Tales of a Paint Girl

2018-12-22T14:01:00.003-08:00

Never go to a party empty handed!

Do you need to know what what wine to bring you this Holiday Season? Look here for my top picks!

"Tis the time of the year to "drink darker" if you haven't yet switched over from summery wines.
My absolute top pick of the season is Josh Cellars Merlot. The low acidity in this dry red, with hints of cherry, plum and chocolate, make it very easily drinkable and pleasurable on the palate.

Not a dark red enthusiast? I'll meet you half way with my two favorite Rosés. Both of them are deliciously crisp French wines, with my favorite being (M. Chapouttier) Bellaruche, followed La Petite Perrier.

Insisting on a white wine, are you? For a crisp white, my favorite is Ferrari Carano’s Sauvignon Blanc. Delightfully complex, it’s fruitiness can almost give a sense of “sweetness” without being sweet. Seaglass also makes a really nice Sauvignon Blanc, if you can't find Ferrari Carano or are looking for a slightly less expensive option.

For those of you who insist on sticking to your sweet wine (and for those of you who follow me, you know that I"m not a sweet wine drinker), I like to keep on hand, what tends to be a crowd pleaser, which is Mirassou's Moscato, which I, myself, can be found occasionally sipping in the summer.
If you're looking to splurge a bit without breaking the bank then I suggest one of my favorite dry reds, Bellaruche, which hails from the French region of Cotes du Rhône. However, I must add the caveat, that I've found the 2016 is too acidic, so I recommend 2015 and prior.

Again, if you'd like to splurge without breaking the bank, but you're looking to purchase a white wine then I suggest Inama Vin Soave, which is a truly wonderful Italian wine that tends to please both dry and sweet drinkers.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Cheers!

Forever Fangirling,

Erica

This House Is Not For Sale - You're Not Kidding, Bon Jovi

2016-10-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

9:45 a.m.

I sit, poised at my computer watching the countdown on Ticketmaster waiting for Bon Jovi concert tickets to go on sale.

I, like so many other fans, have waited for this moment for three . . . long . . . years.

The clock turns 10:00. Tickets are now on sale. It takes me a minute to get my bearings on Ticketmaster, which wasn't the vehicle used for purchasing Fan Club tickets on Bon Jovi's last tour. My whole body is shaking with the stress and excitement of trying to be one of the first fans on to Ticketmaster with the hopes of getting an oh-so-coveted seat close to the stage. My fingers are trembling as I try to locate the perfect seats. Yeah, I'm in my mid-forties, and I know how ridiculous that sounds.

Unfortunately, however, it doesn't take long before the trembling stops as I realize I'm not going to be buying a ticket today. Not because I wasn't fast enough on the draw to get the seat that I wanted, but because ticket prices are so exorbitantly high this tour.

Let me put this in a bit of perspective for you. I've been married to the same man for 22 years. We're a middle class family, with three children who are involved in a lot of positive things through school and the community. All of those things cost money--a lot of it. I know this already, so I've spent the last year-and-a-half saving for this Bon Jovi tour. I've set money aside when I could, and truthfully, even when I shouldn't. I've said "no" to girls-night-outs, and that pair of jeans I wanted to buy, so that I could set aside even more money for this very tour. And truthfully, I've been happy to do so. I've done it before. There is nothing--NOTHING--like sitting close to the stage at a Bon Jovi concert. It has been my joy through the pain of saying "no" to other things that I wanted to do or have for the shining moment of purchasing these tickets. This isn't the first tour for which I've done this, and I've never regretted it.

Are the tickets really that much money that it's worth blogging about, you say? Well, for Bon Jovi's 2013 Because We Can tour, I went to two shows. I know that there are some of you who travel the world to see Bon Jovi, and I am truly happy for you. I, however, don't fall into that category, and frankly, there are many of us who don't. And I would like to think that we're not 2nd rate fans. I've listened to Bon Jovi since 1985, pre Slippery When Wet days. If Bon Jovi has released something, I've bought it. And yes, I see them when they tour. In fact, for those of us who have had to penny-pinch for these concerts, doesn't that show a level of dedication in some ways beyond those who don't have to save for each tour?

For the record, I am NOT trying to say that one type of fan is better or more dedicated than another. I would like to think that, for the most part, we are one big happy "family." I absolutely LOVE the FANTASTIC people who I have met through Bon Jovi, that I would not have met otherwise. And, yes. I do know people that get to do many Runaway Tours and travel the world to see Bon Jovi, and they're GREAT people. The point I'm trying to make, is that just because I and others like me can't go to as many shows as some, doesn't make us less of a fan or less dedicated. We just bank roll differently. LOL!

So let's get down to actual ticket prices. For the Because We Can Tour, in July at Soldier Field in Chicago, I purchased the Backstage with JBJ package for 4th row PIT for $900. It was pretty awesome. Aside from the fourth row tickets, we got things like a Bon Jovi bag, a journal, the backstage tour (the backstage tour is awesome fun), and a pretty sweet dinner/drinks party with other fans before the show. (I included a pic of me with Jon's white mic stand.) The same basic package for fourth row this year costs 982.75 (not including taxes and Tickmaster fees which will put the package over $1,000). Ok, so it's the same package with a bit of inflation. I can understand that. Also, there is not PIT this tour. That's OK. I get that things change.

Here's where I take issue. Fourth row through 15th row for this tour is the Silver package, which carries the $982 price tag. That's pretty steep the further back you go.

For the Because We Can tour, I also purchased a 5th row Fan Club PIT ticket only (without the package) for the October Chicago show for approximately $400. This is the type of ticket I planned on purchasing this tour, understanding that there would probably be a bit of an increase in price. These type of tickets have been available to fan club members for some time. Unfortunately, there is no option this tour for a floor Fan Club ticket without the package. The closest ticket a Fan Club member can get without a package is for lower bowl, starting at $375. If you'd like to purchase a 4th row ticket, without a package, and you're not using the Fan Club, but just using the presale, a 4th row ticket will cost you $1050. WHAT? Seriously? What happened to work for the working man, Jon?

I have saved for and planned on spending anywhere between $500-$800 on a floor ticket without a package for a good seat somewhere in the fourth to sixth row. Which, based on tickets for past tours, was a reasonable amount to figure, even with planned inflation.

You may think I am just some big complainer/hater. Not so.

I absolutely LOVE Bon Jovi. I am a fan. I am also a consumer.

Bon Jovi is a band, which is a corporation, of which Jon Bon Jovi is the CEO.

If I, as a consumer, feel that I am unhappy with something, I have every right to speak out and say so. It is the American way. It is the Bon Jovi way. We weren't born to follow . . . .

At best, I feel snubbed by the band that I love, that I have sacrificed for . . . .

I have not purchased a ticket yet for this tour. I will not sit in the back or in the side bowl. I don't enjoy myself in those seats. I am not complaining, I am simply making my voice heard on this issue.

If you feel the same, please feel free to share this blog.

Better still. Make your own voice heard. Call, email, tweet Bon Jovi. Please do so with respect, but please do so.

Ride the Wind to a Bret Michaels Show

2016-08-29T10:20:00.007-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a wee girl, we'll call her "Erica," that lived that lived in somewhat magical place called Chicago. The wee girl loved to go concerting (yes, I decided that's a real word) with her friends, in particular, the Fair Maiden, Kate. Over time, Erica's nemesis, the Evil Economy, grew so bad, that Erica and her family had to move to a faraway place for her and her husband to find work. Erica and the Fair Maiden Kate were sad that they couldn't "concert" like they used to, and sadder still that they had not seen a Bret Michaels show together. It just so happened at Christmastime when Erica and her family were traveling back to Chicago, that Erica received a very special phone call from the Fair Maiden Kate. Here, boys and girls, is where Erica and Kate's fairytale begins. . . .

Kate: Hey, Bret Michaels is going to be in Arlington Heights Friday night. I know you have an eight hour drive in that day, but if you think you can make it in time, I'll drive us both to the show.

Erica: Seriously? Count me in. I'll make sure I'm there.

Now fortunately, Erica's family were very good sports about the long eight hour drive ahead of them, and hardly stopped at all to eat or use the "facilities" on the road. And so it happened that Erica and her family made it to Chicago in record time. Unfortunately, by the time Erica and her family made it to Chicago there was quite a bit of snow raining down from the heavens. AND Erica had promised her eldest son that she would drop him off at his best friend's house on the way to dearest Kate's house, so the by the time Erica and Kate made it to Arlington Heights, Erica had been on the road for 12 long hours that day.

But this was a long overdue GNO with KATE and a Bret Michaels show to boot, so--don't be shy, sing it with me. . .

Ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough,
To keep me from getting to you babe!

As I said, after braving a blizzard, Kate and I arrived at the venue. Even though we arrived right before the opening band, there was still plenty of room left toward the front. I think the bad weather worked to our advantage. Kate and I were fortunate enough to score third row standing room in front of the stage.

In no time at all, the lights dimmed and Guns N Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" began to play on the house system. (I read recently that "Welcome to the Jungle" is one of Bret Michaels' favorite songs from the '80s.) As "Welcome to the Jungle" was coming to a close, Bret Michaels answered the call of his screaming fans when he burst on to the stage with long time Poison favorite, "Talk Dirty To Me." Bret continued with many Poison hits, including, "Every Rose Has its Thorn," "Unskinny Bop," and "Look What the Cat Dragged In." Kate and I were both oh-so hoping to hear "Ride the Wind" and were DELIGHTED when Bret announced he'd be playing that song. Here is a short video I shot of "Ride the Wind." And do please pardon the poor video quality. It is an IMPOSSIBLE task to hold still for the video while Bret is so very close on the stage!

At one point in the show, Bret Michaels called to the stage anyone who is or was in the armed forces. Bret explained that many in his family have served in the military. He implored the audience to support current and former military members, regardless of what side of the political fence one might lie on. After shaking hands with all of the vets that had joined him on stage, Bret Michaels performed a heartfelt version of "Something To Believe In."

The highlight of the show for both Kate and I came during Poison's hit "Nothin' But A Good Time." Bret Michaels had made his way over to our side of the stage and was reaching out into the audience when he grabbed hold of Kate's hand and gave it a good squeeze. Yay, Kate! SCORE! Then he immediately reached out and grabbed my hand with a lingered hold! *Giggles*

To wrap up the show, Bret Michaels invited Warrant's front man, Robert Mason, to the stage to help sing "Your Mama Don't Dance" or was it "Rock and Roll All Night?" Hmm. . . it's hard to remember. . . (Forgetfulness. Forgetfulness, friends, is what happens when you're a mom of three and don't have the time to immediately blog after a show.) Anyhow, the point is, both Bret Michaels and Robert Mason were on stage. Together. Kate and I were in the third row. I'm having a moment here. *Dreamily sighs*

The show ended and audience members were encouraged to buy the few remaining backstage VIP passes, along with the announcement that all of the proceeds from the VIP passes for that show would be going to a wounded veteran charity. I truly believe that Bret Michaels VIP passes are worth every penny. And I love the idea that the proceeds were going to such worthy cause. Unfortunately, I didn't happen to be operating on a VIP budget, especially that close to Christmas.

All my rocker buddies know my top two bucket list items are to meet Jon Bon Jovi and also to meet Bret Michaels. I told concert buddy Kate that I have wanted to meet Bret Michaels since 1986 and I felt like it was my lucky day, VIP pass or not. Kate decided she couldn't argue with that so we hopped in her car and headed to the back of the venue to try to scope out his tour bus. As you can imagine, we weren't the only girls with the old "hang-out-by-the-tour-bus" idea. Many girls were parked in their cars peering at the tour bus, or driving slowly by the tour bus, or the old groupie standby of waiting outside by the tour bus in the freezing cold. It was about 20 degrees and dropping. And windy. And snowing. This was Chicago after all.

Kate and I had to park a good distance away because there was such a slew of girls parked near the tour bus hoping for a glimpse of Bret. Then all the "cray cray" girls started coming out of the woodwork. You know, those girls that try to get on the tour bus uninvited? And I do use the term "girls" loosely. I'm talking women in their early forties through about their late fifties. May I just take a minute air out my grievance? Dear women my age and older, just because something was cute, funny and acceptable in your teens, does not make it OK now. Please DO show a little respect for yourself and for Bret Michaels. Please try to grasp that the tour bus is his HOME on the road. It is in no way OK to peer in the tour bus windows, or to knock on the door, or worst of all, to just try to OPEN the door and let yourself in.

Fortunately, Bret has a good security team that was partnering with police protection that night, and all such "cray cray" girls were promptly escorted out and forced to leave. And after one too many flaky groupies, the security/police started going up and down the alley asking all of the girls waiting in cars to leave as well. Kate and I thought, "Oh, well. It was a good try anyway," but since we had to park so far away, the security/police never came to Kate's car and asked us to leave! Yay! I told you it was my lucky night.

After a good couple hours (yes, I did say a couple hours), Kate and I decided to park her car closer to the tour bus. I told Kate that it couldn't be much longer until Bret came out, and I was going to try to wait outside. She told me that I was nuts because it was FREEZING outside, and because there were was a security guard and roadie stationed outside the tour bus. But I told her it was my lucky night, and everything would be OK.

I strolled right up to the security guard and roadie and asked if I could wait by the tour bus. The roadie intensely replied that only those that had purchased a VIP ticket could meet Bret. I cheerily responded, "OK. I understand. So can I stand here and wait by the tour bus?" He said, "Lady, I don't care what you do." I thanked them both and stood a few feet away from the tour bus for about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I was no match for the cold, and had to retreat to to the car for some much need warmth. However, while waiting by the tour bus, I could clearly see the room where the VIP party was being held, and so I knew from which direction Bret Michaels would approach his bus.

After waiting at least another 45 minutes, we saw Bret and his entourage of about 12 security guards and roadies all emerge from the VIP room and head toward the bus. I quickly hopped out of Kate's car and called Bret's name while cautiously approaching Bret and his crew. A very big and stern security guard was instantly in front of me with his hand held out toward my face and told me to stop. I stopped immediately and held my hands up in the "surrender" position to let him know I meant no harm.

Bret had heard me call his name and saw his security guard stop me. He called out to his security guard and in the most welcoming voice said, "Let them come. Let them come." (My husband at this point in the story likes to say, "What is Bret Michaels Jesus now? "Let this little children come unto me." LOL!) All smiles, I walked up to Bret, who said in the most pleasant manner, "Come here, honey. Do you just want a picture with me?" (YES! YES, that ALL I WANT! THANK YOU Bret Michaels for understanding your fans!) I replied yes to Bret, and he asked for my phone. I handed him my iPhone and he worked my iPhone for me, pulling up the camera, and then held out my camera in his hand to take a selfie with me. When he saw how dark it was he said to his security guards, "I need a spotlight here." A security guard held up his flashlight as a spotlight for us and Bret snapped the picture of us together. Then Bret gave me a hug (MAN! HE SMELLED GOOD!) and a kiss on the cheek and said, "I love you. Thanks for coming to the show." Aw, Bret! I'm melting!

At this point Bret noticed that Kate was halted in the back with the security guards who had not let her come through. Bret said to his security, "I said let them come." Kate came forward and Bret also took a selfie with Kate using her iPhone. He also gave her a hug, kiss on the cheek, and a heartfelt, "I love you. Thanks for coming to the show."

We both could have died happily right there. But it gets better. Bret turned to us and excitedly remarked, "I saw you in the crowd. Did you see me see you in the crowd?" OMG! YES! We saw you see us in the crowd! Could this moment get any more awesome? He wished us a Merry Christmas, thanked us both again for coming to the show, and went on his way.

Oh man! What a glorious few short minutes this was! I fully acknowledge that Bret Michaels did not have to stop and take time with us after a full show and VIP party. I am so grateful for his kindness.

Thank you ever so much, Bret Michaels, for your goodness and graciousness to your fans! You made this fan's THIRTY year long dream come true, and I will be forever grateful!

