Happy Holidays....

It's been a very long time. I'd apologize for my absense, but I've been too busy with life to really have time for my blog. Not that it's nearly as popular and so many others that my online and real life friends maintain. Regardless, it's been a very busy three months.

I became gainfully employed again at the end of September. It was an unexpected surprise in my life and I'm so very grateful to them for having faith in my ability and experience to hire me. Almost to the end of my probation period and I have been assured I have nothing to fear. That by itself is a relief.

I've been kayaking, a nightstand for Halloween (get it, a night stand.....one night stand) and went to Gaylord Palms Resort for their ICE! spectacular and it is spectacular. I've never seen two million pounds of ice looks so beautiful......and it reminded me what 9 degrees feels like. It's COLD.

I was able to Christmas shop this year and the first packages are in the mail. One more package and I'm done with shipping. Now Christmas cards are another story entirely. A Christmas party, a Holiday party and Biff Burger's Toys for Tots Bike Show are past me and now it's on to my birthday and Christmas. Both will be over soon enough.

Oh and when I say Happy Holidays it's not to lessen the spirit of the season, on the contrary. It's to celebrate all holidays this time of year. My new company celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas, so holiday wishes to everyone that does the same.

I can't say I've been this anxious to have a year over with in a long time, but this year, I'm looking hopefully forward towards 2010 and hope that it brings better things to each and every one of you, yours and the world in general. It's been a tough couple years for all of us and I believe that it will improve slowly over the course of the next twelve months.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Happy Hanukkah!!!

And best of all......Have a happy, healthy, wonderful New Year.






PS.......if Amber's muse ever returns, you'll be the first ones to know.

Richie Sambora: new Bon Jovi album The Circle "rocks hard"

Found this on the net......from musicradar.com

Bon Jovi went to Nashville for 2007's country-tinged Lost Highway album and the result was mega-platinum: the record debuted at number one in the US - a first for the band. But on their upcoming release, The Circle (due out 10 November), the Jersey hitmakers are "back to rocking," says Richie Sambora.

"It was great dipping our toes in different waters," says the guitarist. "Jon [Bon Jovi] and I loved working with all these Nashville cats on Lost Highway, and that music definitely came through us in a natural way. We went down there with a couple of notepads and some guitars and magic just happened.

"But the last thing we want to do is try to Xerox something till it becomes a pale imitation of the original. So when Jon called me up last year and said it was time to start writing, the first thing we asked ourselves was, 'What do we feel like doing? And rocking was the answer."

Fruitful writing sessions

Sambora describes the writing sessions between Bon Jovi and himself as "extremely easy, prolific and probably the most fun we've ever had creatively. I went to Jon's house with nothing and before you knew it we had something like 28 songs. Hey, when you're on a roll, you're on a roll. You don't question it, you just keep going till you're done."

Describing their demoing process, Sambora says bluntly, "We don't. Meaning, we don't do these elaborate sketches of songs with this part and that part. It's a time-waster." Instead, the duo "just grab two acoustic guitars, sit down in front of our old-school cassette record or an iPhone and we play the songs.

"We're of the belief that you can't polish bullshit," he says. "You have to remember, Jon and I have been doing this for 25 years. We know when we have something great and when we have something sub-par.

"To us, when we write a song, we knock it out and then we bring it to the band. When you go into a studio and you press 'Record,' that's a different story. That's when you start sprinkling all the fairy dust on the tracks. But that should come only after you have something that's unbreakable."
Guitars, guitars, guitars!

To record The Circle, Bon Jovi reunited with producer-songwriter John Shanks, who the band worked with on Have A Nice Day and half of Lost Highway. "John's an amazing producer, writer, you name it," Sambora enthuses. "I can't say enough good things about him. And he knows his guitars, too - that always helps."

Sambora admits he can't remember all the guitars he used on the new album, but a few come to mind. "I got a '58 Explorer which sounds excellent. Then I also used a Duesenberg, a Les Paul Jr with P-90s, a '59 and a '68 Les Paul. Plus, there were a couple of my old Teles and some of John Shanks's Strats. All good stuff."

The first single from The Circle, We Weren't Born To Follow, has been blowing up at radio, but Sambora reveals that the version currently being spun will ultimately differ from what fans can expect to hear on the album.

"When I recorded the solo to that song, I played a very melodic, kind of Beatles-esque break. That was the mood I was in. As soon as the song got leaked to radio, people went crazy, sending e-mails and Twittering and everything: 'We love the song, but what's with that solo? We want a rippin', burnin' Richie Sambora solo.

"So I said to Jon, 'Hey, do you want me to change it? We got time. And Jon was like, 'Sure. Go lay down another solo and we'll drop it in the song on the album.' So that's what I did - I cut it yesterday, in fact. It's a monster."

But does the guitarist mind having fans, in effect, 'produce' part of a song? "Nah!" he says, with a laugh. "When I played sessions, it was all about serving the song. Sometimes you have to test things out and see what works. I'm totally cool about the whole thing. And I guarantee that when people hear the new solo, they'll be stoked. Ask and you shall receive."

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze

Today seems to be about twenty. This time it is twenty months. That's how long Patrick Swayze knew he had pancreatic cancer. That's nineteen months longer than my husband knew before he too succumbed to that awful disease.

Many people will be mourning the passing of Patrick and I will be one of them, some of his movies are classics. The line "nobody ever puts Baby in a corner" is one that pretty much everyone knows. I loved his movies from Red Dawn that his co-star was his wife Lisa Niemi to Road House, Ghost, which was a special favorite of mine and my husband's, and everything inbetween. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar was a great movie that was so very funny and then there was North and South, the mini-series on television. All of them showed his versatility and talent.

Not one of them showed the strength and grit that he must have had as a person to withstand that disease as long as he did. I know from close personal experience it is horribly painful. Having seen what this disease does to a loved one, my heart goes out to Lisa and to their friends and family. It's not pretty, it doesn't discriminate and there is currently no cure.

Quoting the National Cancer Institute:

Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect and diagnose for the following reasons:

There aren’t any noticeable signs or symptoms in the early stages of pancreatic cancer.

The signs of pancreatic cancer, when present, are like the signs of many other illnesses.

The pancreas is hidden behind other organs such as the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and bile ducts.

I don't know what symptoms led to Patrick's diagnosis that gave him 20 months, but for my husband we had no idea until they did surgery for what the doctors believed was operable, curable liver cancer. Once they opened him up, that's when they discovered pancreatic cancer and less than a month later he lost the battle. A battle that I have to say in all honesty was very difficult to watch as that horrible, deadly disease caused him untold pain and discomfort for those short weeks. It was a blessing that he went so quickly.

