The Eternal Optimist

In case you missed it, I’m a big fan of Bon Jovi. It’s really my brother’s fault. When he was in high school and I was in 2nd grade — you know, when Bon Jovi was the hot thing — he listened to them, drummed to them and even had Bon Jovi VHS tapes. (Sorry, Kevin, the world has to know.)

I blame that early influence on my continued love of the group. I saw them last year in D.C., and when I heard they were coming back, I jumped at the chance to go. So six of us saw him tonight. (Yes, we missed the Oscars for this but it sounds like we didn’t miss much.)

At left, you’ll see Bon Jovi strutting across the stage. I had to compare it to a chicken strutting, though I’m sure he was aiming for a sexier comparison.

I loved it. Love the songs. And Jon Bon Jovi is hilarious. He’s definitely an entertainer, and he knows how to get an arena full of 40-year-old women to scream for him.

These were the best seats I’ve had for a Bon Jovi concert yet, so I got some shots where you can almost see him. I wonder how much those floor seats in the inner circle of the stage cost. …

And below, is “Keep the Faith,” with Bon Jovi playing the maracas. Some of us were discussing that a Bon Jovi aerobics video could come quite naturally from his show. He does a lot of jazz hands and fist-pumping.

I realize this is quite a bit late, but I’ve been busy with visitors this past week (plenty of posts and pictures on that to come soon). However, about a week ago, the Washington Post printed its review of the Bon Jovi concert here. I think this is the best part of it: “the overwhelmingly female, largely 40-something audience.”

I think it was probably a 2-to-1 ratio of girls to guys (but that was just in my “cheap seats” section). Perhaps the floor seats were all female.

Emily and I went to the Bon Jovi concert last night and had a great time! After work, we had dinner and happy hour drinks at Vapiano’s. They were playing all Bon Jovi songs, so it was the perfect setting to get in the mood.

Dashboard Confessional opened the show. They even played a cover of “Summer of ’69,” which they’re apparently playing for an upcoming movie.

Then Bon Jovi came out in all his still-almost-’80s glory. The music just makes for a good show. And Bon Jovi knows how to perform. (He has had years of practice.) They played songs from the new album, “The Circle,” and also from previous albums, including many of their old classics. I would go to a Bon Jovi concert each week, if they were in town (and if I could afford it).

Instead, I’ll have to settle for once each time they’re on tour. I’m thinking next time, maybe I’ll try to drive up to New Jersey to see a show in his home state.

The temperature exceeded 70 degrees today, so even though I had some errands to do, I made sure to spend all afternoon outside. After thoroughly cleaning my car, inside and out, I headed to Brookside Gardens. It’s a “public display park” in Montgomery County, Md., and it’s pretty close to where I live (driving distance, not walking). Because it was the first really warm weekend, the plants were still blooming so it wasn’t as lush as I’m sure it is later in the spring, but it was still really nice. It reminded me a lot of St. Louis’ Botanical Garden. However,  this is a little smaller.

I brought food for a picnic lunch, but it turns out I was only supposed to have food in a picnic and playground area slightly away from the Gardens. So, first I trekked there and ate my lunch, among tons of small children playing on slides. Then I walked around the Japanese Garden, Rose Garden, Fragrance Garden and Azalea Garden — and through the conservatories. Then I sat on a bench for awhile and did some writing.

Update: I also got my first sunburn of the year, mostly on the top of my back. I guess that’s the price of a lovely day outside.

Three great bands
Friday night, I joined a friend to see some bands at the Rock and Roll Hotel (a music venue and bar; not an actual hotel) on H Street Northeast. We came to see my friend’s friend, who was playing with the second band, but we enjoyed all three shows. The first band (Lightfoot) included some ukulele and glockenspiel playing and an amazing vocalist. The second band (The David Wax Museum) had jarana, accordion, string bass, sax, violin and cool percussion toys. And the third band (Junior League Band) was a mix of drums, bass, electric guitar, fiddle and banjo. So, it wasn’t your typical guitar and singer group, but it was all really great music.