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After thirty years of churning out hits and bestselling albums, New Jersey rockers, Bon Jovi have certainly earned their place among rock’s royalty. Known for their big hair, heart wrenching ballads, and belt-worthy anthems, a Bon Jovi concert is a celebration, a nostalgia trip and a rocking good time. I should know… Saturday’s concert at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium was the seventh time I’d seen the boys in action.
Jon Bon Jovi and his band are currently in Australia wrapping up their Because We Can tour. Hitting the road in February at Washington DC’s Verizon Center, the boys have done 102 shows across 6 continents. Though not jumping around the stage quite as much as in previous tours and with the song arrangements in a register just a tad lower then the originals, Jon and the band show no real sign of slowly down any time soon. A relief for Jovites everywhere. Though the rain was threatening for a large part of the day (bringing back memories of their Woodstock-esque 1995 performance at Sydney’s Eastern Creek), it held off for the night.
What has always impressed be about Bon Jovi is that they always give their fans value for money at their gigs and this one was no different. Taking to the stage right at 8pm (please take note Justin Bieber), the boys played for a solid two and a half hours, only leaving the stage for the final time around 10.45pm. What passed in between was a showcase of their What About Now album that was released in March 2013, the concert was a nice mix of tracks from the new album and classic Bon Jovi hits from the past three decades. All this was served up with a side dish of Jon’s renowned banter with the audience highlighting his cheeky sense of humour and his desire to give the crowd what he knows they want (thank you gratuitous butt shots) and at the ripe old age of 51, Jon has certainly still got it.
The stage was creative, simple, effective and didn’t detract from the main event… the band. Named “Sofia” (in honour of the city in which the stage made its debut), the stage was set under the bonnet of a classic American convertible (a 1959 Buick Electra 225). With two enormous screens on either side of the “car” and a top that was used to both show snippets of the band performing as well as elaborate art and graphics sequences, there were no bad seats in the house, though the screens did appear to be lagging behind what was playing on stage for most of the night.
Photo courtesy of Clare SidotiYou can hear the band talk about the stage below:
One of the biggest questions fans had going into the concert was how would the band perform without their legendary lead guitarist, Richie Sambora, who took an indefinite leave from the band back in April of this year. I have to say that though not quite the same, Phil X has fitted in brilliantly with the other band members. Though not as good or flamboyant with a guitar as Sambora, Phil X could certainly hold his own and is an unbelievable guitarist in his own right. The biggest thing missing was the banter, chemistry and camaraderie that exist between Jon and Sambora.
Photo courtesy of Clare SidotiHighlights included the “Old Time Rock & Roll” duet with support act, Kid Rock;
Photo courtesy of Clare Sidotithe hauntingly beautiful ballad, “Amen” from the latest album; new songs “Because We Can” and “What about Now”; and the rock medley of “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Wipe Out”, and, special for the Aussie audience, ACDC’s “Shook Me All Night Long”. However, absolutely nothing can compare to an entire stadium belting out “Livin’ On A Prayer” for the final song of the encore, especially with the stripped down acoustic intro.
The Because We Can tour wraps in Brisbane on December 17.
Check out more photos from the concert below:
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