DAUGHTRY / BON JOVI CONCERT
In all honesty, this was probably the best concert I've been to. There were several factors that lead me to this decision, i.e. the lineup was a dream as I had two of my favorite bands in one night, the seats were incredible, 2nd row center! All of this factored into my decision for "best concert ever" but what really put me over the top was, you guessed it, being able to meet Chris Daughtry and the band. I think I went into that night just really excited about that opportunity that everything else seemed like a bonus in comparison.
Daughtry gave an energized 40 minute set, singing the major hits off their current album as well as debuting a new song which made me smile as new material usually means new album! The song itself was great, very rock and a little heavier than their norm but it fit very nicely. I tried to take pictures and rock out at the same time but that just led to blurry shots of mic stands and amps. I was able to make eye contact with Chris who made my ever present smile much bigger and I was rockin' my usual "horns" hand gesture and bass player Josh Paul winked at me and returned the "horns" which was awesome. The boys finished their set with "Home", obvious choice though I was hoping for "There And Back Again", and my friend Nina and I booked to the meeting point for the meet & greet. We got our passes out and waited, watching as more and more people started filtering into our area. Then I got nervous as I was hoping it wouldn't be a big crowd so that maybe we'd get more time with the guys. No such luck! We kind of went in search of someone involved in the meet & greet and met a nice man from North Carolina with a sexy Southern accent. He actually made me decide what the whole group would get, either a picture or autograph, and while I was torn because I was hoping for both I chose a picture because not having proof of that night would just be dumb on my part! So, sorry to any of you that were there without a camera or were hoping for a Daughtry signature, the NC man made me choose! Turns out the venue didn't have anything setup, as far as curtains and such in front of the doors, so we were still standing in line as Bon Jovi took the stage and started singing. Kind of a bummer but I've seen Bon Jovi many times before and was actually there more so to support Daughtry! By the third Bon Jovi song Nina and I were finally taken inside the room where he guys were waiting, NC man took my camera, we tried to take our time giving hugs and saying how much we LOVED them but everything was very rushed and before we knew it the picture (as in one) was taken and we were back out in the hall. That was kind of disappointing but also understandable as there were a good amount of people waiting and who knows what the guys had to do after wards. In hindsight, I think it would've been better if we had gone last, maybe we would've had several more minutes to hang but honestly I can't complain at all. I got to give Chris a hug and tell him how much I appreciate his music and he was so kind and he squeezed me right back showing he actually cares about us fans! No pat on the back hugs from any of the guys, I loved it! OH and don't even get me started on how good Chris smelled...*melts*
After trying one last time to get back in to see the guys (can you blame me) we made our way to our seats, passing our Moms who were in the 14th row, jealous as can be. Bon Jovi was great, they never disappoint in putting on an entertaining show packed full of old and new hits with a few surprises mixed in. Like I said, in my mind I was there more for Daughtry but you can't help getting sucked into the Bon Jovi phenomena especially when he's standing a 10 feet from you! Nina and I both made eye contact with Jon and David and Nina's night was made when she got to grab Jon's hand as he made his way back to the stage while singing Bed Of Roses. Another highlight was getting our smiling/singing faces on the Big Screen during "I'll Be There For You". Fun times!
All in all it was a great experience, one I am extremely grateful for. I hope you enjoyed my take on the night and also the pictures I have to share, if I ever get around to posting them. (they're all up on my MySpace Page if you look hard enough) I took over 200 shots but ended up with 140 after deleting the blurry, not so great ones. I must thank DaughtryOfficial.com and RCA for making the meet & greet a reality. I think I lit up the entire Bradley Center from the smile I was wearing so thank you! Can't wait until the next Daughtry show!
Daughtry gave an energized 40 minute set, singing the major hits off their current album as well as debuting a new song which made me smile as new material usually means new album! The song itself was great, very rock and a little heavier than their norm but it fit very nicely. I tried to take pictures and rock out at the same time but that just led to blurry shots of mic stands and amps. I was able to make eye contact with Chris who made my ever present smile much bigger and I was rockin' my usual "horns" hand gesture and bass player Josh Paul winked at me and returned the "horns" which was awesome. The boys finished their set with "Home", obvious choice though I was hoping for "There And Back Again", and my friend Nina and I booked to the meeting point for the meet & greet. We got our passes out and waited, watching as more and more people started filtering into our area. Then I got nervous as I was hoping it wouldn't be a big crowd so that maybe we'd get more time with the guys. No such luck! We kind of went in search of someone involved in the meet & greet and met a nice man from North Carolina with a sexy Southern accent. He actually made me decide what the whole group would get, either a picture or autograph, and while I was torn because I was hoping for both I chose a picture because not having proof of that night would just be dumb on my part! So, sorry to any of you that were there without a camera or were hoping for a Daughtry signature, the NC man made me choose! Turns out the venue didn't have anything setup, as far as curtains and such in front of the doors, so we were still standing in line as Bon Jovi took the stage and started singing. Kind of a bummer but I've seen Bon Jovi many times before and was actually there more so to support Daughtry! By the third Bon Jovi song Nina and I were finally taken inside the room where he guys were waiting, NC man took my camera, we tried to take our time giving hugs and saying how much we LOVED them but everything was very rushed and before we knew it the picture (as in one) was taken and we were back out in the hall. That was kind of disappointing but also understandable as there were a good amount of people waiting and who knows what the guys had to do after wards. In hindsight, I think it would've been better if we had gone last, maybe we would've had several more minutes to hang but honestly I can't complain at all. I got to give Chris a hug and tell him how much I appreciate his music and he was so kind and he squeezed me right back showing he actually cares about us fans! No pat on the back hugs from any of the guys, I loved it! OH and don't even get me started on how good Chris smelled...*melts*
After trying one last time to get back in to see the guys (can you blame me) we made our way to our seats, passing our Moms who were in the 14th row, jealous as can be. Bon Jovi was great, they never disappoint in putting on an entertaining show packed full of old and new hits with a few surprises mixed in. Like I said, in my mind I was there more for Daughtry but you can't help getting sucked into the Bon Jovi phenomena especially when he's standing a 10 feet from you! Nina and I both made eye contact with Jon and David and Nina's night was made when she got to grab Jon's hand as he made his way back to the stage while singing Bed Of Roses. Another highlight was getting our smiling/singing faces on the Big Screen during "I'll Be There For You". Fun times!
All in all it was a great experience, one I am extremely grateful for. I hope you enjoyed my take on the night and also the pictures I have to share, if I ever get around to posting them. (they're all up on my MySpace Page if you look hard enough) I took over 200 shots but ended up with 140 after deleting the blurry, not so great ones. I must thank DaughtryOfficial.com and RCA for making the meet & greet a reality. I think I lit up the entire Bradley Center from the smile I was wearing so thank you! Can't wait until the next Daughtry show!