Bon Jovi Concert Line at Erie Stadium

Bon Jovi concert line photo ©Debbi Lyon2013.

When Bon Jovi announced plans to play a concert at Veteran's Memorial Stadium on July 25, 1987, it was big news. The band was at the tail end of its 15 month Slippery When Wet world tour and was at its peak. Bon Jovi nailed the Billboard year end charts, claiming the Top Pop Album, Top Pop Single and Top Music Videocasstette for 1987. They performed in Japan, England, Germany, Canada, and all the major markets in the United States. 

So, how did Erie manage to snag a top-name musical artist? Some say it was because Jon Bon Jovi had a soft-spot for Erie, the town where his mother- formerly Carol Sharkey- grew up. Fame brought frequent Jon Bon Jovi rumors, causing plenty of teenage girls to cruise by the house where Jon's grandmother lived in Erie, hoping for a glimpse of the heart-throb.

Academy High School looms large in the background of the Bon Jovi concert line photo shown above. I walked along State Street from 26th to 29th Street snapping shots like this. It was a rainy day, and some of the people in line at the Erie Stadium were drenched.

Enjoy more facts and photos of Erie, PA at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com