Chapter 45 - The Show Does Go On

 

 

 

Bon Jovi arrive in Germany to headline a festival that will span all of Europe.  They were excited and terrified all at the same time.  Jon, on top of all the tour stress, has to worry about his girlfriend that might be pregnant all the way in California.  His heart believes with everything that she's pregnant.  He can't wait for a break to fly home and find out, one way or another. 

He's in his hotel room, planning the nights set list - knowing that they have to get to sound check soon.  He's waiting on the guys to meet him and then they'll all head to the arena together.  He can't get his head around what he needs to.  He's suffering a little bit of jet leg and his mind is in California with Monica.  He hates that they aren't together and he hates the fact that everything seem so up in the air right now.  But he thinks to himself, nothing has changed - even if she's pregnant.  You need to play and do your job.  If she's pregnant, she's pregnant.  If she's not, she's not.  You being with her right now changes nothing.

He decided that he would throw in some new material that they were working on and trying to get recorded, but their manager was doing what he's paid to do.  He has them booked to play shows and that's what they are doing.  With a new hit album on the shelves, Jon and his band mates are going through the motions of becoming celebrities at a rather quick pace.

A few periods at the end of the set list, and Jon is done.  Dropping his marker on the table, he sets back and kicks his feet up.  His hands go behind his head and he glances over at the clock.  Doing the math in his head, he knows that Monica is probably still sleeping.  It's 9am in LA.  He sits alone in the silence and collects his thoughts.  He's excited for tonight's show, and he's excited to get home.  He has this 'thing' hanging over his head and it weighs pretty heavy on him.  He really hopes that Monica is able to block it all out and get through her shoots just fine.  Her schedule is just as crazy as his, but she needs to have her best face forward.  She was going to be in the middle of a calendar, she needs to look her best. 

The door flies open and Jon is looking at David and Tico.  Tico had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, "Are you ready?" he asks Jon.

"Come on, let's go."  Dave says, gesturing with his arm.  "Get up, can't keep the women waiting."

"Okay, okay - where are Richie and Alec?" Jon asks his brothers, as he gathers what he needs for the show.  With his setlists in hand, he grabs his bag, cigarettes and bottle of Pepsi and out the door they went.  Richie and Alec were standing outside the car that was waiting for them, bullshitting and talking to the female driver.  The conversation didn't go too well, Alec and Richie didn't know German and the driver knew very little English.  This frustrated Richie, as he couldn't work his Sambora magic on a woman. 

They made it to the arena and messed with equipment and made sure that everything was JUST right.  Once they finished sound check they went back stage and hung in a great room with the guys from the other ands that were on this tour.  Bon Jovi thought that they deserved their own dressing room, since they were the headliner, the big draw and their manager was working on it.  The five guys from New Jersey didn't like the common area or the trash that was allowed in.  They might be rock stars and they might have their pick of any woman on any given night - but what they were seeing backstage in Berlin interested none of them.

The five of them gathered in their own area and maintained a distance from the other bands.  Jon needs the time to prepare and so do the other guys.  Tico taps his sticks on the wall, playing a melody that they all know.  Jon stretches and warms up a little, knowing that they have some time.  There are 3 bands that are going on before them, warming up too early would really be a waste of time.  David was watching the craziness that goes on backstage and Alec stares at the scantily clad groupies that are backstage.  Many of the women are there for the Scorpions and all of them thought that the Scorpions should be the headliner.  They thought wrong.

The night drags on and it's time for Bon Jovi to take the stage.  The guys are ready, the guys are pumped - they open with their # 1 song Runaway and take that into Silent Night.  The crowd went crazy for Silent Night.  They loved it and wanted more.  Jon doesn't understand what was so special about that song, first time they played it live and security had to work over time.  The chicks were walking over one another to get on stage.  Maybe it was the slower beat of the song or the lyrics, but the band was on fire and the crowd wanted more.

Their set went almost 2 hours and when they were done, they had to meet for a press conference that highlighted the tour and the cause behind the festival.  All 4 bands are there, each with it's own interpreter making it difficult and very time consuming to give one interview.  The one that was most irritated was Richie.  Richie can't sit still that long and waiting for someone to tell him what someone was saying to him kind of pissed him off.  When he had his fill, he just got up and left.  The rest of Bon Jovi weren't far behind him - Jon right on his heels.  Jon needed to get back to his room before 1am, because that's when Monica was supposed to call.  It will be 5pm in LA, she'll be done with her shoot.

The band files back into the backseat of the car that was waiting, with the same driver.  She smiled at Richie, changing his mood.  She was a light at the end of a very dark night and he hoped his communication techniques will work once the other guys get out of the car when they get back to the hotel.  They all are exhausted, and even more hungry.  In the back of the car, Jon tells their manager that he needs to order them food when they get back to the hotel.  The manager agreed and followed it up with, "What did you guys think of the crowd?"

Alec jumped in and said, "Oh my God, they were awesome.  Did you see those chicks in front of me, flashing their tits?"

Tico laughed and said, "Al, there were tits everywhere, on all sides of the stage." 

"The ones in front of me were flashing me, they were nice perky little titties."  he laughs, like titties is a bad word.

"Whatever."  David interjects.  "you think they're for you just because they're in front of you."