Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi > My show reviews > JULY 19, 2001 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada

My show reviews

JULY 19, 2001 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Bon Jovi... my sweet addiction...

When the idol notices a fan crazy about him...

Venue: Molson Centre
Ticket: Section 111, Row FF, Seat 11
Pictures: Not available
Videos: Not available

Who would have thought that at the end of this day, I would be so happy... Me who, a few hours before, didn't think I would even go to the show, I was satisfied... I took the afternoon off from work, after accumulating several hours in overtime... And it's fortunate, because I would not be here to tell you what happened...

On this hot, sticky and sunny day, I got my backpack ready with personal stuff (Crush CD cover, bottle of water, pen, piece of paper, cash, fan club card, etc.) and when I left, I whispered to myself: "Now, it's not in my hands anymore. God be with me!" (Who would have thought that it would turn out so nicely well?) I got to Montreal around 3h pm, after having lunch, after going to find a camera, water, etc. I went around the Molson Centre to find out where the guys were hiding... Tedious task, because the Molson Centre is surrounded by streets, so there is no "back"... Just fronts! When I passed by Montagne Street, I saw that the doors of garage #3 were opening. Out of curiosity, I looked inside and I saw the motor trucks, the first red seats and also, people who were busy transporting instrument boxes and unwrapping pieces of the stage or instruments! I had found them, but why did the doors open?? It was too easy! My first thought: "Quick, run inside!!!!!!" hahahahaha At this moment, I heard: "Stay clear of the doors!" The people who were talking to me had backstage passes around their neck and they wanted to go inside. The doors then closed behind them... I had missed the chance to see the band, but something was telling me that the day was not over... I finally went around the building several times, noticing the large number of scalpers who were already wandering, with dozens of tickets in hand... It was my only hope to get tickets, but let's say that a colleague at work had me thinking by telling me that sometimes, the Molson Centre box office puts out tickets for sale a few hours before the concert...

After being tired from going around and talking to nobody, I decided to go inside the Molson Centre to go to the box office. My god was it far away! I got there, and there were two girls who were faced with a big dilemma regarding if they would buy other tickets or keep theirs... I was the next one in the waiting line... While I was waiting for a ticket window to free up, I saw a man getting there with blue bracelets which strangely looked like special passes. I overheard his conversation with a clerk who was selling tickets, but not enough to understand what these bracelets were.

We also had the chance to witness an argument between two guys. A couple wanted to buy tickets, but the man had brought a copy of his credit card! He had to go get his real card in his car. Meanwhile, the waiting line was getting longer... When the couple came back, the guy passed in front of everyone and the guy behind me said: "Hey, there is a waiting line here, the end is there!" The man of the couple then said: "Here, here is what I'm doing to your waiting line!" by giving him the finger! The words between both men escalated and I was starting to be scared, because I was in sandwich between the two! I heard a policeman come to our rescue... The man of the couple started arguing with the policeman by saying that his car was still running and that he was in a hurry and he was just coming to get his tickets. The policeman advised him to calm down, because he would take care of him. The man didn't want to hear anything when his wife said: "No, I'm sorry sir, it's the idiot over there who started bothering us and he went on. My husband is not upset! I know him, he is being very polite now! I saw him worse!" I told myself: "My god, what must he be when he is upset?!"

At this moment, a ticket window freed up, so the policeman told me very politely to go ahead. The people were shouting so loudly, that I almost understood nothing from what the clerk was telling me! I couldn't wait for all that to end! I was going there with no hope when I asked him the question: "What are the best tickets?" He responded: "Section 111, row FF, just beside the stage!!" I clearly saw that he was not kidding when I saw where it was on the Molson Centre seating chart... My god, big dilemma! Would I have a better chance with the scalpers? Probably not, and not at this price either! Another hope, I asked him if by any chance, there were still tickets for fan club members, while specifying that I had my card with me. He looked a little surprised by the request, and after verifying in his computer, he came to the conclusion that all these tickets had been sold. Of course, I remembered that if fan club tickets remain unsold two weeks after they are put out for sale, they return to the general public.