Forever Fangirling,
Erica Basile

Review - Bon Jovi's Burning Bridges

2015-09-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Recently, August 21, 2015 to be exact, Bon Jovi released their newest album Burning Bridges. This album was released amidst little fanfare, with the band making no mention of it on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or even on their website. The album arrived to those who preordered it in a brown paper bag. Yes! You heard that right! It was literally delivered in a brown paper bag, similar to a lunch bag. Burning Bridges contains no lyrics sheet, pictures, or credits, nothing but the CD, album title, and song titles. (Update: Bon Jovi sent an email to fans on August 26th promoting the album, with links to their amended website, which included lyrics and credits for each song. As of this point, Bon Jovi is still not promoting the album on social media.) Also, below is a pic of a friend's CD when it arrived--courtesy of my Bon Jovi pal, Margo. Thanks, Margo!

Why all the stealthiness for this album? Perhaps Jon Bon Jovi answered that question when he recently explained to a small crowd of fans, "It [Burning Bridges] is our latest, it's not our next. It is sort of the end of a cycle, not the beginning of the new one. Some of the songs are 10 years old. 'We Don't Run' is a new one. 'Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning' is probably 8 or 10 years old. It's the end of an era."

And in a recent interview JBJ told Vancouver's Steve Darling, "Burning Bridges (um) is the end of an era. . . . It was meant to coincide with a Southeast Asian tour. . . . It's a fan record. It's under the radar. But it's also the conclusion of a 32 year relationship (uh) with my record company. . . . It was time to move on. The traditional model wasn't working for me anymore, . . . so it was both a fulfillment, and more importantly, something I'm proud of because it's (uh) it's songs that, ya know, I wouldn't put out otherwise."

Since I just quoted Jon Bon Jovi saying, “Some of the songs are 10 years old,” let’s talk about “old,” or shall we say, “previously unreleased songs,” for a minute. In the past, Bon Jovi has released other albums with previously unreleased material. In fact, last year Bon Jovi re-released their New Jersey album as a box set with the second disc, called The Sons Of Beaches, containing all previously unreleased material. Sons Of Beaches included unreleased songs that were written for the original New Jersey album, as well as demos of familiar Bon Jovi tunes. In addition to that, Bon Jovi has a three-CD box set called 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong, with all included material being previously unreleased. Let’s face it, albums like these and Burning Bridges are marketed to mega fans. With Burning Bridges specifically receiving no airplay (that I’m aware of), and no promotion on Bon Jovi’s social media sites, the “casual” Bon Jovi fans are most likely unaware that this CD was even released. It’s like a special secret between the mega-fan and rock star. If writing a song is like baring one’s soul for all to see, then albums like Burning Bridges, allow only those that have crossed over to mega-fandom to feel like they get a special intimate glimpse into our favorite artist’s soul, that special glimpse on which a large portion of fans will miss out. So what “soul-baring” songs can you hope to hear on this album? Here is a list of the songs included on Burning Bridges:

A Teardrop to the Sea

We Don't Run

Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning

We Fall Down

Blind Love

Who Would You Die For

Fingerprints

Life Is Beautiful

I'm Your Man

Burning Bridges

Take Back The Night

I won't touch on all of the songs on this album, even though I am enjoying them all, but here are a few worth mentioning.

"We Don't Run" is the only song that Jon Bon Jovi has explicitly stated is new for this album. Written in the style of other great Bon Jovi rock anthems, it also echoes the "burning bridges" theme in it's lyrics; "Not afraid of Burning Bridges, 'cause I know they're gonna light my way." And what Bon Jovi anthem would be complete without lyrics to rally behind? Fans, roll down the windows in your car and sing like no one is listening!

We don't run, I'm standing my ground

We don't run, and we don't back down

There's fire in the sky, there's thunder on the mountain

Bless each tear and this dirt I was born in

Run

We don't run

"Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning," as I said earlier, was written 8-10 years ago. It is an upbeat, feel-good song, sure to be a crowd-pleaser when played in concert. It has that classic Bon Jovi feel to it, making it yet another great recognizable Bon Jovi tune. Also, this is the only song on the album that was co-written with Richie Sambora, and it may be a long time, if ever, before Bon Jovi fans get another song written by our "dynamic duo."

Also included in the album tracks is the sultry number "Who Would You Die For." Jon croons erotic lyrics, which I have personally witnessed making waves with the ladies on social media. Such lyrics include:

Will you write me lipstick letters

Miss me when I'm gone

Wake up tangled in the sheets

Still aching for my arms. . .

All I want is all of you and more

The big bad wolf is knocking at your door

Who would you die for. . .

I want to know

And while this song isn't one of my personal favorites on the album (it's a little slow for me), the other gals sure seem to like it. . . . A LOT.

One of my favorite songs on the album is "Life is Beautiful," which musically seems to be reminiscent of the tunes included on The Circle, and I wonder if it was written for, but not released for that album. And did you notice, fans, that there are some similarities in the theme or lyrics of "Life Is Beautiful" and "When We Were Beautiful” (which was included on The Circle)?

Check it out the similarities in lyrics and theme.

Life is Beautiful
The sky is cracked
We can't go back

When We Were Beautiful
The world is cracked, the sky is torn
I'm hanging in, you’re holding on

Aaaaand

Life is Beautiful
I can't save me from my sins
Innocence my long lost friend

When We Were Beautiful
Back when we were innocent
I wonder where it went, let's go back and find it

Did you see that? “Life is Beautiful” mentions a cracked sky, and “When We Were Beautiful” includes a cracked world and torn sky. Both songs refer to a loss of innocence. Grasping at straws you say? I think not. I heard the similarities, and ENJOYED them, the first time I heard "Life Is Beautiful."

I will also include an honorable mention for "I'm Your Man." On occasion in his shows, Jon Bon Jovi includes a cover of Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" which Jon has said that he wishes he had written himself. And while this song is not Leonard Cohen's song, it certainly seems to be an homage to the original version that Jon loves so much.

One more number to remark on is "Burning Bridges." This song is Bon Jovi's not-so-fond farewell to their former record company in an old-time bar sing-along style song, with telling lyrics that include:

Check the box

Mark this Day

There's nothing more to say

After 30 years of loyalty they let you dig the grave

Now maybe you could learn to sing

Or even strum along

I'll give you half the publishing

You're why I wrote this song...

Sayonara

Adios, auf wiedersehen, farewell,

Adieu, good night, guten abend,

Here's the last song you can sell

Now don't get me wrong, even though the lyrics are a bit harsh at times, this song is pretty hilarious. I dare you to listen and not laugh while you sing along.

One last thing, Bon Jovi fans, keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for Bon Jovi's new album, which will be released sometime in April or May of 2016, with a tour to follow. (Yay! Another tour!) In the meantime, keep calm and listen to Burning Bridges.

Forever Fangirling,

Erica Basile

Addicted to that Rush - Bass Clinic with Billy Sheehan

2015-06-12T13:52:00.003-07:00

15 year old son: Mom, my music teacher says there's some famous bass player coming to the music store.

Me: Oh, yeah? Who is it?

Son: I dunno know.

One week later: driving by the music store, the sign reads, "Billy Sheehan, bass clinic."

WHAT?!

I nearly put my husband through the windshield, as I hit the breaks and turned the car around to buy tickets for the clinic!

About three weeks later, my son and I arrived at the music store ready for the clinic. If you've ever read my blog, you know I have a thing about being as CLOSE TO THE STAGE AS POSSIBLE. Since it was a weekday (workday for most), I figured lining up for the clinic about an hour before the doors opened would be sufficient. My bet paid off, and we were the second people in line.

When the doors opened, my son and I found seats in the front row. Only 100 tickets were sold for this event. The room continued to fill, and soon enough, the music store announced that it was time for the clinic to begin.

After a nice introduction, and a big shout out to Yamaha, who was sponsoring the clinic, Billy took the stage and played for a few minutes. (Sheehan playes Yamaha bass guitars, and has his own signature model Yamaha bass available for purchase.)

For those of you who don't know, I am not a musician. I LOVE music. I DEVOUR music. A BIG part of MY WORLD is music.

Of course, most of the room was made up of men who ARE musicians. I came to this clinic prepared to pretty much not understand whatever "technical" things Billy would talk about. But it didn't matter to me, I was just SO HAPPY to be there.

I first heard of Billy Sheehan when I was a freshman in high school and David Lee Roth released his album Eat 'Em and Smile (on which Billy Sheehan played bass). In fact, the first concert I ever attended, was David Lee Roth's Eat 'Em and Smile concert at Chicago's (then called) Rosemont Horizon. That was a GREAT SHOW! I've been hooked on rock concerts ever since!

A couple of years later, in '89, my friend Marie bought Mr. Big's first (self-titled) album. (Yes, of course I bought it right after that!) I remember the two of us playing it in the car while driving. I was addicted to that rush from the first time I heard it (sorry for the pun...somewhat sorry, anyway). If you're a regular reader to my blog, you know that I have BIG LOVE for Mr. Big, and that they have been one of my favorite bands for many years. And if you're not aware, Billy Sheehan also has a band called the Winery Dogs. I recommend you check them out if you haven't already!

Back to the clinic, after Billy played for a few minutes, he opened the floor for questions. The questions ranged from things like, "What was it like to work with David Lee Roth?" to "How do you do play an appregio?" He was so gracious as he answered the questions. When he was showing the crowd how to do certain bass riffs that he was asked about, he explained the riff and showed it in slow motion. He encouraged the audience, saying that anyone could play anything they wanted to with practice, thus making music, even complex, music attainable to all present.

It was fascinating listening to him as he talked about his daily warm-up routine and how he practices the same finger exercises on his bass everyday for hours. Interestingly, this is the same routine he's been doing for years. He explained that if you teach your fingers to be anywhere they need to be on the fret, then you can play anything, because you remove the physical limitations from yourself. (In other words, the notion that "I can't do that because my fingers don't reach there" is no longer an issue.) If you train your fingers to reach anywhere, then you can play anything to which you set your mind and practice habits.

What may have amazed me most, is that he said he discovers something new EVERY day on the bass! He said that even if you don't feel like playing, do your finger excersises, and stick with it, and eventually something new will present itself to you. First comes discipline, then comes inspiration.

He talked the artists who inspired him to come up with some of the different playing techniques that he uses. He also shared personal stories from his "early" days with Talas. He talked about how he put Mr. Big together, and their journey to fame. When someone asked how to put a band together, he said that he is of the opinion that it's more important to like the people with whom you're playing than to have the "best" player in your band. I remember the stories he shared and could say more, but if you've read my blog, you know that I am unwilling to spoil a future event for others by sharing too much.

And do you know what? He made everything so uncomplicated that I understood everything that he said! His total time on stage, most of which was answering questions, was about two hours. But the evening didn't end there! Billy Sheehan stuck around to sign autographs and take pictures with people. He was so kind to all. When it was my turn to talk to him, I told him that I LOVE Mr. Big and that "Alive and Kickin'" is my favorite song. I asked if he would personalize an autograph to me with the words "Alive and Kickin." Fortunately, he was happy to oblige! Can you imagine that? After all of these years (29 years to be exact), I got to MEET, and take a PICTURE with, and get an AUTOGRAPH from Billy Sheehan! I am one HAPPY GIRL today!

I am SO THRILLED that I got to see Billy Sheehan up close and personal! Yeah, duh, you couldn't tell right? Well, come to think of it, I've been up close and personal before at Mr. Big concerts when I've had front row right in front of Billy! But this was a different animal than a concert entirely. It was such a pleasurable evening. I highly recommend going to one of his clinics if one is coming near you!

I'd like to extend a big thank you to all of my regular and new readers! I so enjoy taking you along with me on my rock music adventures! I also really love hearing from you either in the comments section or through social media. Do feel free to share any of my posts that you like. I especially like to have conversations about music on Twitter. You can find me my on Twitter page by clicking here.

Until next time...

Top 30 Eighties Metal Bands of All Time

2015-02-12T11:48:00.003-08:00

Did you ever read through a list of alleged Top 10, or say, Top 25 Hair Bands of All Time and wonder WHAT PERSON WHO OBVIOUSLY NEVER ACTUALLY LISTENED TO '80s hairband/metal wrote that list? Well, I just did. Today. I found myself complaining out loud to my computer screen, wondering how in the world is Lita stuck back at number 25, while Vixen is placed in the number 9 spot. And how could the obviously misinformed author include Britny Fox in the number FOUR spot and not mention Whitesnake AT ALL? Fortunately, it was at that point that I remembered that I HAVE A BLOG!!! And truly, what better person than me, who lived through the '80s, lived and breathed '80s metal, still listens to '80s hairband/metal, and still sees these bands in concert whenever possible to write such a list? (Don't get me wrong, I had Vixen and Britny Fox's tapes back in the 80s and like them too, I just think there needs to be a little "setting of the record straight!")

Before I continue, if you're looking for a GREAT place to hear everything from '80s metal to current metal, you MUST check out my friend, Andrew Babcock's radio show, Hair Metal Mansion. You can click here to see a list of show times and stations. You can also listen to previous shows by clicking here. Seriously, Hair Metal Mansion is my "go to" place for the music I love, as well as awesome interviews. Just this week, Andrew interviewed Erik Turner from Warrant on the show.

On to my list. I edited and rewrote this list over the course of a couple of weeks, deleting a handful of my favorite bands, choosing instead to include bands that I felt were the most influential at the time. Helping me with this list is Rocker Hubby, Perry, pictured right (or above, if you're viewing this on your mobile device), on stage in 1983.

So without further ado, here are my

Top 30 Eighties Metal Bands of All Time

Beginning with--

30. Stryper

Has curiously never been on a top 25 list that I've read, but, as I recall, pretty much "everybody" listened to these self-proclaimed Christian rockers. I saw the Black and Yellow Attack donned rockers in concert on their In God We Trust Tour at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, as they played to a nearly sold-out crowd. So earning their spot on this list is Stryper with "Calling on You."

29. Yngwie Malmsteen

Don't hate. Yngwei's only real successful hit was "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget." (This self-proclaimed '80s metal girl saw Yngwie in concert just a few short years ago at Chicago's House of Blues, and was, BTW, the ONLY girl in the who building who wasn't working there as a server/bartender. I'd aslo like to mention that this was my husband's anniversary present to me, at my request, in leiu of a romantic dinner.) And while Yngwie has and likely will always have his own cult following, if you don't belong to that crowd, I'd like to see you try and name any other Yngwie songs. I can name 2 more. Seriously. "Blue" and "Baroque and Roll." That's it. But he has staying power with his own fan base who seem to like his guitar licks, and he definitely deserves a spot on this list. Here is "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget."

28. Mr. Big

Oh, how I LOVE this band! Mr. Big started off with heavy hitters Paul Gilbert, formerly of Racer X, and Billy Sheehan, of David Lee Roth fame. With the addition of bluesy singer, Eric Martin, and Pat Torpey on drums, this band is still loved by many. I have Mr. Big this far back on the list because their first album, Mr. Big, was released in the summer of '89, making them really more of a '90s than an '80s band. Here's their first release, "Addicted To That Rush."

27. Quiet Riot

I was just watching Footloose with my son. In the movie, Kevin Bacon's character, Ren, is driving his car, blasting his Quiet Riot cassette tape, Metal Health. While watching the movie, I was reminded of just how popular this band was at one time. In 1983, Metal Health even uprooted Michael Jackson's Thriller from its number one spot on the charts. Here they are with their chart-topping song, "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)."

26. Scorpions

On my first date with my husband of now 20 years, we saw the Scorpions in concert at the Rosemont Horizon, now called the Alllstate Arena. I know some of you probably think they should be higher on the list, and I'll even agree with you based on their longevity and the influence they've had on other bands. I like them. I just don't love them. And please, oh please, classic rock stations, can you play SOMETHING OTHER than "Rock You Like a Hurricane" or the "The Zoo"? So how about we change it up with this one? Here's "Big City Nights."

