livin on a prayer

I've made no secret of my unabashed love for Bon Jovi.  I mean let's get real, I named a cat Bon Jovi when I was five years old.   I know all the words to all their songs, and I can even tell you how old I was when each of their hits were released.  My obsession runs deep, people.

All that to say, last night's concert was pretty amazing.  It was a little disappointing that Richie is back in rehab {get it together, buddy!} but overall he was not missed one bit.

I'll start from the beginning---

Lofton and I dropped doodle off with Mimi Saturday morning.  I pretended he would miss me, but knew in my heart he really could care less that we were leaving.  Childless, we headed to Atlanta for a day of shopping, eating, and then concert going.

Shopping started a little rough for me.  We went to Loft and something about the combination of loud music, hoards of people, and perfume smells put me into sensory overload.  I went from no headache to not being able to see from the blinding pain in less than five minutes. Boo on that.

We changed venues and hit Atlantic Station for a quiet lunch, some drinks, and more shopping.  Finally it was time to check into our hotel.  We stayed here. It was gorgeous. After naps and more drinks, I was ready for the show.

We smartly chose to take a cab to Phillips Arena because we didn't want to deal with driving and parking.  The cab ride to the venue was no big deal, but Lofton didn't tip the cab driver {because he evidently surcharged or something} and it gave us bad cab karma.  When I tell you we almost died on the way back to the hotel I am not exaggerating.  Our driver was cutting through parking lots and back alleys trying to avoid traffic, all the while chatting on his cell phone.  Good thing I'd had a few over-priced concert cocktails.

And now, the concert.  It's hard to put into words how amazing it was.  Our seats were good {kind of in the middle section but to one side}, Jon looked unbelievable in his leather pants and vest, and Lofton was the best sport ever.  He even tried to pay an attendant to let us in the club level section {no dice though}.  The band played a great combination of old and new songs, and I danced my little heart out.  There was no sitting at all for three hours.  {Thank you Pure Barre for my increased athleticism}.

My favorites?  Shot Through the Heart, Wanted, I'll be There for You, and his two encore songs: It's My Life and Livin on a Prayer. Livin on a Prayer is my all time most favorite song and I was a little nervous to see if his performance would live up.  I can safely say he sounds as good live as he does on a CD!

Basically, my bucket list is now complete.  And I love my husband that much more for indulging me in a dream weekend.  {He did, however, mention that the next time Lebron is in the vicinity he would be going to watch him play.}