The tickets were only 80$ each, whereas with the scalpers, tickets as good as these would maybe cost more! I was really wondering how tickets as good as these could still be for sale. The clerk explained that sometimes, the Molson Centre keeps a safety buffer regarding the tickets which are close to the stage equipment, such as the stage itself, the sound boxes or the instruments... These tickets had just been released for sale, because the Molson Centre noticed that nothing was blocking people's view at this spot. In fact, I was very lucky, or was it destiny that wanted me to see Jon no matter what?? So, on a planned impulse :), I decided to buy this priceless gold!!!! I was afraid nonetheless of getting ripped off, but let's say that the clerk was very convincing by telling me that the worst that could happen was that I would see the band from the side. Big deal, in 1995, I was also really on the side of the stage and we could see very well nonetheless. I was smiling to the idea of having bought the tickets!!! I almost ran to a phone booth to tell Martin that I had the best tickets that I have had in my life!!! Hahaha Obviously, he wasn't able to resist from coming, because I had bought a ticket for him! (I don't think he regrets coming however.) When I hung up the public phone, I heard sound checks and a guitar that was playing a style similar to Richie's. I'm sure that they were rehearsing!!! They must not have been far away as well, because from where I was, the bleachers were not very far away! I was freaking out!

I went outside to get information on the prices asked by the scalpers. I went by in front of garage #3 again where I had seen all the band's motor trucks and the doors were open again!!! This time, it was to let a man go in with a small red truck. I stayed until they closed the doors... The first scalper I ran into afterwards didn't speak French well... He had tickets in the 15th row on the floor and in the red seats in the center (I think near section 124)... He was selling them 250$ each! I was laughing inside, because I had better tickets than him and I had paid the quarter of his price! Hahahahaha I ran into another scalper almost right after I ran into the first one. He was from Quebec and much friendlier than the other one! He had tickets in section 124 only. When I asked him how much he wanted for his tickets, he told me: "How much are you willing to give me?" I was tempted to answer a ridiculous price (let's say 30$) to see his reaction... But, I hesitated and I said: "Oh, no, never mind... I just wanted to know how much you were asking for them..." He then answered 125$ each. I wanted to get a rise out of him a little! I told him: "Ah ok, well I'm not interested because I just went to buy tickets in section 111, in the first few rows, at the box office for 80$ each 15 minutes ago." He told me: "Oh really? It's weird, they must be tickets behind the stage if these good tickets are still remaining like that... Personally, I don't sell them 80$ only, because it's the price I paid for them." Well, let's say that I didn't feel like arguing with him to explain why there were still good tickets like that for sale. I then left by telling him that I would go and see all the scalpers, which was not true. Then, I think that all the scalpers talked to each other, because it seemed to me like they were getting closer to me when I was around them! One of them said, when I passed by him: "Well, that woman wanted to trade tickets. I said, yeah, I'm ready but she'd better have good tickets because it's not worth trading otherwise!" I found it funny... I almost tried, but I told myself that I would probably get screwed over...

I took a break, while putting both tickets carefully in my pockets, sometimes I went around the Molson Centre in the full sun, sometimes I sat down in the shade. Around 5h pm, I started walking to go meet with Martin at his workplace on McGill College Street. Since I didn't know the area, we went to have dinner at the St-Hubert restaurant beside the Molson Centre. It was so packed, we waited standing up for a table for two for about 10 minutes! I quickly noticed that the atmosphere was all about Bon Jovi. Several anglophones (maybe girls who chat with me on the internet??) and mostly francophones were eating quietly on Bon Jovi music that was playing in the background. I was starting to realize that I would see Bon Jovi as I was eating! The scalpers were more aggressive in the street and the waiters were overwhelmed inside, always keeping their good mood! I don't recall experiencing such an atmosphere in a restaurant; it was great!

