Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium
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| Photo by J. Bailey |
I managed to go to Wembley Stadium! AND I SAW BON JOVI! I still want to jump up and down squealing whenever I think about it. To be honest with you, I don't quite know how to write this blog post. There was a time, not that long ago, when I'd have never thought that I'd be well enough to go to Wembley or to survive nearly three hours of a rock concert. To know that I was finally able to do so, and to do so at a Bon Jovi concert, well, the feeling is indescribable. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the best nights of my life.
The very first album I bought was Bon Jovi's Crossroads, purchased with a voucher I had been given for Christmas, and I played it non-stop. The disc got so worn out from use that the opening to the song I'll Be There For You now sticks every time I try to play it. I have so many memories tied up in Bon Jovi songs, from childhood dance sessions when visiting my uncle, jumping around the room with the indefatigable energy only children seem to have; to listening to Dry County for the first time, lying on my brother's bedroom floor; to my entire family dancing to Livin' on a Prayer at party after party. There may also have been a phase in secondary school where I would go around "singing" Livin' on a Prayer's guitar solo non-stop (what can I say? Bon Jovi songs just call for that kind of behaviour). My desire to see Bon Jovi live is the closest I've ever gotten to having a bucket list and now I get to tick that off, adding it to my list of Bon Jovi-themed memories.
I'm sure you can imagine how much planning and pacing went into this night; it was intense! (As was the payback, but hey ho, I don't care about that because I saw Bon Jovi ... can you tell how excited I am by that?). We decided to drive to the stadium to avoid the exhaustion of a train journey. This went well, apart from our struggle to find a parking space (book them ahead!). Luckily, we managed to find one a ten minute walk away in a residential area (thank you Blue Badge). We had chosen to miss the support act to save my energy for getting through the main event and we timed it perfectly, getting to our seats about five minutes before Bon Jovi took to the stage.
Wembley Stadium is big, there is no avoiding that. There was a lot of ground to cover without even taking into account the walk from the car. Being in my transit wheelchair, so being pushed by someone else, meant I could zone out as much of this as possible. My advice would be to ask for directions to your entrance as soon as you see an attendant so as to avoid unnecessary wandering (that being said, quite a few attendants were unclear on wheelchair access routes). However, Wembley's wheelchair seating is amazing. An entire row all around the stadium is given over to wheelchair spaces, with a small drop down to the seats below so that even when everyone is standing their heads only reach your lower legs and your view is unobstructed.
I don't know how to describe the concert, my brother is probably much more eloquent at describing these kinds of things than me. All I can say is that I now understand exactly why people get so excited about seeing artists perform live; I've been to a few concerts before and enjoyed them, but this was the first time that I felt the electricity in the atmosphere fizzling through me. Perhaps it was because I finally let go, not caring about the payback and just enjoying every moment, even dancing in my wheelchair a little bit (well, as far as I was able to; as in, there was lots of weird bouncing about). I can't even pick my favourite songs from the night, it was all so amazing (although the entire crowd singing along to Livin' on a Prayer to close out the night was pretty special).
The noise was a lot to deal with, although the fact that the stadium is mostly open air means that the sound could disperse itself. I had my earplugs in and sometimes my headphones over the top, as well as my sunglasses on for most of the night. My biggest issue was the roving lights which swept over the audience for a few of the songs; I kept needing to close my eyes when they were pointed in our direction. By the last few songs before the encore I was really struggling. I was very close to needing to leave. The performance ended just in time, though, and I was able to recover enough during the break to persevere through the encore (which is just as well, as it was Always and Livin' on a Prayer; it would have sucked to have needed to miss those).
Without a doubt this is a night that I will be reliving for years to come...
There are wheelchair routes all through the Stadium; it is probably one of the most accessible places I have been (although some of the lifts are hard to find). At the end of the night you will have to be prepared for a pretty packed exit route, with some slightly drunk people not overly aware of wheelchair movements.
Sensory Input 1/5:
Obviously.
Food & Facilities 4/5:
The Stadium is full of food vendors, with Krispy Kreme stalls, popcorn and so many others. We didn't stop to buy anything though, as we were prepared with our own snacks. There are many disabled toilets spread throughout the Stadium, although they are RADAR keyed. If you don't have a key yourself, you can pick one up from the support desk (I really need to buy one).
Travel 4/5:
You can book a space in Wembley's official car parks here; just do so well in advance as they fill up quickly. For more information on Wembley's accessible travel routes visit here.
Overall 3.5: Our travel time was a couple of hours each way; the concert lasted for around three hours.
*I currently have moderate ME, meaning I use a wheelchair pushed by someone else, and a walking stick. Please take into account your own physical capabilities when planning a trip, if you need to start small then start small. Look into what you can see nearby for when you're ready. Although, when at my best, I may be able to post every 1-2 weeks, that does not mean I am well enough to travel that frequently! Many of my posts come from a backlog of trips taken over the past few years.
All other photographs by Emily Bailey