My heart bleeds for the Swazye family and any others facing this deadly killer. My only wish is that because of what Mr. Swazye, Michael Landon, Luciano Pavarotti, Gene Upshaw, Jack Benny (also had lung cance) and my husband faced, that the National Cancer Society and those others researching cures for cancer will find one for this monster.

R.I.P Patrick Swayze.

Musings caused by Jon and Dorothea strolling in NYC

I got this picture in my Google alerts and had to comment on it. First, I don't know how any one man can look that good with a scruffy face, but he pulls it off beautifully. And those of you that know me, know I'm sitting here with drool running down my chin at the whole scruff thing......

Secondly, the caption with the picture set my brain into musing mode ... "Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi strolls in New York City with his wife of twenty years Dorothea Hurley. The couple have four children -- Stephanie Rose, 16, Jesse James, 14, Jacob Hurley, 7, and Romeo Jon, 5. "

Twenty years. They've been married 20 years. Now that was no surprise to me back in April when they celebrated their 20th, but today it hit me that 20 years ago I was already a fan and had been for a couple years (I didn't discover them until LOAP was on MTV and I got a good look at the lead guitarist, which later gave way to those blue eyes and the charisma that is Jon and is probably the basis of why I sway between them). At that point in my life I'd already graduated college, moved to Florida and was a married woman myself.

Sixteen years ago. They had Stephanie Rose on May 31st and a friend of mine at the time was pregnant with her first child, with a due date within days of Stephanie's. It was also 16 years ago that I finally saw Bon Jovi live for the first time in Tampa on my mother's birthday (she did forgive me for that, eventually). Keep the Faith tour. There's something about that band live that hooks you for good and insinuates itself into the fabric of your being.

Fourteen years ago. Jesse James was born on February 19th, same day as my late brother's birthday. These Days came out in the stores and it is in the top three of my favorite records the guys ever released. The best review I've ever read of that album came from Anthony Kuzminski, it's well worth the read. He puts into words all of the feelings I've had about that particular work of art and would never be able to manage.

Seven years ago. Jacob Hurley was born on May 7th. Jon did a stint on Ally McBeal. My husband passed away and Bounce brought me out of my stupor. I joined the Street Team, Backstage and met a lot of awesome women that have since become some of my closest friends. The words "count me out, count me in, I'll be bouncing back again" were my mantra during that time and my cat Bounce came into my life via friends that knew I needed something to remind me to keep bouncing. She does, everyday.

Five years ago. Romeo Jon joined the world on March 29th. By that time I was bouncing with vigor. I'd attended a small number of concerts, no where near the number some of my friends have seen and I'll never approach that number. Still five years ago, was when HAND was released, during which tour I met some of those friends in person at Giants Stadium. One of which moved to Florida from Scotland recently, married and on Saturday is having the ceremony for friends and family that didn't attend the quicky, spur of the moment wedding on July 4th.

Today. We're all waiting for The Circle to come out, tour dates to be announced and looking forward to what the next twenty years brings with it. I wouldn't change one moment of it (except losing my best friend and husband) and Jon Bon Jovi still looks as handsome and sexy as he did back in the late 80s when I first fell in lust with him. As for Dorothea, she's probably the luckiest woman alive, although, I don't think I'd want to deal with her husband's legendary temper.

We Weren't Born to Follow

Yeah, I know it's posted elsewhere, but hey, I'm pumped that we're getting the first new single off the new CD already..... The Circle comes out November 10th. And I know y'all already know that too.......




I'm ready for it..... the CD that is. I really do need a job now so I can afford a tour!

Misc. Musings again.

Wow, didn't realize I'd ignored my blog so long. It's been a crazy month. So here I go.

RIP to Les Paul. When I was in NYC I didn't have the time or money to see him at the Iridium, but had wanted to and now I'll never get that opportunity. To the father of the electric guitar and so much more that he meant to the music community, my deepest sympathies as well as to his family.

The Circle, huh? Guess they're eluding to the idea that Bon Jovi started out as a big, loud rock band and they've gone back full circle to a big, loud rock record again. I'm anxious to hear it although I adored Lost Highway. Then again, I loved HAND, TLFR, Bounce, Crush, These Days, KTF, New Jersey, Slippery and Bon Jovi before it. I wasn't all that keen on 7800, but then again, I didn't fall flat on my face in love with the band's music till Slippery either. So cannot wait to hear it and am praying someone will hear it beforehand and we'll find out more before that November 10th date. Although, Obie has really been saying really positive things about how loud and rock it is. Guess we can take his word for it.

On a more personal note, poor Amber has been suffering because I've been so deeply involved in my other writing. My apologies to Amber's followers. I should be able to get to her and finish that chapter that's been half done for a month.

Baseball and a visit to my sister also figured in me vanishing. I do love my baseball games and wish my guys would get a fire going under them like last year, I fear it won't happen or won't happen soon enough to make a difference. My sister sent me a ticket, so I ended up there for a bit and continued my job hunt online from there. I should be deep raspberry red for all the berries I ate while visiting. Why is it that a 1/2 pint, which isn't nearly really a half pint of raspberries costs $4 and I bought pints that were overflowing for $2???? It's one of the reasons that I've considered moving back to Michigan....but then I'd have to deal with cold, snow, sleet and the lack of a decent airport (or rather decent airfares) which would seriously curtail my travels come tour time.

In any case, I'm home, doubling my job hunting efforts so I have some way to pay for concert tickets...my homeowners insurance, real estate taxes and the rest of my monthly bills.

AFL and Philly Soul

I saw this in my Google alerts and was saddened by the news. I'd hoped Jon's 50/50 pronouncement was positive. Guess not and for those still thinking he isn't computer savvy....guess again. (Besides the fact that in the old days of the FC he used to participate in chats...and Matt wasn't typing for him.)

Return not on radar for Soul, AFL

The 1-year anniversary of the Soul's ArenaBowl championship is days away and rather than celebrate, fans, players and even coaches continue to sit in limbo.

Since suspending the 2009 season 7 months ago, the AFL has sat in purgatory while some owners try to salvage the league and others have thrown up a white flag.

Even Soul co-owner Jon Bon Jovi is struggling to grasp optimism. When asked by the Daily News whether the league would play in 2010, Bon Jovi replied by e-mail, "Do you believe in miracles? Are you a betting man? I said it all in the [New York] Times article. We are trying . . . hard. Every day."

