Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi > My show reviews > APRIL 7, 2018 - Newark, New Jersey, USA

My show reviews

APRIL 7, 2018 - Newark, New Jersey, USA

Warning: If I ever find out that the pictures displayed on this page end up on someone's website without my consent, or if some people try to remove the watermarks and try to resell these pictures, they will have to provide some good explanations. I will then have to remove my pictures and other visitors of my website will be deprived of them!

Road trip to New Jersey with my Jovi buddy... Love meant more than lust when we were us

Summary:

The ticket sale
The flu that healed in record time...
Leaving for New Jersey
Arrival in New Jersey!
Leaving for the Prudential Center
The interview for a TV channel
Arrival at our seats, our worst of the tour!
The beginning of the show
April 7, 2018 set list
When We Were Us or falling in love with a song played during a concert
The time Jon decided to jump off the stage a few meters from us
Jon arrives at the platform in the bleachers
Bed Of Roses with a woman who lived my dream!
My special mission during Have A Nice Day
Encores!
Leaving the Prudential Center
Leaving for Quebec

Venue: Prudential Center
Ticket: Section C, Row 3, Seat 3
Pictures: Available
Videos: Available

A lot of things have happened in my life since the last Bon Jovi tour in 2013! The most important ones are the birth of my second son at the end of 2014, barely a year after Bon Jovi's last show in Montreal in November 2013 (yes, I had planned my pregnancy accordingly!), the discovery of a passion for dancing with all the Zumba classes I have followed and the publication of my first book, Les parenthèses de la vie (available only in French). I also got more serious at running and working out, so I was able to do some official 5-km races since 2015 and begin doing acroyoga. Even Jon stopped dying his hair shortly after the last tour; his gray hair makes him look like a mature man, although at first it displeased some fans. I tell myself that finally, he assumes his age!

I had hope at the end of 2016 when tour dates were released for early 2017. The This House Is Not For Sale album is so good, the best in my opinion since These Days in 1995; I was thus already looking forward to hearing it live.

When the second block of dates for 2017 came out and I saw that Toronto was the last city in that block, I thought that it was it; the next block of dates would begin with Montreal! Unfortunately, this block was never released. A Bon Jovi tour that started in North America and had forgotten the cities of Boston, Montreal and even New Jersey, it was quite odd, to say the least! For a year, I wondered what had happened in the minds of the group members to forget about all these places! I had a part of my answer when I saw that the tour would be very short... They did some shows in South America at the end of the summer of 2017 after their North American tour which ended in Toronto, nothing more!

I even told myself later that if the band stopped performing, I would be at peace with their decision. I had my hands full with my activities, my job and my little family! I went so far as to ask myself if I still had this sacred fire for the stress of ticket sales and the excitement over shows! The flame of the shows seemed a little extinct in my heart, although I suspected that there was still some good hot embers on the fire that was waiting for a spark!

And then, in the fall of 2017, rumors of a tour in 2018 became more and more persistent. Jon even said, a few weeks before the confirmation in December 2017 that they would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2018, that a tour would be announced imminently. We had to wait until early January 2018 before the first dates were posted. And of course, a show in Boston, one in Montreal and two in New Jersey were planned. Finally!

It's crazy how all the anticipation for ticket sales has returned quickly, finally!

When the tour dates of early 2018 were announced, Sandra asked me if I was interested in going to New Jersey, because initially we were not convinced that there would be a second date in Montreal. The idea tempted me because I always wanted to compare the crowd at the Bell Centre with the crowd in New Jersey in an arena. Yes, I have already seen the band in New Jersey, but the show was in a big roofless football stadium, so it was difficult for me to compare with so many different variables! I had told myself that one day, I would pay for tickets to see them at the Prudential Center in Newark in New Jersey. On the other hand, I did not think it was possible to have good tickets in New Jersey, since this is their native state... I did not want to compare both crowds from the last sections at the top of the arena either!

When I mentioned to Martin the idea of going to New Jersey with Sandra, he was pretty reluctant at first. I am still recovering from a nasty disc herniation that I have since July 2016 by weeding weeds around on the yard at home and I still limit car trips since then. I knew we would have several hours on the road to get to New Jersey and back. But hey, for Bon Jovi, I was ready to try my luck!

Anyway, I left Martin until the day the tickets went on sale for Montreal and New Jersey to give me his final decision. Half an hour before the tickets went on sale, I sent him a text message (he was at the office) asking him what his answer was, if we could get decent tickets. He just said: "You know I'm going to say yes, I do not really have a choice. ;P" I told the news to Sandra that if we had fairly good tickets, it should not be problem to go. She was very happy!

— Good, I have already booked our hotel! she wrote to me by Messenger.
— Well, we do not even know if we'll get tickets!
— No problem, I can cancel the reservation!

I found her a little bit too motivated, but in a way, her behavior did not surprise me!

We were very focused on buying tickets for the show on April 4 in Montreal that morning, so we had no expectation or emergency to try to get tickets for New Jersey when 10ham arrived! It took us so long to complete the transaction for our April 4 tickets that we had no hope of finding acceptable tickets afterwards. When the transaction for Montreal finally worked at 10h11am, we quickly switched to the Ticketmaster website which was used for the fan club ticket presale in New Jersey.

The first searches were a little disappointing; tickets beyond the tenth row were available without a VIP package. With the price we had paid for our VIP package in Montreal, it was out of the question to take another one in the same morning! Shortly after our first attempts, Sandra announced to me that she had tickets in the sixth row on the floor, in the center!

— Oh yeah? Wow, not bad! I said, full of hope.
— We take them?
— Wait, I will try again...

Without hope of finding better seats, I still tried. I was astonished when I saw the number of the row appear on my screen during my search.

— I would have third row, not too far from the center of the ice, in the left section, but really close to the center section!
— OK, what do we do?
— I would go more with those in the third row, because I have tickets really close to the center section according to the seating chart!
— OK then, go ahead!
— Just hold on to your tickets a little bit, just in case I have the same problem as earlier with my card!
— OK, yes, good idea!

Obviously, my usual credit card did not work, but with the more reasonable price of $450US per ticket, I could take a credit card with a smaller limit. The transaction was done in a few seconds. It was 10h33am when I received the confirmation email. Half an hour had elapsed since the beginning of the ticket sale for New Jersey. By what miracle could we have purchased tickets in the third row?!

— Marie, we are going to New Jersey! Woohoo!
— You said it girl, it will be so cool!

In the evening, I sent some additional messages to Sandra. Here is a part of the conversation that happened in Messenger; I find it really good.

Sandra: Ahh yes I must jump into Martin's arms and give him big kisses on the cheeks to thank him for allowing us to do a BJ trip together (with the heart-shaped eyes emoji).
Moi: hahahaha, he has been saying silly stuff for a while... Like "if you wanted folding chairs, I could sell you some from the basement for $500..." (Referring to our April 4 VIP package in Montreal where we could bring back the chair from the show.)
Sandra: lol is there Bon Jovi written on it?
Moi: He said he can stick a logo on it...
Sandra: No it must be painted, not glued. Who does he take us for? lol
Moi: hahaha
Sandra: Well, we do not pay $500 just like that.
Moi: Martin laughs. He says he will find a fabric that will look real so that we do not realize it. And he is ready to break the chair a bit to simulate that it spent a few hours at the Bell Centre...
Sandra: Go for it if it's worth it we'll take it. hihi

I also realized the week before the show in New Jersey that it had been so long since I had not seen Bon Jovi in concert! Last time, my oldest boy was only two and a half years old and he is now in grade one!!

The show in New Jersey to which we were going was on Saturday, April 7. During the week, we had to get over the fact that our two shows in Montreal, scheduled for April 4 and 5, got postponed because of an influenza epidemic that supposedly afflicted band and tour members... Therefore we could not anticipate the show in New Jersey correctly, because we did not know if it would take place or not, and so, even 24 hours prior to the event!

I suffered from a loss of voice since March 27 because of a nasty cold that my youngest son brought me back from daycare... I was hoping so much to be back to normal before the show! I tried a lot of grandmother's remedies to get my voice back, believe me! And to add a little bit more to that, two weeks before the shows planned in early April in Montreal and in New Jersey, I had to take care of Martin who was suffering from acute mastoiditis that afflicted him to the point where he needed intravenous antibiotics which I administered myself with a catheter, with all the appointments in the hospital (almost daily!) and care at home. Let's just say that since both shows in Montreal were postponed, I really needed to get out of all this, but I did not have much energy to spare!

I realized, two days before the show, why I'm able to remember so many details during a Bon Jovi show and all the preparation surrounding this show, which results in an exhaustive review filled with anecdotes and memories... By fully enjoying the present moment, I am able to connect to my emotions and everything that happens around me. I do not have anything else in my head, except room to record everything I live! Here! I wish that everyone can enter this mental mode for the great moments of your lives!

On April 6, the day before the show, I waited after dinner to begin preparing my luggage. I had been to a physiotherapy appointment in the afternoon to hope that my back would survive the time spent in the car and then the many hours of standing during the show!

I had even forgotten to print my tickets until Ticketmaster sent me a reminder email during the afternoon! I also had to print the list of things I had to bring on a trip for a Bon Jovi show, because I had forgotten all about preparing for a show! It was with frenzy and a little panic that I packed my suitcase. I hardly slept during the night, I was wondering if I would finally go to see a show of this tour!

The next morning, the day of the show, I woke up at 5h30am, because Sandra was waiting for me at her place around 7ham. The kids did not understand anything anymore; usually, on Saturdays, they get up later than that. They came across an excited mom who refused to give them food, since I did not have much time to get ready. Before leaving, I also had to give a dose of intravenous antibiotics to Martin. I managed to leave home around 6h55am. I arrived at Sandra's house around 7h20am and we left at around 7h45am, after transferring my luggage to her car and put mine under her Tempo shelter so it would not be on the street all weekend. We stopped at the Tim Hortons near her house so she could buy a muffin and a coffee, in order to stay alert on the road (as if we were not excited enough...).

