Well, I certainly wound the clock back last night. 11 years ago, I went to see Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium. They were supported by Van Halen, Thunder and Ugly Kid Joe. I’d toyed with the idea of going to see them play at the new Wembley when the dates for the “Have a Nice Day” tour were announced. However, I decided against it and didn’t give it a second thought until it was announced that they would play at the KC Stadium in Hull. Since Sarah only lives about a 15 minute walk away, I bought a ticket in the standing area. I don’t listen to Bon Jovi quiet as much as I used too and I certainly don’t know the tracks on “Bounce”, “Crush” or “Have a Nice Day” as much as I do on the earlier albums.

Anyway, the gig was last night in Hull. I missed the opening act and only caught a bit of the second act. Bon Jovi took the stage at about 8pm and all of a sudden I was 21 again. The band and I have grown old together, as Jon Bon Jovi reminded me. Tico Torres now looks middle-aged and Richie Sambora has certainly put some weight on. Mind you, I suppose I now look middle-aged compared to the teenager who discovered “Slippery When Wet” on a coach en-route to France in 1987. The only reason I had the cassette was because I’d taken a shine to “The Final Countdown” by Europe and a friend had copied the album “The Final Countdown” on one side of a C90 and “Slippery When Wet” on the other. The first half of the album was an instant hit for me and “Wanted Dead or Alive” is one of my favourite songs of all time, along with “Beds are Burning” by Midnight Oil.

The rain eased off just after Bon Jovi took the stage amidst a fully illuminated display. They opened with “Last Man Standing” before heading into “Rockin’ Around the World” by Status Quo and following it up with “You Give Love a Bad Name”. A lot of the classics got an airing tonight including “Living on A Prayer”, “Runaway”, “Raise Your Hands”, “Blood on Blood”, “Keep the Faith” and “Bad Medicine”. They also played some of the songs I don’t know so well like “Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars”, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and “Have A Nice Day”.

The tempo didn’t drop during the night and neither did the lights. The band kept going right to the end and I have to say that it was the best gig I’ve ever been to and I’ve now got to decide whether I go to see any of the other gigs I’d like to see before the end of the year; Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Status Quo, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings or Billy Joel.

I’d forgotten who good a good gig is and I can’t wait for the next one.

Anyway, tonight sees me playing at St Matthew’s Church in Hull. I’m sure the audience will be massively different, even if the venue is only a stone’s throw away.