The league, awash in red ink, got the players union's approval in March on a new collective bargaining agreement that basically slashed salaries in half. Still, the franchises in Los Angeles and New Orleans have folded, and others are on the ropes.

"But here's the truth," Bon Jovi told the New York Times 2 weeks ago. "If we come back, we will set a new benchmark for what is sports ownership. This is more than a lockout. We're on the brink of the abyss."

Even if everything came together tomorrow, it's still difficult to imagine a 2010 season beginning in March. Many players have gotten on with their lives and won't be able to resume their football careers at half the pay. There will always be younger players looking for an opportunity, but will the quality of play (and name recognition) be enough to draw crowds at venues such as the Wachovia Center?

Chicago Rush co-owner Mike Ditka earlier this month told the Chicago Sun-Times bluntly: "I would love to see the AFL come back. But if you ain't heard anything by now saying they will, I don't see them coming back because there were too many weak sisters. If the league does [return], it will probably have to scale itself down and make sure it has more solid ownership and much better team management."

At last year's championship parade, Philadelphia coach Bret Munsey sent the City Hall Plaza crowd into a frenzy when he proclaimed that the Soul would repeat. Today, he doesn't even live in the area.

Munsey is the director of player personnel for Orlando, of the fledgling United Football League, where Jim Haslett is the head coach. Munsey moved his family to Florida in June.

"I've had zero communication with ownership and have been in the dark [regarding the return] of Philadelphia and the Arena Football League," he said. "I couldn't sit around and wait. I waited long enough."

Small World - Big Message

Back a couple weeks ago, or was it a month ago already, Jon and Richie lent a hand to record Stand By Me for the Iranian People. I just saw this interview with Don Was at Metro Times and was blown away by the following quote:


MT: The video you recently made with Iranian pop star Andy Madadian doing "Stand By Me" to show solidarity with the Iranian people was incredible as well as very moving. What was the genesis of that? It was similar to the project you did last summer in Detroit with the Middle Eastern musicians. Do you believe that music can still bring people together and even change the world? And how did the Bon Jovi guys get involved?

Was: I was driving around, listening to Democracy Now on the local lefty station. Amy Goodman was talking about how the movement in Iran is not about overthrowing the government — it's a civil rights movement and a youth movement. Being a musician, my first thought was that these kids need a marching song! Anyone who was around in the '60s remembers the impact of songs like "We Shall Overcome," "Blowin' in the Wind" or "Give Peace a Chance." Music really can change the world; it has tremendous healing powers and a magical way of transcending the issues that drive people apart. So I called up Andy — who is, arguably, the most popular Iranian pop singer in the world — and asked if he'd be interested in recording such a track. We met at the studio later that day and, as fate would have it, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and their producer, John Shanks, were working next door. They're old friends of mine and, when we explained what we were gonna do, they volunteered to help out.

Three hours later, we had a finished record. The next night, we posted the video on my site at mydamnchannel.com and on YouTube. Eight hours later, it was on CNN; a few hours after that, the BBC Persian language television and Voice of America started broadcasting it into Iran. We've had over a million hits for the video online. Three days after recording the song, our mission was accomplished and, based on the response we've gotten, the message of solidarity was profoundly appreciated. That's it — we're not selling or promoting anything. We didn't press any CDs. It blows me away that you can get a message out to the whole world with such immediacy.

Y'know, I produced a Richie Sambora album about 10 years ago and even went on tour with him playing bass for a while. He's my brother! There's a bond between people from Detroit and people from Jersey. The first time I met those guys, I felt like we'd all gone to high school together. And participating in that "Stand by Me" recording was a pure act of altruism on their part. I've got tremendous respect for those cats.


It just goes to show how very small this planet is when something important in the struggle against tyranny is created. I commend the guys of Bon Jovi for having participated and for the inspiration of Don Was and Andy Madadain in creating it. As someone that recalls news traveling days or hours before it reached us and now it's a matter of minutes, I never cease to be amazed at technology and how it can be used for good.

Bon Jovi and Joan Baez Post Videos in Support of Iranian Protest

Singer-activists Joan Baez and Bon Jovi have each recorded viral videos in support of the Iranian protest. Both present solidarity with the freedom movement of Iranians now.

Neither Joan Baez or Jon Bon Jovi could perform their music in Iran, but they are now singing in Farsi lines that call for peace. Bon Jovi sings "Stand By Me" with words in Farsi along with Andy Madadian, an Armenian-Iranian pop star. Folk singer and activist Joan Baez takes "We Shall Overcome" and performs a portion in Farsi.

Joan Baez was well-known in the 1960's for her support of the civil rights movement and in support of women's rights. Much of her music became emblematic of the era, including her opposition to the War in Vietnam. Her peace protests and music has put her on the steps of the nation's capitol, as she sang in support of Martin Luther King Sr. and opposed the war with songs of peace. She met Martin Luther King during a three-day American Friends conference for peace and maintains ongoing support for social causes and in support of Quaker events.

Bon Jovi has been an advocate for social causes as well. For example, he has touted low income housing in Newark.

This is not the first time these two singers have been paired in a cause. Both sought to perform for U.S. soldiers who returned from service in Iraq. Baez was barred from performing at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, along with Dan Rather, who sought to visit and speak with the troops in 2007.

Ayatollah Khamenei revealed his displeasure with Bon Jovi and declares he is deleting Bon Jovi's songs from his Ipod forever.

The Huffington Post quoted him as saying, "This is an irrevocable decision." I did not merely uncheck the tracks, I deleted them permanently."

The Ayatollah went on to say he had thought about making "Livin' on a Prayer" the Iranian national anthem, "but no more."

A whole month? Really?

Wow, I didn't even realize I'd neglected my blog this long. Ah well, life's been in the way. That and baseball. LOVE baseball. You might have noticed.

During the summer the Rays have a Summer Concert Series. So far I've been to two of the concerts. The first one of the summer, these are all on Saturday nights, was Three Doors Down and it was awesome. For the price of a baseball game, I got to see the Rays win and then enjoy one of my favorite bands play. Mind you it wasn't a long show, maybe an hour, but so worth it.

Second show I saw was a fluke. A friend and I got a mini-package of tickets and we chose this particular Saturday game because of who the Rays were playing. We didn't pay attention to who was playing AFTER the game. Sheesh. Ludicris. In the first place, I can't even spell his name right. In the second place, his music is usually rather raunchy and he cleaned it up for the 'family audience' that was there. And finally, they turned up the bass so loud that you couldn't hear him sing/rap/whatever it is he does and it made your chest pound instead of enjoying the music. We left after five minutes of that crap. It was not enjoyable.

