The lucky Boston fan
 

I know I'm just a lurker over here, but I wanted to spread the word to as many Jovi fans as I can about how WONDERFUL the Bon Jovi organization truly is. I had a very special night that I will never forget, and it was only made possible because of the kindness of Jon Bon Jovi and his staff.

Here's my story:

For the July 9th show in Boston - I had front row seats (won them) and decided (from a past experience) to have some local sports team jerseys made for souvenirs, and customized them with BON JOVI 08. As for the Celtics - just a few weeks prior, they won the NBA championship, and the winning game was played right under our feet at the Gahhhden. Here's the video of what happened when Jon started talking about our sports teams:



Basically, it was in the heat of the moment that Jon threw Juke Box Hero to me, and I really honestly didn't believe it was true while I was holding it. I made my friend pinch me and I realized, wow - that totally just happened. The girls around me were checking out the shirt, and I was still in the state of shock. Thankfully, we took a few pictures wearing it because right after Jon went out to the platform, this girl came over to me. Her name was Dawn, and she explained that she worked for the band and was kind of freaking out because she needed the shirt back! She told me about MSG, and the DVD and JBH was what she had wanted Jon to wear, etc. So I totally understood and was perfectly willing to give the shirt back, after all - I got the thrill of catching it and wearing it, so I was plenty happy! Before she took it back, she said she wanted to make a deal with me - if I gave the shirt back, I could meet Jon after the show and get ANOTHER shirt in return. She had mentioned that she and Jon had been talking, and they both felt bad, they didn't want to just take the shirt away from me. The joke the rest of the night was, "Deal or No Deal?" Needless to say, I was giving the shirt back anyway, but I was still able to TAKE THE DEAL! Dawn said I could take my friend and it would be all set, just wait for her after the show. A couple of songs later, this big guy came over to me with two backstage passes and said, "Hey Philly Soul - meet me here right after the show," Did I mention I was wearing a Philly Soul shirt? A very very very very very WET shirt from all of Jovicising I had been doing - in other words - I looked like I had just got caught in a very humid rain storm. Not the look I would be going for if I knew I was going to be meeting ANYONE, not even close family/friends. I'm pretty low maintenance, but there's only so much frizz a girl's hair can take without feeling slightly self conscious. Here's an artists rendition of my look at that point:

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...rd_simmons.jpg

My mom was also at the show that night (sitting in the 18th row - passed up the front row so my friend could go), so I was lucky she was there and I could take her with me. Mum's the one that took me to shows when I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s, and even driving in a blizzard up to Maine on the KTF tour, she still supported my love of the Joviness! And she wasn't even a fan at first, until she got converted by the live show. Anyway, there really was no one else I would've wanted to be there with me, than her.

After the show, the big guy found me and said, "Hey Philly Soul - let's go!" He was a real sweetheart, and brought us behind the stage, until we met up with Dawn again. We waited in the hospitality/catering area and chit chatted with Dawn for a little while, she was THE NICEST woman. I can't say enough about how great she was. She kept thanking me over and over again for giving the shirt back - and I kept thanking her over and over again for letting us meet Jon. Jon's guitar tech called her over and she said told him I was the girl who gave the shirt back, so he gave her a hand full of picks to give to me. Dawn kept checking the time, apologizing that Jon had to shower, etc. I kept trying to reassure her we were in no rush, and please don't make anyone else rush on our account. She left to go check on Jon, and that's when I had to really keep my mom from freaking out. She was shaking like a leaf - I thought I was going to have to pull a Cher and slap her across the face and yell, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" She couldn't believe how calm I was. I couldn't believe how calm I was either, but I think because everyone on the staff was so nice to us, I felt very comfortable.