Even in Sandra's car, I still had a bit of a hard time convincing myself that at the end of the day, I was finally going to see my idols again! It was cold that morning, it had snowed slightly during the night and we even had to face blowing snow on highway 15 south en route to the border at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle! Fortunately, Sandra still had her winter tires, because the road was snow-covered in places where the wind blows strongly. As she said, keeping control of the car demanded arm strength!! Before arriving at the border, I took the opportunity to activate the option of data roaming on my cellular phone: $7 per day to access the same data and options as at home!

We arrived at customs at 8h15am; we did not wait, there were just a few cars in each lane. The customs officer was super cool, Sandra was the one who spoke to him the most.

— Where are you going?
— New Jersey, to see Bon Jovi!!
— Oh yeah... Bon Jovi... When are you coming back?
— Tomorrow!
— Do you have something to declare?
— No, nothing to declare.
— Enjoy your stay!

We then refueled at a gas station on the other side of the border. We took the opportunity at the same time to withdraw American money from the ATM in the convenience store and go to the bathroom. Sandra checked us in on Facebook saying that we were overexcited to be at customs, heading to New Jersey. Several people started to write to us; I tried to answer quickly to get even more the impression that I was not dreaming!

We stopped almost every hour to stretch our legs and go to the bathroom. Sandra drinks a lot of water during the day and I drank a lot as well to try to hydrate myself as much as possible before the event that awaited us in the evening! Fun fact: Sandra was responding to the comments on Facebook while she was in the bathroom... No wonder it took her forever each time! But well, I had plenty of time to do my stretching and keep my back functional. I took advantage once, around noon, to buy a turkey sandwich and a sophisticated yogurt with fresh fruit and muesli in a convenience store at a rest area because I was getting hungry and Sandra was not hungry enough to stop eating at that time.

It had been a while since Sandra and I had seen each other, so we had lots to talk about! I have to publicly congratulate her for quitting smoking, overnight and without any help, for several months already!! It's quite an achievement, even if she thinks otherwise! Let's say I was not used to seeing her so long without having to smoke!

We listened to the This House Is Not For Sale album several times on the road. I told her that I cried for a month and a half every time I heard the song Scars On This Guitar after the release of the album in November 2016 because I found it touching. It reminds me a lot of the importance of writing in my life, like Jon's guitar, which is always there when there is no one with him. Another song that I find very good for its rhythm and its message is Roller Coaster. We experienced a lot of roller coasters, during our lives and especially in the last week with the Montreal shows that got postponed at the last minute!

Sandra got tired of listening to the This House Is Not For Sale album after a few times, so we put a CD of her favorite Bon Jovi songs for the rest of the trip. There were several of them that I had not listened to in a very long time (Wild Is The Wind, Stay, Only Lonely, She Don't Know Me, Silent Night, etc.)!! The beauty of doing a road trip with a fan as big as yourself is the fact that she knows the lyrics of all the songs, even the least popular!

While listening to this CD, Real Love from the This House Is Not For Sale album ironically played. It's one of my favorite ballads. I mentioned to her that this song had also made me cry a long time since I find beautiful the love story that is told. She then turned up the volume a little bit and began to sing. I did the same and I felt a ball of emotions go up suddenly. I was telling myself that when we are fan enough to travel several hours just to see our favorite band with a friend despite back problems, we reach a higher level of love for this band, a true love, very incomprehensible for others, and also inexplicable and irrational by the person who lives it.

And the first chorus arrived:

Have you ever known a real love?
The kind of love that makes you feel love?
No, this ain't "let's-make-a-deal" love
Make an angel give his wings up
It makes you guilty 'cause you want more
If it's a kiss that you would die for
Feels like you're falling through the stars
If it can break your heart
It's real love

Listening to these words more carefully, with the context that I was currently in, that was it, I could not hold it anymore!

— Well, I'm going to cry!!
— Well let yourself loose, Marie, we are all alone!! No one will know about it!

So I shed some tears, I was even no longer able to sing! (Well, you know it now, some songs still get to me, even though I have listened to them often!)

When we listened to Wild Is The Wind, we wondered when was the last time we had heard it live. The advantage of making detailed reviews available on the internet is to be able to get answers to this kind of questions quickly! Finally, it was a long time ago, since July 2001 if I looked well!

At a rest area, Sandra told me that we only had two more hours before arriving in New Jersey. Huh?! Already?! Wow, time was passing by quickly!!

Sandra sometimes commented on signs or cities that we were passing by on the road and made a little fun of me when I had not seen the detail she wanted to show me. At one point, we saw a sign that read "New York City 145" and immediately after, we came across the mileage marker 145 of this highway. I then asked her if the road we were on ended in New York City, because the exact number of miles remained before arriving at the city. She did not know it! It was my turn to tease her, I had just seen a detail she had never noticed before, despite her many trips to New Jersey! Just after, she slowed down slightly on the highway.

— A BAMBI!!!!
— Huh?!
— Check out the bambi!!

Turning my head to the right, I saw a deer in the grass! He was grazing quietly. There were others a little further. I continued teasing her, since she had just seen a deer that was the same color as the yellowish turf, while she had never noticed the mileage markers on the edge of the highway! By the way, Sandra has bionic eyes to spot any animal, dead or alive, on the roadside. She pointed out to me all kinds of animals: wild turkeys, crushed squirrels, deers, etc.!

I had told Sandra that I wanted to take a picture of the sign when arriving to New Jersey. Therefore, I had taken out my camera in advance when I saw that we would arrive soon. However, while doing some tests with the camera, the pictures were unclear, because the windshield was dirty and there was no way to clean it properly on the highway! Therefore, I prepared my cellular phone to take the picture. She warned me that the sign was ahead of us, while specifying that it is very beautiful. I had seen it in 2010, but I did not remember that it was so original!

Sandra slowed down a little bit so I could take a picture of it properly and she almost stopped in the middle of the highway when she saw that it was taking me longer than expected. There was NO ONE behind us. Even when we reached our cruising speed back afterwards, I looked in the mirror on my side and there was absolutely nobody. We would have imagined such a scenario in our dreams and we could not have managed to get it. It's as if the universe had made me fully enjoy the moment of my return to New Jersey for the second time in my life!

We arrived at 2hpm, six hours after leaving Sandra's house and despite all our stops! And it's not because she is speeding, because she sees all the police cars checking for speed and she uses the cruise control, about seven miles an hour over the speed limit allowed in order to avoid ending up with a speeding ticket!

We stopped to refuel again, even though the tank was not empty yet. I did not know that a law is in force in New Jersey to prevent anyone from refueling themselves; if they do, they can be arrested!

We had noticed, as we went going down south, that the snow became more and more rare. When we arrived in New Jersey, I immediately saw that the grass had already begun to turn green, but there were no leaves in the trees; only buds very close to hatch!

Since it was mid-afternoon and Sandra had not had lunch yet, we stopped at the first IHOP (International House of Pancakes) that we saw, a kind of American Cora where the pancake is queen! Yum!! We ordered the same thing (yes, I ate again, despite my sandwich eaten earlier... I never feed myself enough the day of a Bon Jovi show!), that is thin crepes with bananas and Nutella!

I have a hard time describing the feeling I have in New Jersey. I'm really on holy ground in my head, as if a background soundtrack continually played Bon Jovi everywhere: in people's heads, in stores, outside, etc. In fact, the people from New Jersey seem very indifferent to the fact that Jon Bon Jovi comes from there! They live there, peacefully, and have no perpetual Bon Jovi soundtrack in their heads!

We started to be a lot more festive than when we left! We were teasing each other a lot, by commenting funny things on Facebook and in person. I was teasing Sandra especially on the fact that she is older than me. She teased me about my back problems and the fact that she was not looking forward to being my age and falling apart!

Before we received our dishes, I saw a publicity at our table that said "Seniority has priority" with a 25% discount for people over 55 on Wednesdays. I began to tease Sandra solidly with this publicity; I even took a picture and I put it on Facebook with a comment that said that it was too bad that we were not Wednesday because she would have had a discount!! (By the way, I have great respect for people who are 55 years old and over! It's just that I love to tease Sandra about being older than me, even though I'm the one who seems older with my back problems and my "aunty" side!) We were laughing so hard at the restaurant that the few patrons present probably wondered who were these two crazy women who didn't speak English and who seemed hysterical to laugh like that! Things were looking promising for the rest of the trip!!

Sandra wanted to see if there was a discount on Devils t-shirts at Modell's, a store full of fitness stuff and jerseys from teams playing football, hockey, baseball, etc. Finally, the prices were similar, according to her, to prices at the Devil's Den, the Devils' shop at the Prudential Center, so she wanted to wait until she was at the arena to buy one. On the other hand, she saw a t-shirt on which it was written "Jersey" with the "s" being the shape of the State. She told me that it would be funny if we bought the same t-shirt. The idea was so hilarious that I could not resist! Anyway, I still had no souvenir of New Jersey and this t-shirt would forever remind me of our first real road trip together to see Bon Jovi! We were still laughing at our little craziness when we each came out of the store with a t-shirt!

Jon and his son Jesse released a rosé wine called Diving Into Hampton Water at the end of March 2018 and we had the idea to try to find it to buy it. We visited all the stores that sold alcohol that we saw from the road on our way to the hotel. Nobody had it or had even heard of it! I was talking earlier about the "I-don't-care" attitude about Jon Bon Jovi in part of the New Jersey population, this is another example. We seemed to be the only enthusiasts for this wine! I must point out that even if part of the population seems indifferent, people are very nice in New Jersey!! I am surprised each time by their kindness, their politeness and their patience towards a small Quebecer with a francophone accent and who does not always use the exact words while speaking to them about stuff of the normal life!

We finally came out empty handed of our search for Jon's wine. I mentioned to Sandra that I would not be surprised if they had it at the Prudential Center. She did not seem to believe it much, but since alcohol is served at the arena, everything was possible in my mind!

The check-in at the hotel was at 3hpm and we decided to go there, so we could get ready for the show! We stayed at the Quality Inn very close to the Metlife Stadium, the same stadium where I had seen Bon Jovi in 2010. It was funny to see the stadium again from the highway when we passed close by. Seeing New York City at a distance also left me with a strange feeling; I was really at my destination!