This Saturday coming is Pat Benatar. I've seen her in concert a number of times and enjoy her shows. This time I'm sitting up in 'the party zone' with a bunch of people from the Pinellas County Schools. Never sat there before and I'm looking forward to finding out what that vantage point is like.

Tropicana Field, I've discovered over the years really has few bad seats. I've never sat in any of them. Even the nosebleeds (where our mini-package is) have good views and with the big screen directly across from us it's easy to watch everything. That and binoculars.

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In just a week one of my very closest Jovi friends is moving to Florida from Scotland. Two years ago, in October 2006 I introduced her to a guy that she took a liking to. It was another year before they even really got to know one another and went out on their first date. From there it was emailing and TMing and IMing. She came back in March of this year and they've really cemented their relationship. So she's quit her job and is going to come over and give it a try. I wish her and him the best of luck. AND best part for me is I get to have her around.... when she's not with her boyfriend. I can't wait to see her!!!

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Oh and Amber WILL be back after a short hiatus. I need to get some chapters written and ready for posting before she and Jon come back. It won't be too long.

Tampa Bay Rays and Bon Jovi

Last night I finally made it to my first Rays game of the season. Bout time!!! I was truly hoping they'd win for me. Watched and listened as they introduced the starting lineup for the Oakland A's. I was chatting with my friend about how once, long ago when Catfish Hunter was an A, that I was a fan of theirs (and as always my Detroit Tigers). She just laughed at me and told me that was a looooooong time ago. I snorted at that, it was a long time ago. The 60's. Yes, I was into baseball when I was a kid. Loved the game, still do. Anyway, they started with this cool video before introducing the Rays. Next thing I know the music kicks up a notch and I'm sitting there grinning, singing and dancing in my seat to We Got It Going On. How cool was that? MY Rays using my favorite band's music in their intro.

Game started, the A's scored and we were getting very discouraged. So we left to get food. We'd eaten before we got to the ballfield, but I was hungry. Turns out that a) I wasn't nearly as hungry as I thought and b) their nachos sucked. On the way back Carlos Pena hit a two run homer, bringing us to within two of the lead. Okay, we were just two runs down, sue me for being optomistic.

We sat back down in our nosebleed seats, but hey, we were at the game and she's as crazy about baseball as I am (and NASCAR). The Rays started to do better and the game was getting more interesting. I don't recall the reason behind it but then during another play break (might have been a call to the bullpen) I started grinning again. It's My Life came on. By now I'm enjoying the heck out of the music even though we were still losing.

Eight inning. Rays came up to bat. But before that, while the A's were taking the field and the Rays were getting ready to bat a video came on. It was of Raymond. Our mascot and I had to laugh. HARD. It's an entire video of Raymond singing....with crowd scenes mixed in. Raymond, the big blue dustmop of a mascot in leather jacket..... singing..... Livin' on a Prayer. OMFG, I roared.... and sang.... at the top of my lungs. OMFG it was FUNNY!!! I videoed it with my phone. Don't know if it came out though, if it did, I'll post it in a bit.

Outcome of the game? Even with our serious rally in the 8th, we lost by one point. 7-6. We play them again this afternoon.

JazzFest review...and then some.

What a trip!!! I don’t know quite where to start. Guess the beginning?

My neighbor that lives behind me, Joy – the Jovi virgin, and I left St. Pete at 8:15 am. Well, that was the first time. When we really got underway it was 8:30. Okay, so I forgot to pack a second pair of shoes. The ride up was uneventful and fast. Ten and a half hours later we were at the hotel we were sharing with my friend Laura from Brandon and the Fiction Mistress. FM’s plans had changed, we were short a fourth for our room, so the four of us joined forces. And what fun we had!!!

Once we’d showered and had some adult beverages, appetizers from the club level lounge and relaxed, we met two more Jovi friends at Luke. What an experience that was. Thanks to FM knowing the chef, we were treated very, very well. The food was incredible and the service was top notch! Another bottle of wine and more adult beverages were on tap there along with amazing food, desserts and oh my god, the sheer SIZE of the burgers was mind-boggling....not that I ate one. I had some kind of fabulous stuffed shrimp. Although, I digress. We all had a wonderful dinner and when the bill came, they’d removed the adult beverages from the bill...and if I’m not mistaken, the desserts as well.

Since we were getting up before the crack of dawn to get ready to spend out day at JazzFest, rather than going out and painting the town, we all trudged back to our hotels with full stomachs and the excitement for the morning.

Saturday morning we arrived at JazzFest at 8 am, thinking that because it was Jovi and general admission that the place would be packed. It wasn’t. There were a handful of Jovi fans and another handful of JazzFest regulars there waiting to get in. One lady that was a JF regular served mimosas to everyone in line, saying it was a JF tradition for the second Saturday of every JazzFest and she’d been doing it for THIRTY years! They were delicious, but I quit at one knowing I’d be in the sun all day.

The first two acts were forgettable. Ouco(?) and I can’t even tell you the name of the second guy, although he had quite the following. Then it was Buckwheat Zydeco and they were great. I loved listening to their music and watching them play....well, in between sitting in the meager shade of the barricade. Oh yeah, after RUNNING towards the stage and setting up chairs and our blanket in the area reserved for them, Donna and I joined our new friends, the other Laura and the other Joy at the barricade. Our Joy and Laura opted for the chairs....and our other two, Gina and Barb were also at the barricade, but further down from us.

The sun was scorching, the sunscreen was SPF 50 or above and the bottles of water at $3 a crack were being consumed faster than they were coming out.....in fact, there was little need for bathrooms. Anyway, next to last was Dr. John and he was very, very good. Although by then the crowd had gotten seriously thick and getting out to get more water or food or even that rare bathroom break was difficult to say the least. At some point I had to get out of there, I think it was during Buckwheat. I found shade, water, food, bathroom, a misting tent and a big fan. Once I was cooled, fed and feeling better, I dove back in.

Fiction Mistress never left. She held her spot and even though we had formed a little ‘family’ around us, she wasn’t moving. I fetched water and brought her this mango freeze thing, but that’s it.

