"That like made my life!"
Those were Sarah's exact words after we experienced Bon Jovi play Livin' on a Prayer live at Philips Arena. What a great experience! It does not matter how old the guy is or how long he has been around because he still kicks some serious ass.
I have never been one to attend many huge, live performances (Barenaked Ladies, Matchbox Twenty, Staind, 3 Doors Down), but I do know that this one was better than any of the others. There was no overly-complicated light show or odd stage tricks. It was a simple, clean, classic show. There was plenty of excitement and crowd interaction though, which put it off the charts.
For a bunch of old guys, playing for two and a half hours straight is pretty impressive. Of course, they had to play a portion of their new songs from Have a Nice Day (some of which are pretty good), but Bon Jovi did not disappoint when it came to the classics. My favs were Bad Medicine, Livin' on a Prayer (the Jersey Anthem), and Wanted Dead or Alive. No real surprise there, but the live performances were even better than expected.
What also rocked was that Jon was all over the arena singing, playing, and doing his thing. That was partially what made the show so interesting. There were small platforms set up around the arena where Jon could get to and perform right in the crowd. And when I say in the crowd, I mean in the crowd. There was very little separation between he and the people at times, if any. Fans were eye level and within mere feet of the New Jersey legend. Also, he walked through crowd (not necessarily using aisles) singing, talking, and physically greeting spectators. I am not sure how popular that is these days with all the crazies in this world, but it was pretty effin' cool.
I honestly believe that every New Jersian should see Bon Jovi in person while it's still possible. It was a surprisingly surreal experience that only someone from the "Tri-state area" can fully appreciate. What a kick ass show!
I have never been one to attend many huge, live performances (Barenaked Ladies, Matchbox Twenty, Staind, 3 Doors Down), but I do know that this one was better than any of the others. There was no overly-complicated light show or odd stage tricks. It was a simple, clean, classic show. There was plenty of excitement and crowd interaction though, which put it off the charts.
For a bunch of old guys, playing for two and a half hours straight is pretty impressive. Of course, they had to play a portion of their new songs from Have a Nice Day (some of which are pretty good), but Bon Jovi did not disappoint when it came to the classics. My favs were Bad Medicine, Livin' on a Prayer (the Jersey Anthem), and Wanted Dead or Alive. No real surprise there, but the live performances were even better than expected.
What also rocked was that Jon was all over the arena singing, playing, and doing his thing. That was partially what made the show so interesting. There were small platforms set up around the arena where Jon could get to and perform right in the crowd. And when I say in the crowd, I mean in the crowd. There was very little separation between he and the people at times, if any. Fans were eye level and within mere feet of the New Jersey legend. Also, he walked through crowd (not necessarily using aisles) singing, talking, and physically greeting spectators. I am not sure how popular that is these days with all the crazies in this world, but it was pretty effin' cool.
I honestly believe that every New Jersian should see Bon Jovi in person while it's still possible. It was a surprisingly surreal experience that only someone from the "Tri-state area" can fully appreciate. What a kick ass show!
4 Comments:
They were as good as Matchbox 20? Just kidding.
I'm sure seeing Bon Jovi with a fellow New Jersian had to be much cooler than the time I saw Bon Jovi in Paris. He does look sharp in a beret, however.
By
Anonymous, at 3:12 PM
old guys? you realize he's only like 44 - not as young and spritely as you, but then again, who is? in march i'm seeing billy joel in syracuse - not quite as cool, but also a member of the tri-state area... so now that i'm officially a new yorker, i'll try to take some pride in that. :) love susie
By
Anonymous, at 10:58 AM
I forgot to mention that I went to a Matchbox 20 concert this past weekend as well. I sat in my living room with the volume turned up, set the TV to a cool screen saver, and had Sarah flicker the lights on and off while listening to "Bright Lights". It may not have been a real show, but that's prety much what it was like.
At this point in my life, 30 still sounds old. :-) I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune in a couple of years though. But there's no shame in seeing Billy Joel, Susie. We tri-state areans gotta represent and show no love for the haters.
By
Mark, at 10:45 AM
Come on - that's been a fun source of debate for years... How could I not?
And Bon Jovi was actually great in concert when I saw him - Richie Sambora and that keyboard guy kick ass.
By
Anonymous, at 10:53 PM
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