Hi friends,
I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today. For those of you who are new around here, I'm a busy mom of three (what Mom isn't busy, right?) who recently decided to take back control of my life, including going out and having fun with the girls (uh, would the phrase, Nothin' But a Good Time be appropriate here?). I also recently decided to start VLogging (video-blogging) my adventures about being a mom who has returned to school (college). You can check out my YouTube Channel with my VLog by clicking here. A few short weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Bret Michaels perform at a pretty decent sized bar called Mojoes in the Chicagoland area. This GNO, with my concert buddies, Melody, Christy and Toni was indeed right on time. As some of you know. I had just wrapped up my first semester since I had returned to school, and was eager for a little fun with the girls.
The night started off with Melody (my Bon Jovi buddy) and I taking a trip to the Department, a local Joliet restaurant. The Department used to be an old firehouse, hence the name The Department (i.e. fire department). This restaurant has the niche on everything cool and hip in the Chicagoland area, and would be equally at home if you picked it up and planted it in downtown Chicago. The service is great and the food is even better. A really nice touch is that the manager, a very personable guy, comes around to each table to make sure everyone is comfortable and that all is going well. Mel and I each had a shrimp dinner that was nothing short of succulent. When we were finished with our dinner, we still had a while to wait before the doors opened across the street at Mojoes. It was cold and rainy and the line wasn't long at all, I'm sure due to the bad weather, so we opted to hang out in the bar area of The Department until we were ready to get in line for the show.
At 7:50 p.m., we decided that the time had come for us to find our place in line with the rest of the fans, since the doors opened at 8:00 p.m. And luck was on our side. (It usually is, right Mel?) We happened to get the one spot just around the corner where we were covered by an awning, so we remained cold but not soaked. Mojoes opened promptly at 8:00 as promised, and we found our spot toward the front of the stage. The main floor of Mojoes is standing room only, and we were about eight to ten rows back. Not bad at all for lining up with only ten minutes to go before the doors opened.
How was the show? As I said on Facebook, Bret's still got it! In fact, Christy and I, who both saw him in the 80s and 90s feel that he was even better now than he was then. I was completely prepared for him to not live up to what I remembered from my teens and young twenties, for the simple reason that I was so Bret Michaels starry eyed, I didn't think it was possible to live up to my remembrances. OH, "ME" OF LITTLE FAITH! Bret sounded GREAT. He was still totally high energy, and sang EVERY popular Poison song a fan could want to hear. And Bret, dear Bret, is SO grateful to the fans. His performance is peppered with many "thanks" to the fans throughout the show, and each "thank you" seems to come right from his heart.
The show started with the crowd pleasing, Talk Dirty to Me, which was followed by Look What the Cat Dragged In. The crowd was so loud for both songs, at times, I could hardly hear Bret. But that's the fun of a concert, right? Other songs that Bret did included, Nothin' But a Good Time, Unskinny Bop (which is quite the crowd pleaser), Something to Believe In, and, of course, Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Christy and I, were laughing at ourselves; we, being the excitable fans of the bunch, screamed--not joking, really screamed--with the introduction of each and every song, absolutely delighted that he was "doing this one too!" So apparently, it's not only Bon Jovi that makes me feel like a teenage girl, Bret Michaels has the same affect! :)
Here's a pic of Bret. In the words of, Melody, "My, oh my, he's good eye candy, isn't he?"
Before the show Christy mentioned that the one song that she wanted to hear was Ride the Wind. I told her that I had been thinking the SAME THING all day. During the show, Bret announced that he was going to do a song that he had only done with Poison, and that this was the first time this particular song was being performed with the Bret Michaels Band. MUCH to our delight, Bret announced that they would be doing Ride the Wind! And, yes, it was every bit as wonderful as I remembered.
The guys in the band also got to show off their chops a bit, each playing a part of one of their favorite songs, which ultimately led to a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. When I saw Poison in 1993, they double head-lined with Lynyrd Skynyrd, so it was really fun for me personally to hear Bret do that song. The show ended with Fallen Angel, the PERFECT song, IMO to leave us with for the night.
Here's the pic of my two super lucky friends that got to meet Bret! Christy--on the right--doesn't look too happy does she? And one day...ONE DAY...I'm gonna meet Bret too!!
Here is Every Rose Has Its Thorn from the show (I found this on YouTube. It's not my video.)
And for you Bret fans that missed the Mojoes show, don't fret! Bret promised that he's be back with Poison sometime this summer. You can place a very safe bet on where I'll be that night!
I hope you enjoyed reading the "Unskinny Bop" about the Bret Michaels show. I also hope you share with me your experiences. I'd love to hear about them.
Until next time...which, by the way, will be Winger next week... :)
Best Wishes,
Erica Basile