Upon entering the hotel room, we almost instinctively knew how to put our luggage in the room that had two double beds. Let's understand that even if we only left for a day and a half, we had a lot of things with us, starting with the many pieces of clothing, because a Bon Jovi fan like us both does not usually know what to put on until the last minute before leaving for a concert!

I wondered at that moment how I was going to get ready quickly, because I had not done anything of my usual preparations. I started by taking care of my purse, a new purse bought only a few weeks ago and that had never gone out! While chatting, I managed to do everything in no time. Sandra took a quick shower to cool off a bit, while I straightened my hair and changed clothes. It was fun in the room, there was a large mirror with a table, in addition to the mirror and the counter in the bathroom. We did not get into each other's hair while we were getting ready, except when I needed to wash my hands!

I had brought my tank top with the message that I had heard Bed Of Roses 3876 times in a year and I hesitated between two pairs of pants. I finally opted for the same pair that I had worn for my photo with Jon in Toronto in November 2013. I also hesitated for the pair of shoes: high heels or flat. After telling myself that I had just spent several hours on the road and that I was going to be standing for a few hours, I chose the pair of flat shoes, even if they were less pretty. Comfort won over style! I put on mid-leg nylon stockings to be more comfortable and less warm during the show, which raised a question from Sandra when she saw me wearing my shoes. She did not understand how I could have been cold with my winter boots and two pairs of socks in the car when I was ready to go see Bon Jovi without wearing any socks with my shoes! I'm not sure I convinced her by showing her that I had flesh-colored nylon stockings! haha

I also put on new contact lenses, disposable after each day, while praying to all the saints in heaven that they would not tire my eyes too much. I had not worn any for more than two weeks because of a problem in my left eyelid caused by my monthly contact lenses. I had received the green light from the optometrist the week before the concert to be able to wear some only for the time of the show in order to avoid aggravating my problem too quickly.

Surprisingly, I had some free time to continue my show review that I had started a few weeks ago (the beginning, of course!). While the tablet was open, I also helped Sandra in choosing her top. I ate some nuts so I could go without food until dinner before brushing my teeth. I decided to leave my scarf in the hotel room, because it was still not so cold and I was too scared to lose it at the Prudential Center!

We finally left for the Prudential Center, it must have been just before 6h15pm, a first for me to leave so late to go to the arena the night of a show! We thought we would have dinner at the Prudential Center, because anyway, we were not so hungry with the pancakes that we had eaten in the middle of the afternoon. We faced a bit of traffic when we left the hotel, to the great displeasure of Sandra who is not patient at all when the cars ahead of her are stopped! haha Even though she knew the way to the arena, she used her GPS anyway, which seemed to want to recalculate the route more than help us! So we almost missed the exit, a little hidden, to go on the road leading to downtown Newark! It would not have been dramatic, because we could have gone back, but let's say that Sandra did not want to miss this exit! I got a little afraid when I saw the intensity with which she had to brake to take the exit!!

We arrived at the Prudential Center around 6h40pm. We chose one of the outdoor parking lots closest to the arena. Watch out, it cost $50US to park there! Ouch! With the exchange rate, it was not a bargain, but at least there was plenty of room still, despite the time; the doors were already open to get people in!

I quickly took a picture of the arena, which is very nice by the way, and we crossed the street to get there. Unfortunately, we ran into closed doors at the Devil's Den, the official New Jersey Devils store! Oh no!! Sandra told me that it was not so bad, although we were shocked to find out that the store was closed on weekends after 5hpm even on concert nights. She suggested that we stop again at a Modell's on the way home to buy Devils souvenirs.

We saw the crowd lining up to enter the main door of the arena and we decided to walk to enter by another, less crowded door. Anyway, one of Sandra's goals was to get her picture taken with Martin Brodeur's statue at the other end of the Prudential Center. When we saw it, we headed towards it when a woman, camera and Verizon microphone in hand, intercepted us to ask us if we wanted to talk for the camera for television (not live). I looked at Sandra and I thought that it was a great opportunity! It was happening to us for the first time!

The woman first asked us who was the biggest fan among us two. In my head, there was no competition, the title was meant hands down for Sandra who loves the band since it was formed and who had fallen in love with Jon when the song Runaway was released! She then started asking Sandra some questions who simply answered by single words without repeating the woman's questions. The latter told us that we would not hear her speak, since the microphone was pointing towards us, so we had to respond as if we were talking to ourselves without her, but I am not sure that Sandra understood what she meant!

The woman asked Sandra if she had a favorite song and she said Livin 'On A Prayer. The woman then asked her if she wanted to sing it on camera and Sandra refused! haha The woman then asked me if I wanted to sing the song a little bit. Er, normally, maybe, but maybe not Livin 'On A Prayer and especially not that I was still recovering from a voice loss!! So I politely declined the offer to sing because of my voice extinction! I then mentioned that we were from Montreal, Canada; the woman seemed really impressed suddenly to know that we had travel that far during the day to come and see Bon Jovi! Since I had mentioned the information about Montreal, the woman started pointing the microphone in front of me and she asked me a few questions that I answered in an elaborate way (well, hopefully!) with my French accent. I probably would have panicked at the possibility of speaking to the camera in English in the United States if I had known in advance, but spontaneously like that, I was not that nervous about my accent and my English! I was talking about Bon Jovi, I was on familiar ground!

The woman finished her "interview" by asking us our names and how they were spelled out for later when they would do the editing. She then thanked us by calling us by our first names and wishing us a good show! I saw her a few minutes later and she was still alone among the fans passing by her. She must have found other people who wanted to talk to the camera, but well, I would have thought that more people would go to her! I don't know either if we made it to television or if we were cut at the editing and for what television channel she worked at, but well, I felt satisfied to have been asked to talk with Sandra like that!

We took pictures next to Martin Brodeur's statue and we headed for the entrance near the statue where there was no queue to enter the arena. All around, there were banners on light poles welcoming Bon Jovi home.

Americans have greater security measures than in Quebec for events involving crowds. Sandra had warned me at the hotel that they would be impressive. The process to go through to enter was indeed a little complicated for a little Quebecer who does not often leave her home! Security guards were asking us to remove all items with metal and put them in a small bin. We then had to go through a metal detector, like at the airport. We even had to leave our purses, open, to the nearest guard, so that he could look at the contents before giving it back to us. It's better to be too careful than not enough, but still, I found that a bit extreme! The next step will probably be to install X-ray machines to scan the contents of bags and purses instead of having to open them!

Once inside, we had our tickets scanned and we took the escalator to go to the next level. Sandra started showing me a lot of things. It was not her first time there, as she occasionally goes see Devils games, her favorite hockey team. She absolutely wanted to show me a Bon Jovi wall who had inaugurated the Prudential Center at the end of October 2007 with ten sold out shows!

By looking around, Sandra widened her eyes and pointed to me to a booth where wine was sold, including Jon's wine! I found it hilarious, I could not help but telling her a "I knew it". As we approached, we were stunned to see that a glass of Jon's wine was sold $16US and I think the full bottle was $60US! Since it is sold below $30US in liquor stores in the United States, it was stealing at that price, in my opinion! Therefore we abandoned the idea of tasting Jon's wine! And even if the whole bottle had been affordable, it was out of the question to bring a bottle of wine to our seats and risk that someone might break or steal it!

By walking a few steps, we saw a booth with merchandise. Sandra could not resist going to see what was offered. I don't know why, I'm not naturally attracted to these booths, because the prices are exorbitant ($45US for a t-shirt...)! But Sandra always finds herself buying something, and additionally, she was seeing people walking around with merchandise bags that she found pretty. I stayed behind while she looked at the merchandise. I saw her come out of the crowd at the booth with two empty merchandise bags. Let's just say that they were the only things that she wanted and she took one at the same time for me! haha

We went up to another level to reach the bleachers, looking for something to eat! We were able to see the stage from a section where the black curtain that hid the bleachers was already open. By looking through the curtain, I saw that those behind the stage still have a great view of the stage. I imagined where our seats were compared to what I had seen on the seating chart when I bought the tickets. I also noticed the group of people on stage before realizing that they were those who had purchased a VIP package with a backstage tour! I was glad to know that we would be able to go back on the stage in Montreal during our backstage tour on the first night! People seemed to be escorted by one Runaway Tours employee, the fan club's trips organizer, but I'm not 100% sure.

Strangely, I almost saw more restrooms than food concessions in the arena! There were still some lounges where several tables and chairs were available for those who wanted to eat slowly. High tables were also available a little everywhere for people who did not necessarily want to sit down to eat. I saw a place selling hot dogs and hamburgers that attracted me more than the others I had passed by! It was a kind of self-service counter where food is already prepared and put under lights to keep it warm; we only have to pick it up and pay for it! I took a gigantic hamburger (the bun and the burger were really American-size just like in their fast food restaurants) accompanied by irregular huge fries (not in quantity, but in the size of fries). I asked for a bottle of water to the cashier. A nice lady (they are all very nice in New Jersey anyway!!) gave me one after informing me that she would remove the cap (or did she asked me if I wanted her to remove it?!) NO!! Not too convenient to walk around with my food and an open bottle of water without spilling anything! Fortunately, Sandra helped me a little by holding my bottle of water while I put ketchup in my hamburger at a condiment stand and we found a small table on which to put all this and eat!

It was around 7h20pm when I took a bite of my hamburger, ten minutes before the start of the first act. I was getting hungry, because I swallowed everything up in no time! Seriously, I was perhaps more hungry than I thought, but the hamburger was so good!!! I offered my fries to Sandra, because that's all she wanted to eat finally, after failing to find a place that served nachos! Sandra did not understand how I could eat such a big hamburger in such a short time! Yet she has learned over time that when I'm hungry, I can eat very fast and I stop multitasking; I have to concentrate on eating!!

Sandra went to buy a bottle of water from an employee who was walking with a cart offering drinks and cotton candy. Obviously, she came back with her bottle of water and its cap on it!! I could not understand anything anymore and Sandra laughed at me with my bottle of water without its cap!

