Bon Jovi This House is Not For Sale Tour
March 2017-Los Angeles
The Forum
I love Bon Jovi’s VIP Tour staff. I was so happy to see Alli & Lou were back with us the This House is Not For Sale tour and the addition of Christine was also great! They are so kind and really want to ensure you have a great experience.
Entering the VIP: You sign in, receive your VIP lament for the show, all the other merchandise was mailed to you with a very nice black leather bag this time, you also received a USB bracelet that you could download the live show of your choice, a set of guitar pics, signed lithograph, tour program for the Front Row “Knockout” package. You also were able to take the tour chair home with you. We needed to be checked in no later than 5:30 so you didn’t miss the backstage tour.
Backstage Tour: We were taken down in groups to do the tour. It’s a fun experience because you get to peak in JBJ’s quick change room, you might get a chance run in with Phil X or John Shanks even! They allow you up on stage to take photos with the white mic stand, keyboards, drums etc. After the tour you return to the party area where they have a cash bar and some snack type foods.
The show is always a super fun high energy show. Bon Jovi has been one of my favorite bands since I was 15 and it’s been fun watching them evolve over the years. I love having Phil X and John Shanks on stage now they both add a new and different energy and dynamic to the band and Jon just seems so much more relaxed during this tour and truly seemed to be having a lot of fun! There truly is nothing like a Bon Jovi concert and this show was no different with a great mix of the new and older music and JBJ even sang Always for us during the encore which was a great surprise!
Venue Comments: My seat was ok but, I had a friend that also had a front row seat and she was so far down she wasn’t even in front of the stage. I would say don’t sell those as seats if they are going to be staring at a black curtain vs the band.
Final Verdict: Definitely recommend Bon Jovi’s VIP!
Fun concert wear!
Bebe: http://www.bebe.com/
Nordstrom: http://shop.nordstrom.com/
White House Black Market: https://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/
Coach: http://www.coach.com/shop/women-wristlets
Until Next Time,
Xoxo
Heather
This was my 21st Runaway Tours trip. They have improved so much since my first one back in 2011. Back then you had to be in a big group photo with 8-10 other people you didn’t know. Now you get a photo with JBJ based on how many are in your room, single, double and sometimes triple depending on the options they give you. This trip included 2 nights hotel stay (there was also a no hotel option), a welcome party, bus to/from the venue, the show, a photo with JBJ & the band for this trip grouped by room, a great signed photo that I will treasure and a small zip up bag with the Runaway Tours logo on it.
After the Q&A we all lined up for our photos. It was another nice but, quick photo opportunity and then we were told there was about an hour before the party room would open. Not sure in this case if that was planned or maybe the Q&A went shorter than they had originally planned or what. A few of us left the hotel and went to find some dinner. I was pretty tired after returning from dinner but I did swing by the party for a bit to see friends. This trip had a really good group of people on it which I thought made it a lot of fun.
his trip was different because it was occurring during the tour so instead of the acoustic show you were able to attend a full Bon Jovi Concert which is always amazing. In the interest of full disclosure I always upgrade my seats because the seats Runaway is given just are not where I prefer to sit at a concert. This tour in both Ft Lauderdale and LA they were in the first few rows of the section full floor section. However this is why I prefer to do Runaway Tours when they are on tour so I can guarantee I will be thrilled with where I am sitting.
I upgraded the front row experience for this show. Due to the fact we had a package and had to arrive earlier than the buses were leaving a bunch of us that upgraded car pooled to the venue with a local friend. More on the experience in a future blog. After the show the buses were easy to find and we jumped on and got back to the hotel pretty quickly.
One suggestion I would love to see implemented for tour travel companies is a loyalty program. Wouldn’t it be so cool to say after you have done 25 trips you get something like a meet and greet or x period of time with JBJ, at 50 trips you get xyz. That would make people really want to go on a lot of trips to achieve that status/rewards. Very similar to how cruise lines, airlines have reward programs and how Aerosmith does their concert tickets. Similar to the Keith Urban 100 club concept which I will also cover in a future blog.
