All the guys and Amanda went out to dinner after the sound check and before the show at 8 that night. Considering her remarks of the last night, she stuck with two glasses of wine tonight. The fact she received several sly glances from the other men, innocent eyes from Richie, and deep chuckles from Tico didn’t help. Finally, she couldn’t stand it.
“Ok, ok, I had too much to drink last night…geez, like you guys never did that?”
David piped up. “Actually, it wasn’t so much the description of every room you had sex in, as it was the moment when you almost fell into the nachos!”
She turned to Jon. “I almost fell into nachos?”
Laughing himself now, Jon grinned at her. “Well, you were a little unsteady on your feet, honey, and you tried a bow and…well, actually, yeah, you almost fell into the nachos!”
She groaned again and unconsciously shifted in her seat. Wide grins appeared around the table, but she was looking down and fortunately for the men of Bon Jovi she missed their looks.
Still teasing her, Hugh asked if it was true she had never been to one of their shows.
Shooting Jon an “I’m gonna kill you” look, she nodded. Trying to defend herself a little, she announced: “I did buy the CDs!”
Dinner passed with some relaxation, but more and more there was a growing excitement between the men. They seemed a bit more pumped up, laughing a little harder, getting geared up for their show. They rode in the limos back to the stadium and entered the private area. Jon handed Amanda a pass to wear around her neck which would allow her to move to any area at will.
They entered the underground area and could hear the vibration of the crowd through the walls. It was noisier than Amanda imagined it would be and she also felt a sense of rising excitement. She had seen footage and TV show performances of the band, of course, but not one of their actual concerts. Trying to hang back a little to give Jon some space as this was work for him, she ended up a bit behind the guys as they went to the dressing rooms. Not wanting to intrude when they were changing, she stayed in the hallway by the door.
Suddenly the door opened, a blond head poked out, and she was grabbed and pulled through the door. A huge grin met her surprised look.
“What the heck are you doin’ out there?”
“Giving you guys time to change. One naked man a night is enough for me!”
“This is my room, babe, so there’s only gonna be one naked man in here!”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh Lord! THAT’S the one I’m worried about!”
He hugged her to him and went to change into skin-tight black leather pants and a black leather vest, opened to show a generous amount of hair. Black boots completed his outfit and as he was pulling on the second boot and standing he heard her gasp.
“Holy shit, Jon!”
He grinned at her. “Works for you, eh baby?”
She grimaced then and gave a small moan. “Oh yeah, it works, but nothing else does dammit!”
This time he gave her his panty-dropping smile and laughed even harder when she now actually groaned.
“I really hate you right now…” she spoke with gritted teeth.
“YOU hate ME? I’m wearing leather without underwear and let me tell you, after last night I ain’t havin’ any fun either!”
She giggled then as he tried to shift himself to a more comfortable position.
There was a knock on the door and a man entered at Jon’s answer.
“Hey, Chris, this is Amanda, my lady.”
“Ma’am.”
“Just Amanda, please, Chris.”
The big man smiled at her. “Okay, Amanda, nice to meet you.”
Jon continued. “I want her to see the show from different perspectives. Take her center stage front row and then if she asks you to, take her to my side during clothing changes. Basically, wherever she wants to go, you go with her, okay?”
“Got it, Mr. B., no problem.”
“Thanks, Chris. See you in a few.”
Chris left the room, leaving the two of them alone. It was now 7:30 and Amanda was aware of changes taking place in Jon’s demeanor. He was internally working himself up for the show and soon would go off for his pre-show rituals. She didn’t know about those yet, but she could see changes in him.
Speaking softly, she said: “Jon, I should let you have some time to do whatever you need, okay?”
Glancing at her gratefully, he pulled her into a deep embrace and kissed her until she could barely breathe.
“I’ll see you soon, Manda, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Amanda exited the room and found Chris waiting outside. Giving him a warm smile, she said she was ready to go where Jon had indicated. Walking out a tunnel towards the stage, they took a side path that led to the front row of the crowd. He managed to get her to where Jon had wanted her, right in front of him, and then moved outside the barrier to stand in front of her with the other security personnel. She saw him speak to several of the men there and point her out. All nodded their understanding of his instructions.
The opening band was winding down and if Amanda thought there was electricity in the air that night at Dr. Feelgood’s, she had no idea of what was coming. The very air seemed charged and as the roadies made the final set up for the band to take the stage, the crowd started clapping in rhythm and chanting. She was jostled a little by the people beside her, but when Chris started to move forward she shook her head, indicating she was alright.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and then spotlights showed first Tico, then David, and then Hugh walking onto the stage amid much screaming. Richie came out next and the crowd roared even louder. There was a pause as they started the opening bars of “Living on a Prayer” and then out of the back of the stage Jon appeared. The screaming of the crowd was like nothing she had ever heard before. Jon bounded out onto the stage, energy rolling off him in waves, flashing his unique and legendary smile as he began singing.
