Experience of a Lifetime

When Prof. Winnie Spitza emailed me asking me to stop by her office to tell me of an “experience of a lifetime,” I had no idea what to expect. I sat down in the chair perpendicular to her desk, seeing her giggling and smiling, and I was eager to know what we were about to get ourselves into. There were a handful of students in her office with me, as she told all of us that we were selected to participate in the “Bon Jovi ‘Because We Can’ Community Service College Campaign.” I couldn’t have been more excited for this opportunity to work backstage with the Bon Jovi management and production teams the day of the concert, last Thursday (3/14). It was truly an experience of a lifetime, and I now have even more respect and appreciation for all of the people who help make concerts happen… let me tell you why! There was so much going on throughout the day, so I’ll do my best to give a condensed version.

We arrived to the YUM! Center around noon the day of the concert and were very quickly assigned tasks by the management team. We were responsible for helping our supervisors with various assignments throughout the day, from ticket sales preparation, merchandising, VIP and Fan Club party preparation and more. It was awesome getting to see not only the in’s and out’s of the YUM! Center itself, but to see how much manpower it requires to put on a show. I love concerts and have been to several performances at the YUM! Center in the past couple of years: Lady Gaga (twice!), Taylor Swift, the Backstreet Boys and NKOTB (my favorite), and even got to cheer on the floor at the BU vs. U of L game – so I was really excited to take part in this opportunity. 

We were able to travel through the YUM! Center and passed by the dressing rooms a couple times (no band interaction, though,) and we also were able to stand in the “pit” (the first three rows of the floor seats) and take pictures and video, just like the rest of the media crew. It was such a thrill! Getting to watch Bon Jovi perform his opening songs and get some great shots from so close was a blast. Ultimately, what truly made this experience the best was how nice and helpful the management crew, as well as the rest of the YUM! Center crew, were to us interns. They took great care of us and made sure we were getting to see everything we wanted to see, and be a part of as many activities as possible. They were also such down-to-earth people, and I loved getting to see their dedication for their job. The supervisors and other volunteers had really great stories to tell and it was nice getting to meet new people. 

Getting to work as an intern for the management crew of the Bon Jovi “Because We Can” tour was truly an experience of a lifetime, and I was honored to be one of the six Bellarmine students selected. We definitely made some great memories, and I’m glad I have my pass, ticket, and even a guitar pick to remember it!

Song of the Day: You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi. He opened with this at the concert and really got the crowd going! Here’s his live performance at the YUM! Center:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKzgFOk0ng