They tell me you want me....

A couple of years ago, almost to the day, my sister and I went with my mom and a couple of friends, to Columbia, MO to see Elton John. You can read about it here.

It was great. No, it was better than great.

Regardless of what your feelings are about the man personally, I can't imagine that anyone could discredit his ability as a musician. The concert was everything I thought it would be and more.

Although my sister, 10 years my junior, was somewhat limited in her Elton John exposure, she had as much fun as I did. On the ride home we talked about all the concerts we had been to (and, yes, the list was lengthy) and all the concerts we still wanted to attend.

I told her that I felt like I had enjoyed so many different types of concerts, venues, etc, that I would really be alright if I never got to see another one. Not that I hoped it would come to that, but if it did.... (selflessly) I would survive.

I explained to her that there were only two artists remaining that I could not say "No" to the possibility of seeing.

1. Michael Jackson (never got the chance)
2. Bon Jovi

Later that year my husband and I went to Las Vegas with some friends. I remember being in an elevator when my phone rang. My sister spoke urgently once I answered.

"Do you want to go see Bon Jovi?!?!?!?!!?!?!"

"When?"

"Yes or No - In or Out"

So, what could I say?

"In!"

*********************

As it turned out, the concert was in April.

Daughtry opened for them, which was perfect because:

1. I love Daughtry and have ever since American Idol and
2. As I mentioned before, with Sarah being 10 years my junior, Daughtry was more age appropriate for her than Bon Jovi....still, who doesn't love Bon Jovi?

My sister actually was first exposed to Bon Jovi back in 1990, when she was a ripe FOUR years old. You see, I was obsessed with the movie, Young Guns II.

Yeah, I don't know why either.

The only conclusion that I can draw is that my personality has a trait, a very DOMINANT trait, that causes me, when I really like something, to throw myself into it completely. Read this to mean that I owned the movie, bought the soundtrack and read encyclopedias and the TIME LIFE Gunfighter book series, to determine what in the movies was true and what was fabricated all in relation to Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett.

It was before the internet, or I would have spent hours "googling it" too.

Also, one of my personality "quirks", as I will call it, is that not only do I throw myself into "it" (the subject of the moment) completely, but I am also compelled to share it and the information that I have found with EVERYONE! And they must like it as much as me.

Period. I am an oversharer.

If you don't like whatever it is, as much as I do, I will then force feed you information coupled with all the reasons you should, until you relent and claim that you love it too.

Now, don't you want to be my friend?

I remember that my fourteen year old self listened to the Young Guns II soundtrack by Jon Bon Jovi so many times that I seriously thought that I was going to "wear out" the tape.

My sister and I would sit in my bedroom floor while it played.

Although I was fourteen and she was four, it was only us. Together. There were no other siblings and her company was enough. She looked up to me and I loved her.

The songs coming out of the 1 1/2 foot by 2 foot speakers would rill up the room and many good times were spent listening to the music.

*****************************

So, in April, my friend, Becky, Sarah and I, loaded up and headed towards Kansas City. We had, of course, brought along our iPod filled to the brim with Bon Jovi songs.

Becky was a hard core Bon Jovi fan and had even been to one of his concerts already.

Sarah and I were novice's; taking bets on what song would be the intro, what song would be the encore and if Daughtry would come out and sing, "Wanted Dead or Alive". (He didn't)

With Sarah's primary knowledge of Jon Bon Jovi being fed to her in the form of the Young Guns II soundtrack at such a young age, her points of reference were somewhat small.

She would throw out something like an enthusiastic "I bet he will end with 'Blaze of Glory!!!!'", to which Becky and I would be mentally shaking our heads at the obvious lack of diverse Bon Jovi knowledge....

It was the moment when Sarah said, "I can't wait 'til he plays 'Blood Money' that actually made Becky and I laugh out loud.

Or was it just me?

You see, I don't even know if Becky, whose knowledge of Bon Jovi far surpasses mine, even knew what the song 'Blood Money' was. And I, who was familiar with 'Blood Money', knew that the song never even made it to radio, wasn't all that popular, and even though I liked it (again, this encompassed all things Young Guns), I recognized that this was a song that would be voted "Most Likely To Be Fast Forwarded Through" if such an election existed for albums.

I chastised Sarah for such ridiculousness and we kept singing and moved on down the road.

***************************

We arrived at the venue in quite a thunderstorm. Being the losers we are, we sat in the car for a couple of hours and waited for the time to arrive that the doors would open.

Nope, no sight seeing or fancy restaurants for us.

Only car sitting and non-stop Bon Jovi playing.

Once in, we took our seats and waited for the show.

Daughtry came on and was excellent. My only complaint was that he wasn't on the big screen so I couldn't clearly see his adorable face.

Of course, when Bon Jovi took the stage, pandemonium erupted.

IT WAS GREAT!

I still can not believe the energy Jon possessed. The whole time he was running and singing and singing and running. The stage had many ramps and levels and there wasn't one he didn't visit.

I was worn out WAY before Jon was.

There was only once that he slowed down enough to catch his breath.

He pulled up a bar stool and 23,750 people hushed down to complete silence. He spoke a little to the audience and then pulled out his guitar.

The crowd waited in the silent anticipation.

Then, after a few acoustic strings were strung, LITERALLY two people out of 23,750 screamed and jumped to their feet.

Me and Sarah.

He was playing 'Blood Money' and I don't think that anybody else there either knew, or cared. I grabbed her and in my excitement for her, hugged her. While the people around us, including Becky, thought we were nuts, I knew that, in that moment, we had experienced a moment we wouldn't ever forget.

I believe that, in part, the song served as a reminder to us that even though we are years apart in age, we are inseparable in spirit.

I don't know two sisters who are closer.....or more alike. I am glad that at the age of four, she allowed me to "force feed" her my musical likes and dislikes -among MANY, MANY other things.

Those ten years separating us has narrowed. Of course, ten years is ten years. But the distance between four and fourteen is a canyon compared to the distance between 23 and 33. Although at four I loved her like I had never loved anything before, at 23, the love still grows.

I love her and I am thankful God gave me a sister who is also my best friend.

(This was obviously in Philadelphia, PA, not Columbia, MO. They seem to be a little more excited at 'Blood Money' than the Columbia crowd, but even they are a little weak. They needed us there to build their excitement.....! Or, Chris Daughtry to help sing, 'Blaze of Glory'! That seemed to work, too!)