Bon Jovi

When I was in Jr. High, we did not have school dances.  We had Polka Parties.  Seriously.  Yes, I grew up in an area with many folks of German heritage, but still, having a “Polka Party” at a public Middle School seemed odd.  We were 80’s kids with pinned jeans, Valley Girl expressions (“Gag me with a spoon” comes to mind), and high altitude Aqua-Netted bangs.  Oddly, I’m not even sure if they ever played polkas at these much-anticipated events.  But by the time I was in 8^th grade, a DJ or a (non-polka) band played these Polka Parties.  My theory is that the principal was concerned about how serious “school dance” sounded, because we were too young for slow-dancing close, so Polka Party sounded more age-appropriate, even if it wasn’t all that accurate.

My 1st Polka Party is my 1st memory of Bon Jovi.  I must’ve heard Bon Jovi songs on the radio before that, but hearing “Livin’ on a Prayer” blaring from giant speakers in my school cafeteria made an impression on me.  My college roommate was a big Bon Jovi fan, so we listened to her CDs regularly and slept with a large “Keep the Faith” poster watching over us.  So how could I not become a fan?  It certainly didn’t hurt that he was dreamy either.  I’ve continued to be impressed with their music that’s continued into this century as well.

For Christmas last year, Erik got us tickets to the Bon Jovi concert at Soldier Field this past Friday.  I’d never seen them in concert before, and it was awesome.  They sound good, look good, and put on a really great show.  As I stood there, I was taken back to all those points in my life – ‘80’s Polka Parties, a ‘90’s dorm room, 2000’s as an adult.  But what struck me most was the age range of the audience.  There were children of the 80’s, like ourselves, which I expected.  There were children of the children of the 80’s, who seemed to love the band as well.  There were parents of the children of the 80’s.  Every generation was well-represented.  It was cool to see the 70-year-old man with his Bon Jovi tour shirt from 1989, and the 6-year-old with his brand-new Bon Jovi t-shirt.  Bon Jovi has been around for 30 years, and they impress me because they continue to put out great new music (not just the greatest hits from the 80’s), and they bring together people from many generations.

Uniting generations that have little else in common with one another is something I deeply appreciate.  It’s one of the things I love about the Church.  There aren’t many places in our culture where young and old come together and participate as equals.  But just as we stood, singing old and new Bon Jovi songs on Friday night, we weekly stand together singing old and new hymns in worship.  And as we do, there is no distinction between young and old, male and female, no distinctions of race or class or lifestyle.  We come to worship God as we are, which is good enough for God.  We unite our voices in praise, breathing as one, being united by Christ, and reminded of God’s grace.