Then Bon Jovi hit the stage....well, after the New Orleans brass band came out and played ‘When the Saints Go Marching In”. I wasn’t in Vegas, so I didn’t know till afterwards they’d started that set with Livin’ on a Prayer too. Lost Highway followed that and then Born to Be My Baby. LOVED the break in BTBMB (see video). The guys looked rested and it was obvious from the gitgo that they were having a blast. It wasn’t long before Jon was wiping the sweat from his face and Richie’s pants were soaked in sweat. It was HOT! We’d talked before they took the stage about what songs they’d play. One of our girls said she wanted to hear In These Arms and we told her they didn’t play it that often. She was THRILLED when it came on. She wasn’t alone. Even though the set was vanilla, Richie’s solos were anything but standard. He WAILED on them and I was blown away.....although, he could .... never mind..... won’t go there.

The banter between Jon and Richie was funny. When Jon made the quip about the family, friends and people that had sex with various members of the band being in attendance and how now he knew what it took to get a backstage pass. Richie’s reply of “blow me” was priceless. I’ve heard the two of them exchange a lot of comments, but that one was new and FUNNY. They were both laughing.

Did I mention Jon got a haircut from Vegas to NOLA? It’s SHORT. Looks great and he looks younger because of it. Richie had a haircut too. I just wonder if David ever cuts his, never can tell.

Anyway, one hour and forty five minutes later they were done. Raise Your Hands, Shout AND Twist and Shout were all played. There wasn’t a slow song in the bunch and that includes ITA. They ROCKED the place.

Then we had to find a way back to the hotel. We’d cabbed it there, figuring that we could take the shuttle back to the hotel. Nearly an hour after Jovi was done, we got in line, waited a while and ten discovered we couldn’t buy the one way tickets back. So we walked towards the taxi stands and found another set of shuttles and caught a ride with them without waiting at all. Air conditioned school bus with Creedence Clearwater Revival piped through it was pure heaven after 12 hours of heat, dirt and sweat.

After showers and another cab ride, we ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and then it was back to the hotel and bed. We were exhausted. Here we were in the Big Easy, a twenty four hour party surrounding us and we went to bed. Next morning was a trip to Cafe Du Monde, beingets and chocolate milk and a carriage ride around the French Quarter. From there it was drop off the girls at the airport and start the drive home.

Fourteen and a half hours later, and several stops along the way for touristy visits, we were home. Tired, smiling and delighted that neither of us were working on Monday. Now it’s Wednesday night and I’m finally starting to feel semi-human again.

Life is good. Well, as good as it gets in my life. Today, I was puttering around the house, not really accomplishing anything when my phone rang. It was my female neighbor’s gay boyfriend. He invited me over to join them in the pool.

So I’ve spent the last couple hours floating around in the pool in a tube, drinking sinfully sweet and lethal drinks and watching both the NASCAR race and the Rays game. Neither team that I was cheering in either sport was winning (or had won) when I left. But Carl Edwards' race ending flip was spectacularly frightening. HOLY CRAP. Okay, I know a lot of you laugh at anyone watching NASCAR, but let me tell you once you’ve been to a race and seen the cars flying by you at 200 mph and two inches apart it changes your whole opinion about the abilities of those drivers. Today though, when Carl caught air and flipped in the air, hitting the fence between the track and the spectators and the fence held and he ended up on the infield instead of in someone’s lap, it was one of those breath holding kind of events that hits home how dangerous that sport is.

Never used to like racing, thought it was boring. Nothing but a bunch of sissies riding around in circles. Then I saw a race. It takes skill and conditioning to drive those things at those speeds and not wreck every time you make a turn and to do it with just a few inches between you and the guy next to you? Yeah, right. Boring and sissies. Anyone that says that needs to either attend a race or try driving like that. Nuff said.

And my Rays. I love my American League Champion Rays that are playing like the bottom dwelling Rays that I’ve known and loved for the last 11 years. Their pitching is horrible and their batting isn’t much better. I don’t know what’s wrong, but hey, it needs to change. These are not my Rays of last summer and they need to get their act together.

Perhaps, they need a new coach like the Penguins. WOW, how amazing are they this season? They were able to turn it around under interim head coach Dan Bylsma and go 18-3-4 in the last 25 games, going from 10th place (out of the playoffs) to 4th place. Now there’s a team that’s unified and dedicated to a single goal.....winning. The Rays need to take lessons from those guys.

Oh and did I mention? FOUR days and I head out for New Orleans and JazzFest. WOO HOO!!! I’m so freakin’ excited. We’re staying with a friend at a five star hotel on the concierge floor (never done either of those things before) AND we’re eating at Luke. John Besh, celebrity chef, owns this place and the menu looks amazing. An entire weekend of Cajun food, Jazz music and BON FREAKING JOVI! How much better could it be? ...other than having Jon or Richie in some kind of compromising position that is. ;) Whatever the case, I’m looking to have a great time. It’s one of those times that I don’t really have the money to do this trip, but as I’ve said so often since my husband’s death, “you have to live your life every day”......hmmm that sounds like a song lyric. Seriously, you do have to live today because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

PS. Amber's updated.

Misc. Musings

It's been a while. RL is still kicking my tail, but hey, at least I know I'm alive. Still working at the job that I'm too tired most nights to have an opinion about any more. Mentally tired that is.

Had a rash of bad luck, you know how everything supposedly happens in threes? Well.... yeah. Back on Good Friday I woke to a pain in my left side. BAD pain. Figured, holiday weekend, just call the doc and she'd call in something figuring it was a kidney or bladder infection. A bunch of tests later including a CAT scan (and not the kind my kitties do every day to me), we have no clue what it was, but fortunately anti-inflammatories have gotten it under control and now it seems to be gone. The silver lining to that is that my hands that hurt constantly because of arthritis, haven't hurt since I started taking the meds.

Sooooo, that was out of the way and Easter Sunday comes along. Went to dad's, had a nice day, a good dinner and watched Marley and Me with him and his wife. That movie's commercials are soooooo misleading. It is NOT a comedy. I expected to laugh. I did and then cried BUCKETS. I hate when that happens.

Anyway, back to my story. Got home, saw wetness coming from my garage. Now the girls (cats) are allowed in the garage sometimes and I was hoping that one of them had skipped the litter box out there..... No. Such. Luck. Deep Freezer .... D.O.A. FULL of meat, prepared meals that I'd made and other misc. food items. All of them, trash. I was devastated. I'd just bought food the day before and stuck it in there. Never noticed that the thing wasn't cold at all. Fan was running, I figured it was fine. Nope. Done.

