By Jan Baxter
Subject:              Huddersfield show - my story!
Date sent:            Thu, 14 Jun 2001 19:01:52 +0100

May I apologise in advance if I miss out anything or get anything wrong during this review of last night's show in Hudds, when you read the highs and lows of my experience, I'm sure you'll forgive me!

We left at 7.45 am, grey skies and cool, forecast not too bad but  chilly and cloudy with brighter intervals and possible light rain showers.  On the way to the motorway we were getting looks from people in passing cars and trucks, could it be they noticed the JBJ poster flag, the Jovi scarves and everything decorating the car?  We got waves from some guys in a builders truck too.  Made good time getting there, found the stadium but the security would not let us in for disabled parking - even with Karen's badge and permit - they said we had to have a special Bon Jovi Concert Disabled Parking permit. No one had mentioned this on booking the tickets, and we hadn't and didn't see anything about it, but they were firm and we ended up parking on the grass of a local rugby club where they charged £5.00.  It was around 4 minutes walk to the stadium, we found the fanclub line which had around 70 or 80 people in it (this was around 9.30 am).  Stella and Melissa were first in line, having been there since 3am!  Met up with Jovian, Jimmyshoes, Lee, Maryann and Marika came along later, but it's so nice to see people you know - the worldwide Bon Jovi family! By lunchtime the line was around 400-500 people long and the security had obviously not expected so many....but they were well organised and would not let people queue jump or push in. 

It got to almost 2pm and we're moving up, they're beginning to talk about opening the box office to hand out wristbands.  I get my bag to hand out tickets to Karen, Jon and Shirley, thinking we each take our own ticket in case they ask for them at the wristband place.  I look at my ticket. IT SAYS CARDIFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I grab Karen's and look at that......IT SAYS MILTON KEYNES!!!!!!!!!!!!  For a moment I'm in shock. Then I realise and I scream. "They're the wrong ones!"  Karen starts to laugh and say don't even joke about it, I burst into tears and scream "I'm not f***ing joking...I've brought the wrong tickets!!!!"  We all look.  We all check. I haven't brought the others with me, I had 2 envelopes. One with the 4 Hudds tickets, one with 3 MK and 1 Cardiff for the weekend.  And I've brought the wrong envelope. 
 

Can you imagine how I felt?  I almost collapsed.  I was crying, shaking, I felt like I was going to pass out. Everyone around was so nice...the other three were in shock too.  We went to the box office enquiries, they couldn't help because I bought from an Agency over the phone and had no reference number with me anyway.  They sent me somewhere else, I had to ring a guy on my cellphone, he told me to go to the ticket collection window and ask there.  By this time I'm hysterical, I can't stop shaking, I'm about crying my eyes out and Karen's going "Don't worry, we'll sort it out"  Jon's wondering how long it will take him to drive back to Leicester and get them and get back.  That gives me an idea.  My husband Mark (not a Bon Jovi fan!) had taken the day off to look after our daughter Kirsty, so I called him on his cellphone.  He was my saviour.  He was out shopping but he drove home, found the right tickets, turned around and drove right up to Huddersfield. 

An hour and a half later we've got our wristbands to get into the pit, in line to enter, the line is moving and still no tickets.  I explain to the security, they're very nice and say just to stand to the side at the front and wait...then as soon as we get the tickets, we get in anyway without having to line up again. 

I went to wait by the entrance to the stadium.  Karen's ringing me to say ALL the fanclub line has gone in now, I ring Mark, he's stuck in traffic in the centre of Hudds.  FINALLY.....he arrives around 4.20pm. I about break my neck running to the car, he gives me the tickets, I grab them, kiss him, and run.  We get into the pit which is almost packed solid now since the general public have gone in up to capacity as well, but we have wristbands, so we get in.  We're right at the back but we're finally inside the stadium and the pit.  And I burst into tears again.  It took another hour before I stopped shaking. 

