Circle Arc 2: Philly

OK. Wow. Just…..wow. Section 1, row 16, seat 1 (Richie’s side, first section behind the circle people, on the aisle next to the tiered seats).

The second night was definitely better than the first. I had a fantastic time at the first show, but this one was out of this world. I was on Richie’s side for the first time in my (admittedly) short tour history. We were on the aisle, so stationed right in front of the security people who were all about “no professional cameras” so I had to leave my Canon EOS at home. I had my POS point-and-shoot digital which would have been fine if we were up in the pit (haha) but for where our seats were, it just didn’t take good shots, so it spent the evening in my purple leather handbag.

The lost photo opportunities SO really didn’t matter to me once we got going (and not just because between Catte and FM, they gave me 1300+ shots that are right now on my laptop. In fact, the photos in this review are ALL theirs.). I was able to really concentrate on the show and watch it as it unfolds “live” as it were, instead of through a camera lens. Though for sure, using my zoom brought me VERY close to the action, and I could see better, this way, I saw more.

I caught Bobby’s ass-shake and Richie’s hand gestures during pain (the best one? Come to me, be my disguise *shiver*) Caught Jon laying down on the job, sprawling on the circle platform during Bed of Roses. Saw Richie’s mom, and thought Jon should have danced with her; that would have been really sweet to see. Saw (and I still can’t believe this) a girl actually PUSH JON AWAY FROM HER to take a F’N PICTURE! Seriously! When he was doing his walk from stage to circle during Love’s the Only Rule, you know how he gets people to do the whoa-oa-oa-oa’s with him in the mic? This chick was having none of it. *shakes head in disbelief* Ah well. Probably she’s a Richie Girl, so I’ll cut her some slack.

And damn. The setlist. SO many good surprises (for me). A whopping 7 cuts from The Circle: Happy Now, Follow, Thorn, Beautiful, Superman, Working Man, Only Rule. Love it.

Only Detroit got the same number of songs (though they got Bullet where we got Happy Now). Opening with Happy Now was fantastic. They left the “intro screen” down over the stage for partway through the song intro – the crowd was going nuts! Jon should do the matinee performances more often. His – erm – energy level was sky high (flyin’ like an aeroplane). Very fun, jumpy Jonny last night.

Note to the “Captain Crash” guy from Tuesday night: Even though you got your song on the second night, it still is not cool to hold up your sign the whole show. This song was a nice surprise. I heard it during the last two tours, and it is one of those songs either you love, or you sit down for – at least if MY section was anything to go by. Me? I was waving Crash in the whole time. A few others in my section were, and Jon saw us and smiled.

I was once again floored by the amount of people who sat down during Richie’s solo, and some of the slower Circle tunes.

Homebound Train was frickin’ AMAZING. So suited for his voice, and while the YouTubes are great, no comparison to the sexiness of seeing him do it live (that sounded dirty; I meant seeing him sing the song live, though I’m sure the same holds true for the other). Catte and I were singing at the top of our lungs, making sure the “woo-woos” made it in. The girl in the row in front of us (sitting) next her (sitting) boyfriend leaned in to him to say “Oh yeah, I forgot about that part”. We made sure ALL the double-woo’s were accounted for. My throat is still scratchy.

I do need to bring up three other rules of concert etiquette; the first two as a favor to the Fiction Mistress. Hygiene. Personal hygiene. Have some. At least put on deodorant or SOMETHING before the show, and if you have a stinky hat (and you know who you are) please do not wave it in front of the faces of the people around you. Not only are you obscuring their view, but you’re making them a little bit nauseous. Ditto for the guy singing really loudly and upwind who hasn’t met a toothbrush or bottle of Scope. Beer breath is one thing. Bad breath is something else entirely.

The second piece of etiquette is self-awareness. Know where you are. Know where your body parts are. And please, don’t spend the whole show with said body parts in my face. Clap, wave, point, dance. Have a great time. Without question. Don’t push past me as soon as the monitors come out of the band’s ears and trip over the chairs because you had one too many $9 beers. Don’t leave your arms folded on your head for the whole show – your elbows wind up blocking the stage like The Flying Nun’s wimple.

The final piece of etiquette is about the encore. This one (perhaps) isn’t so much of a rule as a personal pet peeve. You’ve sat through 2 ½ hours of a fantastic show. The band is getting ready to leave the stage, and everyone around you is cheering and applauding, giving them what is (arguably) the best part of the evening – the accolades. I understand wanting to beat feet to the parking lot to try to get ahead of the traffic, but are those three minutes at the end really too much to ask for? If the answer is yes, and you feel the need to go, don’t shove your way out of the row, trip over a chair, and give ME a dirty look because your feet don’t work.

That being said, I honestly can’t remember the last time I smiled so much. A great show.

Setlist

1. Happy Now
2. We Weren't Born To Follow
3. You Give Love A Bad Name
4. Thorn In My Side
5. Born To be My baby
6. Lost Highway
7. Captain Crash
8. Sleep When I'm Dead
9. When We Were Beautiful
10. Superman Tonight
11. We Got It Goin' On
12. Bad Medicine/Bad Case Of Loving You/Shout
13. It's My Life
14. Homebound Train (Richie VOX)
15. Make A Memory
16. Bed of Roses
17. Love For Sale
18. Something For the Pain
19. Keep the Faith
20. Work For the Working Man
21. Who Says You Can't Go Home (acoustic intro)
22. Love's the Only Rule

Encore:

1. Only Lonely
2. Wanted
3. Prayer



Album Song Count

The Circle ~ 7
New Jersey ~ 4
Slippery When Wet ~ 3
Lost Highway ~ 3
Keep The Faith ~ 3
Crush ~ 2
These Days ~ 1
Have A Nice Day ~ 1
7800 Fahrenheit ~ 1

Now, as to the band interaction. Willow and Fiction Mistress were on David’s side, close enough to “sign him”. Willow took my “Show me Joker” sign, and we made a new one inviting him to join us in NYC tonight for Memphis. She got his attention with the first side: “MEMPHIS 2MORO”. He gave her the eyebrow raise and a big smile. The other side said “WANNA COME?” and he nodded enthusiastically. Catte caught it on video (and promises to get it and her others up to youtube in a few days) so I can’t wait to see it. We’ll let you know if we actually see him around town tonight. We’re not holding our breath, but how cool would that be???

Catte and I had our own sign.

If you were at / listened to the MMR Matinee, you heard that Richie’s on the hunt (lol). That’s right, he’s on the lookout for the future ex-Mrs. Sambora. So, in order to help a fella out (because I’m nothing if not helpful), I made a big sign proclaiming myself to be a “FUTURE EX MRS. SAMBORA”. I know Richie can’t see much beyond the end of his nose, especially in an arena, but I’m pretty sure Jon and David saw it.

I won’t delve too deeply into the shallow portion of the review except to say Richie took my breath away in that tight red t-shirt. All sorts of sweaty, sweaty goodness. Damn.

I’ve got a lazy day today, waiting for Willow to get home from work around lunchtime so we can get a move on to NYC. I am so looking forward to today! Then it’s on the bus back to Boston tomorrow, two nights at Mohegan.

Bring it on.

~ Hath