25. Winger

"She's only forty-two" is what Kip Winger would have to sing these days. Winger was a bit late on the '80s scene, with their debut album, Winger, being released in 1988. Personally, I like a good Winger song, and I like them in concert too. From their platinum album, Winger, for my friend Kate, here is "Madeline."

24. Queensryche

Because if I don't put them somewhere on this list my husband will divorce me. I like them. Don' t love them. Here's is my favorite song by Queensryche, "I Don't Believe in Love."

23. Great White

I totally didn't go to my senior year homecoming dance because Great White and Tesla were in concert in Chicago that night, so I went to see them instead. All of my friends told me that I would regret missing my senior homecoming dance later in life. Uh, yeah...NOT! Then or now! I mean really. Choose between lame Top 40 hits and dance music, or let Great White rock me, rock me, rock me now, roll me through the night in concert? No contest.
Speaking of "Rock Me Now," here it is.

22. Guns N Roses

I had Appetite for Destruction, but I was never one of their mega fans--although they had quite a mega following. I will say this, I think "November Rain" is one of the best songs and videos from the era. Here it is.

21. Alice Cooper

"We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" If you don't get that, you need to turn on Wayne's World as soon as you're done reading this blog! I saw Alice on his Trashes the World Tour. At that time--I was in my teens and I didn't really follow him all that closely--I thought I would only know the songs from Trash, which was my only Alice Cooper aquisition in my then-cassette collection. BUT, I was surprised to find out that I knew most of the songs that he played that night, including songs I knew from the radio, as well as discovering that a good number of his songs had been covered by bands that I love. Making albums since the '60s, having influenced MOST of the bands on this list, here is Alice Cooper with his 1989 hit "Poison." (Interesting note, Alice teamed up with Desmond Child-- who helped Bon Jovi write hits like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name"--to write Alice's album Trash.)

20. Warrant

Also GREAT in concert. It seems like "everyone" remembers this band for "Cherry Pie," and in some ways, rightfully so. But before "Cherry Pie," Warrant had their duo power ballads, "Heaven" and "Sometimes She Cries," both of which I love, and have even kareoked to the former. It wasn't pretty, friends. Be glad you missed that one. Moving on, this girl is a sucker for a good electric guitar solo like the one in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," but my favorite Warrant song of all time is "I Saw Red." Here it is.

BTW, Erik Turner, who I know must be hanging on my every word in this blog, I'd like to try one of your wines, but they're not available in this region yet. Say the word, and I'll get you my address to send me one. Dry red, please! ;)

19. Skid Row

"Park Avenue leads to...SKID ROW!"

Glam meets heavy. Oh, how I love this band! Thank you, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, for discovering them. Skid Row was AWESOME in concert! I wish they had a video for either of my two favorite Skid Row songs, "Can't Stand the Heartache" or "Here I Am." But they don't, so here is the one that started it all, "Youth Gone Wild."

18. Cinderella

Thank you AGAIN, Jon Bon Jovi, for discovering this band that I have often enjoyed listening to over the years! As I write this blog, I'm sitting in a Panera having a "shot of gasoline." If you don't get that, check out Cinderella's song "Night Songs." Here is Cinderella with "Somebody Save Me." Oh yeah, this band SPANKS in concert. Make sure you see them or Tom Keifer (singer) solo. Either one.

17. Tesla

I'm shocked that I didn't wear out my tapes, Mechanical Resonance (1986), and The Great Radio Controversy (1989), for as much as I played them. I know I've said this about other bands in this blog, but OMG this band is GREAT live! And they are nice guys too. I met Tesla several times in the '80s, including before their show with Great White (the concert I mentioned earlier--when I skipped homecoming to see Great White and Tesla). Tesla was promoting The Great Radio Controversy at a record store prior to the concert that night, and hundreds of fans, including my friends and I, lined up to meet them. Good times, friends, good times. Anyhow, Tesla's "Love Song" is, IMO, one of rock's greatest songs of all time. Here it is. Go ahead and sing along. You know you want to...

16. Iron Maiden

I love me a little Bruce Dickenson's vocals on occasion. And if you're an '80s metalhead, you probably do too. Here's their classic, "Aces High."

15. KISS

Could easily be placed higher on this list, considering their undeniable influence on some of the other bands listed here; however, they're a bit too gimmicky for me. I will say that I love, and I mean LOVE their song "Tears are Falling." And I love Paul Stanley's groovy green fringe gloves in the video. Pardon me while I take a moment to belt out this song, "I read your mind like an open book. You lost the fire in your eyes..."

14. AC/DC

I. CAN'T. STAND. AC/DC. Their songs sound like fingernails on a chalboard to me. But even so, I can't deny their staying power or the influence they've had on other bands. And really, is there a kid that ever picked up a guitar that hasn't learned an AC/DC song? I think not. So more than earning their spot here, in spite of my dislike of them, here's AC/DC with the only song of theirs that I can stand even remotely, "You Shook Me All Night Long."

13. Dio

Okay, I'm a bit on the young end to really appreciate Dio. In fact, the only Dio song that comes to mind offhand is "Rainbow in the Dark." But Rocker Hubby insists that Ronnie James Dio was a HUGE influence in the early '80s on the rockers that I loved in the mid to later '80s. Here is Dio coming in at number 13 at my husband's request. Perry, I could have put your beloved Queensryche right here instead. Just sayin'...

12. Ozzy Osbourne

Hilarious on The Osbournes, but Ozzy is not really one of my favorites. However, having been around on the music scene since the 1970s with Black Sabbath, as well as a long and successful solo career, not to mention influencing many of the bands here, he definitely deserves a spot on this list. Rocker Hubby would like me to mention that Ozzy didn't just have influence on the music scene, he MADE musicians, like the awesome guitarists that have played with him. The likes of Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, Jake E. Lee, and Brad Gillis. Kids, let's take a moment to bask in the greatness of these axe wielders. Ahhhhh...
I know many of you expect me to put something like "Crazy Train" here, but my favorite Ozzy song happens to be "No More Tears."

11. Metallica

Yours truly, AboutPaintGirl, saw Metallica in concert in 1988 during the first ever Monsters of Rock concert held in the U.S. (I could have sworn it was 1987, but the Internet tells me it was 1988.) Yours truly, AboutPaintGirl, also had her very own copy of Master of Puppets on cassette tape. However, as I get older, I really like to be sung to and not growled at, per se, while listening to music. Ironically, I tortured my parents playing Metallica in my teens, and now that I don't really want to listen to Metallica anymore, my teen son does. Fortunately, I usually find this pretty awesome and far from torture.

10. Lita Ford

It takes a strong woman to hang out with the big boys. Lita produced one hit after the other on metal stattions in the '80s, including "Close My Eyes Forever," a duet with Ozzy Osbourne. She is, hands down, my favorite female artist.
I would have loved to include the video for her biggest hit, "Kiss Me Deadly," but it's currently not on YouTube, due to copyright issues. Instead, I'll include one of my favorite songs by Lita, which was co-written with Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx. Here is "Falling in and out of Love." Cheers to the Queen of Metal.

9. Poison

Simple songs. Catchy hooks. HOT singer. Love them or hate them, Poison was a BIG part of the '80s Metal scene. I saw them several times in the '80s, playing to packed or sold-out crowds. Singer Bret Michaels still packs venues and delivers high-energy shows. Here's the one that started it all, "Talk Dirty to Me."

8. Dokken

Going to shed a wee tear here about the Dokken/Lynch breakup. I love, LOVE Dokken music with George Lynch. Fortunately, I got to see them in concert BEFORE the Dokken/Lynch breakup. The biggest problem I have here is choosing only one of their videos. I'll go with this one, "It's Not Love."

7. RATT

EXPLODED on the scene with "Round and Round" in 1984. I remember well that "Round and Round" was played on rock, pop, and metal stations in Chicago. RATT remains one of my favorite bands of all time, as Invasion of Your Privacy remains one of my favorite albums. Speaking of Invasion of Your Privacy, from that album, here is "Lay it Down."

6. Whitesnake

Is anyone else reading this blog slightly obsessed with David Coverdale's Twitter page? He's HILARIOUS!
If you don't already know, prior to forming Whitesnake, David Coverdale was Deep Purple's frontman. Whitesnake has been around since the late '70s and has influenced many a band on this very list. Like Ozzy, David Coverdale has a knack for hiring the best-of-the-best axe weilders, including the likes of Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell, Doug Aldrich, Reb Beach, and most recently, Joel Hoekstra. Whitesnake will be releasing their latest CD, The Purple
Album, in May and will be touring soon. I know I'm looking forward to seeing them live, and I hope you are too. Just don't get between me and the stage! Seriously.

5. Van Halen

Do you understand just how big 1984 was? It was everywhere. Rock, pop, and metal stations. Everywhere. Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" influenced many a kid to pick up a guitar and learn to play. Ya know, all this talk about Van Halen is kinda putting me in the mood for a little Panama, Panama-a, Panama, Panama-a-a-a-a-a!

4. Def Leppard

"Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages, still rollin', keep a-rollin'." Is there any rocker that doesn't like Def Leppard? That statement might not be that far off, with Def Leppard's Hysteria and Pyromania both holding Diamond Awards from RIAA for selling over over 10,000,000 albums each. Def Leppard remains a regular on my personal Pandora, and a band I truly enjoy seeing concert. Here is one of my favorite songs of all time, "Hysteria."

3. Bon Jovi

Yes, Bon Jovi IS my favorite band. But before some of you heavier rockers naysay this slot for my beloved Bon Jovi, keep this in mind--both Bon Jovi's albums Slippery When Wet and New Jersey occupied the Number 1 slot on the charts, with Slippery When Wet retaining the number one spot for eight weeks. Both albums also had two singles each that reached the number one slot ("You Give Love a Bad Name," "Livin' On a Prayer," "Bad Medicine," and "I'll Be There For You"). And if you didn't already know, all 5 of the singles released from New Jersey reached a spot in the top ten on Billboards Hot 100s singles chart, a record that still stands today for a hard rock album. And that's not all. Bon Jovi's success continues today with both their 2010 and 2013 tours being the highest grossing tours of each respective year.
Here is Bon Jovi with their number one single, "I'll Be There For You."

2. Aerosmith

I think it's pretty safe safe to say these bluesy hard rockers from the 1970s influenced most 1980s rock/metal artists. While this band's popularity ebbed in the early '80s, they made a huge comeback in 1986 when they teamed up with rappers Run-D.M.C. for their rerelease of "Walk This Way." There's no doubt this band has staying power to this day, ranking 14th on RIAAs top selling artists list. Since I just mentioned it, let's watch Aerosmith's comeback song, "Walk This Way" with Run-D.M.C. I can still picture Joe Perry sticking his head through the hole in the wall. Ha-ha. You'll see.

1. Motley Crue

Gather around, kids, and let me tell you a little story from back in about 1985, when I was somewhere around 13 years old. One day on my way into school, a kid walking next to me said, "Shhh! Don't tell anyone I gave this to you," as he discreetly shoved a cassette tape in my hand. On the tape he had written "Motley Crue" on both sides. I popped the tape in my boom box that night and proceeded to listen to what he had recorded. On side one, he had recorded the self-titled Motley Crue, and on side two, he recorded Shout at the Devil. I listened to the tape again and again and again. I'm pretty sure my head exploded that night. That was the night I gave up the likes of Duran Duran and Madonna; I had been musically reborn. Now don't get too upset about that pirated tape. I bought everything from Motley Crue. I even bought the one with John Corobi instead of Vince Neil, which I think, like, five other fans bought too. Just kidding. Really.
Motley Crue was and still is, as the well worn saying goes, "larger than life," and their fans love them. Even though there are bands that outsell Motley Crue on this list, according to IMBd they are still one of the top selling bands of all time. (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, AC/DC, Metallica, and KISS also made the list.)
So why put Motley Crue at the number one spot? They EMBODIED '80s metal, from their look, to their sound, and some would argue their outrageous lifestyle as well. I can remember a good many local '80s rocker bands trying to imitate their sound and style, more so than any other band at the time.
Through the years Motley Crue has remained true to their metal roots, remaining essentially the same band that they were in the '80s.
My favorite Crue song still remains "Home Sweet Home." In the '80s, if you could plunk Van Halen's "Jump" on the piano, you could probably plunk "Home Sweet Home" too. I know I could. Here it is...

I want to extend a BIG "thank you" to all my readers. The number of readers of this blog continues to grow, and I'm so grateful for all of your support! And, as always, feel free to share this blog if you've enjoyed it.

You can find me on Twitter by clicking here. I love to chat about music. And don't be afraid to tell me how you liked, or possibly didn't like, this list!

Until Next Time,
Erica Basile

Gotta Love "this" (the) Ride - Mr. Big's New Single

2014-09-05T09:45:00.001-07:00

"So sublime, and beautiful for those who dare."
(Lyrics from "Gotta Love the Ride.")

Such is the new song by Mr. Big. Uh yeah, not "sublime" and "beautiful" in a "Promise-Her-the-Moon" kinda-way. But "sublime" in classic Mr. Big bluesy-sound-that-I-LOVE kinda way.

"Gotta Love the Ride" is the first single from Mr. Big's soon-to-be-released album, The Stories We Could Tell, which will be available September 23, 2014.

This song embodies everything that I enjoy about a good Mr. Big song. The song is catchy without sounding like "pop" music. Bassist, Billy Sheehan, and drummer, Pat Torpey, solidly drive the song, providing the perfect backdrop for Paul Gilbert's bluesy riffs on guitar. And then there's Eric. Eric Martin, lead singer. He's definetly one of my top five favorite singers of all time. I really...love...his...voice.

And may I say that I'm not a musician. I am a MUSIC LOVER. And while I know that musicians absolutely DROOL over Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey, as do I--I'm no exception to that--I don't hear things in the same way that a musician does, and can't appreciate their "awesomeness" in the same way a musician can. Soooo, good vocals and lyrics are the biggest part of the equation for me. Enter Eric Martin. He never disappoints. Powerful, bluesy vocals....MAN! He makes you feel it, right?

I also have to say that lyrically, I really like this song. I hope I got all of these lyrics right--part of the chorus goes like this...
It's not the taste of things to come
But the journey that you're on
You may never get where you think the road's goin'
But the key to paradise
You gotta love the ride

So true, Mr. Big. So true.

So if you have't already downloaded this single from iTunes, you should totally DO IT RIGHT NOW!

But if you're like me, and I know a bunch of you are, I'm not going to pre-order the download of the whole album. I WANT to have the CD in my hands. I want to read, NO DEVOUR, the inside cover. I want to read all of the lyrics, see who wrote what song, and, just for fun, I like to read who "thanks" who. So if you're like me, may I suggest clicking the image below and preordering the CD? Aaaaannnd, Amazon offers a release day delivery option so that you don't have a torturous wait for the CD to arrive while all of your friends are downloading and listening to the CD ahead of you. Cuz, yeah, that would totally suck!

So amidst the wait for the new CD, and (I'm hoping ) an announcement of a US tour, I hope you all have a wonderful autumn!

As Always, Best Wishes,
Erica Basile
PS. Prayers sent Pat Torpey's way, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and won't be touring with the band. I wish him all the best as he journeys through this difficult time.

Photo from http://www.mrbigsite.com

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Nelson 25th Anniversary Tour (First Show of the Tour)

2014-07-11T08:54:00.002-07:00

Concert buddy, Kate and I headed out on another--oh yes, another trip to see Nelson--this time in Appleton WI, where Nelson was performing "An Evening With Matthew and Gunnar Nelson," the first show of their 25th Anniversary Tour.

Before I go any further, may I take a moment to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of my readers. My last blog, and only my 11th blog so far, received approximately 550 reads! I'm so thankful for all of you who have taken the time to read my blog, and I LOVE when you respond, which most of you have done through Twitter or FB. I'm really thankful for your support and encouragement. And do feel free to share my blog, if you like it.

