I had the unique opportunity to attend a concert this month with my turning-40 husband and my turning-14 daughter. It was an R.E.O. Speedwagon/Styx/Def Leppard concert. For those of who you who may not remember back to the 80s, these were three prominent bands of the era. Def Leppard was one of my favorites ‘back in the day’ with hits like Photograph, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages, Bringin on the Heartbreak and other head-banging hits.

Born in New Jersey, I am no stranger to hairspray (highest hair wins), concert shirts and loud rock music. I had a poster of Billy Squier on my wall (anyone remember Stroke Me or Everybody Wants You?) So the opportunity to surprise my husband and daughter with the concert tickets was a ton of fun (and what a thoughtful gift: tickets to a concert I was dying to see!).

The concert was held at The Borgata Casino Resort & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gone are the days when AC was sort of trashy. This place redefines ‘casino’- it’s truly its own little classy town. I never left the building once all weekend. Shopping, dining, spa, and slots are all in one luxurious spot. The rooms are very nice, with gorgeous marble bathrooms and- if you have a suite with a curved glass wall, gorgeous water views. Hospitality is a tiny challenge for them with their hundreds and hundreds of rooms. Things like sheet quality, outdated tv’s, and non-working light bulbs are details that are probably noticed by some of the folks paying a ton of well-won casino money.

The Event Center, where the concert was held, is a cozy 2400-seater and thus very intimate. From the second row, I could have reached out and touched the big bleach-blond hair of a number of rock stars if it wouldn’t have gotten me hauled off by security! I was able to take some amazing photos. I only felt old during one song (don’t you hate when they do songs from ‘the new album’?!) where I thought the pounding bass was going to knock me over; but I didn’t want to get caught putting my fingers in my ears!

The spa was very nice as well. I wouldn’t exactly say I am a spa connoisseur, but I do try to dabble occasionally to escape the stress of daily life as a mom/writer. So I have been to a few. Borgata has a stunning setting for their spa- the waterfall in one of the spa rooms (complete with cucumbers on ice for your eyes, a steam room and sauna, and three hot tubs) is gorgeous- you can even sip ice water while you soak! I had all all-body wrap called the Firm, in which you are wrapped- like a mummy- and simultaneously hydrated and dehydrated in such a way that causes you to lose a few pound of water weight and gain all-over soft skin. Very cool, and my former casino-pit-boss-turned-spa-guy Perry (who truly looks like a Sopranos cast member) filled me in on all the latest spa gossip of which celebrities have visited! April then took me for a fantabulous facial called the Borgata Glow involving yummy-smelling aromatherapy, exfoliation and moisturization that left me floating on air. An adjacent salon was ready to buff and polish me to be presentable for dinner. The only complaints I had about the spa were that they gave out incredibly uncomfortable plastic dollar-store flip flops (I walked around in bare feet instead) and that it’s way too crowded… some of the New Jersey women eating cucumbers off the ice like it was a salad bar, stuffing their purses with the ‘complimentary’ juices and fruits and yelling loudly at one another made it a bit…noisy for a spa.

At Borgata, you can choose from 8-10 restaurants to meet your dining desires…from a casual café or even a buffet or cafeteria all the way up to a Wolfgang Puck restaurant or Bobby Flay Steakhouse. We chose Sea Blue, which is a Michael Mina seafood restaurant. It was amazing. I am not a food reviewer (for the very good reason that, with 4 kids, I don’t get to eat out in elegant places often enough not to be completely appreciative that I am in a place with cloth napkins, so I probably couldn’t think of anything bad to say!) But this place is truly special- impeccable service, chic atmosphere and diverse selection of entrees. From my pineapple mojito and custom-choice salad toppings, to the 2 lb mesquite grilled lobster (YUM) and upscale funnel cake with dipping sauces dessert, I was in heaven.

The best part of the trip was spending time with my teenager and my husband. Who knew it would be Def Leppard who would bridge the generation gap? She knows the words to every one of their songs! We really had a fun time. When you have a bunch of kids, it’s hard to carve out time with each individual one, so I try to remember at each of their birthdays to do something special so they won’t look back and remember nothing but a tired, overworked Mom. And it is super nice to have some sugar poured on me once in awhile in the form of mojitos, spa services and good old fashioned rock and roll!

Captions: (from top to bottom):

The lead singer of Def Leppard, Joe Elliott, was tough to ‘Photograph’…he never stands still, but here he is blowing us all a kiss goodbye! Sigh.

Def Leppard’s guitarist Phil Collen doesn’t look any different now than he did in the 80s!

Happy 14th Birthday, Sarah! Here we are in our specially-procured from ebay vintage 80’s Def Leppard t-shirts!