It all started a few weeks back when my, drummer, Peter Anderson sent me a link to win a chance to open for Jon Bon Jovi and said “go for it!” So, I did!
Then, last Monday afternoon I was informed that we had made it to the top 8 finalists in the “Big Break Contest” on KQRS, a local radio station. We’re talking a classic rock station, so frankly, I was shocked to have even been considered. The prize was to open on either April 7th or 8th for Bon Jovi at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. Chance of a lifetime! So I got busy, begging and posting like a fiend “Vote for me, please! I’ll love you forever!” Well, maybe not quite so desperate, but we definitely worked it to get the word out there and scrounge up every last vote we could. Friday morning around 11am, I got the call! We had won 2nd place and would be taking the April 8th slot! I screamed, cried, did a little dance, and then got busy announcing my victory on as many social networking sites as possible. Three hours later, as I am LIVE on the air announcing our win, I got a message that there had been an error in reading the spreadsheet. I, in fact, had gotten 3rd place, not 2nd and would not be able to open at all. Simple human error, no conspiracy theories, no one to blame, just an unfortunate mistake. I spent a couple hours pouting and feeling sorry for myself, I suppose I was entitled to a little bit of that after this emotional roller coaster, but then I tried to let it go and move on. After all, we’ve got a record to put out! Not to mention I had a show to do at 318 in Excelsior, MN that evening. As the boys and I were doing our best to look onward and upward, my good friend Jason Matheson (of 107.1 talk radio and Fox 9 News fame) was at work rallying the troops on my behalf. He called CJ (the gossip columnist at The Star Tribune) and filled her in. I had just met CJ a couple nights earlier at the United Way’s annual award ceremony. We hit it off, but at the time, I was not a bundle of drama and gossip, certainly no reason for me to make her column. This simple mistake changed everything and gave CJ the perfect reason to tell my story.
CJ, being a gossip columnist, and someone I had just met made me a little nervous. We had chosen to take the high road, and had no interest in trashing KQ. I wasn’t sure if the story was going to come out exactly how I hoped it would. She completely understood where I was coming from and it came out just as I hoped. She was my new best friend and the first great press we’ve been able to get out of the STrib in years. The article was set to be released in Tuesday’s paper. When I woke up that morning, there was nothing about me in the paper. I just assumed we had been bumped. Not true! CJ left me a message that afternoon saying that Chelsea Handler’s story bumped mine, but that I would still get my article in Thursday’s edition. In the end, the bump made my week (or year, or life, who knows!). Maybe I also owe my big break to Miss Chelsea Lately’s escapades! So many people to thank, so little time! Anyway, my story happened to fall on the same page as Bon Jovi’s Wednesday night review. A lucky coincidence for me, because it led to JBJ himself reading all about my crazy week and insisting that the promoter find a way to get me on the bill.
At this point, Kevin Bowe (my manager, producer, guitarist, co-writer, and self-proclaimed janitor) received a phone call from AEG saying I was to be added back on the bill. However, he was not to tell me about it yet, there were still some details to be ironed out. I don’t think they would have felt it particularily appropriate to give it back to me, and then rescind the offer a second time. Kevin, being the brilliant man he is, realized that not telling me was not an option. I was currently on my way to Chicago to visit my little brother Sam. He too is a vocalist, and his A Cappela group (X Factors) at Northwestern University had arranged a version of my song “When I Wake” to debut on Thursday night. With no Bon Jovi show, I was damn well going to be there. At exactly 12:28 my mother received a phone call from Kevin while I was inside a gas station outside of Madison, WI. She came in after me and said “Kevin called, you need to call him back, but you have to wait for me, I want to hear this.” I was thinking, “oooo, we must have gotten another great show to add to our summer calendar.” So, we climbed back in the car, and I made the call. That’s when Kevin informed me of JBJ reading about me in the paper. Apparently he was so impressed that we didn’t throw a tantrum and make a scene that he thought we deserved to play after all. Well, when Jon Bon Jovi personally asks you to open for him, you say YES! I was 5 hours away and expected to be at sound check by 2, or 3 at the latest. We immediately made the U turn and got back on 94 headed to St. Paul. Sorry, Sam! I’ll come see the show on Friday, I swear!
This is when the chaos took over. Technically, my big break was not yet confirmed. I wasn’t even supposed to know! Though, had Kevin waited 30 minutes more to call, there would have been no way we could have made it back. We didn’t get the confirmation until about 2:00. Literally 30 seconds after I get the word, Jason Matheson is on the air calling me asking “IS IT TRUE????” So, I called the 107.1 hotline and informed the masses that I was indeed racing back to do the show!
Surreal as it was, certain facts started to sink in:
I should be drinking water! This is the biggest show of my life, I need to be hydrated! Oh no- drinking=pit stops. Pit stops=too late! Forget the water, dehydrated will have to do!
I have no gig clothes! I was planning on bumming around a college campus all weekend! Not to mention my lack of music equipment.
I have not showered today. EEEWW! You don’t meet the many men of Bon Jovi while dirty! Yet, there is no time to go home for a shower. You’ll just have to deal.
My friends and family banded together and saved the day for me. My husband got the equipment there on time. My best friend brought me some clothes. My mom raced home to get the odds and ends we needed. Kevin took care of the rest. We made it back by 4:00. All was well.
We sound checked, the boys ate dinner from the very extensive catering spread Xcel had back stage. I watched. Please, you think I am going to be able to eat before something like that! 6:00 rolls around and it’s time to get dressed. Lucky for me, there was a shower in the dressing room! Genius! I had everything I needed because I was all packed for Chicago. I busted out my shampoo, completely saturated my head and then thought “oh shit! I don’t have a hair dryer! Curling iron, yes! Hairspray, yes! but the hotels have the hairdryers! I wasn’t supposed to need one! I was convinced that I was going to have to go on stage with wet hair. It was 6:15, we had 45 minutes until we walked on stage, there was no time for someone to go get me one. Once again, JBJ saved the day. His wardrobe crew had a hairdryer. Before you knew it, I was dryed, curled, sprayed and ready to go!
In the midst of getting ready we had a surprise visitor stop by. JBJ appeared in our dressing room doorway. He said hi, we thanked him (without gushing of course, we can play it cool!), he shook all of our hands and told us to “Go kill ‘em out there, and have a blast!” Then he went on his merry way. Oh, and ladies…yes, he is that pretty in person.
Thirty minutes later we were taking the stage. We played 5 original tunes, and 1 cover. The set list was as follows:
Almost (Alison Scott)
I Stay Anyway (Alison Scott)
So Why (Alison Scott)
Waterfalls (TLC)
Trust Yourself by (Kevin Bowe previously recorded by Etta James)
Smash and Grab (Alison Scott and Kevin Bowe)
The crew was great. The other winning band could not have been sweeter. FourForty, you’re the best! It was an unreal night. It all happened so fast, it’s almost like it didn’t happen at all. This morning I woke up from dreaming about Bon Jovi. Now, I don’t have to dream about opening for Bon Jovi, I’ve already done it! This will put everything else on my resume to shame. Although, I think I’m ok with that! Thank you so much to every last fan who voted, or posted something on my facebook. All of you led CJ to her story.
Playing an Arena or Stadium is not something a girl gets to do every day. Especially not opening for a legend like Bon Jovi. It was estimated that 18,000 people made it to the show that night. Who knows if I’ll ever get the chance to do it again. One can only hope. Insanity. Chaos. Bliss. AHHH!