Since Appleton is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Chicago, Kate and I decided to stay 2 nights in a hotel near the venue. When we arrived in Appleton the night before the concert, we decided to hit the streets in search of a salad. As we were strolling along, we heard Motley Crue playing through out-door speakers across the street from where we were walking. (Pardon this inside joke for Kate, "when in doubt, follow the Crue.") Just like the story of the Pied Piper, we followed the music into a bar, and I'm so glad we did. Our little across-the-street-journey led us to a spot called Mill Creek Bar. While Kate and I were sitting at the bar, having a beer and glass of wine respectively, the manager/DJ, "Toe Knee V's 80's," noticed that Kate had a Bon Jovi iPhone case. Toe Knee who could possibly be better known as a "VJ," since he always plays the corresponding music video with whatever song he's playing, played Bon Jovi's Blood on Blood for Kate and me on Mill Creek Bar's BIG screen TVs--all 13 of them! We mentioned to Toe Knee and Emily (the very sweet and upbeat bartender) that we were in town to see Nelson perform at the Fox Cities PAC the following evening. Toe Knee and Emily told us that Toe Knee himself was a big Nelson fan, and he played us THREE Nelson videos right on the SPOT! I can hear you, Nelson fans. You want to know what videos Toe Knee played. He played Love and Affection, of course. And After the Rain, OF COURSE. But he SURPRISED us when he played Keep One Heart, PROVING that he is indeed a true Nelson fan, since so-not-everyone knows that song! Toe Knee invited us to the pre/post Nelson concert party at the bar the following evening. After assuring him we'd be there, we headed back to the hotel. We LOVED this place and couldn't wait to go back until the next day!

Kate and I moseyed around town Friday until it was time to get ready for and go to the concert. We arrived at the venue early because Kate and I each bought a VIP package that included a meet and greet with Matthew and Gunnar before the show. Upon arrival, the VIPs were greeted by Kari, Matthew's wife, who was our hostess for the evening. (She was very friendly! Both Kate and I really liked her!) All of the VIPs were given a package containing a lanyard, a Greatest Hits and Rarities CD, and a black and white promo picture of Matthew and Gunnar. (BTW, Nelson imaginary suggestion box - we would really like a guitar pick from one or both of you in our next VIP package! You know, the kind that has your name on it.) After a short wait, the VIPs were escorted to a room in the venue. Matthew and Gunnar arrived moments later. We sat on chairs around them in a circle, and at one point, Matthew made a joke about how it felt like we should have a campfire and make s'mores! One of our VIP perks included Matthew and Gunnar performing a never-heard-before song from their upcoming album. Before the song, which was called A Thousand Wild Horses, Matthew and Gunnar, in true Nelson story-telling spirit, related how the song came about. Matthew sang lead vocals on A Thousand Wild Horses--a great song--I'll be glad to hear that one again when the new CD comes out. After that, Gunnar wanted to sing a song too, and subsequently sang a beautiful love song that he's written. The guys had a few minutes left and decided to take a request from the VIPs, with the stipulation that it had to be a song that they could play on two acoustic guitars AND that it could not be a song that they were performing later. VIPs promptly starting voicing their requests, but all of the requests were either a song that Mathew and Gunnar were doing, or a song that was not viable with two acoustic guitars.

I have to take a side note here and say that MY FAVORITE NELSON song of ALL TIME is To Get Back To You. FOR WEEKS, I had been saying to Kate, that if I could only hear JUST ONE SONG, I would want it to be To Get Back To You. Kate kept reminding me that I had NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER of hearing that song. But when opportunity presents itself, and the preverbal door opens, you just have to walk through it. Back to the story--as people were shouting out requests that couldn't be fulfilled, I finally mustered up the courage to say, "To Get Back To You." Gunnar pointed at me and said, "What did you say?" I repeated, "To Get Back To You." Gunnar immediately started trying to play it on his guitar, and Matthew joined in shortly after. Gunnar said that they had never actually played that song live, and that it was, and I quote, "a good song." Yes, Gunnar, I wholeheartedly agree! Gunnar looked at me and said that he couldn't remember how the song started. I hurriedly blurted out, "LOST AND ALONE!" He began singing, "Lost and Alone...." and looked at me again. I replied, "Yet nobody knows!" He sang the next line...and the next...I had to help him here and there, BUT I GOT TO HEAR MY FAVORITE NELSON SONG!!! Gunnar shared how he couldn't do the guitar solo, because, Steve Lukather, from Toto, played the solo on that particular song, so it wasn't one that Gunnar had learned. When they were done singing, Kate looked at me and said, "Now you can die happy." Yes, Kate, I can.

After singing, To Get Back To You, Matthew and Gunnar signed autographs and took pictures with us all. Kate and I had the black and white glossy included in our packet and our lanyard signed.

Here is my pic with Matthew (left) and Gunnar (right).

Can I just say that sharing Matthew and Gunnar with a small crowd of VIP's feels like you have them all to yourself and is well worth the $150 investment. Keep that in mind, Nelson fans, when they come to your town!

After our VIP meet and greet time was up, the VIPs were escorted to our seats in Nelson's "special section." Word to the wise, Nelson's special section for this show was 12 rows back. Kate and I feel like our seating is just BARELY close enough if we're hanging off the stage in the front row, so these weren't the "best seats ever" for us (not complaining, just informing future concert VIPs with similar front-row needs/desires). In the future, Kate and I plan to find out where the special section actually is, and if it's not somewhere in the first couple of rows, we will buy our own seats in addition to the VIP package. Fortunately, Kate and I bought seats when the tickets went on sale before the VIP packages were announced, so we sat in our previously purchased 5th row seats.

Moving on to the show...it was great! It was similar to a Ricky Nelson Remembered show in the respect that it was Matthew and Gunnar on stage with their guitars, telling stories about each song--except that they did THEIR songs--which is FANTASTIC if you're a Nelson fan. They didn't disappoint, as they performed songs expected by fans like Love and Affection, After the Rain, All Shook Up and More Than Ever. They also did a few of their dad's songs like Dream Lover and Garden Party. And for the uber Nelson fan, they even threw in a couple songs like Girl Like That (thank you, Matthew and Gunnar, we LOVE that song), and Keep One Heart (one of Kate's favs of all time). Kate and I were fortunate enough to get a set list, although they didn't stick to the set list, choosing to be more impromptu. (Here's a pic of the set-list below.)

The best part of the show for me came as Gunnar (pic above, or 2 pics above if you're reading this on your cell phone) was announcing Won't Walk Away. He began to talk about a "young lady" (haha! he WAY overshot the "young" thing) in VIP who knew his words to his own songs better than he did (yeah, he was talking about ME--since I was the one feeding him the words for To Get Back To You). He said that he wished he knew where she was so that she could be his teleprompter as she lip synced along to his songs. Kate and I laughed and stood up and yelled, "I'm (she's) right here!" That may go down as best Nelson concert moment EVER!

And I'm sorry to say that no video was allowed for the show. Kate recorded most of Love and Affection, the first song that they did, until an usher relayed the "no videos allowed" news. The venue may have announced that earlier, but we weren't there for the opening band, since we were en route to the hotel and back for our 5th row tickets, which we had left in our room. Below is the "contraband" recording of Love and Affection.

As the show was ending, Matthew and Gunnar announced that they would stay after to meet fans. Since this was a Nelson crowd (as opposed to a Ricky Nelson crowd) almost all of the people stayed to meet them, including Kate and me. When we got to the front of the line, Matthew greeted me with a hug, and a "thanks for coming." After we chatted it up for a couple minutes we took one more pic with them.

We gave our well wishes to Matthew and Gunnar and went across the street to Mill Creek Bar, where we were greeted by Toe Knee and Emily. While having a nice glass of Merlot (me) and a beer (Kate), Toe Knee played more, YES more Bon Jovi for us! This time he played Someday I'll be Saturday Night (one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE Bon Jovi songs). AND OF COURSE, TOE KNEE PLAYED US NELSON! He played both Love and Affection and After the Rain, and THEN, he played an OLD version of Nelson's Be Still. Kate and I, fueled by our Nelson high and a wee bit of alcohol, SANG Be Still LOUDLY. (Nay, PERFORMED BE STILL! Too much?) Well regardless, we demonstratively sang along with the song (that's a fair way to describe it, I think). As we sang a group of our very own fans gathered around to watch us. Well, it was more like stunned, mouth agape, "What are those two girls doing?" looks. But, whatever. We were on a "I-don't-care-what-you-think Nelson high--or should I say, "You see, you can't please everyone so you gotta please yourself." (#GardenParty)

After hanging out for a while, we thanked Toe Knee for an awesome night and headed back to our room around 1:00 a.m. (By the way, if you find yourself in the Appleton area, you MUST stop in at this bar.) Here is a picture of Kate and our with our favorite DJ, Toe Knee.

I couldn't end this blog without a few pics from the show. Below are some pics that Kate snapped that we both like.

All of my Matthew pictures were blurry, so here a couple from Kate.

I really LIKE THIS ONE!

Here is Gunnar (L) and Matthew (R).

VERY NICE GUNNAR PIC! Thanks, Kate!

One last Matthew pic for the Matt girls.

Kate and I had a FABULOUS time and can't wait for Nelson to come around again. I hope you get to see them soon too.

Best Wishes,
Erica

We're Travelin' Man to See Nelson in Iowa

2014-04-27T19:09:00.001-07:00

"I have Friday off from school. Wanna go cause some trouble with me?" texted concert buddy, (school teacher) Kate.

"What do you have in mind?" I replied.

"Nelson is playing in Iowa."

"IOWA? All the way in IOWA?"

"Yeah, it's only about a 2-2 1/2 hour drive."

"Really? That's it? Yeah, I'm in."

One week later, Kate and I trekked west to Iowa to see Matthew and Gunnar Nelson perform Ricky Nelson Remembered at the Isle of Capri Convention Center and Casino.

Kate and I arrived at the hotel attached to the venue and checked in. After getting settled in our room, we strutted over to the convention center to scope out Section B, where our general admission seats were located. Kate and I are "seat snobs" and like to get as CLOSE TO THE STAGE as possible. The closest seats to center stage were in Section A, which was set aside for high rollers--which Kate and I are NOT--so Section B was as good as it was going to get for us that night. FORTUNATELY, Section A was a small section in the middle, with Section B surrounding it, with front row seats on either side.

With our target seats in mind, we headed back toward the hotel. Kate, who is obsessed with her iPhone 5, which DOESN'T HOLD A CHARGE, noticed that she was running low on batteries, as usual. DUH! Which meant it was a life and death matter for us to find an outlet in which to plug Kate's phone. We found a cozy little corner with a bench, and outlet nearby, and sat down to check FB and Twitter while her phone charged. While we were scrolling through FB, Matthew and Gunnar passed by with their gear. We exchanged fast, "Hello's" as they were on their way.

Once Kate's phone was charged, we went back to our room to get ready for the show. The hotel attendants had advised us to LINE UP EARLY to get good seats. So at 4:00 pm (the show started at 7:30, with doors opening at 6:30), we got in line. We happened to be the first ones to line up by the door, with several other fans showing up to stand in line with us less than 5 minutes after we arrived. Within an hour the line had grown considerably. Not long after that, the convention center staff admitted all of us entrance to the venue ahead of schedule. By 5:45 Kate and I were in our seats, front row, Section B the two seats closest to the center isle.

May I just take a minute to say that if you are a Nelson fan, a Ricky Nelson fan, or an Ozzie and Harriet fan, I highly recommend this really enjoyable show. In between songs, Matthew and Gunnar captivate the audience as they share personal stories about their father's songs and memories of their family. They also have video clips with artists such as Paul McCartney and Kris Kristofferson talking about Ricky Nelson's influence on the music industry, accompanied by clips from the Ozzie an Harriet show, and personal videos from Matthew and Gunnar's youth. For you Ricky Nelson fans, the guys performed songs like Stood Up, Travelin' Man, Hello Mary Lou and Garden Party. And listen up, Nelson fans, I was surprised by just how many Ricky Nelson songs that I knew. In fact, I think that there was only one with which I wasn't familiar.

I don't want to ruin any surprises in the show, so I'm choosing to leave out a lot of details that I could put in this blog. I would, however, like to share a personal story from the show. At one point Gunnar was in the audience playing his guitar--right in front of us--that was NICE, Kate, wasn't it? Anyway, there was a woman of mature age (Ricky Nelson fan, I'm guessing) off to the side of the front of the stage trying to snap a pic of Matthew. Gunnar happened to spot what she was doing. He snatched her phone from her, took it up to the stage and took a picture of Matthew up close for her and then handed her back her phone. Needless to say the audience roared with laughter. (Matthew and Gunnar are so engaging in concert...I hope you go see them if they swing by your way.) I was trying to take a picture of Gunnar while he was up close, but unbeknownst to me, I had my camera on video, so I got this scene--all 10 seconds of it--on video and I thought I'd share it with you.

Of course, Nelson fans, the guys always do at least one Nelson song for the Nelson fans in the audience. Here it is, Love and Affection. (Yeah, yeah, if you're one of my regular readers, you know that I am NOT the best videoographer around, but it's the best I've got...so enjoy it anyway!)

When Kate and I saw the Ricky Nelson Remembered show in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles recently, Matthew and Gunnar stayed after the show to greet any fans that wanted to meet them. But the Isle of Capri show was a bigger venue and a bigger crowd, and we both figured that there wasn't ANY CHANCE that they would stay after to greet fans again, BUT at the end of the show they announced that they would stick around to greet fans that wanted to meet them.

Before getting in line to meet the guys, Kate was lucky enough to snatch one of Matt's guitar picks and I got a set list, 'cause that's how we roll, right, Kate? Here's the pic!

With set list and guitar pick in hand, we got in line to for the after-show meet and greet. Here is Kate's picture with Matthew (left) and Gunnar (right). I know that you have glowing demon eyes in this pic (#eviltwin) Kate, but Matt looks way too good here not to share it. I know, I know, you're taking one for the team, and we all love you for it. Yes, Gunnar's right eye has a bit of the "demon glow." You're rubbing off on him, I see.

Aaaannnddd, here's my pic with Matthew (left) and Gunnar (right). Yes, you're right, Kate. This is a better picture of Gunnar than in the pic with you...he looks good here!

(Actually, when Kate and I saw Matthew and Gunner in St. Charles, our pics turned out way better. If you want to see those pics you can click here.)

Kate and I both had a great time watching Matthew and Gunnar perform, and I hope to see them again soon. Since the Iowa show, they've been promoting on both FB and Twitter a #Nelson25Anniversary tour. We're hoping to see them just once more...

On that note, here is the last song Matthew and Gunnar played at the Iowa show, Just Once More.

Kate says, who are we kidding, we'd see them more than, "just once more." Kate, STOP RUINING MY AWESOME OUTRO!

The BATHROOM song, Kate? That's how we're gonna end this thing? What's that, Kate? It's "cheeky?" No pun intended. Uh huh, right. You totally intended that pun. OK. Here goes.

Yeah, I can't top that. I've got nothing...nothing more to say.

Until next time...

All the Best,
Erica Basile

Nelson, Right Before "Our" Eyes

2014-03-31T14:58:00.001-07:00

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today. I can tell you right now that this is going to be one of my FAVORITE BLOGS EVER. Concert buddy, Kate, and I got to see Nelson perform the Ricky Nelson Remembered concert in St. Charles, Illinois at the Arcada Theater on Sunday, March 30th.

I want to give a fast "shout out" to the Arcada Theater. It's a beautiful old "Chicago" theater, similar to something like the Rialto in Joliet. They have a lot of great acts come through, and the staff is so very helpful and warm. If you live in the Chicagoland area, you should check it out. You won't be sorry you did.