Hi guys! So happy to be featured in this guest blog by Heather, it’s amazing and such a pleasure! I’m going to be telling you all about my amazing experience doing the DWTS We Came To Dance Tour VIP. First of all, I have to thank Heather again for this opportunity to meet my favorite dancers and watch an incredible show up so close. It was the best time of my life, and I loved every second of it. Forever grateful for that experience and to have met the wonderful person that’s Heather. 
Afterwards, it was time for the mingle with Hayley & Lindsay! So glad they added this to the VIPs because it gives you so much time to be able to really chat with them and take individual pictures. I was beyond happy that Hayley was in my mingle because I really wanted her there. I got to talk to her multiple times and take pics with her, and sometimes we’d just go back if nobody was talking to her. One of my favorite moments talking to Hayley was telling her about me and Erica’s name in the jive she does, and her laugh is the cutest thing. She really made this VIP experience so special. Lindsay was super sweet to meet again, and when she was leaving she even helped give my gift to Laurie. I loved how interactive they were with fans! Both the m&g and mingle was absolutely perfect, even better than I expected. Moments I’ll treasure forever! 
We got to sit in the second row right in the middle, and I had such a perfect view. It was unbelievable how close I was, and the whole show there was so much contact made between me and the dancers. You can also hear things they say when you’re so close up, and it was just wonderful. The show was absolutely perfect, everything to the costumes, dances, voiceovers, made this show incredible and really made me connect with them more. My first VIP experience was just indescribable and made me so happy, I smile just thinking about it. Thank you once again to Heather, the whole cast, and friends who experienced this with me. If you can, definitely get VIP or just general tickets to the show because wherever you sit, it’ll be an amazing time for you. January 21st, 2017 is a day I’ll remember always! XO -Sandra
I am attending 5 shows on this tour and have one more to go in Costa Mesa on the last night of the tour and did VIP for each. If you want to learn about their amazing VIP experience check out this link: 
This year’s tour really focused on each dancer’s story and it was so beautifully put together. You would find yourself laughing, in tears, with goosebumps and just sitting on the edge of your seat. To highlight just a sample: Val and Laurie perform a few of their favorite dances from the season, there is a section on favorite movie dances that is just fun and stunning at the same time, special dances for just the men and just the women and a lovely moment as Emma shares the story of her engagement. The girls and Artem perform a fun Spice Girls number that will really take you back. I loved the opening & closing numbers and the piece they all participate in on how they put together the dances each week. There is also a section after intermission that will leave you in stitches it is so hilarious. 
Jenna Johnson performs a really amazing number to Seduces Me that is just breathtaking. Sharna & Val perform a high energy jive that just totally rocks and Sharna performs a steamy tango with Alan that I just loved! Alan and the ladies perform a special number that will leave every man in the room jealous of him. Artem and Gleb heat up the stage in their respective pieces that tell their stories. Lindsay hits all the right notes in her dances too including the one she dedicates to her Dad…Crazy Train. Keo also has some moving pieces to his life story and a rumba with Emma. Jenna and Artem perform a special piece from La La Land that is visually and emotionally stunning. The contemporary numbers that Jenna & Artem and Hayley and Val do are so beautiful and passionate. The number that makes me cry and I get goosebumps every night is Sharna’s story. I don’t want to spoil it for those that have not yet seen it but, it’s a story some can really relate to and will pull at your heart strings for sure. This was just a quick highlight of my thoughts. All of the performances are just amazing!
NKOTB Cruise! I really have never been one that is into cruising. I am usually the type that prefers an all-inclusive beach vacation but, I have seen how much fun these charter cruises are. This year I booked ahead and stayed with a friend of mine and it was absolutely an improvement this year to be in a cabin with the balcony.