Afterwards, Sandra went to the restroom for the first time, while the first act was starting (it was 7h30pm sharp). I stayed a little bit at the table to begin the process of transferring my bottle of water to a soft water bag for outdoor hikes that I had hidden in my purse. It does not take up space when it is folded and empty, except for the cap (obviously). It was not easy not to spill any, because the bag is really flat and I had to let the water get into the bag before continuing to pour some, because otherwise, water came out of the cap quite fast! I was able to put the filled bag in my inner coat pocket while waiting to get down to our seats. In my head, it was out of the question to go down before the end of the first act!

I sent a text message to Martin while I was alone to tell him that I was very nervous because I had not seen Bon Jovi in four and a half years. Actually, I was shaking, I felt a little nauseated and I was a bit cold, although I had kept my coat on. Even after so many years, I am still as nervous!

I then trashed the empty cardboard box that previously contained my hamburger and fries and walked towards the restroom exit where Sandra had gone. While coming out, she went to see through one of the black curtains what the first act looked like; I wasn't interested at all! For me, first acts, except when they are known groups, are noise generators more than anything else (sorry for the first acts, but I cannot deny my opinion)!

We walked around in the Prudential Center waiting for the first act to end. Suddenly, Sandra pronounced the name of a girl who came in our direction and she confirmed that it was her name! It was a first for me to see Sandra say hello to someone like that, especially abroad! It was a girl she knows through Twitter and who is always supposedly walking with a unicorn stuffed animal in her hands, like a mascot... She was with her boyfriend and took several minutes of her time to talk to us. She recognized Sandra by her name on Twitter and she was really nice!

While going our way afterwards, we asked two different employees for directions to go to reach the floor from the upper sections. It may sound like a silly question, but not all sections of the bleachers go directly to the floor! Also, it's not always indicated where to go, since arenas are not normally built for people to go on the rink for hockey!

We met another merchandise booth near other restrooms and Sandra told me that they even sold a Bon Jovi dressing gown. In addition to being very simple, it was $80US! I would never pay so much for a dressing gown, sorry! We waited until we no longer felt the rhythm of the bass of the first act before heading to the restrooms near the booth where we were. It was the last "pee stop" before the show; I was even more nervous than ever!

Sandra went to a beer booth where a man told her that just for her, he would sell her a $14US beer instead of $15US. Sandra told him off (politely) because she felt she was getting a little teased. Frankly, I don't know if he thought she was a stupid or just wanted to play around with her, but it was almost insulting to hear that!!

We had to ask our way to another employee who directed us to a woman near a black curtain who controlled the tickets of people who wanted to go to their seats. The latter did not seem to be so alarmed by our tickets and let us in. I really thought that we could go down by this section, because the stairs seemed to go down to the floor, but Sandra insisted that we go further. So we walked along the last row of the bleachers of the level where we were to get closer to the stage before going down (we were at the other end of the floor). We then went down to a woman who checked the tickets a bit more before letting people go to the floor. She told us where to go. I was not sure we could go through the front row to get to our seats on the other side of the floor, but Sandra told me there would not be any problems...

While walking on the edge of the ice rink, Sandra pointed to a guy who was closer to the stage and talking to some girls. It was Nick, a fan from Australia who does the tour with Bon Jovi, in addition to going to see many other events, according to what Sandra had told me earlier during the day. I didn't know him, but he seemed really nice; he talks to everyone, makes high fives to people and if someone has something to say, he will listen to them!

Sandra then made her way through the front row and we really passed between the barricade and the people who had already arrived in the front row! There was still more room there than between two rows on the floor! We went throughout the floor like this because we were in the left section looking towards the stage and we had gone down along the right section! By the way, I was quickly looking at the people in the first two rows and was listening to hear the different languages spoken. There seemed to be some Europeans according to the accents I could figure out!

When we arrived on the other side of the floor, an employee checked our tickets and invited us to wait a few moments while he would put fluorescent green wristbands around our wrists. I looked at Sandra and really wondered if we were third or first row! It made no sense to me to have a wristband in the third row! It was with some stupefaction that I saw the employee putting a wristband around my wrist and fastening it himself. From what we understood, it identified us as people who were allowed up front. OK, but I had never seen people wearing wristbands apart those in the front row! The guy then told us that we had to go to row 3 and head to the center of the rink because the floor was composed of three sections of 15 seats each. We had seats 2 and 3 and the numbers were from 1 to 15 starting to the right of each section. (The seat numbers were chalked on the floor in front of each seat.) Earlier, I had told Sandra that I would give her the seat 2 and that I would take the seat 3, since she is smaller than me and I didn't want to be the one who would hide her view towards the middle of the stage!

As we headed towards our seats, several girls were taking group pictures and we could not even get to our seats. Sandra happily told them that our seats were there and that we would like to sit down. It was around 8h05pm. I probably seemed a little confused because I was not used to not seeing a pit and a catwalk in front of the stage anymore! We were really cramped, the seats being really close to each other in the row and also close to the seats in front! Let's say that overweight people must have had some problems moving at their seats! My physiotherapist had shown me an exercise I could do at my seat to stretch my back if I was in pain. I wish I could do it, but I just didn't have enough room to stretch my leg! Too bad!

I sat a little on my seat and I noticed that the third row, as I imagined, was still quite close to the stage! I got up and put my coat on the back of the seat in a way that it was practically impossible for it to fall on the ground (my biggest fear was losing my gloves that I had put in my pockets, I made sure that I put them far deep), I hung my purse under my chair by holding it by the strap on the seat and I secured the soft water bag between the seat and the strap. I then took off the little red open shirt that I was wearing over my tank top in order not to show the message until I got to my seat (a habit I have of not walking around showing my tank top to everybody, I don't quite know why...); I also put the little open shirt between the strap of my purse and the seat.

I put drops in my eyes before the concert to keep them as hydrated as possible. I was so scared that my eyes get blurry in the middle of the show! Not easy to put drops into my eyes myself without having a mirror!!

By looking around us, we realized that the first three rows had no space between the three sections of the floor and were completely full. It gave the impression that we were extremely cramped compared to the rows behind! I also noticed that all the chairs in the center of the first two rows have the Bon Jovi logo on them. These chairs are those that can be brought home with a VIP package! I had wondered how they were distinguishing between a seat with or without a package! The packages are probably about the ten seats in the center of the first two rows and all the others are regular seats. We will see for Montreal, Sandra and I are not too far from the center with our tickets without a VIP package on the second night in Montreal on May 18, 2018!

Three women were together in the second row ahead of us and one of them almost immediately spoke to us to tell us not to get shy during the show; if we thought they were blocking our view too much, we could tell them to move over! haha I had never seen people say that in the first rows of the floor!! The same woman noticed that I wore a tank top with a message and asked me what was written on it. A little embarrassed, I put it in a way that the message was shown and I put my hand on the bottom part that said "Jon I'd like a dance", because I knew very well that it would not happen that night! The three women read the message with great interest, the youngest one opened her eyes very wide when she saw how many times I had listened to Bed Of Roses in a year and the woman who had spoken to us, while finishing reading the message, continued to speak.

— OK, and what are you hiding?
— It doesn't matter, it won't happen tonight!
— Look at that, you don't want to show us! Haha
— Well, I can... (and I took off my hand briefly), but it really won't happen tonight, so there is no point in showing it!

And I put my hand back, a little embarrassed to have had so much attention on my tank top!

We took a selfie, Sandra and I, and I posted on Facebook that we were at the Prudential Center and it was our worst seats of the tour, even though the picture showed very well that there were only two people in front of us before the stage! What?! It is true that we had our worst tickets of our little tour of three shows that night! By the way, on the selfie (see below), the white microphone stand to the right of the picture is Jon's microphone stand in the middle of the stage; we were still a bit far from it!

I knew that the show started around 8h30pm from what I had learned from a friend who had seen several shows since the beginning of the tour in March. The last ten minutes seemed really long! I was busy trying to get into my thick head that I was finally going to see a show from the This House Is Not For Sale tour! It was a bit (a lot) unrealistic to think that my first concert of this tour would finally be in New Jersey instead of Montreal!

A few seconds before 8h30pm, I was under the impression that the lights had gone down a notch. I'm used to seeing the lights shut down all at once, causing craziness in the amphitheater! I told myself that I was hallucinating and the lights intensity had not diminished! But I had the impression again that the brightness decreased shortly after. I had time to ask Sandra if I was crazy to think that; she confirmed to me that it was not my sight that was decreasing! The people in the arena did not seem in a big hurry to return to their seats, but the lights went down again and again until we were almost in the dark.

That was it, I prepared my camera to make a video of the show introduction that I had seen on the internet and that I found really cool! I then saw a net fall in front of the stage with a roadie that ensured that the net fell right in front of the stage before going backstage. A big American flag appeared on the net, people started screaming and I started filming. It was now dark in the arena.

The set list is as follows, a little shorter than we were used to on previous tours:

• This House Is Not For Sale
• Knockout
• You Give Love A Bad Name
• Whole Lot Of Leavin'
• Lost Highway
• When We Were Us
• Born To Be My Baby
• Who Says You Can't Go Home
• It's My Life
• We Weren't Born To Follow
• I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
• We Got It Going On
• Keep The Faith
• Amen
• Bed Of Roses
• Lay Your Hands On Me
• God Bless This Mess
• Have A Nice Day
• Bad Medicine

Encores:

• Runaway
• Wanted Dead Or Alive
• Livin' On A Prayer

The show lasted from 8h30pm to 10h45pm, I took 1260 pictures (yes, I took a lot less than during previous tours when I could come back with 3000 or even 4000 pictures for a single show!) and 12 videos, some of them a bit longer than the ones I usually make. I adopted a new philosophy for this show: to enjoy it more by taking a few less pictures, almost never when Jon came on our side to maximize my chances of interacting with him (or at the very least, look at him more directly with my eyes instead of with my camera). I still managed to take good pictures.