I have to tell you, concert buddy, Kate is "helping" me write this blog so I don't forget anything; meaning peering over my shoulder and bossing me around. It's MY BLOG, Kate! Kate says I'm the bossy one. She's probably right...

If you live in the Chicagoland area, or if you've been tracking the weather this winter, you know that we've been knee deep in snow since December. We even had freezing temperatures (and snow) earlier this week. But, by some act-of-God miracle, the snow melted and we had sunshine with temps in the low 60s, so Kate and I decided we'd get to town early and explore the St. Charles downtown area. We arrived at the theater around noon and took dorky selfies with the venue's Ricky Nelson Remembered poster in the background. The pics turned out AWFUL, but we tweeted them to Nelson anyway (yes, Kate, because we are GIANT DORKS). As it turned out, there was a Starbucks next door to the venue. And, oh MY! We LIKE Starbucks don't we, Kate! Consequently, we sat and chatted the afternoon away in a cozy spot we found in Starbucks.

If you follow me on Twitter, FB or Instagram, you know that I LOVE music, especially 80s hair band/metal, and if you know me/follow me you know that my two FAVORITE BANDS of ALL TIME are NELSON and Bon Jovi, so I was really excited about seeing the show later that evening. By the way, I had NEVER seen Nelson in concert before. When Nelson did their big show in Chicago in the early 90s, I was standing up in a wedding that day and couldn't be there. As Kate could tell you, because I've listened to Nelson for so many years, and had not yet seen them perform, I was flustered and SHAMELESSLY fangirling all day! (Yes, Kate. Just like I am now writing this blog.) After all, I'd been waiting 24 YEARS for this show. Kate wants me to let you know that Nelson is one of her all time FAVORITE bands too. (She says "hashtag" TeenIdols!)

A while later, Kate decided she didn't like where she was parked and wanted to move her car. I was strolling along outside waiting for Kate when I saw an usher arrive for work at the venue. I asked him if he knew what time Nelson would be going on that night because we weren't sure if we wanted to watch the opening band. He said, "Come on in and we'll find out." Come in early? Is that OK? He assured me that it was fine and I told him that I had to wait for my friend to finish parking her car. BUT KATE TAKES FOREVER TO PARALLEL PARK! Back and forth, and back and forth... JUST PARK THE D*MN CAR KATE! I was trying to wave her in so that we could go with the usher, but she just smiled and waved back and kept parking her car. By the time Kate got to me, the usher had given up and gone away--not joking.

We ventured inside anyway to ask the big "scary" security guard what time Nelson was going on stage, and guess what? The security guard ended up being a super nice guy! He told us to wait "right there" while he went in the theater to find out for us. While we were waiting "right there," we could see through a tiny opening between the doors to the stage. Kate and I were FLOORED to see Matthew and Gunnar RIGHT ON THE STAGE! The security guard came back to tell us to be in our seats no later than 5:30 pm, and then let us in on a little secret (that I PROMISE we didn't tell anyone--we were SWORN to secrecy) that Nelson would be joining the opening band for their last song. We thanked him for that info and ASSURED him we'd be in our seats for the opening band. He was asked us if we were big Nelson fans. The answer? YES! WE ARE!

He immediately invited us to come in to the back of the theater with him for a few minutes. (Kate and I STILL can't believe he did that!) He was laughing at us as we were swooning over our fav guys and asked us if this brought us back to our teenage years. "You have NO IDEA," we both responded. THEN Kate took out this pic that she had of Gunnar signing her shirt in 1991.

The guard thought Kate's pic was so cool that he asked if she'd like it autographed. WHAT??? IS HE FOR REAL??? YES, OF COURSE she wanted it autographed! I got out my Lightning Strikes Twice CD and asked if that could be signed too. He didn't seem to think that would be a problem. He told us that they are the NICEST guys that have come to perform at the theater. He said that he couldn't put into words just how "great they are."

Then he asked if we'd like to meet them. Uh, yeah! He said that he would have to ask Matthew and Gunnar, but he didn't think it would be a problem. He relayed the time and place where we were to rendezvous with him so that he could take us backstage if they were agreeable to meet us. After that, we let our new security guard best buddy get back to his "real work."

We went back to Kate's perfectly parallel parked car (Kate's calling me a smart a**! HA!), and just sat there wondering, "Did that really just happen?" A few minutes later the security guard came walking around the corner with our autographs! OK. It's the day after the show and I'm still TOTALLY freaked out! #Fangirling! Here's the pic of my autographed CD (below)!

We barely composed ourselves. Just. Barely. And when it was the designated time, we headed back to the Arcada Theater to meet our new best buddy security guard (whose name I remember, but don't want to use here). It ended up that the schedule to go backstage to meet Matthew and Gunnar had changed, so we made our way to our seats. GOOD SEATS! (You're welcome, Kate!) I snagged the good seats for us! ;)

The opening band was The Cadillac Casanovas. The crowd--mostly Ricky Nelson fans--loved them. The Cadillac Casanovas said that they do a lot of The Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson songs. And as promised by our security guard friend, Matthew and Gunnar took the stage with The Cadillac Casanovas for their final song, a Ricky Nelson song, called You Know What I Mean. The whole crowd was so excited. It was such a great moment.

After a short intermission, Matthew and Gunnar came on stage to perform Ricky Nelson

Remembered. Honestly, if you are either a Ricky Nelson fan or a Nelson fan, this show is a MUST SEE! I expected to know a good portion of the songs, because my parents listened to Ricky Nelson often, but I couldn't remember any specific songs of his (Ricky Nelson's). However, when Matthew and Gunnar started playing Ricky's songs, I was AMAZED by how many I knew. What surprised me even more is how many songs that I would have known even without my parents influence. So even if you're just a Nelson fan, and not a Ricky Nelson fan, GO! JUST GO!

Matthew and Gunnar shared sweet, I mean sweet--heartfelt, stories from their youth about their family, including their dad and thier grandparents, Ozzie and Harriet. The show also included video clips from the Ozzie and Harriet Show, and a home video from when Matthew and Gunnar were little. They kept the audience laughing with their playful brotherly banter throughout the show, which was absolutely charming.

And YESSS!! Nelson fans, they did Love and Affection! It was SO NICE to hear a Nelson song!

During the intermission, we found our security guard buddy, just as he'd asked us to, so that he could take us to meet Matthew and Gunnar.

While we were waiting, we were standing next to the lead singer from The Cadillac Casanovas. He was saying how Matthew and Gunnar are the NICEST guys (seems like I've heard that somewhere), and that he couldn't believe that Ricky Nelson's sons did a song with him. He told us that Ricky Nelson is his hero, and that to play with "Ricky's sons" was a "dream come true." I'm not exaggertaing his words. He kept repeating that he just couldn't believe that it had happened, and what really great guys they are.

Now it was time for us to go backstage, and by this time the whole security crew somehow knew who we were and were asking us if we were OK and still breathing! HAHA! Wait! We're not sure! Are we still breathing? They were getting ready to place bets on which one of us would pass out and which one of us would cry. We promised to keep it together! And, honestly, I AM STILL FLOORED that this happened, but here we are backstage with Matthew (left) and Gunnar (right)!

When we initially walked in the room I said, "Hey guys!" Matthew shook my hand and Gunnar shook Kate's hand first, and then we switched. (And, yes, Kate, I totally hogged Gunnar right after the handshakes!) Matthew immediately asked which was one Kate and which one was Erica! OMG!! They remembered our names from signing the autographs!! I mean, seriously. If I just met you, five minutes later, I probably would have to ask your name again, because I forgot. And MOST people that I've come across are that way. But here's our favorite rock stars and they knew our names! I'm STUNNED! After a quick pic with the guys, and managing NOT to pass out or cry (shout out to the security team), we made our way back to our seats. (By the way, I have to say here that the security team was careful to tell us that what they did for us is not something that they can do all the time. I totally didn't expect it THIS TIME as it was happening!)

I don't want to say much more about the show, because I WANT YOU TO GO SEE IT! It was SO GREAT! I will say this, Matthew and Gunnar invited the Cadillac Casanovas to the stage to play with them for a good portion of the second half of the show. The crowd--mostly my parents' age--LOVED it! And I was so happy for that lead singer who had already said that ONE SONG with "Ricky's sons" was a dream come true. I would have loved to know what was going through his head getting to do a "set" with the guys!

Toward the end of the show, Matthew and Gunnar played their song Just Once More. They dedicated this song to a family who just recently experienced the loss of someone near and dear to them. It was a very touching moment.

As the show was coming to a close, they announced that they were hanging around afterward to greet any fans that wanted to meet them. WHAT?? Are you KIDDING ME?? YES, we got in line for that!

Since Kate and I had already met them, we decided to go to the back of the line and let the other fans go first. Gunnar and Matthew are gracious to their fans. They signed autographs and/or took pictures with everyone in the line that wanted one.

When it was our turn, I asked if we could each have a picture with them. YES! WE COULD!
Here's Kate's pic (L to R, Gunnar, Kate and Matthew).

And here's mine! (L to R, Gunnar, me and Matthew).

Then Kate asked them if they would come back as Scrap Metal soon. Kate, I LOVE YOU! Thank you for asking them! Gunnar said that they just got a new manager for Scrap Metal recently and that they probably could. YAY!!! Then Kate turned to Matt and told him that they were her teen idols (Ricky Nelson has a song that they performed that night called Teenage Idol). Can I just take a minute to say that they CAN'T be my "teenage idols" because I was about 20 years old when they released their first Nelson CD! Kate's poking fun at me for being "older" than she is. You should hear her! GASPS! Between me and you, you ARE the "evil twin" Kate. Moving along with the story I started, Kate said to Matt that they were her "teen idols" and MATT GAVE KATE A BIG HUG!

MEANWHILE, Gunnar was talking to me, telling me the bands that are now involved in Scrap Metal, and in my peripheral vision, I see Kate getting a hug from Matt and I just about pass out! AND I TOTALLY MISSED what Gunnar was saying TO ME, which was TOTALLY STUPID because I am a GUNNAR GIRL!!! And all I could manage to squeak out to Gunnar was, "Awesome." DUH! Not my best moment ever.

We were saying our goodbyes when the security crew insisted that we get one more pic with Gunnar and Matthew! Well, OK. If you insist!! HAHA!
Here it is (L to R, Me, Gunnar, Kate, and Matt).

Man, Kate! I hope we get to meet them AGAIN when they come back as Scrap Metal. Kate says that shouldn't be a problem since we're "best friends" now (with Matt and Gun)! HAHAHAHA!! I just had to pick myself up off the floor and wipe tears of laughter from my eyes. Good one, Kate!

But truly, Nelson fans our age (Yes, Kate! I'm OLDER!), GO SEE THIS SHOW! Kate and I had a great time, and are really looking forward to (we hope, fingers crossed) Scrap Metal coming to Chicago.

Until next time...

All the Best,

Erica Basile

We Got It Going On in the Front Row at Bon Jovi's Chicago Show

2014-03-19T18:38:00.001-07:00

Hi friends and Jovi's!

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today. For those of you who are new around here, I'm a busy mom of three (what Mom isn't busy, right?) who recently decided to take back control of my life, including going out and having fun with the girls. I also recently decided to start VLogging (video-blogging) my adventures about being a mom who has returned to school (college). You can check out my YouTube Channel with my VLog by clicking here. And my, oh, my, I can already tell this this will be one of my FAVORITE blogs as I reminisce about how I had front row for Bon Jovi's October 23rd show in Chicago. But it didn't start out that way...

You see, when Bon Jovi comes through Chicago, they usually perform two or three nights at one venue (usually the United Center or Soldier Field.) We Chicagoans were pretty bummed out when Bon Jovi did only one show in July at Soldier Field on their 2013 tour. But much to our DELIGHT, in September, Bon Jovi announced a second date on the 2013 tour in Chicago. This time at the United Center. I had enough money saved up for one fan club ticket, without the backstage tour, and I had a friend lined up to go with me, should I be lucky enough to score two tickets for the Fan Club pre-sale. Well, I WAS fortunate enough to snag two seats, row five, seats 3 and 4, section 2 (Richie/Phil X's side). Concert buddy, Melody, and I were thrilled to have these awesome PIT seats. Amongst our excited conversations about the upcoming Bon Jovi show, we were remarking how we'd, in most ways, prefer the 6th row PIT to 5th row PIT so that we could quickly get to the back of the PIT for the portion of the concert where Jon (and sometimes Dave, Tico and Richie) perform from the circle.

Continuing the story, I received a phone call from concert buddy, Melody, one week before the show. Melody said, "Hey, Erica, I've got my sister and brother-in-law coming to town and I'd like to give them our 5th row tickets. Would that be OK as long as I buy tickets for us somewhere else in the PIT?" I said, "Sure, Mel. Anywhere in the PIT is fine with me," secretly hoping that if she bought us different tickets, that they would be in the 6th row PIT. She said, "Just say, OK Melody." Laughing, I complied with, "OK, Melody." She said, "That's good, because I bought us front row tickets." I started crying and laughing at the same time. With tears streaming down my face, I thanked Melody. (I hadn't had front row for Bon Jovi since 1993, and hadn't even dreamt of being there this tour.)

To make a really long story short, with the addition of the front row tickets, we had two extra tickets, so my son got to go with me to his first Bon Jovi concert (he sat by one of Melody's friends) in the SIXTH row!! How awesome is that for his first Bon Jovi show!

To start off our big evening we--all twelve of us going--met at Melody's house and took a big stretch limo downtown, which was sooo much fun! We got to the venue early because we had two people who had special package tickets. In fact, Mel, and a couple of her friends, just the week before, had package tickets for the Atlanta show. Mike Savas (for those of you who know who he is) recognized Mel and her friends right away and chatted it up with them while we were standing in line, waiting to get in. (Very personable guy, that Mike!)

When we got in to the venue, we hung out and snacked on some food, until it was time for Mel and I to go bask in the glory of our front row seats, about 1/2 before the show. I have to say, there is nothing like the walk going closer and closer and CLOSER to the stage. The excitement builds with each security guard/usher that permits entrance to the next level. I mean, truly, it is better than I remember Christmas feeling as a kid. We got to our seats, Row 1, PIT 2, seats 5 & 6, and just stared in amazement and took pictures.

And for those of you who don't know, fans in row 1 get to take their commemorative seats home with them. Here's a pic of us in our seats. How exciting!

At almost 7:00 pm on the dot, the show started with That's What the Water Made Me. I must say to sit in the FRONT ROW and have Jon and the rest of the band SO CLOSE is a MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE! (THANK YOU, MEL!) I won't list all of the songs included. If you would like to see the setlist from Bon Jovi's site, you can click here. But I will say this, if I could have put together my personal set "wish list," this would have been as close to it as you can GET! The guys even played The Radio Saved My Life Tonight, which I had NEVER personally seen in concert. It seems like that song is mostly played oversees and not here in the states. I was OVERJOYED to hear it and was singing along with the the song, with a BIG SMILE on my face, when Jon happened to catch me singing during the 1st chorus. He bent down twice to smile at me! I was useless and didn't even hold the camera in place, because I was so stunned to have his attention. Here's my video, which, BTW, is NOT the video of the year, but here it is anyway! :) And EVEN THOUGH it's hard to tell in the video, Jon is actually looking at me out of the corner of his eye as he's singing, "driving home by the dashboard light!" OH, MEL! This makes me weak in the knees every time I see it!

Other songs that would be in my dream setlist that Bon Jovi did that night were, Raise Your Hands, Someday I'll be Saturday Night, Diamond Ring, and (You Want To) Make a Memory. (The latter 3 songs were played on the circle along with Amen.) And even though their backs were to us, I was SO HAPPY to have the "unplugged" part of the show back. For those of you who aren't aware, Jon hadn't been able to perform much on the circle for the stadium part of the tour due to bad weather, and also due to some allergy problems that Jon was having while touring (the outside stadiums). The "unplugged" part of the show is one of my favorite parts. I was concerned that they wouldn't do that part without Richie's vocals to join in with Jon. But Jon invited Dave, Tico and Bobby to the circle, and Dave and Bobby did a FANTASTIC job with back-up vocals on the songs.