That's two. The third? My sister has been suffering from OA/RA and some form of inflammatory disease for quite a while now. She went to her new doctor this week and he ordered a lot of tests. She just called. Now they think on top of the rest of it, she's bleeding internally.

The other stuff? It's minor when it's compared to her life. I just want her better. Makes me remember what's really important in life, as if I should need reminding after 3/1/02. Apparently, I did. So my thoughts are with her and the minor pain (compared to what she's been experiencing since last year), inconvenience and lost groceries are just another speed bump on the road of life as compared to what could be another round of surgery for her.

Oh and on a brighter note? Driving home the other day I had the rare opportunity of watching my windshield wiper fly across the bridge. Guess it wasn't on tightly enough. Oh well.

And even brigher???? NINE DAYS till I leave for JAZZ FEST!!!! WOO HOO!!! There is something to look forward to.

HAPPY EASTER!

Between my new job (that I alternately detest and barely tolerate) and trying to keep up with my RL, I haven't been online much. Well, at least not to post anything.

I have been busy writing, not on my FF, but at least I'm writing. And according to my accountant (yes, I have one of those only because of the Avon business) I'm getting a tax refund. I suspect it's miniscule, but hey, it's a refund.

Other than that, there hasn't been much to report.

Three weeks from RIGHT NOW I'll be in NOLA staking out our spots for JazzFest and seeing Bon Jovi live and in the flesh for the cheapest ticket I've ever bought to see them! Forty bucks. Can't beat it. Although, once you add in the hotel, the parking fee for our car, the car rental and the money I'll spend once I'm there......this trip won't be cheap. Partying in the French Quarter..... I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

Oh and Amber's been updated again.

Los Angeles Times - Toxic Avenger Review

According to the review, the show's official opening is April 6th. In the interview part of it David's quoted as saying that both Jon and Richie are slated to be in attendance for it. So all you NYers, you have homework....BE THERE! LOL

The review gave the show glowing marks and the best part, there was a video clip from the play! It looks amazing.

You can watch it here.

Who's the Hotter Generation?

Gotta love those Google alerts! So first week of work is officially behind me and I checked into my emails, the ones that I didn't open AT the office (all the Google alerts today) and lo and behold the Today Show has a poll going on who's the hottest generation of men. Since Jon's name was on the Google alert, I had to scroll down to check it out.

Of course, there's Brad Pitt against Pete Wentz and Brad's summarily handing Pete his diapers. There's no surprise, who COULD beat Brad as hottest dad? Hold on now, we know WE think that Jon/Richie are hotter, but give me a minute.

Then there's Alan Rickman against Robert Pattinson as the Brooders. I mean, really now, Alan Rickman is a great actor and can scare the pants off you with a look, but hot? He's losing, of course.

Followed by Patrick Dempsey vs Chace Crawford. Okay, so Chace is a cutie, but against McDreamy? They're going for TV Heartthrobs. And yes, McDreamy is winning.

Next is the one that caught my attention and had me inhale sharply. Jon Bon Jovi up against Nick Jonas for The Rockers. Now, with all the hoopla surrounding the Jonas Brothers, I was worried until I voted and then I sighed a huge breath of relief because Jon's kicking the JoBro's little butt as he should.

There's a bunch of other matchups and for the most part the older generation (40+ somethings) is winning in the match ups. You get additional choices that include George Clooney/John Mayer and Denzel Washington/Shia Lebeouf, Tom Cruise/Zac Efron, and even Jon's buddy Matthew McConaughey/Justin Timberlake. Take a look here and vote. For once the good guys are winning. LOL

Amber's updated

Another new chapter for y'all to enjoy.



On a less pleasant note. In my wildest dreams I never would have expected to be doing what I did today on my 4th day of work. And may I preface that now with EEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

Cockroaches.

My boss and I were visiting some of the properties and we walked into this one vacant suite and the floor was littered with dead cockroaches. Now that was bad enough and as I said to her. 'at least they're dead' But noooooo, there wasn't a broom or a vacuum to sweep them away with, noooooo we had to take papertowels and PICK THEM ALL UP!!!! As I said before EEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!! That was just NASTY!!! And we're talking two or three DOZEN of the little bastards. *shiver* YUCK.

TGTF!!! Time for a POETS party....if I wasn't so damned tired.

I know, I’ve been MIA

I had good reason for it! First, I had company and then after she left I was busy negotiating my way back to the working world. That finally came to pass and so I started work on Monday. So far, so good. The only downfall at this point is the 46.5 mile round trip. What a way to waste an hour and a half every day.

Oh and then there’s that whole getting up at the butt crack of dawn. Who in HELL willing gets up that early if they don’t have to? I was getting very used to going to bed at 2 or 3 am and getting up in the 10ish or 11 part of the morning. Suited me quite well. This getting up before 7 and being out the door by 8:15 or before is for the birds.... and I just started again. Just so all of you know, if you haven’t already guessed, I HATE mornings. Give me a couple hours without anyone talking to me or expecting me to be human and I’m fine, actually expect coherent conversation before that and you’re screwed.

Anyway, work is good and I’m enjoying it.

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Now on to more interesting subjects. Like Richie Sambora and David Bryan.

First up is David Bryan. I saw that Big Apple Jovi Girl reviewed the opening nights. You can read that here. Like most of us I get Google alerts on a regular basis, make that as-it-happens, which is going to change to daily.

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I digress though. A couple days ago, Monday to be exact, I got one with a review of The Toxic Avenger by Arts-America on their blog. Now mind you, they said nothing except GOOD things about the play. I have no objections to that. What I do wonder is how in the world can they go to the play, get the playbill, know anything about David and then put his name in the review as David Byron?!? That's just wrong. Keyboard players don't get enough respect as it is, but come on now guy. Learn the word PROOFREAD!!

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You can see it for yourself, here .

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Next on the agenda is Mr. Sambora. Now I have the greatest love and respect for the man, both as a guitar GOD and as one hot piece of sex walking on two legs. And I’m ever so glad that he dumped Denise Richards, as did DWTS last night. So today in said Google I got the following quote, attributed to Richie...... although somehow I doubt seriously the man ever said it. And I quote ““She dances like she fucks, you see,” explained Richie Sambora. “So badly that no one in America wants her back.” Even if I don’t see him ever saying something so crass about his ex-girlfriend, if he did say it, I couldn’t agree more about the dancing part of it. She can. not. dance. Even I can dance better and I admit that I can’t dance. Oh and that quote? It was part of yet another blog. Here.
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However, who in their right mind voted for Steve Wozniak?????? Or did he have some Apple computers rigged to vote for him millions of times? It makes a person wonder.....