The show introduction is very impressive! Images are projected, suggesting a road with buildings (I wonder if they are buildings in the city visited by the band or if they are always the same) and at some point, white lines dance on the net in front of the stage and then form the roots of the house on the cover of the This House Is Not For Sale album. The roots go down and the whole house appears! The house stays there at the beginning of the song, while the band starts playing it. The members are then behind the net that hides them a little. And at some point during the song, the net rises, letting people see the whole band.

People were singing loudly on This House Is Not For Sale and strangely more during Knockout, another song from the last album. I was really impressed to hear so many people singing on a recent song! It is true that it is excellent and particularly catchy! I was expecting that the crowd would scream a little louder than that in New Jersey, but I had to keep in mind that the Prudential Center is significantly smaller than the Bell Centre and the New Jersey people seem to be singing much more than screaming! So, I quickly realized that I could not compare both crowds, as I intended to! They have their advantages and are very different!

The party quickly started in our section! The women we spoke to were enthusiastic, especially the one wearing a Tom Brady jersey; she jumped often and long enough! It's fun to see such energy near the stage; in fact, the atmosphere is rarely bad near the stage at a Bon Jovi concert!!

I quickly realized that it would be difficult to take good pictures with my camera, because there was no screen behind the stage to let people see something in the sections behind the stage. The best pictures that I took in the past were when there was a screen, I still don't quite understand why... Additionally, the spotlights were very bright and Jon seemed to really have a white face under these projectors. My desire not to take too many pictures was not very difficult to satisfy with such lighting! We were really close to the stage, even though we were a bit far from the middle! I could not ignore the band members on our side, that were Everett on percussions, Hugh on bass and John Shanks, the person who writes a lot of songs with Jon and who plays the second guitar on stage since the beginning of the current tour!

Having seen videos on YouTube of some of the songs played during the tour, I knew that Jon would speak just before You Give Love A Bad Name after Knockout. (Another unusual thing about the tour is the fact that, unusually, Jon does not change the set list very much, so it was very predictable!!) I was right and I was happy to start filming to hear him say that we were a Saturday night in New Jersey! What an amazing feeling to hear Jon say those words!!

During You Give Love A Bad Name, Jon came on our side and he took a look at my tank top, I am very sure. The advantage of being in the first rows is that even though the seats are close to each other, we are so close that he sees up to about our waist, depending on the size of the person ahead of us! I did not have too much to worry about that night, the woman directly in front of me was the one with the Tom Brady jersey and she was not that tall! In short, I tell myself that if I do not dance with him, if I always wear the same tank top with the same message, Jon will be able to recognize me this way! I'm pretty proud of myself for not taking pictures when he was close to us like that almost throughout the concert. I was even holding my camera with my left hand high enough not to hide the message on my tank top when he was in front of us!

I saw, in the row in front of us in the middle, that there was a woman with an Italian flag on which it was written "Italy is here", like my friend Luca several years ago (but he had a carton and not a flag). I told myself that I hadn't dreamed earlier when I had heard a few different accents, there were Europeans in the room! I find it extremely wonderful that people living so far away decide to come and see Bon Jovi in their homeland!

It was particularly hot at the beginning of the show, I don't quite know why! Probably because we were pretty packed and Jon was there, a few meters away! Sandra was already suffocating, she gets hot to barely nothing, even if everyone shivers around her! I saw her pulling out her asthma pump at some point! She told me after the show that she was suffocating because of the heat and also because of the perfume of the girl on her right (whose face reminded me very much of someone, by the way, but I didn't manage to recognize her). Another reason that might have explained why we got hot at the beginning of the concert was the fact that people had taken the liberty to advance into the space between two sections of the floor sections behind us. They were probably a dozen people who had no business there at all. Security got involved after a few songs and returned back everyone who didn't have tickets so close to the stage. After this cleaning, we seemed to have a little more air!!

I also don't know where the people on my left left shortly after the show began, because I turned around at one point and the girl by my side seemed to have the space equivalent to three seats wide alone! It pleased me to have more room, honestly, even though I had to be careful not to move too much to the left to keep access to my water bag. Thinking about it, I'm under the impression that the people on the edge of our row may have gone to the barricade in the front row; from what I understood, our wristbands may have allowed us to do it. This is the only plausible explanation for our sudden creation of space in a row that was crowded at the beginning of the concert!!

In short, I needed to regularly check if I was in front of my seat, more or less half a seat wide, and rectify my position as needed! It was important for me to take small sips of water regularly so as not to start coughing like crazy or even choke like I used to in previous days! It was not the time to sit down to catch my breath because of a few drops of snot that could have fallen into the wrong pipe!! I still coughed a lot during the show (in my elbow, don't worry!!) and my voice didn't always come out when I sang! I was able, however, to get out my pitching scream; I don't totally understand how the vocal chords work to be able to let a scream out so powerfully, but not the lyrics!

Speaking of being sick, the Montreal shows scheduled on April 4 and 5, 2018 had to be postponed to May 17 and 18 because of an alleged flu epidemic among the band and tour members... Sandra and I looked at each other during the show at the beginning and saw how healthy the band members looked like with everyone in a good mood, with enthusiasm and even the roadies who were coming to bring different guitars and basses to the band members, while ensuring to make some jokes at the same time. I thus don't know which ones were supposedly sick in Montreal!! The flu is usually not cured in three days, because they were also in good shape on April 2 in Boston according to fans who were there! We will never know the truth behind this story, but I very much doubt that the flu was the real reason, no offense to those who think otherwise! Jon still spit a few times on stage during the show, but he always does that! For having seen him much worse than that during previous tours when he had to blow his nose discreetly at the back of the stage near Tico on drums during a song, I found him in great shape! Let's agree to say that of all the band members, he is probably the one who has the most interactions with the crowd and who must catch microbes first most of the time!!

When Whole Lot Of Leavin 'started, Sandra gave me such a look. I had complained a little during the day that of all the songs they could play, this one was not one of my favorites! I would have preferred to hear something else like Because We Can (which they didn't play, by the way!!) or an old song rather than a 10-year-old country ballad, while they have released so many songs that are more beautiful than that since!!

Lost Highway is also not my favorite, even if it is catchier in concert than at home or in my car! I had a very hard time singing it, like some other songs as well, because of the sound that didn't seem to get to us well. It was hard sometimes to know what Jon was singing and Sandra had the same feeling after discussing it after the show. Unless you really know the lyrics by heart, we made mistakes from time to time! Hearing the songs in your car or in concert are two completely different experiences!! OK, I'm going to stop complaining, I was in the third row, so many people would like to be there!! I'm just saying that despite the incredible visual on the stage and the people standing on it, there are some drawbacks to be close, like the sound (the main sound columns were possibly behind us) and the camera on wheels that passes in front of us during the show from one end of the stage to the other. Sometimes when it stopped at a spot that blocked our view of Jon, Sandra and I were pretty impatient to see it go away from there! haha

Two men were in the front row, to our left. Their faces didn't ring a bell to me, but Sandra seemed quite excited to see them there. She tried to tell me who they were, but I didn't understand anything! The next day she told me that one of them had seemed to be the owner of the New Jersey Devils! Oh well, that's good (yes, I didn't care at all, but I can understand her excitement...).

Before starting When We Were Us, for which I didn't understand the meaning before asking Sandra earlier that day, Jon made a touching speech about the fact that he and the band are celebrating 35 years since the creation of Bon Jovi and they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a few days! Jon mentioned that during this evening, each of us would be with them and that he would not be where he is today if the fans had not been loyal. He thus wrote When We Were Us to describe the love between the band members and between the band and their fans. I admit that hearing Sandra explain all of this to me earlier and seeing that Jon had made the same speech, to hear the song live afterwards gave me chills! I finally understood the whole meaning of the chorus which reads as follows:

Writing every page together
Those days were not to last forever
Diamonds in the rough
When we were us
Burn the house and torch the skyline
There was more than fire in our eyes
Love meant more than lust
When we were us

I'm still emotional when I read these lyrics. Knowing that Jon wrote a song that represents the love between them and between a band and his fans, which is very different from lust (well, at least for the majority of the fans!!) even if it remains love, makes me love so much this man with an amazing writing talent!

I was still so much in love with When We Were Us when Born To Be My Baby started that I barely recognized it!! It is impossible to take a decent picture of Jon during this song since he moves so much, going from one side of the stage to another! If I remember correctly, he came to jump in front of us at some point, at the same rhythm of the song and we were a few who imitated him!

Jon then put an acoustic guitar around his neck and sang a bit of the first verse of Who Says You Can't Go Home acoustically! I admit that I didn't hate this version! And then, they still played it the usual way in its entirety. I was almost hoping that Jon would pick people in the crowd to sing with him on stage, because he was in New Jersey, but no, no one insisted enough in the crowd or Jon just didn't want to!

It was the first time I was at a Bon Jovi show since I was wearing a Fitbit wristband to record the number of steps I take daily. I wondered if it would count steps during the show. It seems so, because at one point, it began to vibrate frantically to tell me that I had reached 10,000 steps during my day! haha

It's My Life made people go crazy in the Prudential Center, even though Sandra and I didn't recognize it right away. The sound was weird at first, as if it was taking a long time to start (after seeing a video of the moment, it looks like Tico just started the beat and stopped for a second or two, which gave us that impression). Once again, Jon jumped as if he had inexhaustible springs in his shoes and walked around on the stage during the song. The beginning of the chorus particularly meant something to me, because I told myself that I was in New Jersey with Bon Jovi and I was fully living my life! Moreover, the more I advance in life, the more these words make sense to me:

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive

It was a bit weird to hear We Weren't Born To Follow without the images at the back of the stage like during the 2010-2011 The Circle tour. In fact, there were not many special effects or screens at the back of the stage, it was a completely open stage with only the sound columns and the normal projectors to ensure good visibility on the stage. It was only towards the end of the show that I wondered if there were giant screens for people farther away. I got my answer when I saw the reflection of some band members in windows at the level of the boxes completely at the top of the arena. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was probably a reflection of a giant screen! I don't know if there was a giant screen above us for the people in front of the stage, but I assume so! This is one of the advantages of being very close to the stage; we really don't need a giant screen to see everything that is happening!!

