My absolute first exposure to the band was via 7 11, in a Aurora, Colorado. They had a promotional thing where you would get these tabs/buttons with various rock groups on it when you purchased a Slurpee or Drink. Dio was one of them..Bon Jovi was another. I remember both because I thougth the names were so strange. I was into KISS. I didn't get the Bon Jovi button though. It was 1985. There was also a friend of mine in JR High that was into them and a couple of other people I knew. But I really didn't know much about the band.

I was also getting all these love letters written to me by this girl who had this huge crush on me at the time...she was writing how she was feeling sad one day and was listening to "Silent Night" by Bon Jovi.

So up to that point..that was my exposure to the band...then one day I was at the local arcade. They had a video jukebox which was in the center of the place. This video came on which showed a concert crowd with a lighting truss raising up on the stage and someone shouting out "SHOT THROUGH THE HEART!....." I could see three guys standing on a ledge and they jumped off with these huge explosions of sparks shooting up behind them.

Not long after I picked up my Slippery When Wet LP..several months later I saw my first concert featuring Bon Jovi.

Fan for life.