2007: NYC and the Historic nights at the Pru

The final chapter of our November 2007 trip to the land of dreams was about to begin as he left the Prudential Center for the third and 3 whole days exploring the wonders of the Garden state
November, 8th was a thursday morning and once again we were in the train crossing the linculn tunnel from Newark Pen station to New York. The same train a young Jon Francis Bongiovi took everyday when in the early 80's he was working in his uncle's Power Studios. There we could breath the same air and absorb the people's routines. A train in which we were even able to make contact with someone who really resembled the character Joey Keys from the Bon Jovi song. We were living what we had read times and times before, but now it was our turn to step in those shoes. To be able to replicate routines and walk in the same buildings and streets, one is really able to capture the contribution each of those places had to the artist's pieces. Songs like Runaway, Hey God or Joey mean much more now we have walked on that ground and breathed that air.
Just as we walked out of the train and got up the stairs we were at the center of the ocidental world: the center of Manhatan. With the Empire State building just in front of you and crowded street that flowed to the place everything happens, the heart of capitalism: Times Square. It's unbelievable the atmosphere one can feel there. No picture or film are able to capture the grandiosity, glamour or exacerbation of the place. It's like all the cultures from all over the world can fit in a couple of square miles. Something one really need to visit to understand.

The remaining days were spent visiting some of the Big Apple's most tourist spots, either at the top of the Empire State Building, at the Statue of Liberty or at some of its most famous streets, being it Broadway the 5th, or 7th Avenue. Most of all, it is walking through these streets that you can really feel the heart beat of the city.We litteraly were living the exiting life at the center of the biggest urban center of the planet: Manhatan, while in the evening we traveled back to Newark and attended to another Rock shows.

On November, 9th, for the first time we had floor tickets, and even though we were still far from the stage, we had a way better view than in any of the previous two shows. The "All American Rejects" knew exactly how to warm up the crowd and proved their teen catchy punk/pop is very enjoyable live.

"Lost Highway", as usual, kicked off the show with good vibes. One of my favourites from their Country influenced record, Summertime was next, replacing the eternal 2nd song to be heard on their shows, "Bad Name". Right after the song was over the surprise of the night was revealed: they would play their new record from start to finnish. It was the very first time the band did such thing and the energy and good humour provided the perfect atmosphere to a unique night. The never before played tracks were the most anticipated and were delivered with the passion of the songwriters who want to share their hidden treasures. During "One Step Closer" it made me shivers as Jon was hugging himself with his eyes closed and singing like if he were at a small bar whispering in our ears. "Seat next to you" was dedicated to a fan who was at the first row, and it was memorable the way the lead singer demonstrated how gentle and tender he can be towards his fans. "Everybody's broken" was a statement about Jon and Richie's relationship and the pain recent events caused to them. "Strangers", despite performed by Jon solo had a cheerful reaction from the crowd. It may not have the strength either "Always" and "Bed of Roses" had, but it is easily their best post 2000 ballad. Most of the songs were introduced with the story behind it and interesting and enlightning inspirations were shared.

And what could they deliver after the whole new record? Their biggest hits, of course, and that was what we heard for the next hour. Hit after hit, we heard some of the most relevant songs from the previous 25 years. Prayer, Bad Name, Born to be my Baby, It's my Life, Have a Nice Day, Runaway, and Bad medicine were the most cheered. It's unbelivable how a single band has so many well known songs from such a long period in time, either contemporay to a specific moment in time, or timeless, mont turned into milestones in many people's lives.
But the moment of the night was still to come, and it was when returning from the encore break the band started to play "I'll be There for you", with Jon on the lead vocals. After 2 World tours with Richie taking over the song, Jon borrowed it for 1 night and presented it in its original form, with such passion no one could hold their breaths. The song is one of their carrer's most successful ones and the way it was performed took it to a whole new level. Richie played an astonishing solo, putting all his soul into his guitar, while Jon gave to the words an incredible emotion that made this the best rendition of the song I had ever heard. Simply amazing.
Everybody cheered at their feet while Wanted, the band's official anthem, was played. Sat. Night closed a perfect night with Jon singing at the top of his lungs the "I'm Alive" part after the guitar solo. ANother brilliant performance.

What can you say when a show is so surpriseful, professional and emotional? I can only describe it with 1 single word: "Perfect".
When the show was over we noticed there was something going on as we saw many people with backstage passes that we figured would meet the band. I even got the chance to congratulate Richie's ant, whit her smilling me back, saying how proud she was of her nephew. We eventually were forced to go back to the hotel, but we were all aware of how special this night had been. A unique concert we will remember for the rest of our lives.

New York City by day, and Bon Jovi at the Prudential Center in Newark in the evening. This time we were in for the last of the 10 nights the band had set themselves to play in their home state of New Jersey, the most sold out of all shows, and of course the most anticipated.

Surprises showed up right from the first moment, when a sketch from Saturday Night Live featuring Jon with his 80's long hair trying to convince a young teenager life wasn't so tough as she saw it. Simply hilarious, especiallly when we know we are about to witness a Bon Jovi show. All the band was onstage when the sketch came to an end, performing a long burst of chaos, turned into "You Give Love a bad Name", the eternal 2nd song to be played in their live shows wat the show opener establishing a party that would last for the whole show. More than the songs that were played, it was the enthusiasm and celebration atmosphere that were felt since the marathon of 10 shows in the same venue was coming to an end and it all had gone for the better as all the shows were practically sold out, turning this to a milestone in the band's career.
For me the special moment was when Jon appeared in the middle of the arena and sang "(You wanna) Make a Memory" from there, just like he had done in 2005/2006 with "Blaze of Glory" in their indoor tour around North America. He was a few metters away from where we were, undoubtly the closest I could get to the band's leader in these batch of shows. "Bed of Roses" TLFR style followed with jon returning to the stage during the song, while saluding all the fans he was passing by.

But the party went on and on and it didn't stop before we could hear another come back song: "Twist n Shout", the cover song from the Beatles they used to finnish all their 2001 "One Wild Night" shows was brought back, and with a lot of energy. And when the song was over the band pulled another cover song to please the crowd: "Treat Her Right" didn't let anybody on their seats, as everybody was jumping and cheering. The New Jersey classic song brilliantly closed the show, with jon walking through the audience towards the back of the arena, where he was last seen for that night. It was the perfect finale for a marathon that brought Bon Jovi fans from all over the world to their home state, and what better than a taste of New jersey music to close the final curtain.
We then had the chance to take some pictures with Obie, the band's sound engener and close friend, as well as group pictures at the door of the brand new venue that was debuted with these shows.
November, 11th was a eneded in an instance as we just had time to once again walk in some of New york city's most glamorous streets before we had to take our plane back home.

The trip was a whole dream that became a reality and once again a statement of Bon Jovi's ability to make us keep fighting for our dreams. But just as some dreams came true, more started to appear, and with a world tour announced during the shows we had attended, we knew a whole new adventure was to come very soon, and a very special one, since this time, after 13 years of absense, Portugal was in their plans. Still we managed to breath in and realize we had just witnessed another golden page in our Bon Jovi book of memories.