Jon at first was totally focused on the crowd. This was Giant’s stadium, his hometown, and he always tried to give the best show he could there. His eyes finally found Amanda and he almost missed a beat in the song because she was standing there, wide-eyed and open mouthed, simply staring at him. Moving and looking directly at her, he sang and flashed his smile at her, and saw her give a shake of her head. He had to keep moving or he was going to start laughing. Glancing over at Richie, he could see that he also had seen Amanda and was barely keeping it together.
Hugh, David, and Tico were also grinning like madmen and their good humor and the natural energy they all had together combined to put on a show that would be talked about for years. Jon worked the crowd with all the showmanship he had learned over the years and with what could only be called natural charisma. He was simply magnetic and whether he was crooning a love song, or belting out a rock anthem, the crowd couldn’t get enough. He strutted along the stage, played to the ladies, danced with one at the “fan pit” on stage, kissed another, and drove the crowd into a frenzy. He talked to them, telling stories, making jokes, teasing the other band members, and flashing his million dollar smile.
Amanda felt herself moving to the music and singing along to the songs she knew by heart, but she still couldn’t take her eyes off Jon. This was a side of him she had never seen and she wanted to remember every moment of her first time. Chris had to tap her shoulder twice to get her attention and motion for her to follow him. She did and he took her to the side stage where Jon was so she could see things from this angle. She peeked out into the crowd and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people she could see, all dancing, waving their arms, clapping, and singing.
When Jon called out “Is there a doctor in the house?” the lead in to “Bad Medicine” she started hip shaking herself and Jon looked over and saw her, grinned, and led the crowd on, having them sing back to him. The lights dimmed before the first encore and he ran to her side of the stage, kissed her deeply but quickly, and changed into a baby blue t-shirt after toweling some of the sweat off himself. The guys returned to the stage and started the cover of “Treat Her Right” with Jon dancing and shaking his ass at the audience until the walls seemed they would crumble from the screams.
“Ok, ok, I had too much to drink last night…geez, like you guys never did that?”
David piped up. “Actually, it wasn’t so much the description of every room you had sex in, as it was the moment when you almost fell into the nachos!”
She turned to Jon. “I almost fell into nachos?”
Laughing himself now, Jon grinned at her. “Well, you were a little unsteady on your feet, honey, and you tried a bow and…well, actually, yeah, you almost fell into the nachos!”
She groaned again and unconsciously shifted in her seat. Wide grins appeared around the table, but she was looking down and fortunately for the men of Bon Jovi she missed their looks.
Still teasing her, Hugh asked if it was true she had never been to one of their shows.
Shooting Jon an “I’m gonna kill you” look, she nodded. Trying to defend herself a little, she announced: “I did buy the CDs!”
Dinner passed with some relaxation, but more and more there was a growing excitement between the men. They seemed a bit more pumped up, laughing a little harder, getting geared up for their show. They rode in the limos back to the stadium and entered the private area. Jon handed Amanda a pass to wear around her neck which would allow her to move to any area at will.
They entered the underground area and could hear the vibration of the crowd through the walls. It was noisier than Amanda imagined it would be and she also felt a sense of rising excitement. She had seen footage and TV show performances of the band, of course, but not one of their actual concerts. Trying to hang back a little to give Jon some space as this was work for him, she ended up a bit behind the guys as they went to the dressing rooms. Not wanting to intrude when they were changing, she stayed in the hallway by the door.
Suddenly the door opened, a blond head poked out, and she was grabbed and pulled through the door. A huge grin met her surprised look.
“What the heck are you doin’ out there?”
“Giving you guys time to change. One naked man a night is enough for me!”
“This is my room, babe, so there’s only gonna be one naked man in here!”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh Lord! THAT’S the one I’m worried about!”
He hugged her to him and went to change into skin-tight black leather pants and a black leather vest, opened to show a generous amount of hair. Black boots completed his outfit and as he was pulling on the second boot and standing he heard her gasp.
“Holy shit, Jon!”
He grinned at her. “Works for you, eh baby?”
She grimaced then and gave a small moan. “Oh yeah, it works, but nothing else does dammit!”
This time he gave her his panty-dropping smile and laughed even harder when she now actually groaned.
“I really hate you right now…” she spoke with gritted teeth.
“YOU hate ME? I’m wearing leather without underwear and let me tell you, after last night I ain’t havin’ any fun either!”
She giggled then as he tried to shift himself to a more comfortable position.