I believe that we left the restaurant around 6h45 pm, and there was still a line of people who were waiting as far as outside to eat! Martin and I made a quick round outside the Molson Centre so I could show him where the band was hiding and also, to see the people who were arriving slowly. Several scalpers had formed in a group and there were more of them than in the afternoon! We decided to go in the Molson Centre, because the doors were open and I was impatient to see where we would be sitting! By making our way through the crowd, between the trucks and cars belonging to CKOI who was covering the event and the people who were raising money to give food to the less fortunate people, we went in. It took me a short moment to find my tickets that I had buried in my backpack. For the first time in my life, a policeman talked to me after going through the turnstiles. He asked me if he could see my backpack and its contents. I had a half empty 1.5-liter bottle of water. When he saw it, he ordered me to take off the bottle cap and give it to him. He was doing that to prevent me from throwing my bottle and knock everyone out if the bottle had water inside! Security was paranoid a little, because I just had to buy a bottle inside the Molson Centre and keep the cap!

In short, we went straight to our seats, despite the fact that I really needed to go to the restroom! When we got to section 111, the usher told us to go straight down. It was the first time that I was going so low in the lower sections of the red seats! It is very steep! Unlink what row FF made us believe, it wasn't the sixth row but the fourth row, on the right side of the stage when we look from the floor. I came close to panicking right there, because we were at the level of the first row in the middle on the floor!!!!! I screamed: "Oh! My! God! This is so cool! This is sooo great!!!!!!!" I couldn't believe that one of my dreams would come true! The stage had two "catwalks" and they were coming up to the first row of the red seats, so imagine how I was freaking out! I knew that Jon would come to see us on this side! How did I avoid screaming without ever stopping? I don't know; it's like I still didn't realize it completely!

We went to the restrooms. The restrooms on the first floor are full of toilets! It's almost impossible to run out! When we came back to section 111, we overheard an usher talking to a fan. The usher was saying that there were 2 bands who were playing tonight: one from 7h30 pm to 8h30 pm and the other one would start at 8h30 pm... In my head, I understood that there were two first acts, but let's say that I was visualizing myself about two hours later, when I would be close to Jon! Finally, the usher told us that Bon Jovi was going to play from 8h30 pm until 11h pm. We got back to our seats! What a nice feeling it is to go down and down and down to the fourth row of the red seats! I felt like there were fans dying to come to our seats! There was only one seat beside us on the left; we were at the end of a row. The fan who sat down beside us seemed really nice with her "hello-Bon-Jovi-fans" smile. However, I don't know why, but I settled for a smile as well. I could have talked to her, it takes courage to come alone to a show.

The first act was called Eve 6, a band that everyone seemed to know. The singer said in between songs: "So soon, you're gonna see Bon Jovi!" The reaction from the people who were already there was very positive. Later, the singer said: "I heard that a Jon Bon Jovi would be in the house tonight!" The crowd reacted the same way, incredibly well; we were really starting to be warmed up! At some point, they sang a song that wasn't unknown to me, but I couldn't say which one it was. Bon Jovi's first acts get better each time, but let's say that after 20 minutes, I'm tired as much, no matter what the first act band is! :) I had teary eyes and I had a pinch in the heart each time Eve 6's singer was coming on our side of the stage (on one of the two catwalks) because I could see how close we were to him! Hihihihihi

As soon as Eve 6's members left the stage, the Bon Jovi crew got busy with unwrapping parts of the stage hidden under beige sheets. We went to the restrooms once again and there, the waiting line for the women's restroom was huge (almost up to the restroom doors). Fortunately, it was fast! We went back to our seats and I was starting to be impatient. We were even closer than in Quebec City and I was curious to know if people would climb up the little cord ladders to position themselves at the cameras and spotlights on the roof of the Molson Centre. I was not disappointed!

It seems to me like it took forever before the lights went off again. People didn't do any wave in the Molson Centre as the tradition wants it... We had a very beautiful view once again of the overall arena; it was great. After showing Martin where I was sitting in November 2000, I realized that I couldn't see much! Hihihihi Speaking of not seeing much, I was looking at the people who were behind the stage in sections 110 and 104 (right beside and in front of us). They had their view blocked by a black curtain and the sound boxes... Poor them, I don't think that they saw much during the show! The sound must have been excellent though!!! The screens on the side of the stage were not reaching them!