New Look

I got up this morning determined to finish the paperwork for my income tax, so that I could get it off to the accountant and eventually get it done..... before April 15th. Turns out that Tara's blog started me on an entirely different tract.

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See she had this link that talked about women writing the male POV in fiction. Something that most of us find difficult to do. An article that was most enlightening in many ways. Link is here. Well worth the read if you're a writer of any genre, or as Tara said, 'if you're female'. Thanks, Tara. Always enjoy learning new things to improve my craft.

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From there it was answering and exchanging emails with the Angel and discussing her upcoming move from the UK to the US, oops, she hasn't actually announced what's going on with her world yet, has she?

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From there it was deciding it was time to revamp my site. Something I've been terrified to do on my own. I'm a beginner at this stuff, so it took quite some time. And now it's 2:15 pm and I haven't TOUCHED my IRS stuff and now I'm hungry and thinking about lunch or dinner or hmmm, are those dust bunnies under my desk.

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Here I go off to procrastinate some more.....

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By the way, procrastination is a word I learned at an early age. It was written in the comments section of my Fifth Grade report card "D does excellent work, however, she has a tendency to procrastinate". You'd think I would have learned by now NOT to do that. Sadly, I haven't.

WOW! It’s been a while since I’ve updated here I guess. Hmm, I’ve been a little busy, I guess. I had company from Scotland.....what little I saw of her (MUAH, Angel). Still we got to go do SHEEEEEIKKRRRRAAAAAA...... 200 feet up and 90 degrees straight down. Had some of the worst sushi ever at a place that was highly recommended. Sorry, Trace. And then we went to the beach for the day and I must ramble here a bit about that.

Beaches in Florida are usually occupied by two kinds of people. Gorgeously tanned, toned and beautiful young men and women that make you feel like a beached whale when you’re only slightly (or a little more than slightly) ‘fluffy’. And then there are the snow white tourists that turn a bright pink within a day of having arrived in our sunny state because they’re used to being in the sun ‘up north’ and never use sunscreen. We’re closer to the equator down here people. The sun is closer and therefore more dangerous than up there. Sheesh. So being the typical Floridian (hush) that I am, I went to the beach wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It was only in the high 70’s, so far too cool for me to wear a bathing suit (even though I own two I hate both of them and rarely wear them anyway). The Angel was in her pinkini.....tiny scraps of material if I ever saw them and is one of the aforementioned toned and beautiful people.

We get to the beach, which, by the way is at Fort DeSoto Park and I’m stunned. There are maybe a handful of beautiful people and a beach FULL of tourists. Not the families that I expected for early spring break, nor the middle aged couples that do likewise. No. The beach is packed with RETIREES!!!! Snowbirds, if you will. HUNDREDS of them (okay, dozens). Imagine Don Rickles or Ed McMahon in a bathing suit. For that matter imagine your own grandmother or great grandmother in one. Yards and yards of arm wings, fat bellies and brightly colored bathing suits that were blinding. I could have worn a suit and looked like one of the normal people because I’d never have stood out in that crowd.

It was a fun day and I even managed to get my toes in the water, but it was far too cold to get further in than that. The Angel, however, went swimming. She thought it was warm. Me? I instantly understood why those two NFL players succumbed to hypothermia so quickly along with the USF football player. How the one guy survived is beyond me. I would have died in the first couple hours. It was DAMN COLD!!!!!

Now it’s back to real life. Brake job this afternoon and then I need to get the HVAC people here to do my system checkup. Turned the air back on last night after nearly a month of having the system off and windows open. Summer is fast approaching in the south.

Universal Studios - Hard Rock and Pat Benatar

It's been a busy week in my world. Last Saturday I was off to Orlando and Universal Studios for their Mardi Gras celebration and the Pat Benatar show. We had fun at the park, although we didn't ride nearly as many of the rides as intended, but it didn't matter. We had a really special treat when we left the park briefly to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe that adjoins it. The last time I was at the HRC in Orlando they had exactly ONE piece of Jovi memoribilia. ONE. It was a guitar hung high over one of the tables. This time I asked if they had any Jovi stuff and our hostess waved over at an empty table that had Richie's shirt hanging over it. I, of course, asked if we could sit there. We did. Sooooo, I had lunch/dinner sitting under Richie's shirt..... only wish that Richie had been there in it. ;) One of his guitars was hanging over the adjoining table and there were a couple of pictures and a platinum record for Slippery When Wet hanging there too (note that it was for the CASSETTE!!!!)

After we ate and had chatted with the waitress at length, she had one of their tour guides come over and he gave us the special private tour of the Lennon room. It's not a well known part of the HRC over there, but if you ever get the opportunity it's a VERY cool room. Especially if you like the Beatles. The room is done completely in white. Inside it are some of John's original lithographs, pictures from his house and this one piece of furniture that they claim he used to sit in and write from. Said that it moved with him from house to house and that he wrote a part of every Beatles song from it. Can't verify it, but it is roped off so nobody sits on it..... made him look away so I could.... and I did. :D

John's couch that he wrote a lot of the Beatles music on (his songs)

The Two Virgins album cover that was banned in the US

His white tuxedo that he married Yoko in.

Then we wandered back to Universal and sat on their artificial grass until Pat Benatar came out two hours later and rocked. She really rocked. I'm not a huge Benatar fan, so I can't tell you everything she played, but she obviously did her hits and one song that she said they don't play often off their second record. She really got into Hell is for Children and made me shiver at the way she talked about child abuse. Made it seem that for her it was very personal. They did one song with her and Neil sitting on stools, very ballady version of We Belong. Don't have a clue what it was. Sorry, I really am not that big of a fan, but Christine is and she sang along with every song. I took pictures, but they suck. So I went looking and found a couple good videos that others took that night. And even those aren't that great. For some reason on mine there's no audio to them. Just another reason to get back to work and buy a new camera.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN FRANCIS BONGIOVI, JR.

In honor of the 47th birthday of the HOTTEST rock god on the planet, I decided to post some of my favorite pictures of him. Anyone that knows me that when he's scruffy I'm TOAST.



And there's nothing I'd love to do more than explore that beautiful V to see where it leads......



or to have him croon to me while holding me as he is this mic.


Ahhh, but then there his philanthropic side and the Signature 26 series t-shirts and pins.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON! I hope you had a wonderful day spent with your family and friends.

I remember.....