One thing that became very obvious to me again in the first hours of being on the ship was the extreme selfie madness that was about to happen. It almost became this challenge. Can you get a selfie with each New Kid and it left you feeling like if you didn’t you were some sort of cruise failure. It truly took away from a lot of the theme nights in my opinion. It was also frustrating when you were waiting or wanting to get a selfie with a New Kid to see someone else that had already had 5 with them were trying to get in for another one. All you saw were cell phones in the air and it’s almost like those circling the various stages cared less about the performance of the guys and more about pushing their way into location to get a selfie. I ended up getting a selfie with 2 out of the 5 this year. It was fun to be a part of Donnie’s World Record breaking selfie line. He did it officially this year!
The rest of the time on the ship you were kept entertained with NKOTB Game show which was funny and it was nice to see the guy’s fun personalities shine. They were really funny and a just a bit naughty this year. We also had a concert one night and were able to check out a taping of Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny Sirius XM show that she taped on the ship. There were a lot of fun surprises that occurred during that taping with guest appearances by the guys. I was excited to see the Trifecta added to the schedule this year with Danny, Joe and Jordan. I just wish each guy had equal time singing solos. I loved the Solo Wood portion, Jordan’s time was pretty short and he is amazing and Joe and Adam Ray also kept us entertained. I will also say I missed Duets at Dusk this year, last year it was such a touching part of the cruise.
The day we got off the ship we were in Cozumel. I had the worst sea legs so ended up getting back on the ship and laying out.
The ship smelled really bad this year too and I thought the food and service in the dining rooms was just ok. Guy’s Burger place on the Lido desk however was very good! I also think Carnival needs to vastly improve the wifi on the ship. It’s a good amount of money to pay for something that works insanely slow. The boarding process this year was a lot smoother going out of New Orleans!
Tips for cruise virgins:
VIP Shout Out! I was thrilled to see that we have one of VIP Nation’s best hosts Anthony Jones for this tour! He also did the Maks & Val Tour this summer. He is not only a really nice guy, he gets it and works to post pictures as quick as he can (remember we all have to be patient), he checks the photos after he takes them and truly cares about the customers. High-five Anthony when you see him in your city because he really is a rock star for the fan experiences!
Now on to the good stuff! After check in we were directed upstairs. For this venue the layout was a bit odd compared to other venues I have been to but, they have to work with the space the building offers. We didn’t wait very long at all when they started telling Group A to line up. A few minutes later we saw Keo and Alan coming our way, it was their turn to do the Meet & Mingle! It appears that it’s all rotating like last tour (2 in the Meet & Mingle and 4 in the photos with Val & Laurie being consistent ). To give you an idea for our cast photo we had Val, Laurie, Sharna & Gleb. I will update this after each show to give you all an idea:
The photos were wonderful as always, it was my first time meeting Laurie & Gleb and it was so fantastic to see Val & Sharna. Anthony takes great care in taking the photos for us. The staff is also very kind, nobody is yelling at you it’s a pleasant experience. You do have to leave your purse, bags and anything else on you at the table and you cannot ask for autographs etc. at the cast photo portion. This year too it was one professional photo taken by Anthony, no selfie options in the main photo. You could however do selfies with the dancers in the Meet & Mingle. The green screen operator for this city wasn’t the best at taking the shots and they were having issues with the Wi-Fi not being fast enough so the green screen pictures were very hit or miss on if you got them in your email. However, Anthony with VIP Nation being the rock star host that he is, is already on it for us! I noticed today in the photos link there is one for the Meet & Greet pictures and then one for the Photo booth. That was smart thinking to just upload them all vs having issues city to city with Wi-Fi. After the photos were done and the dancers all left to get ready for the show you could go to the merchandise stand and do some crowd free shopping which was also nice.
Please note on the pics: the itinerary says up within to 2 weeks. I know it’s super hard to be patient but, I know Anthony will post as quickly as he can. He is one of the best in speed to get them posted.
You will get to see a few of the best dances of our Mirrorball Champions Val & Laurie and a few other truly amazing performances by the cast from this season. However, my lips are sealed on more details for now so you can be surprised and enjoy the shows in your city.
It sounds like this tour will be even more incredible than the last so definitely don’t miss out!