I don't know if people were remembering Quebec City, but a couple of big balloons like the ones that had promoted the Bon Jovi live album in Quebec City were getting around on the floor and also, near me. I almost touched one, but people didn't stop pushing them on the guards who were near the stage. They didn't feel like partying and they were keeping the balloons behind them without throwing them back in the crowd...

The lights went off very quickly, and everyone knew what it meant! High-pitched screams echoed in the Molson Centre. I looked at the huge giant screen (it is so big when we are close!) to see the same introduction that I had seen twice: a rocket launched into space going near a satellite for a TV show broadcasted by satellite. The signal reaches several cameras just about everywhere on Earth and mostly in elevators, synchronized with the elevator music of the beginning of the song called One Wild Night that starts the Crush tour shows. All the cameras then focus to make way for the band in the elevator. Is it a video or a camera that is really inside the door where the band members appear? I'm under the impression that Jon was dressed like shown on the giant screen, but he probably does the same faces... Maybe it is a video after all, just like everything else... Who knows? When the little introduction video started, I told myself: "Here we go again guys for the third time!" We could see behind the stage, I was looking to know if I could see the band members who were waiting, without success. I rather focused on the elevator door that was opening to let the splendor come in!!!!! Precisely when it opened, I saw Jon's hair!!!! I couldn't see his whole body, but just his hair! Hahahaha Martin took a couple of pictures of the band before they started One Wild Night. Seeing Jon so close was so astonishing! When he came very close on the catwalk, Jon was about 35 feet away and when he was in the middle of the stage, he was maybe at about 50 feet! A first time for me was to see all the facial expressions of the band members on the giant screen!! It was so unfortunate that I didn't have my famous sign on which it is written: "I love Jon", I'm sure that the one concerned would have seen it!

Obviously, the show started with One Wild Night which is as good or better being closer than further! I was surprised to know that Jon was drinking a lot of water! At each opportunity, he was going towards Tico and was drinking water from the numerous cups at his disposal. The song was not even started that Jon had already taken two sips! These are invisible details when we are far away! Such as I noticed that he changed his shirt at least 3 times during the show, but he always kept the same black pants (jeans a little faded and very tight!) Before going further, here is the list of songs in the order Bon Jovi played them:

Encores:

This list will forever remain in my mind, mostly for some of the reasons described below. During One Wild Night, I was surely singing very loudly, because I was very close, but I was rather flabbergasted to see how good it was to fully realize a dream. I screamed a lot less than the other times and I sang a lot more than before! For a moment, I would have stopped time and I would have stayed like this in my bubble forever! The sound boxes were not very far away, I had a hard time hearing Martin when he was trying to talk to me and the same thing happened to him. Even the following day, my ears were still ringing from the show. I was under the impression of having a veil in the ears. Martin has always said that I'm in a Bon Jovi bubble when I'm at one of their shows, but then, I would have liked to stay in the bubble forever (even the price of the tickets wasn't able to burst it)!!!

When the first notes of Raise Your Hands were heard, I thought that it had been since my first show in 1993 that I had not heard this song live! Hahahaha It's way better when I know the lyrics! In 1993, I hadn't even recognized it! Hihihihi People were reacting very well by raising their arms as high as possible during the chorus!

You Give Love A Bad Name was fantastic once again. Jon made us sing and everyone was dancing to the lively beat.

Two surprises were waiting for us afterwards. I was sure they would play Livin' On A Prayer after You Give Love A Bad Name, but no! I recognized Captain Crash before the first notes were over and I showed my approval by screaming very loudly! I was disappointed to not had had the chance to hear it in Quebec City in May! Martin wanted to hear it so much, he smiled when he recognized it also! Long live the shows in Montreal! This groovy rhythm is so lively, it was incredible to let our arms swing to the guitar beat that Jon and Richie were playing. At the end of the song, Jon enumerated famous couples and like in November, the giant screen showed pictures of these couples at the same time. It was full of emotions!