Charles ‘Corky’ William Elyard, III – Jan. 16, 1955 – March 1, 2002

He was a good man. It’s been seven years and I still love him, still miss him, wish he was here to share my life and wonder why he had to be taken so young. We had plans for the future, near and distant. None of those will ever be fulfilled. We were going to grow old together, we laughed about us being that couple the Beatles sang about... ‘will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64’. That was not in the cards.

I remember the first time I laid eyes on him and told my girlfriend that I thought I’d end up married to him, that was over the July 4th holiday. I didn’t meet him that day. No, that was on July 16th. My friend and I had sworn off men, were getting drunk and disparaging every single one of them, except her boyfriend that was living in California. Then she called Corky over to her place to eat the cookies we baked, played strip poker and I lost every hand, but wouldn’t take off my clothes. We ended up in his apartment playing backgammon and from there we became inseparable.

I remember the first time he called Bon Jovi ‘blow job’ and swore that they couldn’t sing or play their instruments and how hard I defended them. I remember him refusing to take me to see them play softball against the local dj’s. And I remember when I finally did see them in ’93, him getting up after I got home in tears because someone had gotten mustard on my brand new t-shirt. He stayed up with me and helped get the stain out.

I remember when he was stabbed and didn’t want me to go to the hospital because it was ‘no big deal’ and I remember even clearer the call from his boss when he got hurt at work and wanted me there. Seeing him with his arm laid wide open and him apologizing for me having to take off work. I also recall the Hepatitis C that he got from that wound and how hard the battle was fought to win against it. And he did. Five years of pills and treatments and he beat it.

We did everything together. If I wanted to do something and he didn’t, we’d compromise. Sometimes we’d do it and others not. Same with what he wanted. We came as a team. For 25 years my name and his were joined at the hip CorkyandDiane. It’s how we were identified. When he died and I went to a friend’s tattoo parlor to tell him because I knew he wouldn’t know, the manager called him and told him Diane was there. He didn’t know me until I told the guy say ‘CorkyandDiane’ and he knew.

I’ll never forget the flowers showing up at work just to say he loved me and I’d be hard pressed to forget my 40th birthday. Who was that guy? He took the secret to his grave as he said he would. The romantic Christmas gifts, three boxes of tissues, a bag of micro popcorn and the final one, the movie Ghost. Or the alabaster box that was handpainted on top with the heart shaped watch pendant necklace inside. He could be as romantic as they come.

Or the fights. I remember them vividly. How loud and hurtful the words could be on both sides. A pair of tempers that couldn’t back down or hold back their anger. Oh yes, I remember those and I remember making up. The sweetest part of an argument is the making up. Yeah, sometimes it’d be worth it just for that. There were other fights, other arguments that weren’t worth it.

But in the end, his short terrible battle with pancreatic cancer was lost and he said to me, “we had 25 good years, that was enough.” Two days later he was gone and I still remember and I still miss him.

Rest in Peace, My Love, Rest In Peace

JBJ & Friends - MC/Hyatt Show at the Starland

The night after the Fan Club show at the Starland Ballroom, Jon and Friends did a private show for the winners of the Roots of Rock contest that MasterCard held, that were joined by guests from the Hyatt. It is my understanding that the Hyatt guests were people that had Hyatt Gold (Platinum?) Rewards cards that were offered the opportunity. From what I've read they pretty much did the same show and Jon wore close to the same outfit as the night before - trading out the long sleeved Henley for a short sleeved baggy t-shirt.

And if I'd continued reading, I would have seen the setlist for the show Tuesday night. Yovana on BS posted this picture of the setlist.

Head Over Heels - video by BonJoviLove

Don't Leave Me Tonight - video by BonJoviLove

Just Older - video by Dance914


All I Want is Everything - video by BonJoviLove

Video from the JBJ and Friends show

THIS song, OMG, I heard it clearly on the phone and it sounded fantastic on the phone, but here.....*shiver* this is even better. Thanks to Deb308 for posting this incredible video on youtube. I'm still making my way through all of the awesome videos posted from last night. I may still not be thrilled with the way the fan club has been run, but I really wish I'd been there last night. Ah well, financially I couldn't have managed it.

Again, Deb308 THANK YOU for giving me the chance to see what I missed last night....



And Billy Get Your Guns....

JBJ & Friends Fan Club Show

Okay, I've spoken with Stas, who was at the show and called me so I could listen to it. The listing from Runaway to the end were the songs that the girls on BS and I (the ones that got calls) could decipher and heard. Most of us had sketchy reception and one person (Lisa) was getting TMs. So here's the setlist and I am forever grateful that Stas gave me a call and I got to hear the majority of it. Thank you my friend and with luck you won't be working on May 2nd and I can return the favor from JazzFest!

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Show started at 6:45 pm

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- real first song - Rock n Roll Star by the Byrds

- real second song - This Time it's for Real by SSJ

1) Runaway - when introducing this song he said 'welcome to my hometown'

2) I Get a Rush

3) Garageland

4) Lost Highway

5) Don't Leave Me Tonight...'a power station bootleg'...Jon laughed

6) Head Over Heels... 'another old, old, old one'

7) Midnight in Chelsea...'I'm getting too hot up there. In 1996-97 I was in London'

8) Janie Don't Take Your Love To Town...said something about 'being on tour in 96, sitting in a hotel room'

9) Every Word is a Piece of my Heart

10) Without Your Love...Southside Jonny was reported to be there but was NOT

11) Whole Lot of Lonely...crystal clear thought it was acapello, but wasn't

12) Bang A Drum

13) Never Say Die

14) Billy Get Your Guns

15) Someday I'll be Saturday Night...someone yelled Happy Birthday and they started singing part of the song....Jon said 'I used to be young and good looking and now I'm just' and everyone said ....STILL good looking

16) Wanted

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Then Jon said what was coming... "20 songs into album....roooooock. will be an album by end of yr...might not be new album...riff rock record" That's what he replied to the current ALBUM they are recording. Doesn't know if the greatest hits is coming out first or the new album, plus MSG, Central Park and this CD!!!

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17) I Love This Town

18-- Just Older (this hits the 2 hour mark)

19) Living On A Prayer

20) Who Says You Can't Go Home!!!!!!! ...perfect ending to a show in JON'S hometown!!!

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White shirt, Henley style and she believes he had on Jeans. Looked F*ckin HOT!!!! Sheri Black Velvet was there and Jon was teasing with her. The gift bags had a 2009 Calendar in them, along with a Lost Highway tour book and a scarf that was specially made with the date of this show on it.