There was a knock on the door and a man entered at Jon’s answer.
“Hey, Chris, this is Amanda, my lady.”
“Ma’am.”
“Just Amanda, please, Chris.”
The big man smiled at her. “Okay, Amanda, nice to meet you.”
Jon continued. “I want her to see the show from different perspectives. Take her center stage front row and then if she asks you to, take her to my side during clothing changes. Basically, wherever she wants to go, you go with her, okay?”
“Got it, Mr. B., no problem.”
“Thanks, Chris. See you in a few.”
Chris left the room, leaving the two of them alone. It was now 7:30 and Amanda was aware of changes taking place in Jon’s demeanor. He was internally working himself up for the show and soon would go off for his pre-show rituals. She didn’t know about those yet, but she could see changes in him.
Speaking softly, she said: “Jon, I should let you have some time to do whatever you need, okay?”
Glancing at her gratefully, he pulled her into a deep embrace and kissed her until she could barely breathe.
“I’ll see you soon, Manda, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Amanda exited the room and found Chris waiting outside. Giving him a warm smile, she said she was ready to go where Jon had indicated. Walking out a tunnel towards the stage, they took a side path that led to the front row of the crowd. He managed to get her to where Jon had wanted her, right in front of him, and then moved outside the barrier to stand in front of her with the other security personnel. She saw him speak to several of the men there and point her out. All nodded their understanding of his instructions.
The opening band was winding down and if Amanda thought there was electricity in the air that night at Dr. Feelgood’s, she had no idea of what was coming. The very air seemed charged and as the roadies made the final set up for the band to take the stage, the crowd started clapping in rhythm and chanting. She was jostled a little by the people beside her, but when Chris started to move forward she shook her head, indicating she was alright.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and then spotlights showed first Tico, then David, and then Hugh walking onto the stage amid much screaming. Richie came out next and the crowd roared even louder. There was a pause as they started the opening bars of “Living on a Prayer” and then out of the back of the stage Jon appeared. The screaming of the crowd was like nothing she had ever heard before. Jon bounded out onto the stage, energy rolling off him in waves, flashing his unique and legendary smile as he began singing.
Jon at first was totally focused on the crowd. This was Giant’s stadium, his hometown, and he always tried to give the best show he could there. His eyes finally found Amanda and he almost missed a beat in the song because she was standing there, wide-eyed and open mouthed, simply staring at him. Moving and looking directly at her, he sang and flashed his smile at her, and saw her give a shake of her head. He had to keep moving or he was going to start laughing. Glancing over at Richie, he could see that he also had seen Amanda and was barely keeping it together.
Hugh, David, and Tico were also grinning like madmen and their good humor and the natural energy they all had together combined to put on a show that would be talked about for years. Jon worked the crowd with all the showmanship he had learned over the years and with what could only be called natural charisma. He was simply magnetic and whether he was crooning a love song, or belting out a rock anthem, the crowd couldn’t get enough. He strutted along the stage, played to the ladies, danced with one at the “fan pit” on stage, kissed another, and drove the crowd into a frenzy. He talked to them, telling stories, making jokes, teasing the other band members, and flashing his million dollar smile.
Amanda felt herself moving to the music and singing along to the songs she knew by heart, but she still couldn’t take her eyes off Jon. This was a side of him she had never seen and she wanted to remember every moment of her first time. Chris had to tap her shoulder twice to get her attention and motion for her to follow him. She did and he took her to the side stage where Jon was so she could see things from this angle. She peeked out into the crowd and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people she could see, all dancing, waving their arms, clapping, and singing.
When Jon called out “Is there a doctor in the house?” the lead in to “Bad Medicine” she started hip shaking herself and Jon looked over and saw her, grinned, and led the crowd on, having them sing back to him. The lights dimmed before the first encore and he ran to her side of the stage, kissed her deeply but quickly, and changed into a baby blue t-shirt after toweling some of the sweat off himself. The guys returned to the stage and started the cover of “Treat Her Right” with Jon dancing and shaking his ass at the audience until the walls seemed they would crumble from the screams.
There were two more songs, another clothing change, and the band was back for the last encore. When they were finally done, the guys all left their instruments, walked to the front of the stage, clasped raised hands and bowed. Long after they left the stage the crowd screamed and clapped and pleaded for more. It was that kind of night.
Quite the experience to be so close and to look out over the crowd into the sea of smiling faces! I wonder how Amanda will feel now that she has seen what Jon's fans have always known? I'm betting she'll be in awe just a little bit too!
Great stuff Sunstreaked! Keep it coming!
Absolutely great description of the concert, felt like I was there myself. Wonder how Amanda feels after experiencing Jon Bon Jovi the rockstar for the first time.