To be honest I was too stressed and shaky even to take much notice of the support acts, I recall the first one (Delirious?) were good but seemed quite loud. (am I getting old or was it just the major stress headache I had by then?) Matchbox 20 were also very good (Rob Thomas joked that there was a GUY holding up a banner saying "Rob, I'm Pregnant!" and he apologised but he didn't know how that had happened!)  All I wanted by then was to see Bon Jovi.  Finally, just after 8.30 the stage lit up, the "elevator" arrived, and we were away. The stage set is magnificent, really cool and there are some funny touches (guitar techies) as well.  Jon had on a  straw-type cowboy hat, gold jeans (leather?) black Tshirt with a tiger-like motif. Richie was wearing those gorgeous glittery silver trousers again, with a black Tshirt with a silver glittery motif and an orange jean jacket. Dave had on a silver top and black trousers.  Hugh appeared to be wearing one of Richie's shirts?  Tico was mostly in black and has what seems to be a beret or something on, it's never easy to see him behind the drums. 

Setlist was mostly the same as at previous shows.  I simply can't remember if this is the right order, no doubt someone can correct it, or it will be posted on Backstage. 

They opened with 
One Wild Night (ran through the cha-cha-cha bit twice) 
Raise Your Hands 
Bad Name 
In These Arms 
Prayer Born 2 B My Baby
Falling In Love - into- Bed of Roses. 
Say It Isn't So 
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night (Jon started this one acoustic) 
Captain Crash 
Just Older 
LYHOM 
Sleep 
Bed Medicine - into Shout - Bad Medicine 
It's My Life 
Faith 

Encore
Next 100 Years
Wanted
Tequila
Twist and Shout

I may have the order wrong, I simply can't remember!

A girl came onto the stage during one of the upbeat songs, I think it was Sleep When I'm Dead, and she came from one of the side groups onstage. After she danced close with Jon for a few lines, one of the roadies came out to take her off, but Jon waved him away and carried on dancing, both of them shaking their "thang" and Jon commented into the mic "I love my job!" At the end, he kissed her and she went, giving Richie a wave and a wink as she left.  Jon said "It's nice work if you can get it!" 

He also commented on having never been in Huddersfield stadium before, observed there were 40,000 people inside and around another ten thousand who hadn't got tickets standing on the pathways up a hill behind the stadium! He also noticed the sign saying "University of Huddersfield" and said "Hey, THIS is the University of Huddersfield, right here..."  Richie called out "Professor Bon Jovi!" Jon grinned and nodded and said "Yeah, I'm a Professor....and I'm a Doctor....and what we need is this..." leading right into Bad Medicine!  It was a great moment!!! 

As  with all Bon Jovi shows, it was all over too soon.  We got stuck in a queue to get out of the car park we'd used, since there were other places on that road and coaches and stuff all queuing. It took an hour and a half to get out onto the main road again, and we got home around 2.30am. The fan club line was well organised and the issue of wristbands almost military in it's precision. The security people were generally very nice and very helpful, although I gather Stella and Anu did have to push for the fanclub line to be dealt with properly at the start of things. 

I'm still exhausted. Very happy to have seen the show, but I still feel such a fool for doing it. I bought the others a programme each to try and make up for it.  They were all very understanding and nice about what could have been a total disaster; Kaz, Jon, Shirl, you 
were the best.  Thank you as well to the other people in the line around me, I don't know any of your names but you were all so concerned and reassuring, and two or three of you came up to me in the pit and said you were glad we got in.  Thanks to Maryann for her concern, and also Stella and Melissa for theirs. Thanks Joanne for all your texts and calls, sorry we didn't find each other. 

SO PLEEEEEEAAASE don't be as stupid as me, Don't just check you've got your tickets, check they're the right ones for the show as well!  They all look the same on the front, so make sure you check the venue and date. 

From a very emotionally drained and still shaky
Jan B