Martin's favorite in concert followed, Livin' On A Prayer. Jon did his little a cappella introduction again where nobody recognizes the song. It was funny and impressive to see every Jon's facial expression! The crowd responded to Jon's singing and we sang like crazy during this song. Jon seemed touched like he has always been when he is in front of the Montreal's crowd who he loves so much!!! Speaking of love, I surprised myself a few times to have my hands together on my heart since I was happy to see the band up close and personal! I had an awfully wide smile across my face!

I had noticed that the show had started strongly, and after this very energetic introduction, I heard some notes ring out which were remotely known. I had a hard time associating this divine air to the song title... Oh yes, for the first time in my life, after having heard so much about it, here was Bon Jovi playing Wild Is The Wind! My god I would have paid a lot of money to hear this song live when I was younger! I savored every moment. And it was the only "slow" Bon Jovi song of the show. My god the band had energy to spare, it was incredible! There was another very quiet song mixed to the surprise that was in store for us!

After this song, Jon interacted with the crowd a little by asking: "How many people were here the last time we were here?" By hearing the crowd's reaction, almost everyone was there including me in November! Hahahaha When he heard the crowd's screams, Jon said: "Is it always the same people coming to our shows here?" Very high-pitched screams were heard... Jon made a huge flabbergasted smile... I'm not sure if he also asked or not how many people were at the show in Quebec City in May...

For several years and a lot of concerts, the band has been criticized about not taking advantage of Richie's talents and let him sing in concert more than he does. It's then when Jon told the crowd: "You asked for it, here he is, Mr. Richie Sambora. From his first solo album, here is Stranger In This Town!" Jon probably left the stage to go rest a little and change his clothes. Richie then sang very faithfully the song that characterized his first solo album. I was so happy to finally hear Richie sing a full song! The atmosphere was calmer, with only blue lights that were barely giving light to Richie... Exactly his kind of things in concert! A few fans who knew the lyrics of this rare song were like me on their feet to savor the moment!

During Keep The Faith, I knew that there were a lot of lights turned on when the band shouts "Faith!" at each chorus, so I got my camera ready but I was always caught by people in front of me who were raising their arms very highly also during these fractions of seconds! Hihihihi During this song, on the giant screen, there were pictures of less fortunate people who must keep the faith (I'm playing on words here) to come out of their misery... It was great! Not really welcoming images of war were also shown on the screen. Jon, at the end, threw his famous maracas very highly in the sky.

Since I could see people's arms like that, I could notice that the people who had packed themselves right after the stage barricades (where cameramen were filming and security was also in a safety zone) were wearing green bracelets. I came to the conclusion that these fans must have been those who got bracelets from the fan club. Also, fans higher than us in the red seats were going down the stairs to go on the floor. Before I asked myself too many questions, I noticed that these people all wore a purple and yellow bracelet on their wrist. I quickly understood that these were bracelets that gave access to the stage... The problem is that it was hard accessing the floor, because women wearing skirts and the other ones had to make a 4-foot jump to go over the barricades... Three groups of people went on stage and none during the encores.

I saw numerous signs that fans had with them that read the following: "17 years later and I still believe in Bon Jovi", "Jon, let me dance with you", "We love you Jon", "Montreal loves BJ" written on boxer briefs, "Stay a little bit longer" (the same one as in Quebec City, I'm sure of it!), "NJ girl here for one wild ?". It was great seeing the effort that fans had put into making the signs!

When the first drum strokes were heard at the beginning of It's My Life, the whole Molson Centre got up on their feet at once if it were possible to be more on our feet than that!! Hahahaha

I didn't recognize Just Older right away... (I knew the song, but not the title!) I told myself that I would keep the tradition of saying something at the end of the solo when Jon sings softly. When he sang: "I still believe I'm just...", I screamed very loudly: "OLDER!!!!!" He smiled before resuming the chorus. I don't know if it's a coincidence that he smiled before continuing or not, but well, the people around me heard it very well, because several girls turned around!! Hihihihi I thought of something also when Jon sang: "You can't win until you're not afraid to lose..." It's true and I have proof; I was telling myself during the afternoon that I would probably not see them tonight and I didn't fear to "lose". I was not afraid to lose, so I won big time because of that! Jon and Richie, when the lyrics were: "Got secrets that we'll take to the grave, standing here shoulder to shoulder", were leaning against each other's shoulder and they both smiled calmly!