Dawn came and got us and off we went - a crew member gave me a puzzling look like, "Who are you?" This would be the first of many puzzling looks with Dawn answering, "This is the girl who gave the shirt back!" What a warm reception I got with that introduction - people shaking my hand - how ya doing's - etc, everyone was so nice! One guy even said, "Oh yeah! Philly Soul! You gave the shirt back!" If it was 1973, my CB radio handle would definitely have been Philly Soul. We passed by Hugh, he got the "she's the girl that gave the shirt back" introduction - and as I was introduced, I had to peek inside the room he was walking into - there was Richie! AHHH!!!!!!! That's when I started to get NERVOUS!!!!!!!!

For whatever reason, when we got to Jon's dressing room, all of that quick burst of nervousness was completely gone. He stood up as we walked in, Dawn introduced us (I even got to be introduced as Missy, rather than my CB handle) Jon started immediately apologizing for needing the shirt back. He couldn't have been more sweet, personable or down to earth - even more so than I EVER imagined in my wildest dreams. Then he lead me over to his clothes and asked what shirt did I want - I'm not kidding - what shirt did I want? I rambled something about not needing another shirt, so he pulled out the gray t-shirt from the inside sleeve of the HAND CD. I have to admit, I did not recognize it, so he went and got the CD to prove it - I was laughing, "I believe you, I believe you" but he got the CD anyway.

He started signing some stuff for me, and I started asking him about the Soul. It was like we were talking as old friends, rather than perfect strangers, and it's only because he made it that way. We were chatting a little while about football (its one of my favorite topics, so probably why it was so easy), then I remembered my mother was standing by the couch - hadn't moved or said a word! I was teasing her that she was nervous, and Jon started talking to her, and then she finally started to talk and her nervousness eased.

We chatted some more, took a couple of pictures, here's one:

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ness/JBJ-2.jpg

And please, try not to be blinded by my extreme beauty, there is another person in the picture you can take a look at. Hey, my grandmother says he's handsome!

I figured I would try and cut them some slack and bow out gracefully so I pulled the old, "Let's go mum," and we said our goodbyes. The last thing I said to Jon was referring to our conversation earlier, "The Soul is going to win on Saturday - it's gonna be the best night of your life." To which he replied laughing, very Jonishly, "It better be!"

Dawn lead us out (met a few more people on the way out, "oh yeah - you gave the shirt back!") and she thanked us yet again for being so gracious and for giving back Juke Box Hero. She gave us hugs and we told her to have a blast in NYC.

Like I said, the reason I am telling this story is because I want to spread the good vibe. While I was backstage, those people treated me like gold - from the crew to Jon - I can't remember ever being so impressed by any group of people. After 22 years of support, the amount of pride I feel for this band is immeasurable. All I did was return a shirt that didn't even belong to me, and for that - I felt like I got handed the keys to the kingdom. They didn't HAVE to do anything for me at all, but they bent over backwards trying to show their appreciation. I was already a member of the choir, drinking the Jovi Kool-Aid, etc - there was no need for any of it, they already had me at "shot through the heart" in '86, but they still went above and beyond the call of duty. I just hope you can all feel the appreciation that I have experienced, as this could've happened to any one of us.

Here's the pic from the HAND CD:

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...aniceday_2.jpg


Here's the actual shirt:

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...1Stuff0001.jpg

I am so incredibly appreciative of my special experience, and believe me - it's something I will cherish forever. Thanks for reading!

Holy shit.
That's quite a story. I'm glad you had such an experience..

I concur .... that's amazing!! :D

I was in Boston and enjoyed the public part of the jersey-for-shirt swap. Thanks for sharing the rest of the story! And thanks for letting Jon have his shirt back. He wore it for all 3 shows in NYC -- poor guy must not have anything else! LOL

Unreal! This story rocked!

Amazing story! Thanks for posting it :)

That's fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

Great story! im glad you had a great time :D

Missy, again, I'm sorry I didn't catch up with you at the Boston shows. I had NO idea you were the one that had the jersey made but I should have known.....how cool is your story. I've met Dawn a few times and she is a sweetheart. Glad you had such a cool meeting with Jon. :D

deb

Thank you for sharing your story. Happy things worked out for you and that you got a nice souvenir in the end. It's things like this that make me proud to be a fan.