When I'll Sleep When I'm Dead started, Jon made us clap in our hands as usual. It reminded me of so many memories of past tours when the party started big time with the choices of songs that Jon was making for the medley in the middle of the song. But this time, the band played the song without any medley, which is quite OK too!

I'm not sure if it's during I'll Sleep When I'm Dead or another song, but I know that some people in the front rows of the floor on my right started swaying their arms to the beat, as we are used to doing during Captain Crash And The Queen Beauty From Mars. Jon even tried to get more people involved with hand gestures. I couldn't resist, I joined the group of people who had their arms in the air!

We Got It Going triggered a lot of screaming in the audience, starting with Sandra who let a big scream out! She had told me earlier that it was too bad that they didn't play it since the beginning of the tour. I had told her that I had seen it on set lists from previous shows, but I'm not sure she had believed me. As always, Jon shook his "money maker" at the beginning of the song. I don't know why I always make a video of that part of the song! haha He did his 360-degree round of the stage as he usually does and when he got on our side, he surprised us all by jumping suddenly off the stage (additionally, it was a huge jump, the stage was higher than I thought!), close to where we were, to go see fans clustered in the front row. I saw lots of people coming down from the bleachers on the left to see Jon more closely. The move was unplanned because I saw Matt, Jon's youngest brother who acts as his bodyguard, running from right to left towards Jon to control the crowd a little bit. I took some pictures, but I didn't dare making a video to be sure to enjoy this moment to the fullest and be ready for any opportunity! He touched several people and even took the face of a woman near him in his hands and gave her a big wet kiss on the mouth. The woman's face was positioned horizontally since she was lower than Jon. After he decided that he had enough, he went back, with Matt's help if I remember correctly, to the stage on the left side (or he may have gone straight up the stairs behind the stage, I don't remember anymore). I was really in shock that he dared to jump from the stage like that, I rarely saw him do that in real life!!

When Keep The Faith started, I took the opportunity to take some pictures of Jon with his maracas. I also knew that he would disappear later, for the duration of two songs, in the bleachers on the small platform that we had seen before the show as we were heading towards our seats. I found it a little too bad that the set list was almost always the same, so the surprise effect was not really there throughout the concert (except when Jon jumped from the stage during We Got It Going On; that one I really didn't see coming!!). Indeed, towards the end of Keep The Faith, Jon disappeared quite subtly, while the other band members have started an incredible instrumental part of the song, making a diversion for Jon's absence.

During the instrumental part of Keep The Faith, Sandra suddenly stepped over the chair in front of her to go to the front row after the women in front of us had done the same. I think it was one of them who signaled Sandra to move forward. Strangely, a girl in the second row just to our right (who blocked Sandra's view for the majority of the evening) left quickly at the same time to go I don't know where. There were also several people missing in the front row, because Sandra had plenty of room to move forward. I thus faced a dilemma: am I going or am I not going? I didn't quite understand why everyone was jumping to the front row when I had well seen on several videos that Jon seems to go to the right side of the stage when he leaves and comes back on stage and we were on the left side... Two sentences were clashing in my head: 1) Go ahead, you may be able to touch Jon, who knows? and 2) No no, stay at your seat, Jon will not pass by there. I finally stayed at my seat, but I really hesitated a long time. And Jon didn't walk past us to go to the bleachers, but Sandra stayed in the front row the whole time he was far away.

Honestly, I hardly remember anything about Amen, even though I have a video of a part of the song!! Jon was far away, I had a big man of at least 6'5" tall who really blocked my view a lot (he was behind me during the show, fortunately), who was constantly moving and touching everywhere the girl who was with him. Seriously, having someone touch me like that during a Bon Jovi show, at some point, he would get hit hard somewhere!!! So I had a hard time filming, because I had to keep moving to not just make a video of the back of a head. It was really irritating!

Anyway, I know that people were very excited in one of the bleacher sections during Amen, but I honestly don't remember hearing the song anymore! I saw through the screen of my camera a woman behind Jon who crossed her arms almost throughout the time that Jon was near her, except when he came closer and she was buried under people who were stretching their arms to touch him. She seemed frozen there, but in a way, what do you want to do when Jon is right behind you and does not turn around?! I also saw some people who brought children in front of them, probably theirs, so that they could see Jon well.

During Amen, I took the opportunity to take pictures of John Shanks and Phil X who were together on stage playing the guitar. Phil X had moved to our side, he was on the right side of the stage most of the time. With that being said, this is not the only time he walked around, we saw him very closely during a song during which he went around the stage.

I knew that Bed Of Roses was the next song; unfortunately, Jon was really at the other end of the floor, so there was no luck he could see me. I saw him signal the band members still on the stage to start the song, it was really the first time I saw him doing the maestro like that from a distance! I had already started making a video and I had in mind to continue until the end of the song, to have a memory and to be able to please the fans in the bleachers who would probably see themselves in the video. And who knows, Jon might be dancing with a girl that night?

A woman to Jon's left, in about her mid-forties, held a small sheet of paper for a long time at the beginning of the song and waved at Jon for him to look at it. He did it at one point and the woman continued to get his attention with one hand and the sheet she was holding in the other hand. She was very calm, did not scream, did not sing. During the first half of Bed Of Roses, Jon touched an impressive number of people around him, even stretching himself a bit to reach people farther than the platform, always under the very attentive eyes of his brother Matt who ensured his safety by pushing hands and arms back from the platform. It was not the time for Jon to fall!

After the second chorus, at the beginning of the lyrics preceding the solo, Jon suddenly convincingly took the hand of the woman who held the sheet of paper at the beginning of the song and drew her close to him on the platform. He sang the lyrics of the part before the solo two inches from her face and he started dancing with her at the beginning of the solo! Everyone was shouting, it was really a great moment and, well, I imagined being in the woman's place, of course, but I was especially happy to capture everything on video! In the middle of the solo, the woman said something to Jon, pulled herself back slightly, Jon kissed her on the mouth and the woman returned to her seat before the end of the solo! I found it a little strange that she didn't stay until the end of the solo to take full advantage of Jon's arms, but well! She seemed to be in shock, but still quite serene and extremely happy.

Jon took a sip of water from a mug near the platform and then started going down the stairs of the section where he was to return to the floor, still touching hands with many people, women for the most part, but also a considerable number of men. I saw him kissing another girl on the mouth; this is rather rare, he was kissing a lot that night finally!! With Matt and other security guards, he made his way to the stage by walking on the boards for a long time. There were so many people filming Jon's passing them by, we saw a lot of cellular phones turned on. Young women who were filming and who were one foot away from Jon never had the idea of just stretching their hand to touch Jon. I admit that I don't understand that; you see a rock star whom you could easily touch and you have nothing better to do than literally hide your face behind your cellular phone? He is live, there, let's go, go! When Jon is near me, the last thing I do is to put a cellular phone in my face to hide myself!! I have already made a video of his passage next to me, but I was holding my camera in one hand and I was hoping to film something good, because I had the face next to my screen and a free hand to touch him. Since this famous video of Love's The Only Rule that is still talked about, I don't think I filmed Jon again coming in my direction; I take full advantage of the moment and I hope there will be others who will make videos for me!

Speaking of cellular phone, it's crazy how times have changed in the last ten years! During some songs, I was looking around and I saw a lot of them making videos! I even saw women in the front rows who were on Facebook or sending text messages regularly. Once, it can happen that you want to publish a video that you just made (as Nick from Australia did a live publication during the show), but there were some who seemed to spend more time watching their cellular phone screen, to interact with people who were not there than to enjoy the show! I still tried to take some pictures with my cellular phone when I realized that the lighting was really not optimal to take pictures with my camera, but I found that the result was even worse with my cellular phone most of the time! No, my cellular phone was in the back pocket of my pants, the only thing I had in my pockets by the way, for the vast majority of the concert. I kept it close to me to do a special mission for a very special friend during a particular song!

To go back to Bed Of Roses, Jon returned to the stage on the right without passing in front of us and finished singing it on stage. There is at least something positive, I saw him close for the end of the song! My arms were hurting so bad from filming without stopping for more than 9 minutes 30 seconds, I was almost looking forward to the song ending!!

Sandra then returned to her seat, just like the women who had moved forward before, including the one who blocked Sandra's view, to her great dismay! Sandra told me the next day that she spoke with the women in the second row while they were all in the front row during Bed Of Roses. One of them, the one who jumped everywhere with her Tom Brady jersey, was the mother of the youngest woman. First, I found it special to know that the mother and daughter had attended a Bon Jovi show together in the second row! But the most extraordinary thing from this story is that the young woman had danced with Jon on Bed Of Roses when she was ten years old; she seemed to be now in her early twenties!!! And it seems that she mentioned at the beginning of the song that Jon was better not to dance with anyone because it was her song! haha Oops! And she had read the message I had on my tank top before the show! Double oops!!!

Sandra had her view blocked by one of the three women who had spoken to us before the show at a time when she was trying to take pictures or make a video. She did not hesitate to tap on the shoulder of the woman who had told us she could move her friends aside as needed. The latter immediately understood what Sandra was trying to do when she turned around and saw Sandra holding her camera in her hands. She then grabbed the woman who was blocking Sandra and made her take a few quick steps to the give Sandra a clean view of the stage. Seriously, I have rarely met fans who were so accommodating!!

At the beginning of Lay Your Hands On Me, Jon made us clap in our hands again, it was really fun, the crowd responded very well. I could see it by taking a look behind me and seeing people in the bleachers with their arms in the air. It was special to hear Jon sing this song, because there was a time when it was the song during which he asked a band member to sing, while he was preparing to go to the catwalk! I also realized that I seemed to have completely forgotten the lyrics of this song, I was having a hard time hearing where we were in the song! I waived my promise to myself not to make a video when Jon was near us during this song! But I still waited for him to pass once and I filmed when he was further and while he was coming back to the center and I knew he would not stop in front of us!