I don't remember when exactly, but there was a girl on stage who wanted to say hello to all the band members! Hugh, the bass player, was always very close to her and at some point, he smiled at her a lot! I don't know if they talked to each other, but it seemed funny! :)))

I don't know if they were doing it on purpose, but the two men who were sitting beside me wouldn't stop bothering us to go to the restroom! Moreover, they wouldn't stop smoking cigarettes just beside me to prevent me from singing at the top of my lungs! My throat was very sore because of them and I hope that they had a hard time hearing to make them pay! Hihihihihi Among the smokers in the first rows of the red seats was a girl in particular who moved her arms as much as me, it was fun to see! She sat down only once and not for very long!

Wild In The Streets also surprised me; another remote memory from 1993... During the long "WILD!!!!", I noticed how much Jon's voice was in shape, no question about it.

During Next 100 Years, big screens on each side of the stage showed hundreds of color dots, representing stars. It was enchanting! On the screen, there was precisely a movie showing the biggest events of the 20th century: World War II, Hitler, the beginnings of cinema, Elvis, rockets, a lunar vehicle driven by an astronaut, atomic bombs, Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, etc. And to not leave Martin too lonely, I held him by the waist and I sang the lyrics to him to let him know that I would still be there for the hundred years to come! I really loved that moment, because we could have said that I was taking an oath... :)

I don't remember when exactly, I believe that it's during Captain Crash, Martin was holding me by the waist to prevent me from jumping! When Jon was coming our way, I was really getting worked up, by jumping, by doing big gestures with my hands and arms and by blowing kisses in the hope of receiving a simple wink, smile or other gestures to confirm that Jon saw me. Several times, I didn't get what I wanted. My god, Jon was always looking in our direction without raising an eyebrow!

During Lay Your Hands On Me, David and Tico did their role of "song starters" once again by making us chant "Lay your hands on me" while we were waiting for the other band members to finish changing their clothes (Jon came back with a beige cowboy hat on his head). I think that the beginning of this song lasted less time than the other times... I sang very much during this song, doing the same moves as usual: gesture to lay my hands for the "lay", point at Jon for the "your", open my hands for the "hands" and point at me for the "me". Speaking of the same gestures, I was jumping like Jon and I was anticipating his moves and gestures. I was succeeding very well sometimes! Hahaha During the solo that lasted forever and at the same time, was over too soon, Jon visited both sides of the stage to shake hands with people who had stage passes (the people are on stage!), coming very close to us. I was in the middle of taking a picture of him when I saw how close he was from the edge of the stage! I then lowered the camera, I looked at Jon in all his beauty, so close to me like he had never been! Jon didn't leave like I had anticipated. He stayed there on the edge of the stage and before I realized anything, I knew that he was finally looking at me!!!!!!!! He had both eyes on me and it seemed like nobody else in the area was as excited as me. It was impossible for him to look at somebody else than me! I froze or I raised my arms in the air, I don't remember at all, I was caught up by his eyes that looked at me for a few moments, giving me the time to savor this unique moment fully while my idol was looking at me! But, I really wonder if time just stopped or not for me to realize fully what was happening to me. Before he left, he raised an arm in the air to point at me, he smiled at me and he ran to the middle of the stage to continue the song. When I saw him make the first steps to go back to the other ones in the middle, I jumped very highly in the air while screaming like a fool to show my joy! Hihihihihi I couldn't believe that Jon had just looked at me! He was looking in my direction and from where I was, I was surrounded by men, which made my chances better at knowing for sure that Jon was looking at ME!!!! I could have even taken out my fan club card, I'm sure he would have seen it! Hihihi Before I had the time to start sobbing (something I didn't do, because I was too high in energy and in emotions), Martin leaned towards me and he told me: "But, he was looking at you, wasn't he??!!" I nodded positively! I cannot describe the joy and the amazement that I felt during these few seconds of personal glory. It's like I had taken a few ecstasy caplets, had drunk 40 bottles of whiskey and had smoked a hundred marijuana cigarettes! Well, I'm exaggerating, because I never took these things, not even one of each! But let's say that this is how I felt when I think about it now! Who would have thought that it wasn't over?...