Melody and I made a sign for Phil that we held up while the other guys were out on the circle. (We held it up by the gate, not by our heads--we didn't block anyone's view!) Phil gave us the BIGGEST SMILE when he saw the sign. (Melody brought the sign out again later in the concert, and got a BIG SMILE from Jon for the sign.) Way to go, Mel!

See! Look at Phil smile at Melody holding up the sign! The pic below is Mel's pic! ;)

And of course, they did favorites, like It's My Life (probably my favorite song in concert of all time), Captain Crash... (a nice addition to this show), and Have a Nice Day.

And I must give a SUPER BIG THANKS to Melody for snapping this shot, of Jon looking right at me! WOW!

The show wrapped up with Livin' on a Prayer. MAN! I LOVE that song!

After the show, Melody and I were each lucky enough to snag a setlist. When I was taking Mel's picture with her setlist, Mike snuck up behind Mel, giving me the "Shhhh" sign with his finger to his lips. We took the pic without Mel knowing he was there! BEST PHOTO BOMB EVER!!

My son and I had a FANTASTIC time with Melody and her family/friends that went to the show. (They are such a NICE group of people--I really enjoyed their company!) Chicago was one of the last shows in North America for the Because We Can Tour. And, thanks to Mel, we made the last show COUNT! After the blog, I included some pics from the show that I really liked.

I hope you enjoyed my blog. If you did, go ahead and click the "join this site" button toward the right. You can also follow me on twitter by clicking here.

Best Wishes,

Erica Basile

Here are the pics...

This is one of my favorite pictures that I shot.

KTF Jovi's!!

Mel's pics are better, let me put in a few for you!

This is one of my FAVORITES from the night! Look at that SMILE on Jon! And look at Dave in the background! He looks really GOOOOD--and happy!

We love you too, Jon. We're feeling it right here in our hearts with you!

Here's Jon looking right at Mel. ROWRRRRR!!!!

I absolutely LOVE this pic of Dave that Melody took!

Melody captured a special moment between Tico and Bobby on the circle. Great pic, Mel.

Those were Melody's pics. Now back to mine! ;)

This is from Jumpin' Jack Flash. (Yeah, I know...Melody is CLEARY the better photographer!)

"You make a grown man cryyyyy..."

One last self-indulgent pic of me--me with my setlist! HOORAY!

That about wraps it up for now. Until next tour, Jovi's!

Be well, and Always...Keep the Faith!!

Have a Nice Day!

Erica Basile

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Can't Get Enuff of Kip Winger at Tailgaters

2014-03-19T12:59:00.001-07:00

Hi friends,

Just a few short weeks ago, I got to see Kip Winger perform solo at Tailgaters in Bolingbrook (a Chicago suburb), and joining me for the first time was concert buddy, Kate.

It was a snowy and freezing night—I mean, really. We got about 4 inches of snow and I think it was about 12 degrees outside. But, of course, Kate and I braved the cold weather to see Kip Winger.

Now Kate and I, not being 20 years old anymore, opted for VIP seating, so that we didn't have to stand all night. (Good call, Kate!) When we got to the venue (later than we expected, due to a windshield wiper mishap--don't ask!), it was quite crowded, but we found a pretty decent table off to the side with no one seated at the reserved tables in front of us.

After we'd been there for about ½ hour, Kip took the stage. He was so personable! Gum chewing, Kip (yep, he chewed gum the whole time--the funny things we notice) chatted up the audience for a few minutes before beginning the show--and he remained quite chatty during the night. Kip even used his cell phone during the show to call Winger guitarist, Reb Beach. Kip put Reb on speaker phone and held his phone to the mic for us all to hear their conversation.

Kip didn't disappoint Winger fans! He played a bunch of Winger favorites, like Down Incognito, Can't Get Enuff, and Easy Come, Easy Go (my favorite Winger song). He also did a few songs that I was unfamiliar with, including a song with an Egyptian feel (that I liked a lot). For the few songs that I didn't already know, Kip invited another musician on the stage to play bongos, while Kip played guitar and sang.

Kip also brought up a volunteer from the audience for Miles Away. Most of us were SURE that this girl only wanted to get on stage to mildly grope Kip. (Who could really blame her for that?) BUT this girl THREW IT DOWN! She surprised us all when she sang really well. Kip let her do much more of the song than it seemed like he expected to let her do--and it was well deserved.

Here's a video that I found on YouTube of the duet.

Kip took a couple of requests, which was really fun! One of which, was Madalaine, which made Kate's day! She'd been waiting to hear that one ALL NIGHT. AND Kate had to wait until almost the last minute to hear Madalaine, because Kip played Madalaine second to last.

Kip saved Seventeen for the last song. He made all laugh when he said, “I can’t believe that I’m 52 and still singing this song, and I’ll still be singing it when I’m 62. And she’s not 17 anymore, she’s more like 43.” HA!

Kip hit all of the big notes vocally. He really sounded GREAT. He also mentioned that a new Winger album will be coming out later this year. He even played a riff from the new album that he had on his phone into the mic for us all to hear.

I hope see Kip back this way really soon. I know Kate will be my willing partner-in-crime!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog!

Until next time...which will be in about a week and a half when concert buddy, Kate, and I get to see Nelson in concert! ;)

All the Best,
Erica Basile

The Unskinny Bop of Bret Michaels at MoJoes

2014-01-31T14:49:00.006-08:00

Hi friends,

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today. For those of you who are new around here, I'm a busy mom of three (what Mom isn't busy, right?) who recently decided to take back control of my life, including going out and having fun with the girls (uh, would the phrase, Nothin' But a Good Time be appropriate here?). I also recently decided to start VLogging (video-blogging) my adventures about being a mom who has returned to school (college). You can check out my YouTube Channel with my VLog by clicking here. A few short weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Bret Michaels perform at a pretty decent sized bar called Mojoes in the Chicagoland area. This GNO, with my concert buddies, Melody, Christy and Toni was indeed right on time. As some of you know. I had just wrapped up my first semester since I had returned to school, and was eager for a little fun with the girls.

The night started off with Melody (my Bon Jovi buddy) and I taking a trip to the Department, a local Joliet restaurant. The Department used to be an old firehouse, hence the name The Department (i.e. fire department). This restaurant has the niche on everything cool and hip in the Chicagoland area, and would be equally at home if you picked it up and planted it in downtown Chicago. The service is great and the food is even better. A really nice touch is that the manager, a very personable guy, comes around to each table to make sure everyone is comfortable and that all is going well. Mel and I each had a shrimp dinner that was nothing short of succulent. When we were finished with our dinner, we still had a while to wait before the doors opened across the street at Mojoes. It was cold and rainy and the line wasn't long at all, I'm sure due to the bad weather, so we opted to hang out in the bar area of The Department until we were ready to get in line for the show.

At 7:50 p.m., we decided that the time had come for us to find our place in line with the rest of the fans, since the doors opened at 8:00 p.m. And luck was on our side. (It usually is, right Mel?) We happened to get the one spot just around the corner where we were covered by an awning, so we remained cold but not soaked. Mojoes opened promptly at 8:00 as promised, and we found our spot toward the front of the stage. The main floor of Mojoes is standing room only, and we were about eight to ten rows back. Not bad at all for lining up with only ten minutes to go before the doors opened.

We were joined shortly after by our other concert buddies, Toni (BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUT TO TONI!) and Christy. And, my oh my! These girls got to go backstage, for Toni's birthday, to meet Bret. Do you see those pink arm bands? That was their ticket for the meet and greet after the show! (They said Bret was just as personable and wonderful in person as he seems to be on stage, and as he seemed to be in The Apprentice. They even each got a kiss on the cheek from Bret! WOW!)

How was the show? As I said on Facebook, Bret's still got it! In fact, Christy and I, who both saw him in the 80s and 90s feel that he was even better now than he was then. I was completely prepared for him to not live up to what I remembered from my teens and young twenties, for the simple reason that I was so Bret Michaels starry eyed, I didn't think it was possible to live up to my remembrances. OH, "ME" OF LITTLE FAITH! Bret sounded GREAT. He was still totally high energy, and sang EVERY popular Poison song a fan could want to hear. And Bret, dear Bret, is SO grateful to the fans. His performance is peppered with many "thanks" to the fans throughout the show, and each "thank you" seems to come right from his heart.

The show started with the crowd pleasing, Talk Dirty to Me, which was followed by Look What the Cat Dragged In. The crowd was so loud for both songs, at times, I could hardly hear Bret. But that's the fun of a concert, right? Other songs that Bret did included, Nothin' But a Good Time, Unskinny Bop (which is quite the crowd pleaser), Something to Believe In, and, of course, Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Christy and I, were laughing at ourselves; we, being the excitable fans of the bunch, screamed--not joking, really screamed--with the introduction of each and every song, absolutely delighted that he was "doing this one too!" So apparently, it's not only Bon Jovi that makes me feel like a teenage girl, Bret Michaels has the same affect! :)

Here's a pic of Bret. In the words of, Melody, "My, oh my, he's good eye candy, isn't he?"

Before the show Christy mentioned that the one song that she wanted to hear was Ride the Wind. I told her that I had been thinking the SAME THING all day. During the show, Bret announced that he was going to do a song that he had only done with Poison, and that this was the first time this particular song was being performed with the Bret Michaels Band. MUCH to our delight, Bret announced that they would be doing Ride the Wind! And, yes, it was every bit as wonderful as I remembered.

The guys in the band also got to show off their chops a bit, each playing a part of one of their favorite songs, which ultimately led to a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. When I saw Poison in 1993, they double head-lined with Lynyrd Skynyrd, so it was really fun for me personally to hear Bret do that song. The show ended with Fallen Angel, the PERFECT song, IMO to leave us with for the night.

Here's the pic of my two super lucky friends that got to meet Bret! Christy--on the right--doesn't look too happy does she? And one day...ONE DAY...I'm gonna meet Bret too!!

Here is Every Rose Has Its Thorn from the show (I found this on YouTube. It's not my video.)

And for you Bret fans that missed the Mojoes show, don't fret! Bret promised that he's be back with Poison sometime this summer. You can place a very safe bet on where I'll be that night!

I hope you enjoyed reading the "Unskinny Bop" about the Bret Michaels show. I also hope you share with me your experiences. I'd love to hear about them.

Until next time...which, by the way, will be Winger next week... :)

Best Wishes,
Erica Basile

Chicago Jovication 2013

2013-09-05T12:40:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends and Jovi's,

I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today. I had great fun getting to see Bon Jovi at Soldier Field on July 12th. I really enjoyed writing down my memories, and I hope you find amusement in reading this "Paint Girl's" Tale.

For those of you who are new to my blog, I'm a busy mom of three (what Mom isn't busy, right?) who recently decided to take back control of my life, including going out and having fun with the girls. I also recently decided to start VLogging (video-blogging) my adventures about being a mom who has returned to school (college). You can check out my YouTube Channel with my VLog by clicking here.

My Jovication 2013 adventure started on July 11th, Richie's birthday (Sambora, of course). A bunch of us--mostly girls--that new each other from Twitter (you can follow me on Twitter by clicking here), decided to meet on Thursday, July 11th at the Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago. We were all supposed to meet that night at 6:30 for dinner/drinks. I had just come back from a vacation in North Carolina the day before and had a lot of "loose ends" to tie up before heading off downtown on the 11th. So it happened that I was running late that day, and to top it off, the Taste of Chicago (a popular Chicago festival containing many of the city's food vendors) was taking place in Chicago, which meant that traffic was HORRIBLE due to the great crowds of people that visit The Taste--as we Chicagoans call it. Concert buddy, Sue, was, of course, with me, and we didn't get to the Hard Rock until almost 8:30 p.m. We weren't the only ones late either--traffic was bad everywhere causing many people to be delayed.

The Bon Jovi fans that we met that night, who I had been in contact with through Twitter, who always seemed so nice, were even nicer and sweeter in person (right, a picture with Twitter buddy, April--who, I'm glad to say is now a friend). And if hanging out with super fun Twitter buddies wasn't great enough, David Bergman, Tour Photographer for Bon Jovi, even came to our little soiree! If you've never met him, David Bergman might just be the warmest, most down-to-earth guy around. I was even able to get a picture with him (below).

We also sang Happy Birthday to Richie Sambora...and Max. I don't know Max's last name, but for you super-awesome-crazy fans like me, Max was the one who coordinated the Milan display (the fan display that brought Jon to tears). Yes, Max was in Chicago for the Bon Jovi show, all the way from Italy (I think). Max, also a really nice guy, shares a birthday with Richie Sambora. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, check out the picture below to see what Max coordinated in Milan that brought Jon Bon Jovi to tears when he saw it.)

After an awesome evening at the Hard Rock Cafe and a good night's rest, concert buddy, Sue and I headed out to pick up our friend, concert buddy, Teri. We arrived at our hotel and lounged around for the afternoon. Soon, it was time to get dressed and head off to Soldier Field where Bon Jovi was playing that night. (The pic below--left to right--is me, concert buddy, Teri, and concert buddy, Sue.)

Concert buddy, Sue, and I had spent the better part of a year and a half saving money so that we could buy a Fan Club PIT ticket that included the backstage tour. Neither one of us had ever purchased a Fan Club ticket before so we were very eager to get to Soldier Field so that get on with the night's festivities. Our taxi cab ride there was longer than expected due to the Taste of Chicago traffic (caught in The Taste of Chicago traffic again!) so upon our cab driver's advice, we got out of our cab early to walk the rest of the way to Soldier Field.

After a pleasant walk to the stadium, we found ourselves standing in line in the HOT sun for a while, when finally (HOORAY) we were admitted entrance into the backstage area. In the backstage area we were wined and dined while Bon Jovi music/videos played. There were also plenty of pictures to look at like this one (below).

But how about that backstage tour? The tour in and of itself is pretty cool. One of Bon Jovi's staff members takes a group of people around (those that have purchased the tour) and talks about how things are set-up backstage; the tour guide also describes the responsibilities of some of the stage hands. While on our tour, we entered into a hallway that our tour guide said was a very private area, which was the hallway where the band's dressing rooms were located. There were big signs posted everywhere that said, "ABSOLUTELY No Autographs In This Area." We were told that if should we see someone from the band, we had to let them quietly pass by and not ask for an autograph/picture. Coming down this "dressing-room" hallway, walking in the opposite direction (toward us) was David Bergman (the Tour Photographer). Our guide introduced David, and he began to tell us what he does for the band. Off to our left, we heard a voice say, "Hey David, here's your photo op right here." We all turned around to see JON BON JOVI standing there, leaning up against one of the "No Autographs in this Area" signs with a sly smile on his face. Our tour guide quickly said that we could quietly gather around Jon and take a few pictures. YES, JON BON JOVI was about 2 feet away from ME! Here's the best picture that I took.

After a minute or two, Jon said, "Alright, that's enough," and headed back into his dressing room. Our tour guide said that, to date, Jon has NEVER greeted fans during a backstage tour, and that most likely, it will never happen again. She said he was in a really silly mood that day. WOW! BEST TOUR EVER!

The tour guide jokingly said, "Well, that's it. The tour is over. You all won't hear a thing I say now." It took a few minutes to regain our composure--our tour guide included--but eventually we set off for the rest of the tour. We got to see cool things like Jon's guitars and Phil's guitars that they use for the show (Phil X is filling-in for Richie Sambora, while Richie is taking time off to handle some personal issues). Everyone on the tour also got to take a picture with Jon's white mic stand. Here's my pic with it. Jon touches that thing! YEOOWWSEER!!

