "Long Branch", a place also very mentioned in Bon Jovi stories. The road with the ocean on one side and the tradicional american houses along local shops in the other, created the perfect scenario for a typical jersey postcard. We visited "the Element's", Jon's younger brother, Mat, lounge and the church in which Tico Torres and Eva Herzigova got married in 1994. We couldn't help but to spend a few minutes at the beach, where we were able to witness furious waves clashing against the rocks. It was impossible not to think that "only" that immense ocean was between all these magical places and our homes. A few moments to take a deep breath a absorb the vibrations and we were ready to continue our journey.

As our stomachs started giving signs of hunger, we went to what Jon publicized as his favourite Pizza parlor: "Humberto". Here we got in touch with real people, who are simple and down to earth, realizing the kind of values the band memebers were raised with.

We still had time to stop by "Road Side Dinner", a small dinner by the road, where the band shooted both the promotional pictures for their 1994 "Crossroad, Best of" compilation of hits and the "Someday i'll be saturday night" 1995 music video, a song released in the same album. Unfortunately it was already night when we got there and worst of all lucks it was the precise day of the week the restaurant closed earlier. Nevertheless we got some pictures and tried to see as much as we could.

We finally took our final route of the day and headed to "Atlantic City", where we would stay for 2 nights. And what a city, specially by night, when all the shiny lights give colour to this mini "las Vegas". As we got to the hotel, we were stunned as it was located at the center of the city and had its own casino. Our room was at the 44th floor, and the sight at our window was astonishing, as all the citie's glory was at our feet. We could say that we were installed in a very fashioned way, having luxuries we thought we could never experience.

We had dinner at a franshised restaurant called "Johnny Rocket" and a very amuzing waiter hosted us. The guy resembled the idea we Europeans have of the typical redneck and so we spent really funny moments there. And if the waiter was already a reason to enjoy the time we spent there, what to say about the coreograohy all the waiters performed when the "Bee Gee"'s song "Staying alive" was playing on the jukebox. Even an old lady joined in for some dance moves with the waiters. Definitely a priceless mmoment. Simply hilarious!

On the following day, November, 6th, we finally could say we had a day off and so we relaxed for most part of it, either gambling at the casinos or shopping in fancy cloth brands outlet shops. The boardwalk by the beach is a must, while each thematic casino has its own magic. The lust atmosphere completely overwhelms you, making you think of the fortunes that are earned and lost here, precisely what the song named after the city by the state's own "Bruce Springsteen" captures: the city of hopes, where dreams come true and souls get lost forever. One really needs to visit the place to understand both the exuberance and despair such city is able to embody.
The following day we were already driving north, out of Atlantic City across the New Jersey state is a good way to enjoy some of its beauties: the typical American houses, bridges over calm rivers, boardwalks by the ocean and forests prove why it is called the Garden state.

"See Sight Hights" is a little town with beach and boardwalk where Bon Jovi shooted the 1985 "In and Out of Love" video. The place is filled with shops, outdoors and everything summer turists need to enjoy some day of rest at the beach. It was a shame we were in the late Autum, and so not only every place was closed down, as we could not see a single living soul. The strong wind helped to create the sensation we were in a real ghost town. Definetely a spot to come back in the Summertime, when I'm sure people fill the place with life.

We kept heading North until our next stop: "Asbury Park", a town not as clean as others we had visited before, making us believe the local economy was not well those days. Some unfinished tall buildings stood out in the landscape, while the boardwalk along the ocean beach is probably its the nicest spot. And just across the avenue along the boardwalk, there it was, another mythical place: the "Stone Pony", a bar where local bands perform. A place where bands like "Southside Johnny", "Bruce Springsteen & the E Street band" or, our favorite, "Bon Jovi" played countless times when ,still teenagers, they chased records deals and crafted their performence abilities. It was closed when we were there, but even from the outside, it's not hard to imagine all the stories those walls hide. Just a few bloks away another local bar: the "Fast Lane", this one only identified by an old sign with its name on it, since the place looks to have been abandoned for a long time. It's a shame, such an afer mentioned bar now lives only in the imaginations of the the ones who visited it in the past.

We still thought of visiting Sayreville and Woodbridge, but somehow messed up with the directions and eventually got to Newark, where we had a few hours to rest in our hotel before our 3rd Bon Jovi show.

The seats for this show were as bad as last time, at the top tier, only this time on the right hand side of the arena, on Hugh's side of the stage.

The band brought back "Summertime", "Older" and Richie's rendition of "These Days" to the set list - just like they had played them in the 1st show. "Last Night" was a nice adition eventhough the audience didn't react much. It is a song filled with deep meaning, but most casual fans can't apreciate it. "Whole lot of leaving" is one of Jon's favorite songs from "Lost Highway" and the one he uses to complement the crowd for the first time in every show.

People all around us were on their seats like if they were watching a movie, even complaining if we would stay up on our feet for a long time. This time we couldn't help but to feel completely out of place. Definitely these are not seats for fans like us. "Last man standing" and "Lay you hands on me" were not forgotten, while "(You wanna) Make a Memory" was as intimate as if we were in a small bar. But it was only with "Bad Medicine" that the crowd stood up and cheered. The band noticed it and delivered "Shout" setting the place on fire. "Have a Nice Day" and "Who says you can go home" provided good sing along moments, while "Livin' on a Prayer" was, as expected, the crowd's favorite.

After a short encore the band returned with "Any other day", the second surprise of the night. The song keeps growing as its lyrics get stronger up to the chorus. But the highlight is the solo when Richie delivers notes from heaven and Jon calls one at the time Kurt, Boddy, Dave, Lorenza and Richie, giving them a chance shine with a solo of their own. Brilliant moment, proving this is probably the new album's finest tune.
"Wanted Dead or Alive" followed, with audience singing alone the first verse. Always a classic at every show.

"Someday I'll be Saturday Night", being a fan favorite, was the last song to be played and what better song to wrap up the second part of our journey. After 3 days visiting places that one way or another all related to the band's early days, this is the song that best relates to the days when either alone or as a group, the members of the band struggled to find their place in the spotlights. Days in which everything seemed to go wrong and that there was no future, but just as the song puts it, people long for a saturday night and keep fighting for their dreams.

It was definetely not the band's best show, but for me it was a very special night that brought to an end a 3 day marathon where I finally had the chance to visit some of the places that saw the band, both individualy and colectively, blossom to the world.

And this is how chapter 3 of our trip came to an end, although we still had 2 Bon Jovi shows to attend and a "Big Apple" to further explore