I think that Jon took several risks during the song called I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. The song was excellent, nothing to add on that. However during the solo, Jon was playing guitar and he went at the other end of the stage to join a girl wearing a white tank top who started dancing in front of him after confirming that she was the one pointed at by Jon. He then invited every girl who was on the same side of the stage to join him on stage. The girls were holding each other by the waist, the first one holding Jon's waist. They came on our side to get another girl; she seemed surprised that Jon was asking her to go on stage with the other ones! Every girl followed after Jon nodded in approval... When Jon wanted to go, a girl threw herself into his arms... Another one kissed him on the mouth... He was buried under all the girls, we couldn't see him anymore! How did his guitar hold up? The security guards came to take the girls out of there! Jon seemed either relieved or satisfied... I think that he took a big risk, and it's maybe because of that incident that the band didn't play Bed Of Roses...

The famous "Is there a doctor in the house?" echoed in my ears like never before, letting the anxiety set in by the thought of having to see this perfect evening so far come to an end soon! Obviously, Bad Medicine was quickly recognized by these famous words that Jon says each time this song begins. When he sang: "Count the symptoms 1...2...3...", I did exactly what Jon usually does, that is count on my fingers! I was proud of myself!

We were at the end of Bad Medicine and they hadn't played a part of Shout yet... I started to despair when the music suddenly stopped to make room for Shout and Jon's powerful voice! I don't know where I found my energy to dance as much; it's probably Jon who gave me wings... Towards the end, the cameras scattered a little everywhere in the room were filming different fans and were showing them on the giant screen. I was looking at the screen when, to my greatest surprise, I saw myself, there, on the giant screen, in close-up!!!!!!!!! My glorious moment lasted about 2 seconds, just enough for Martin to see me! The weird thing is that on the screen, I was looking in front of me, but it was impossible to have a camera behind the screen for me to look straight ahead like that!

We could not see anyone else's face but mine on the screen, not even Martin's! We could see others' body, but I was the only one shown, with a huge smile on my face! I have always wanted to know what I looked like during a Bon Jovi show, I had a big proof of my actions! I was raising my arms when the camera caught me! I had the time to react before the camera went away on other fans! Hahahaha

The band then went and hid themselves while the crowd was very loud at asking for more! I was screaming once again: "Don't go! Come back!!!" The crowd applauded very loudly when the band came back on stage. David and the bass player got back on our side, by a small hidden door a little behind the keyboards. I saw them very close!!!! When he was coming back like that, David seemed dumbstruck and we could have said that he meant: "Ah, here I come again!" hihihihi The band continued with I Got The Girl. During this song, just like in Quebec City, there was a video on the screen letting us believe that the "girl" was someone's girlfriend, but finally, it's someone's daughter! I say "someone", because Jon and the band denied the fact that it's Jon and his family who are shown in this little video. I have big doubts about this honestly! At the end, when we saw the little girl and not a woman, Jon looked at the giant screen to indicate that he's talking about a child!

The introduction of Someday I'll Be Saturday Night echoed in my ears like never before. I immediately started singing at the top of my lungs! In my opinion, it was better than all the previous times! On the screen, there was a video that looked strangely familiar to the videoclip, but the people shown represented the characters spoken about in the song even more: a homeless girl, an abandoned old lady, a man with tattoos who looks like he is going through a rough time, etc. At some point, I saw a girl throwing flowers on stage. Jon was playing guitar, he couldn't pick them up right away. In fact, I don't remember seeing him pick them up either! But they weren't there anymore during the following song, so...