The show itself was awesome. I got to hear Captain Crash live...finally. They also did some of my favorites like Lost Highway, Someday I'll be Saturday Night and (You Want to) Make a Memory. I also think that Phil X absolutely rocked Always--which is the one song I always (no pun intended) want to hear live...every time. Phil's absolutely SLAMMED the guitar solo on Always--he put such feeling into it--it was really great. I put a link to a YouTube video (not a video that I took) at the bottom of this blog.

We had 4th row PIT, dead center (PIT 3), which was awesome to see, but no so awesome for taking pictures. There was a big light was shining behind Jon which made most of my pics come out bad, but here are just a couple that I liked.

See? If it wasn't that blasted light getting in the way, it was the mic stand. The mic stand that I love, and got to take a picture with so I'll stop complaining now. :) How about another "Jon pic?" (below)

And how about this one? Concert buddy, Teri, snapped this pic of concert buddy, Sue, and I on the big screen. Using her awesome photography skills, she even grayed out the people around us so that we could see ourselves better. Ya, she rocks!

After the show, as if we weren't already having the best luck possible, we ran into Phil X and got to take a picture with him. He was super nice and friendly to the fans that had gathered around. I made the pic black and white because the area we were in was really dark and the picture turned out bad. Making it black and white seemed to help the quality of the picture somewhat.

After a really awesome night, we headed off to bed. Concert buddy, Teri and I were so excited that we couldn't sleep more than about 3 hours. Goodness! We felt like teenagers! I usually need my sleep, but not when I'm too hyped up from a Bon Jovi show. We got up early and headed downstairs for coffee. The coffee maker had run out and the hotel staff was making a new batch. We didn't feel like waiting for the new batch so we headed out of the hotel in search of some fresh java. While walking down the street, who should we see about to get in an SUV headed for, I assume, the airport? YES!! DAVE BRYAN! FINALLY, FINALLY! I GOT TO MEET SOMEONE FROM BON JOVI!! I've listened to and loved this band since 1985, and I FINALLY GOT TO MEET SOMEONE FROM BON JOVI!

Dave Bryan was so sweet in person. When I saw him walking by, I called out his name, and he turned to see what I wanted. I asked if he would take a picture with each of us. He gladly obliged. I also asked him if he would sign an autograph for each of us. (You know, we Jovi girls come prepared with a CD to sign and a sharpie. You never know who you might meet!) Teri and I both had copies of the What About Now CD with us. With CD and sharpie in hand, Dave asked what my name was. I thought to myself, "This is already more wonderful than I could have imagined. Is he really going to personalize this for me?" And sure enough, he signed my CD, "To Erica, Dave Bryan." Here's a pic of it.
.

We also saw Bobby Bandiera, who plays guitar on tour with Bon Jovi. He was sitting on a luggage cart laughing at Teri and I, so we asked him for a picture too! :)

I was so blessed to have this experience. I would recommend the Fan Club backstage tour to any Bon Jovi loving fan--even if it's just a one-time experience. And while, the chances are slim of getting an impromptu pic of Jon, it was a fantastical thing to get to be on stage to take pics before the show, see the guitars, and take a pic with the white mic stand. Best of all are the new friends and acquaintances that I got to meet over the course of a couple days. Oh wait...maybe best of all is that I got to meet Dave Bryan. Hmmm....

All joking aside, this is a memory that will live on for years to come. I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey--Jovication 2013. I also hope you share with me your experiences. I'd love to hear about them.

Until next time...which will be October 23rd of course (next Bon Jovi Chicago concert). :)

Best Wishes,
Erica Basile

Oh yeah, and here is Always...

Because We Can--Long Awaited Bon Jovi Single

2013-01-07T17:48:00.007-08:00

January 7, 2013, 5:45 a.m., I sleepily roll out of bed and head downstairs to my computer. After all, it was announced the day before, via Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail that Bon Jovi had a special surprise for their fans on bonjovi.com at 7:00 a.m. ET, which is 6:00 a.m. my (Chicago) time. After logging on to bonjovi.com, I logged on to twitter to see the other brave souls were up early for the special "surprise." Turns out, the whole world tuned in. Literally. I saw a friend tweeting, who lives in Oregon (4:00 a.m. her time), as well other fans in Europe and around the world tweeting that it was 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. their time. And what was the surprise you ask? We giddy fans were treated to listening to Bon Jovi's new single, "Because We Can," which was released on iTunes one hour later.

I would love to tell you that I stayed on twitter with the rest of the fans, but I was exhausted and went back to bed. One hour later, I was much more myself and happily downloaded the song promptly at 7:00 a.m.

And how is the song? In one word, awesome. This is one toe-tapping and sing-along catchy rock anthem for sure. "Because We Can" begins with Bon Jovi's vocals (the whole band) harmonizing the chorus with only the drums for accompaniment. The song carries on with upbeat music that continues the groove established at the start. With positive lyrics to boot, the song's quick rise on the charts is understandable. Yes, friends, in no time at all the song reached number one in sales on iTunes for rock genre on the first day of it's release.

And do you think the excitement stopped there, friends? No, it didn't! Bon Jovi was very interactive with their fans this fan-tastic Monday (sorry, I couldn't resist) a trend I hope they continue. Throughout the day, Bon Jovi encouraged their fans on Twitter to retweet Bon Jovi's tweets in the hopes of winning a "prize pack." To say the fans were in a frenzy could be the understatement of the year. Fans retweeted old and new tweets from the band in hopes of winning the coveted prize. But, isn't that a big part of the fun--or novelty--of Twitter anyway? The idea that you can communicate on-one-on with your "favorite star(s)."

And while I was not one of the lucky winners this time around, I'm still flying high on the heels of a surprise follow back by Bon Jovi on Friday! I was commenting on how much I like their new artwork for the new single and remarking about how I had used the artwork to wallpaper my phone, when much to my surprise, they followed me back! HA! How about that!

To top off the day, as a consolation to those of us who didn't win the prize, Bon Jovi posted a lyric video for "Because We Can." I am eagerly waiting the (I hope) announcement of a video with the band in it.

For now, I'll be happily singing with the new single while counting down the days until the release of Bon Jovi's new album, What About Now, due for release in March. And of course, there's the Chicago show, for which I already have tickets. I'm gearing up for a very memorable 2013 Bon Jovi year!

If you don't have tickets yet for a Bon Jovi show near you, check out their tour page on their site here.

Until next time, Best Wishes,
Erica

Come Sail Away on my Tales of a Paint Girl Styx Adventure

2012-09-17T13:43:00.004-07:00

Hi Friends,
So glad you stopped by my blog today. If you haven't read my blog before, I'm a mom of three whose busy life had taken over and somehow I came to a place where I hadn't gone out with the girls in eight...long...years. Recently, I started having just-for-me fun again and decided to blog about it. And by the way, there is nothing more fun than an 80's rock band concert. In my blog, I take you with me on my "Tales of a Paint Girl." Are you possibly wondering from where I got the name "About Paint Girl?" I'll let you in on a little secret, my husband and I own a paint company, All About Paint. You get it now...(All) About Paint Girl. ;)

On to the fun stuff we go. So here it was, the last of three summer concerts that concert buddy, Sue, and I were attending this summer. For both the first and second concerts--Night Ranger and Heart, respectively--we were blessed with beautiful sunny weather. And then this concert. Eighty degrees--not bad! And rainy. Downpours. All...day. So much so, that my other friends that were attending, and I all thought the show would be cancelled, and that certainly, there wouldn't be anybody standing in line in the pouring rain for this first-come-first-serve seating concert. In fact, concert buddy, Sue, and I decided not to even show up until 4:30 in the afternoon (when the downpours finally ceased), one hour before doors were to open. But the rain didn't stop Styx fans from lining up, as you can kinda see in this pic of us (above). We were waaaayy in the back of a very long line.

After opening the gates and making our way to our "seats," concert buddy, Sue, and I found ourselves at the top of the hill way in the back--which wasn't too bad in this small outdoor arena. We staked our ground with our lawn chairs and went to seek out much needed sustenance. Upon returning to our seats and chatting about Bon Jovi--no doubt--over a delicious roast beef sandwich that we had cut in half and were sharing, they announced the first opening act, CASEY ABRAMS! Hooray! For those of you who don't know, Casey finished sixth on American Idol, season ten. The kids and I happened to catch the whole season of American Idol that year, and we all loved Casey. I told concert buddy, Sue, that I needed to go up front and grab a few pics (one of them above left) for my kids as I excitedly texted my husband the good news to relay to our children. Casey was just as great live as he was on American Idol. What a treat. He did all original songs. I couldn't tell you what they were, but if you'd like to check out his music click here.

Up next, much to my delight was Jim Peterik with his new band, Pride of Lions. In case Jim's name isn't ringing a bell with you--most of you--I imagine, would recognize him as the lead singer for Survivor (ya know, Eye of the Tiger). And, you 80's kids might remember 38 Special. Jim Peterik co-wrote their songs, Hold on Loosely and Caught Up in You.

Jim Peterik's other band, Ides of March, opened up for Night Ranger when I saw them in June. And as you know already, if you read my blog about that, you know that I LOVED his performance. I've been saying since then that I have to find out where he (Jim Peterik) is playing so that I can see him perform again. And viola! What good fortune! There he was on stage. According to Jim, Pride of Lions does very well in Europe and Japan and they'd like to be more well known here in the US. If you love 80's rock like I do, Pride of Lions is right up your alley. And BTW, the singer's vocals were SMOKIN.' If you'd like to check out Pride of Lions, click here. (Your's Truly, About Paint Girl, highly recommends, dear friends, that you purchase both Pride of Lions and Casey Abrams music. Their music would be good additions to your collections. Just sayin'...)

And look at this great picture (pic above) of me with Casey Abrams! While Pride of Lions was playing, it started to rain (again), so concert buddy, Sue and I rushed to our seats to get our oh-so-stylish rain ponchos. When it stopped raining and we were returning our ponchos to our seats, we saw Casey out and about and I got to take a pic with him. How cool is that!

He also autographed the back of my ticket. Look at how he drew his beard on the smiley face below his signature. Too cute!

Last up was Styx. Now concert buddy, Sue, and I are all for getting as close as we can to the stage, because, frankly, I just think that makes for a better concert experience. But for some reason, concert buddy, Sue, and I found ourselves exhausted and opted to watch Styx from our seats. In fact, we actually sat down for some of the songs and we NEVER do that! That also means I didn't get any good pictures of the band. I did, however, dear friends, provide PBP (play by play) on twitter for each song. If you don't already follow me on twitter, you should. :) You can do so by clicking here. (And BTW, I pretty much only tweet about Bon Jovi.)

And now, dear friends, I must wonder out loud, how did I NOT KNOW that TOMMY SHAW is in Styx? His claim-to-fame for ME is Damn Yankees, who, BTW, I saw twice in the early 90's with oh-so-important-to-me great seats! Man, I would love to see a Damn Yankees reunion show.

But I must get back on track and tell you about the show. From what I could see from my way-in-the-back seats, the band was quite energetic during their performance. And they sounded great. Really great. They performed songs like Too Much Time On My Hands and Lorelei, including a couple songs that I haven't heard before like I'm OK and Crystal Ball. For Crystal Ball, they told a fantastic story about Tommy Shaw coming to Chicago to join the band which ended with Tommy writing the song Crystal Ball in a bowling alley. (I love when bands take a minute to get personal with the audience like that and tell a story.) They also played my two of my favorite Styx songs, Lady and Come Sail Away. Keyboardist, Lawrence Gowen, who, BTW, was the only member of the band that we could see from our way-in-the-back seats, engaged the audience (solo on stage) with a back and forth exchange of several popular songs that led into Come Sail Away. He was full of personality and FANTASTIC to watch! He also had this cool swivel feature for his keyboard stand. On occasion, with his keyboard facing away from the audience, Gowen would turn around and play his keyboard backwards (in other words, the keyboard was facing away and Gowen was playing with his arms behind his back while facing the audience and singing along with whatever song they were playing at the time.) Your's Truly, About Paint Girl thought it was very fun and playful.

Here is my recording of Lady (a little shaky because I was so far back).

All in all it was a wonderful, almost rain-free, show. All three bands were great and I would go see all of them again.

As I always say, please feel free to drop a comment. I'd love to hear about your adventures or whatever you'd like to chat about. If you're enjoying these posts, scroll up a little bit and click Join this Site, on the right-hand side of the page, to follow my oh-so-cool blog.

Until next time...

Best Wishes,
Erica Basile

"Straight On" To My Heart Adventure

2012-08-28T14:05:00.002-07:00

Hi friends,

So glad you stopped by my blog today. If you aren't familiar with my blog, I'm a busy mom whose life had taken over, and somehow I came to a place where I hadn't gone out with the girls in eight...long...years. Recently I took back over my life and started doing fun things again. And, BTW, there is NOTHING more fun than an 80's rock band concert. In my blog I take you with me on my "Tales of a Paint Girl." I got the name, "About Paint Girl," because my husband and I have owned a paint company, All About Paint, for about 20 years now. I keep the books, and do social media marketing, while he runs the painting side of the business.

Now on to the fun stuff. On my latest adventure, concert buddy, Sue, and I (pic of us, above left) went to see Heart at an outdoor arena on a gorgeous July evening. This time we were joined by new concert buddy, Jana--who BTW, is the World's Greatest hair stylist (pic of us, below right).

It just so happened that Heart was playing on a Friday night at a local outdoor arena. The opening bands were scheduled to start at 5:45, which isn't the easiest time to get to a concert on a FRIDAY (WEEKDAY) with work and all, so we were running a tad late. And, as I recall, we were all STARVING so we stopped at Wendy's for a fast bite to eat before getting to the arena. When we arrived around 6:15, the place was already PACKED and all available "seating" to see the stage was taken. Our lovely seats that you see here in the pictures were so far on the side of the stage, that we couldn't see the stage at all! Not to worry, I still have two legs to stand on, as do my concert buddies, so we left our seats behind and went to the standing room only area located in front of the stage.

First up was a local bar band called Hit Parade. These crowd pleasers played a wide variety of familiar rock songs. We only saw the last couple of their songs since we were running late, but they did a really nice job.

Up next was Gina Glocksen (pic below), who took ninth place on American Idol Season six. I didn't watch American Idol season six, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was more than pleasantly surprised with this rocker's heartfelt, powerful, raspy vocals. For her first song, Gina slayed Janis Joplin's, Piece of My Heart. Also really great from her set was her rendition of 4 Non Blondes's song, What's Going On. I would, in fact, be happy to see Gina in concert again.

Up last was Heart. WOW! (I could pretty much just say that and end this blog, but I won't! :) )

Man, oh man!! These girls still got it! Ann's vocals were FABULOUS. And who doesn't like Nancy on guitar?! Now I must say that between concert buddies, Jana and Sue and myself, Jana is the biggest Heart fan of the three of us. I had just as much fun seeing Jana grin ear to ear during the show as I did watching the show itself.

And, all I really, really wanted was for them to play What About Love, which was, BTW, their third song of the night. I was so happy that they played it--and that it sounded so great--that the show could have ended there and I would have gone home happy. But fortunately for the rest of the crowd, they continued on and did songs like Alone and These Dreams and a great older song that I've never heard before called Dog and Butterfly. (You should really look it up--if, like me--you've never heard it before. Just sayin'...)

Here's a video from the show, that your's truly did not record, of Heart performing These Dreams.