After Lay Your Hands On Me, Jon introduced all the band members, who are more and more on the stage, by the way! He mentioned more specifically that he and Hugh have known each other since the beginning of his career (he played the bass on the recording of Runaway before Alec John Such joined Jon to form Bon Jovi!!), that he and David have known each other for so long that it's a bit scary (probably from primary school!) and when he got to Phil X, the crowd went crazy! Jon took the time to mention that he had saved the band not just once, but twice, referring to the fact that he joined the band at the last minute when Richie failed to show up a few hours before a show! I'm one of those who love Phil X! He seems very accessible and above all, he is having as much fun as a young guy on stage! Just to see him sway his long hair on stage, we see that he likes to play guitar! I always have a thought for my father who would probably have found him a little too hairy for his taste, but he is so nice and is always smiling, we cannot blame him for having long hair!

God Bless This Mess is good live, but I was very distracted during the song, because just before it started, I saw net bands appear behind the stage and I really wondered what they would be for. I got my answer pretty soon when news headlines started to be displayed on the nets, catchy headlines that marked the band's history, like "How New Jersey album nearly killed the band" or "Nobody writes rock anthems like Jon Bon Jovi".

A couple in the first row on our right started the show on their feet like everyone else and then, the two people sat down, as if they were in their living room (like, the man had his arm on his girlfriend's shoulder)! Sandra and I could not believe our eyes to see them like this! They got up almost only when Jon came to our side to take some pictures! In a way, I understand that the first row is the best place on the floor to sit and watch the show without having a blocked view, but in another way, I wonder how the band reacts to people like that! I've already seen people in the front row with health problems sitting during a show and I respect that, but these people were really sitting more than standing up and looking as comfortable as if they were in front of their television!

I think I recognized a Montreal fan on the floor at one point. I turned around to see if there were any more people still coming up the aisle behind us. I then saw a woman who looked strangely like a francophone I met in Montreal. I don't know if it was her and I don't remember her name anymore to contact her! I saw that she got her picture taken while she was closer to the stage and then went back to her seat.

When Have A Nice Day started, that was it, my special mission had to be accomplished! I took my cellular phone in my hands and sent a message to my friend Fanny who wanted to know when the song would start! She was 40 weeks pregnant on the day of the show and she was sure she would start her contractions or give birth during Have A Nice Day! I made a video of a part of the song with my camera to have a memory of this song that usually lights up the crowd who go crazy by singing loudly, me included! At the second chorus, I told myself that it would be fun if I made a video with my cellular phone to be able to send a video quickly to Fanny. I don't know what happened, but I didn't start the video properly and when I wanted to stop it, I realized that I had not recorded anything! No!! I had one last chance! This time was the good one, I made a video of the last chorus with my cellular phone and I took the time to send it to Fanny who made it listen to her unborn baby... Unsuccessfully, she didn't give birth that night or had any contractions! Oh well, I tried!!

I also had a hard time remembering the lyrics of Bad Medicine! I really wonder what happened with me that night! At the end of the song, Jon thanked us as usual, marking the end of the show before the encores. I heard the giant behind me tell his girlfriend "And... that's a wrap!" Hmm, not a regular fan, the encores were still yet to come! I turned around to see that he was still touching the girl who was with him. My god, poor girl!!

The band left the stage, leaving us in the dark. People were screaming and clapping a lot in their hands at first, but after only a few seconds, it seemed like the conversations people had between them were the main sounds! I'm not saying that it has become silent in the amphitheater either, but I would have expected sustained screams a little longer than that in New Jersey! Personally, I had almost no voice! I noticed during the songs that my lips were moving, but that no sound was coming out from time to time. I had to cough a little to make my voice come back! However, interestingly, I could always scream with a very high pitch... I won't even try to understand the logic...

I saw a woman in the front row, a woman who had screamed so loudly before the show towards the crowd on the floor that I wondered what she would do once the band is on stage, try to interact with someone a little further on the floor! A woman in our row circulated, from behind her, what appeared to be two roses in a paper bag to the woman in the front row. When she found herself with the bag in her hands, the woman in the front row signaled someone further, like she meant to say, "What do you want me to do with that?!" She realized that she had to try to throw the bag on stage. In my head, I was thinking that it was really not a good idea with Jon's pollen allergies and who usually doesn't accept flowers during a show, but well. The woman tried to throw the flowers on stage, but the gap between the stage and the barricade was too wide. The bag was thrown on the small step lower than the stage on which the camera was rolling on its wheels. I saw a security guard arrive and to my surprise, he took the bag and put it on the stage instead of taking it and go away with it! Oh well! I didn't pay attention to what happened to these flowers afterwards.

When the band came back on stage, the crowd started screaming crazily. I recognized Runaway's first notes immediately! I just had time to tell myself that Sandra was going to freak out soon, because she usually gets the most excited during this song, before hearing her utter a super high pitched scream that never seemed to end! I was also glad that she would hear it, even if it's not my favorite one! What I found really hilarious is the fact that even Jon seemed surprised that Runaway started! He looked at a person on the floor in one of the first rows with a face that meant: "Yeah, we changed the set list!!" I waived once again my promise to enjoy all of Jon's moments near us by filming a part of Runaway while he was in front of us on stage... I thought I could do it at the end of the show like this. He had been walking in front of me many times already!

I felt doubly blessed when I saw the official set list at the end of the show, which was put on Facebook afterwards, because Runaway was not included in the encores or in the audibles (the audibles are written on the side of the set list) in case the band wants to lengthen the show a little. These audibles were crossed out on the sheet below, but I saw a few audibles at the end of the show, including Because We Can and Blood On Blood.

People sang really loud during Wanted Dead Or Alive, but Jon chose not to make us sing alone during the first verse. Nevertheless, I never get tired of hearing it!

Towards the end of the show, I noticed that I was often standing on my left leg in full extension and my right leg was often stomping on the floor. My herniated disc being on the left side, I then told myself that it was certainly not ideal for me to stand up like that! But well, I would pay the price the next day, not now on adrenaline! I also told myself that it was so good to have spent two hours without any pain in my body, something I have not felt often in the last two years! Oh what effect Jon has on me!!!

The show ended with Livin 'On A Prayer with the spotlights pointed towards the crowd in the arena so the band could probably see us better. Shortly before, I had seen Sandra unravel a red lanyard and I wondered what she was doing! She still had her camera strap in her hand and I had the impression that she wanted to replace it with the red lanyard. After the concert, she explained to me that she had hung her cellular phone on this lanyard to be able to call her mother, whom she always calls during Livin 'On A Prayer no matter where she is, in order to have one hand free.

I sang during Livin 'On A Prayer as if it was the last time I sang in my life. I had almost no voice and yet, I sang so loud that my throat hurt, my eyes were fixed on Jon, I probably had a big vein in my forehead and my face was probably very red, but nothing bothered me anymore. I could lose my voice forever, all that mattered was the present moment, the feeling of being in New Jersey and singing one last time with Jon. It looked like he didn't want to finish the song, he made us sing again and again. Nothing can describe in words my experience. I still have tears in my eyes when I think about it.

The band then took their usual bow, Jon no longer had his ear plugs and the last member on stage barely had the time to disappear by the stairs at the back of the stage before the lights turned on suddenly in the amphitheater and a background music was heard (well, it seems to me that I heard music...). My ears buzzed a little, I was exhausted from my day and my evening, but I would have really liked to hear more songs!

A person came to remove the plastic pieces that held the VIP chairs together so that people could walk away with them. It seemed complicated to separate them, so there was no danger that they would spread everywhere during the show!

A few people came forward in the middle of the first row in hope to get a set list sheet. A roadie arrived at one point with one of these sheets that he tried to throw towards these people, but the sheet did a weird move before falling on the ground. The roadie took the time to bring the sheet to them and I saw that the people who got it took some pictures. It's at this moment that I was able to see over their shoulders that Runaway was really not on the program! Roadies, who were on stage, were throwing guitar picks that the band members had dropped during the show. Some other roadies were looking for more in front of the stage to throw them back to the people waiting in the front row. Sandra and I went forward, hoping to see a roadie coming in with a pile of set list sheets. She even asked someone who passed in front of us to find out if it was possible to have one. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to have one! On the previous tour, there was always a roadie coming out of nowhere with a big pile of sheets that he was distributing to the people. I admit that it would have been really cool if I could have had one of these sheets for this show in New Jersey! Better luck next time!

A security guard kindly told us that it was now time to leave. It is with regret that we crossed the floor by going between the rows to go up by the section where we had gone down. We passed by the platform on which Jon had been during Amen and Bed Of Roses. Sandra touched it and I took some pictures to have a memory. According to our calculations, we concluded that the platform would probably be in section 113 at the Bell Centre. Sandra also took the time to take a picture of the banners of the Devils' retired jerseys that we couldn't see very well from our seats on the floor. While she did that, she found on the floor a glass of one of her favorite players and decided to keep it. I still suggested that she rinse it in the restrooms before leaving, because I didn't want her to end up with unidentified liquid in her car!

When we got outside, Sandra was attracted by a man who was selling Bon Jovi t-shirts in the street. She succumbed to the temptation, selling them only $10 if I remember correctly (or $15?!) and they seemed the same quality as the official merchandise inside at four times the price.

We got back to Sandra's car quite quickly and patiently waited to get out of the parking lot and head for our hotel about half an hour away. We arrived at the hotel shortly before midnight if I remember correctly. Sandra would have liked to have a drink in the room, but the convenience stores were closed. She called the front desk to ask if we could bring some drinks from the bar back to our room, but from what I understood, the only option for having alcohol at that time was to go in a bar not far from the hotel, next to a convenience store... So we abandoned our plan to relax a little bit before going to bed. I ate a granola bar, in order to avoid being too hungry during the night. I hardly found enough energy to take a shower and put on my pajamas. Let's say that only taking off my clothes required a considerable effort!

We went to bed, it was probably not far from 1h30am. We had to get up around 7h30am to be ready to leave around 9ham to return home at a reasonable time. I didn't sleep that well, like each time when I come back from a Bon Jovi show and when I wake up with a start from time to time after having dreamed about the images which went through in front of me during the evening.

