Bon Jovi: Bon Jovi-Cation Part 1 Better late than never…

Well I figured I have been home over a week maybe I should put my thoughts about Bon Jovi-Cation Part 1 to paper now. It's full of minute details, so be prepared.


My trip started on Wednesday March 16. An early morning Southwest flight put me in Nashville, TN for a brief time. I spent my time wandering the halls looking for a Mountain Dew, since Lauri would also be arriving in Nashville before we headed onto San Antonio. 


Finally, after seeing every concession stand had Coke products and none of the places in the food court had Pepsi the O'Charley's restaurant has them. I procured a bottle and headed back to the gate where Lauri would arrive. She did and shortly thereafter, we were on our flight to San Antonio.


We met Stacey in baggage and headed out to her car. We made a side trip to Tar-Jay and then to the yummy Alamo Café for some real Tex-Mex.


We headed to our hotel, right on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, checked in got settled in and then went down stairs for our complementary drinks and food.


We watched as random mariachi bands roamed the streets, like stray dogs in other US cities, San Antonio has Mariachi's.


A few chicken fingers and margaritas later we headed out into San Antonio. Our first stop the hopping Hard Rock Café where it seemed everyone and their extended families was eating. We just wanted the gift shop so Lauri could get a t-shirt. While there, we discovered the Philadelphia Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation shirts were on clearance. Now I have promised myself this leg of the tour I am not buying t-shirts I will wait til the leg is over and buy them from the online web store. So I felt ok paying $19.99 for a nice Bon Jovi shirt that was marked down.

Stray Mariachi Bands roam the streets of San Antonio

We didn't think we would be out to long after all tomorrow was a show day, and Lauri and I were up early. So we wandered around a bit when I heard the unmistakable sound of a large group of people singing Billy Joel badly, with a live Piano.


Live Piano?


Blly Joel?


Is there a Howl at the Moon around here?


There is!


Howl at the Moon is a dueling piano bar where you are encouraged to sing along, request songs, the more ridiculous and obscure the better.


They also have buckets where they pour a bunch of alcohol, some cherries with pit and straws and serve it to your table. It is the communal drink. For $30 for 3 people it's a good deal considering most martini's are $14.

Where has all the booze gone?

We found a table parked ourselves and were soon enjoying a bucket of Bahama Mama and the talented performers at HATM started singing and encouraging the crowd to be involved.

And there was crowd involvement. There was a woman, her name was Sherry and she was wearing a Bad Company t-shirt. She was celebrating her 50th birthday by getting as drunk as you could while still having a good time and not vomiting on the patrons of the bar you were getting drunk at. Sherry gave every person sitting up front a lap dance whether they wanted it or not. Thank Goodness we were not sitting up front.

Sherry also got a marriage proposal and propositioned. I would say she had a great birthday.

In between Sherry's entertaining antics there was also lots of music. I think they played Billy Joel's entire greatest hits volumes 1 & 2 (but not my favorite Ballad of Billy the Kid). The worst song of the 1980's was played. And Wanted Dead or Alive was played. No, wanted dead or alive was not the worst song of the 1980's. I would have killed people with my bare hands. No the worst song of the 80's was Rock this Town by the Stray Cats. I thought Michael Jackson should have gotten it, but someone else had more money.

I don't know what Stacey put in that Cherry
but Lauri's face tells me if I do, I won't like it

Speaking of Wanted, I prepped myself for the next night by singing it at the top of my lungs.

They also played Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. Oh and Stacey had them play the crowd pleasing Joan Jett classic "I Love Rock and Roll".


We headed back out into the night. The doorman offered us a taxi as we were slightly intoxicated, but it was in the 60's so we walked a short walk back to our hotel. I was the only one who had any idea where the hotel might be. It was like the drunk leading the other drunks. 


We quickly found the hotel, headed up to our room, and I was asleep shortly there after.


And this ends part 1.

Outside the Hard Rock Cafe, San Antonio, TX

STARBUCKS