Now, if you'll excuse me, concert buddy, Jana and I would like to side-track for just a moment-if you'll let us--and talk to Really Rude People. It's NOT OK, Really Rude People, to cut in front of Other People who have been standing all night to see the band up close just because you wanted to Sit Down during the opening acts and have now decided you would like a spot Right-Up-Front. It's also not OK, Really Rude Man-To-My-Right, to save spots for Twenty-Five-Or-More of your "closest friends," thereby pushing the rest of us Quite Further Further Back than we deserved after standing there for hours! (No joke.) It's been a Really Long Night, when mild mannered About Paint Girl (who--she and her friends--started out in the 5th standing row and are now in about the 15th standing row) starts telling people, "No, you're not excused. I was here first! You've got to go back!" Now I know, Dear Friends, that this isn't any of you, but perhaps you know a Really Rude Person and could Kindly Relate this Important Information to them. It would be a Shame for mild mannered About Paint Girl to have to deal harshly with one of these Really Rude People again. (On behalf of all other Nice, Friendly, and Mannerly people around us, who were also pushed far back, we thank you for letting us relate--or perhaps vent--this Important Information.)

And so know I'll continue writing about the show, which is why you're reading my blog, right? As the night went on, Heart played favorites like Straight On (video below), and even did The Who's, Love, Reign O'er me, which, if I recall correctly was the last song of the night (of the first ending). Bows taken, goodbyes spoken...

And then, much to the delight of their fans, Heart returned for an encore and performed Crazy on You and Barracuda. Wow! Like I said earlier...these girls have still got it! After their encore, they exited the stage abruptly without a second round of bows or final farewells to the audience. Which, I--and others around me--found a little strange. So (with lights still out on-stage) we assumed what any good fan would assume, that they wanted us to cheer for yet another encore, which we did. But they didn't return. Eventually (about 8 minutes later) the lights went back on, and the roadies came on stage and started shooing us all away. It was indeed the oddest ending to a concert I've ever experienced. We, the fans, stood around and wondered out loud if Heart perhaps was in a hurry to catch a plane to the next show. Eventually we all dispersed to leave for our cars.

Don't get me wrong, it was a GREAT show and I would happily see them again.

I'll be seeing Styx soon and can't wait to blog again.

I hope you've enjoyed my blog. I would love to hear what you think or hear about your adventures.

Until next time...
Best Wishes,
Erica Basile

Tales of a Paint Girl's Night (Ranger) Out

2012-06-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

So glad you stopped by my blog today. If you haven't read my blog before, I'm a mom of three whose busy life had taken over, and somehow I came to a place where I hadn't gone out with the girls in 8...long...years!! Recently, I took back over my life and started doing fun things again. And, BTW, there is NOTHING more fun than an 80's rock band concert. In my blog, I take you with me on my "Tales of a Paint Girl." I got the name "About Paint Girl," because my husband and I have owned a paint company, All About Paint, for about 20 years now. I keep the books, and do social media marketing, while he runs the painting side of the business.

Now on the to fun stuff. On my latest adventure, concert buddy, Sue, and I went to see Night Ranger perform when they came through the Chicagoland area a couple of weeks ago. And the even MORE FUN part about that, is that my friends' band, Peace Museum, was one of two opening acts for Night Ranger! Whoohoo!

Let me start by saying it was a BEAUTIFUL day for this outside concert with the temperature in the 70's and sunny--no rain predicted anywhere in the forecast. It just so happened that concert buddy, Sue, and I were running a tad behind our original plan to get a good space in line for this first-come-first-serve seating arrangement. As we were driving, it started POURING rain and we thought about how lucky we were to be running late, since neither of us had brought an umbrella. And good fortune continued to be on our side as we pulled into the venue parking and...viola! The clouds parted, the sun was shining, and we decided we were right on time after all!

As we walked up to the line, a long-time friend of my husband's, and recent-friend of mine was standing in line saving a spot for all of we-friends that were coming to see Night Ranger! Yesss! Thank you, Shannon! She had been poured on waiting in line while we were driving (awww...sorry, Shannon, that's no fun!), but still managed to look great through it all. Here's where the real fun starts, as we were standing in line chatting, another friend, also named Sue, brought Night Ranger guitarist, Joel Hoekstra over to say "hi" to us all. (Pic below!)

As it turns out, I had a few minutes to chat with Joel personally. Joel, if you didn't know already, grew up in the Chicagoland area, just like me. I was pretty sure that when he and I were in high school (not the same high school) that I used to see him play with one of his first high school bands. When I asked him about it, my suspicians were confirmed! In high school, I was friends with one of Joel's former band mates and I had in fact gone to see Joel play many a time "way back when."

And so on to the concert. The gates opened, and we got a space right in front where we were hoping to be. Up first was my friends' band, Peace Museum, who I hadn't seen play since the early 90's. Two of the original members weren't able to make it. But not to worry, the show would go on with my good friend, Walter Murphy on guitar, and his drummer, Scotty Blackmen. The band opened with Stryper's version of "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah." Shout out to Bill Burns for slamming the vocals on this one! The video that I took for this song is below. NONE of my videos turned out well, because I was too close to the stage. Who ever heard of being "too close" for a concert? That doesn't even make sense to me! Anyway the sound on this video doesn't start out too bad until the guitars kick in. Oh yeah! I love when the guitars kick in. Too bad my camera didn't like it too! HA!

Peace Museum also did songs like "American Girl," and an enjoyable original song that I had never heard before. They also did a fun version of "Mrs. Robinson," which is normally a little light for me (except, of course, when Bon Jovi does it--you fellow Joviholics understand what I'm saying), but I loved it and sang along...and so did the crowd. The girl next to me was enjoying them so much--as were her friends-- that she asked me the band's name. Peace Museum, in case you forgot. Then they did what ended up being, IMHO, their absolute best song of the night, "Carry on My Wayward Son" by Kansas. I so wish I had video of it for you! Now on a side note, I asked my musician-husband if this is a difficult song to play, because the vocals, harmony, and music sound difficult to me. He said that it is, in fact, a difficult song to play. But you sure wouldn't know it to see Peace Museum play it!! Lead and harmony vocals, and music were all PERFECT! And seemed effortless! Peace Museum had so much fun with this song and so did the crowd. The inquiring girl "who-wanted-to-know" to my right said, "Wow! Who did you say that these guys are again?"

And then they did their AC DC three song meddly. OH NO! Not AC DC!! I...can't...stand...AC...DC. I don't care for their music, and the vocals sound like nails on a chalkboard to me. UGH!!! But I stood alone in my scorn for AC DC as the crowd of people to my left, full of Peace Museum friends, and to my right, full of never-seen-Peace-Museum-before-people became indistinguishable as they jumped up and down and loudly sang every word to every song with the band. As the medley was nearing it's end, the "girl-on-my-right" said, "MAN! These guys are GREAT!" Yes, they are.

But my redemption was near as the AC DC songs came to an end--and for the final song of the night--the boys did Ratt's, Round and Round. Yesss! I love Ratt. I included the video below, even though the sound quality stinks. Enjoy guitar enthusiasts as Master Shredder, Walter Murphy, throws in a little Yngwie-ish something extra on the second guitar solo (end of the song).

Up next was The Ides of March, led by Chicagoland native, Jim Peterik (former lead singer for Survivor). I had never seen Jim Peterik in concert before, and I have just one thing to say...Classy, Classy, Classy! I'm sorry that I haven't seen him perform sooner and I would go see him perform again in a heartbeat. (And the show was so clean! I could have had my kids there and been COMPLETELY comfortable with them seeing the show.) On a fun note, Jim Peterik uses a different guitar for every song. And they all looked so coooool! I'm drooling...I wish I could play the guitar myself. But to get back on track, The Ides of March delighted the crowd with familiar songs such as "High on You," and "The Search is Over."

Here's a video that I found of "High on You" from the show. It's kinda from the same perspective that I had at the show. I wonder if the girl on my right took it! Hmmm...

And here is the video for crowd pleaser, "The Search is Over." This video is by the same person as the last video I included.

They also did a 38 Special medley that included "Hold on Loosely." And, I must mention that they did The Ides of March hit, "Vehicle," which I would have called "Great God in Heaven You Know I Love You." But, I stand corrected. HA! And I must say, Great God in Heaven, you know we were lovin' you back, Jim Peterik and The Ides of March! To top off their set, The Ides of March returned for an encore in which they played "Eye of the Tiger." But this was no ordinary "Eye of the Tiger" as Jim Peterik took about 10 minutes to run through the crowd during his extended guitar solo. AWESOME.

By this time concert buddy Sue and I had achy feet, since we'd been standing since 4:30 in the afternoon, but we decided to press on and see Night Ranger up close instead of retreating to our blanket further back on the grass. Well, that's how I tell the story anyway...I think concert buddy Sue's version has something about me twisting her arm, or some such nonsense to get her to stay up front with me. HA! :)

So there we were, still up close to the stage when Night Ranger started--in fact, we stayed there until the show ended. They opened with their high energy song, "Lay it on Me." And may I mention that Jack Blades is SUPER high energy through the whole show. I think he gets a full aerobic work-out in! He was every bit as high energy as when I saw him twice in the early 90's twice the Damn Yankees. In fact, the whole bad was GREAT. I'm so glad I finally got to see these guys perform. And what a perk for me to get to see Joel Hoekstra with them!

During the show, Jack Blades was a first rate performer and class act as he told a short story to introduce each song. I would have had a ball anyway just hearing the music, but his stories added such a nice personal touch.

And, I was THRILLED when they did a couple of Damn Yankees songs (I was sooo hoping they would!) They performed both "Coming of Age," and "High Enough." Here's a video of "High Enough" taken by someone else, with better sound quality than I had. And (hooray) they included some of Jack's intro about Tommy Shaw and Ted Nugent.

Also included to the crowd's delight was a rendition of Ozzy Ozbourne's "Crazy Train." BTW, if you didn't know already, Night Ranger guitarist, Brad Gillis, used to play with Ozzy.

Another great moment was during "You Can Still Rock in America," as Jim Peterik joined the band on stage waving an American flag and signing the song with them.

And of course, OF COURSE, Kelly Keagy came out from behind the drums for a few minutes to sing my all-time favorite Night Ranger song "Sister Christian." Preceeded by the song was a beautiful story told by singer, Jack Blades, about how Kelly had written "Sister Christian" for his little sister when she was growing up and wanting to "expand her wings" and see the world. During the performance of the song, the Mayor of New Lenox (the town where the concert was held) and his family joined Night Ranger on stage to sing back-ups. Here's the video (taken by someone else).

The show ended with--if I remember right!--"When You Close Your Eyes," and "Don't Tell Me You Love Me." (I know, I know, I should have written this sooner when I'd actually remember, but my family comes first and I this was the earliest I could get this blog done!)

And here is my best pic of the night...not too bad for this extreme amateur.

After the show, which ended at about 11:00 pm--so that's 6 1/2 hours of standing for concert buddy, Sue and I, and, OMGOODNESS, our feet were so sore, but--we decided to go say "hi" to Joel before leaving. Or maybe I bullied, concert buddy, Sue into that too!

Well, we found Joel before our feet and backs and everything else gave out and here's our pic with him.

We had a great night! All three bands were terrific! And I promised not to torture concert buddy, Sue, with standing all night until Bon Jovi comes to town again. Although if Richie comes to town touring his solo album (Sambora, of course), then I will do everything in my power to be up front for his performance. Even if it means achy feet and back. Sorry concert buddy, Sue! I'll stand alone if I have to! But I know you can't resist and you'll be right there with me. HA!

I hope you enjoyed my "Tale." I'll be seeing the musical Rock of Ages soon with, yes, concert buddy, Sue, and a couple of other friends, and I'll be blogging about that adventure soon.

Feel free to drop a comment. I'd love to hear what you think or hear about your adventures too!

Best Wishes,
Erica Basile

Tales of a Paint Girl, My Bon Jovi Adventure

2012-05-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

Since this is my first blog, I thought I should take a minute and introduce myself. Let's start with the name, "About Paint Girl." Where in the world did that come from? Well, my husband and I have owned a paint company for nearly 20 years now. He's out in the field painting and I keep the books, do social media marketing, etc. Well, one day, he got it in his head that I should start blogging about paint, but never having worked with paint, I told him I couldn't do that. He said, "Well, then blog about what you love." Soooo, I decided to blog about the other great loves of my life--my husband, Perry, of course, being the first. But the other loves of my life are BON JOVI along with other 80s Metal/Rock bands.

Just a little bit more about me, I was born and raised and still live in the Chicagoland area, which is, by the way, a beautiful city. My high school years were during the late 1980's and, IMHO, was the GREATEST, MOST FUN time EVER for music!

Well, let's get on to the meaty stuff now. As I was mulling over the idea of starting a blog, I found some other interesting blogs (that I highly recommend) like Hair Metal Mansion, to keep we rockers up-to-date with what our favorite 80's bands are doing. I also came across Big Apple Jen who has seen Bon Jovi something like 187 times to date--and, who gets great seats--and I must tell you, whose blog I love living vicariously through. But perhaps you're more like me and your life has been more of a Tommy and Gina story than a Cinderella story. I will always try and keep it real as we have fun together talking about our favorite bands and as I share with you my experiences in life.

So with Richie's solo album coming out soon (Sambora--if I even need say which Richie I'm talking about), I decided to blog about my experience seeing Bon Jovi at the United Center on March 9, 2011.

Now let me tell you a little story...it had been so long since I had bought any concert tickets (I'm a busy mom of three with a Tommy and Gina story, what can I say?) that I didn't know how to get close seats anymore! I know, sounds stupid, right? I didn't know that the first section of seats after the pit are also "package" tickets. And that "first section" was the section that I was aiming for. So I was at-the-ready at my computer...and the minute that the tickets went on sale I was on-line with Ticketmaster. The first set of tickets to pop up were--can you believe it--WAY IN THE BACK!! WHAT?? REALLY?? So I refreshed my screen and tried again. And OH NO! Tickets WAY IN THE BACK! No way! This can't be happening! So I called Ticketmaster while simultaneously refreshing my screen. The girl on the phone only had tickets---you guessed it---way in the BACK! ARRRGGG! But then, on my screen popped up 2 tickets in the 3rd row of the second section. YES! I'll take it! So we ended up with about the 17th row after the pit, which wasn't too bad. (Next time though, I'll be prepared to get much better tickets!)

And now, the part you've been waiting for. The show was PHENOMENAL! They played a full 2 hours and 45 minutes! They were taking a short break in the tour after our show, so they weren't in any hurry to call it quits!

The show started with Living on a Prayer and went right into You Give Love a Bad Name. Talk about starting the show on an "up" note! So high-level energy. It was amazing!

One of the highlights of the show was Bed of Roses (I didn't record this video--I got it off YouTube--it's a GREAT video)! Concert buddy, Sue, and I freaked out--of course, just like everyone else--when Jon sat on the pit circle to to sing to the crowd. It reminded me of one of the GREAT moments of my life, when I had front row for Keep the Faith Tour. During I Want You, Jon held my hand, looked right into my eyes, and sang a few lines of the second verse to me. Ahhhh! Those were the days long before digital camera phones, so it is but a wonderful memory to me. I sooo wish I had video of it! :) Anywho, here's Bed of Roses from the United Center.

This is Love For Sale...another great video I found. This one features the whole band on the pit.

And I had to include this one because I can see myself when this guy scans the audience! HA! I'm visible on the words "...home. I'm a cowboy." HAHA! I think that's hilarious!

I had to include this next one, which is shaky, but MAN, is this girl close! There's some great shots of the best smile in the world!

I shot the next two videos, but the thought of blogging wasn't something I had ever thought about at that time. AND I had been sick for days with the flu (thanks children of mine for the lovely gift--pardon my sarcasm) and just about had to crawl to my seat, but I MADE IT! So the videos are short. I'll do better next time. I promise.

Here's Someday I'll be Saturday Night.

And here is I'll Be There For You.

As Jon says in this video, "I'll leave you with just one more." Always...the final song of the encore. Enjoy.

All in all, it was a GREAT evening and I can't wait for them to come again, just like you other Joviholics out there!

I hope you enjoyed this blog. I'd love to hear your comments about what I wrote or about your concert experiences, so "talk" it up!

I'll be seeing Night Ranger next week, so stay tuned for another blog coming soon!

Best Wishes,
Erica Basile