The band left again to make us believe that they were not coming back, but we screamed and pleaded so much for them to come back... that they did! I was screaming: "Again! Again!" while clapping in my hands!!! Hihihihi What a comeback on top of that! With no other than Wanted Dead Or Alive!!! When I saw Richie appear with his beige double neck guitar, I had no doubt! I hoped that Jon would let us sing the whole first verse like in Quebec City. When the time came to sing, I started singing like an insane person, but only a few people did the same. So, Richie and Jon continued to play guitar. Jon then said: "You know the lyrics of this one, so... 'It's all the same'..." and we all followed to sing the rest... And what a crowd, my god! Jon couldn't believe it at all! He was looking at Richie and was really wondering how we could sing that loudly!!!! He seemed astounded! Richie seemed to have a hard time switching his acoustic guitar for another electric one for the solo... I think I would have been stressed out, because he changed his electric guitar at the really last moment! Phew! Jon tapped on his heart in gratitude 2 or 3 times during the encores to show how much he was touched by our welcome and loyalty!

After Wanted, the band stayed on stage. Richie pointed at a watch which he didn't wear on his wrist (!!!) like he meant: "It's late, come on guys, let's get out of here!" The band pretended to agree with Richie, except Jon! Jon wanted to stay and he was trying to convince the other ones to stay as well! It was so funny! Jon was telling his colleagues: "Yeah, but hear the crowd scream, we've got to stay for them!" The band then surrounded Jon to make him understand that they had enough (always as a joke, of course!). I really thought that the band would have the best on Jon, but no! Jon came out of the circle the other ones had made to prevent him from escaping! He came out of nowhere and he ran to his microphone! Hihihihi When they saw that, the crowd showed an extreme joy! I had never heard screaming like that, I even put my fingers in my ears, because it was too loud!!!!!!!! I thought that the Molson Centre would explode by the screams and applause! I thought I would become deaf for real there! Jon then said: "Ok, let's play some jukebox!" I whispered to myself: "Thank you so much, guys!"

The band members returned to their respective position, and the band continued with Tequila. When the time came to shout: "TEQUILA!", we sang, but not loud enough to Jon's ears! He then told us, like a father tells his child with whom he plays to please him: "I stayed to play, you better sing, ok?" The crowd responded very well by screaming this time! Hihihihi

The last song of the evening was Twist And Shout. Then, the party ignited in the Molson Centre; everybody was dancing! It's true that the Bon Jovi jukebox version was really lively!!! :)) I was also very emotional, because I knew that they would not play anything else, although I had doubts in the end, because Jon seemed to want to stay longer! He hesitated a long time before stop playing! Moreover, the people behind me were chanting: "Une autre! Une autre! Une autre!" when the band took their final bow! Hahahahaha I found it funny that the people were screaming in French! Hahahaha

Bon Jovi took a final bow that lasted a long time to probably thank us for the welcome. When he lifted his body up, Jon pointed at someone in the first row of the fan club members who were standing behind the stage barricade. Jon then made the sign that meant: "I will wait for you backstage, right?" with the gesture "Come on, we will be waiting!" Lucky girl!

When the band finally decided to leave, at 10h50 pm, unlike in Quebec City, Jon pressed firmly but not abruptly on the elevator button. He seemed less tired than in Quebec City. When the band stepped in the elevator, I screamed: "BYE!!!!!" while waving my hand. I was really satisfied!!!

Unlike what I had expected, I didn't see Marilyn this time in the Molson Centre or outside. I don't know if she were there. I looked in the first rows of the floor and in the first 5 rows of the red seats near the stage, without being able to see her...

It was really worth the 80$ each ticket and I don't regret being so satisfied! It's like my head was working double shifts, there were too many new things that were happening at the same time during the concert. But once again, I paid for my excitement. I was unable to get up the next day and the day after without helping me with my arms against the walls of my room! Hihihihihi

Copyright © July 2001 Marie-Hélène Cyr

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