Surprisingly, the next morning, I was still able to walk, but my back was quite stiff! I had to do some stretching and I really wondered how I was going to come back home in one piece! I told myself that at least the roads are very beautiful in the United States and a little less hard on the back than roads in Quebec that are full of bumps! I put a gel ice pack that Sandra had brought for her bottles of water on my back while I continued my review, waiting for Sandra to be ready to leave. My eyes were so dry and red that I didn't dare to wear contact lenses that morning! In short, strangely, it didn't take me much time to pack my bags and be ready to go!

We left a little after 9h10am from the hotel. We stopped at a gas station to refuel the car (a big $10US of gas!!) and buy something to eat at the convenience store nearby. I opted for a mango smoothie, a banana and a huge cheese and strawberry pastry.

We had the idea to stop again at the first Modell's that we would see from our side of the road (it's hard to turn left at traffic lights in New Jersey, so we wanted to avoid going to the one we had gone to the previous day that was on the right side for us on our way to the hotel!) to buy a Taylor Hall t-shirt for Sandra and Martin who requested it the day before when I told him we were going to Devil's Den, before knowing that it would be closed upon our arrival at the Prudential Center. Sandra suddenly remembered that the stores in some New Jersey counties are closed on Sundays because of the Blue Collar Law! Oh no! Indeed, the parking of all the shopping malls we saw was deserted despite the fact that it was almost 10ham! Too bad, better luck next time!

I wrote my show review for a while, with, as a soundtrack, the CD of the best Bon Jovi songs according to Sandra. We discussed a lot at the same time (yes, I can still multitask a little when I write!).

We had to storm out of the highway to "visit" a small town in the state of New York when we missed a rest are with restrooms and saw that the next one was several miles away. Sandra had her bladder so full that she really thought she could no longer hold it in anymore! It is true that the road there was full of small bumps not easy on full bladders! I have never seen anyone be so eager to go to the restroom!! I took the opportunity to go too, because our goal was to return home as soon as possible and stop as little as possible, provided that my back was holding up!

We stopped at a gas station located one exit before customs at 2h30pm to put American gas in the car (much cheaper than in Quebec!), stop in the restroom one last time and take a short walk for my back. Weird fact: the convenience store mix restroom contained a ceramic shower inside! This was the first time I was seeing this!

Sandra could not believe that there were two FREE (empty) aisles at customs! So we crossed the border in 30 seconds! The customs officer was very nice, she asked us where we came from, how long we had stayed and if we had anything to declare. Sandra was happy to mention that the only thing that we were bringing back was each a $10 t-shirt, which put a smile on the face of the customs officer!

We had seen some snowflakes fall in the Adirondacks when we came back and Sandra had mentioned the outside temperature displayed on her dashboard, telling me that it was often strangely colder in Quebec than in the Adirondacks. Well, not even a few seconds after passing the border, we were caught in a blizzard that happily didn't leave snow on the ground, but that significantly reduced the visibility ahead of us!! And indeed, it was a few degrees colder on the Canadian side of the border than in the Adirondack Mountains!! The idea went through our head to turn around and go back to New Jersey where it was slightly warmer (although it was very chilly with the wind in the morning, -5 degrees at 9ham if I remember correctly). Seeing snow discouraged me a little!!

I began to get tired of being in the car; the middle part of my back was stiff, my neck and shoulders were aching (Sandra had a very stiff neck too!), as we had spent a good part of the evening during the show looking up to see what was happening on stage, my quads were sore either by the road or the fact that I had been standing a long time the day before and the back of my thighs was also hurting me.

When we were close to her house, we heard Real Love from the CD that was playing. Sandra gave me a teasing look, but she didn't speak.

— No, don't worry, I'll be OK.
— OK! haha!

It was so funny that she thought to look at me to see if I was going to cry like the previous day and that I thought exactly the same thing! haha We arrived at Sandra's house, I took my personal belongings from her trunk and she went into the house to pick up a box with my goodies delivered to her house the previous week and which came with our VIP package for the April 4 show at the Bell Centre, which was postponed until May 17. The show was canceled at the last minute, so the goodies had already been delivered! And then I left her house, eager to go home after a dream weekend when I got off my routine and went have fun with my Jovi buddy in New Jersey! By the way, we said that we will have to repeat the experience at the next tour, because it was too much fun!!

Life resumed quite quickly when I arrived home with two little boys and a spouse who couldn't wait to give me a big hug! The next day, I did a lot of my show review while doing housework at the same time. It seemed like I was still a little bit on adrenaline, because I was exhausted, but very functional. And then, on the night from Monday to Tuesday, the adrenaline went off completely, because I felt broken in two Tuesday morning when I woke up. It's currently in the afternoon and I am currently idling with heavy eyelids despite my last two good night's sleep!

Would I do it again tomorrow morning? Yes. Am I happy that the shows in Montreal have been postponed until May? Yes, because I would not have survived three shows in four days, culminating with the one in New Jersey! Everything happens for a reason in life! Therefore, I can enjoy a little time before starting this all over again in Montreal in a few weeks! For me, Bon Jovi is more than my favorite band; it's my escape from my routine, my daily life, my pain and my worries. With Jon, nothing is impossible, nothing is complicated, especially in his presence! I attended my 26^th show in 25 years three days ago! And I would see a lot more if my schedule, my family obligations and my budget allowed me to! Bon Jovi is my drug and I'm deeply dependent on it!

Copyright © April 10, 2018 Marie-Hélène Cyr

• Home

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• Orthodontics - Orthognathic surgery

  • Introduction
  • Surgical patient's guide
    • Tips and advice
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    • Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
  • My story
    • OCTOBER 20, 2006 - The installation of my first braces
    • DECEMBER 8, 2006 - The installation of my lower braces
    • DECEMBER 13, 2007 - The removal of my wisdom teeth
    • MARCH 15, 2008 - My surgery (2 days before my first surgery)
    • MARCH 17, 2008 - News about Marie-Hélène (email sent by my husband)
    • MARCH 19, 2008 - Update (email sent by my husband)
    • MARCH 19, 2008 - Update (Take 2) (email sent by my husband)
    • MARCH 21, 2008 - News from the surgical patient!
    • MARCH 25, 2008 - Other news and first new pictures
    • APRIL 1, 2008 - Nothing but good news
    • APRIL 8, 2008 - Latest news
    • APRIL 14, 2008 - Not so good news
    • APRIL 15, 2008 - RE: ** UPDATE ** Not so good news
    • APRIL 15, 2008 - News from the second surgery (email sent by my husband)
    • APRIL 18, 2008 - News from the one that is slowly recuperating from her second surgery
    • APRIL 22, 2008 - News... again!
    • MAY 1, 2008 - After 6 weeks of appointments...
    • JUNE 6, 2008 - On the right track
    • AUGUST 27, 2008 - News!
    • NOVEMBER 17, 2008 - Another ordeal
    • DECEMBER 17, 2008 - Good news before Christmas
    • FEBRUARY 10, 2009 - The ugly duckling turned into a swan
    • FEBRUARY 9, 2012 - My teeth are acting up again!
    • FEBRUARY 13, 2012 - Appointment with my surgeon for my jaws
    • MARCH 20, 2012 - I will probably get out of it without braces!
  • Pictures & X-rays
    • Before/after the treatments
    • Before the braces/surgeries
    • After the surgeries
    • After the braces
    • X-rays

• Bon Jovi

  • Introduction
  • My show reviews
    • DECEMBER 10, 1993 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • AUGUST 3, 1995 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 28, 2000 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 19, 2001 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 19, 2001 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 21, 2003 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • DECEMBER 14 & 15, 2005 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 13, 2006 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 14 & 15, 2007 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MARCH 19 & 20, 2010 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 27, 2010 - East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
    • JULY 24, 2010 - Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA
    • FEBRUARY 18 & 19, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 4, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 9, 2012 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 13 & 14, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • APRIL 20, 2013 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
    • NOVEMBER 1 & 2, 2013 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 8, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • APRIL 7, 2018 - Newark, New Jersey, USA
    • MAY 17 & 18, 2018 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • My Bon Jovi pictures
    • DECEMBER 14, 2005 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • DECEMBER 15, 2005 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 13, 2006 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 14, 2007 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 15, 2007 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MARCH 19, 2010 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MARCH 20, 2010 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 27, 2010 - East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
    • JULY 24, 2010 - Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA
    • FEBRUARY 18, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 19, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 4, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 9, 2012 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 13, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 14, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • APRIL 20, 2013 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
    • NOVEMBER 1, 2013 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 2, 2013 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 8, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • APRIL 7, 2018 - Newark, New Jersey, USA
    • MAY 17, 2018 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 18, 2018 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • My Bon Jovi videos
    • DECEMBER 14, 2005 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • DECEMBER 15, 2005 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 13, 2006 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 14, 2007 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 15, 2007 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MARCH 19, 2010 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MARCH 20, 2010 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 27, 2010 - East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
    • JULY 24, 2010 - Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA
    • FEBRUARY 18, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 19, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 4, 2011 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • JULY 9, 2012 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 13, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • FEBRUARY 14, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • APRIL 20, 2013 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
    • NOVEMBER 1, 2013 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 2, 2013 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • NOVEMBER 8, 2013 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • APRIL 7, 2018 - Newark, New Jersey, USA
    • MAY 17, 2018 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    • MAY 18, 2018 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • My texts and poetry
    • That Power Called Love (1997)
    • For My 5 Years of Devotion (1998)
    • 6 Years (1999)
    • I Love You Because (2000)
    • 10 Years - One Decade (2003)
    • Already 10 Years of Love (2003)
    • Deception of a Fan (2003)
    • Living In a Dream (2003)
    • You and I (2003)
    • Time Goes By Fast... When You're in Love (2004)
    • For Half My Life... (2005)
    • Have a Nice Day Farewell (2006)
    • 15 Years Ago ... on February 21, 1993... (2008)
    • My Love Celebrates Its Sweet 16 (2009)
    • What You Mean to Me (2011)

• Literature

  • My books
  • My dental articles
  • My miscallenous texts

• About me

  • Biography
  • My professional achievements
  • My meetings with Canadian astronauts

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