"Forever Young, Bon Jovi live."

That evening the summer air was charged with energy. Standing amid thousands of supporters like me in the stadium, our hearts aflutter and hands clamming with expectation. Years of listening to Bon Jovi through headphones and speakers—now he would come live before us personally. This was not only a concert; it was twenty years waiting for this daydream to come true.

I recall running my fingertips over the edge of my ticket, almost trying to persuade myself that this was indeed occurring. Every memory of adolescent years spent singing "Living 'on a Prayer" to hair brushes. Magazine cut-outs of Jon Bon Jovi abound on my bedroom walls. Every dollar saved from a part-time job to purchase their CDs returned flowingly. Those tunes were the soundtrack of my most significant events, more than just music.

The crowd's screaming became deafening as the stadium's lights went out. The first guitar riff of "You Give Love a Bad Name" pierced through the darkness, and Jon Bon Jovi stood there bigger than life, his presence filling every inch of that arena. As his voice, still strong and passionate, broke out into the night time air, the years appeared to fade.

Every music I came upon sent me back across time. "It's My Life" got me to my college graduation since its songs about standing up for oneself inspired me to follow my aspirations. "Always" brought back my first shattered heart and those evenings when Bon Jovi's music was the only solace. And "Wanted Dead or Alive" reminded me of driving late at night with friends, all of us screaming the songs out through our open windows.

Something wonderful had happened by the time "Living' on a Prayer" started. Beside me, a female stranger practically my age took my hand and held on. Our eyes locked and said louder than any words we had ever exchanged one narrative! Thanks to their direction, these songs helped us rise from youth into adults and even traverse some valleys of life. Singing every line along with a thousand others we missed a beat, our voices harmonizing just like one; rock On now looks waiting another few minutes isn't too much.

Call lights anywhere upon forgot, so many used their phones to wave that in the darkness entire main floor seemed like a sea of stars dropping to earth when Jon led the whole audience in an acoustic version of " Bed of Roses." I knew then why live music had such force. You share with both musicians and other supporters a relationship that cannot be expressed; you are not just listening to songs but also really experiencing them flow through your whole body.

"Have a Nice Day" reminded me of how Bon Jovi music has evolved with the times as it was scheduled for an encore. From yearning to be a rock star as teenage kids, through finding hope and courage in their lyrics of tenacity for adults, these songs were my constant friend on the road through terrible times each line therefore took on new meaning now as if in response to years spent living.

Though the concert was ended, its impact persisted. With a voice strained from singing and a joy-filled heart in my breast, I realized I had been part of something transforming as I returned to the car. It was more than just marking a goal on my bucket list; it was a reminder once more of how music may provide us another channel for expression and a source of memory. Neither was this for me just another kind of entertainment. People live behind walls. When you come right back down, into more Bon Jovi style songs in many forms that bring back either pleasant or bad times—or anything in between as a recollection seems to call for. Like so many who came before them—each one unique, no one exactly like another—Bon Jovi has always been at their best when they organize events turning simple fans of daily, ordinary music into a family joined together by rock and roll.

A Bon Jovi song on the air today transports you to that unforgettable evening. simultaneously Now at 49, the music makes me feel alive and has the same strength and colour as it did years ago. It also serves me just as well. For that has always been Bon Jovi's finest point: they create events in time made by live performance and gathered as memories later, not only songs. The music truly does keep everyone ( spiritually) in the same spot, hence ordinary listeners find they they join the Bon Jovi world of rock 'n' roll. If still today, I find myself taken back to that enchanted night every time I hear a Bon Jovi song on the radio.

And that night let me know certain dreams are worth waiting for. Every stored dollar, every lyric committed to memory—every year of waiting—unfolded retiringly valuable in those few hours. There are times in life when the loveliest song is not only one of yours but also where you at last find your genuine position and surround by individuals who understand exactly how it feels.