| Concert Review of Bon Jovi at Giants Stadium on Tue Jul 18, 2006 |
| Event Date |
| Tue Jul 18, 2006 |
| Source |
| New York Times |
| Concert Review Preview |
| Bon Jovi Comes Home to New Jersey, With Sound and Hair Still Big By SIA MICHEL Published: July 20, 2006 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., July 18 — “I’m ready for whatever: rain, thunder, lightning, sleet, snow,” Jon Bon Jovi assured the crowd at Giants Stadium on Tuesday. “I’ve come home.” Of course the main reason his band sold out three nights at this 80,000-capacity behemoth is that he never really left. There is one sure way to sustain an arena-size rock career past the two-decade mark: Stay exactly the same. And like his fellow Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen, Mr. Bon Jovi has done just that. At 44 he has the same boyish face, hard-rock sound, working-class values and dramatic hair as he did in his 20’s. There is something comforting about his undying relevance, as if as long as he is advising fans to “hold on to what we’ve got,” there will always be small-town men who marry their high school sweethearts, sell 100 million records and live in chateaus in unfairly maligned states. His band, Bon Jovi, has been mocked as slight since the 80’s hair-metal era, but its simple, hooky anthems translate perfectly in an enormous environment. And it has mastered the art of the slick rock spectacle. From the imaginative lighting to the band’s grandiose, Jumbotron-ready gestures (“I love this,” the guitarist Richie Sambora mouthed with a kinglike sweep of his arm), the show was kinetically choreographed and professionally fun. Underscoring the homecoming vibe, Mr. Bon Jovi thanked the extended Sambora family for “selling out Giants Stadium,” then Mr. Sambora sang “I’ll Be There for You” for his ailing father. Mr. Bon Jovi is an energetic and unrelenting charmer, the kind of frontman who always knows exactly where the cameras are focused. Every few songs, a fresh crop of wild-eyed fans (mostly women in skimpy tank tops) was herded into onstage observation pens. He would greet them with huge smiles and direct eye contact, occasionally proffering his backside for sex-symbol groping. (The girls were often too busy posing seductively for snapshots.) As he shook his head during his first hit, “Runaway,” from 1983, beads of sweat seemed to orbit him in cinematically slow motion. During “Bad Medicine,” as he struck his first Christlike pose of the evening, a sudden gale came out of nowhere, blowing his sun-streaked locks back like a wind machine. Dramatically, a hard rain began to fall. “Somebody up there is just mad he couldn’t get into a sold-out Bon Jovi concert,” he said.. |
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| User Comments |
| We stood in a scorching 90+ degree heat for hours in the parking lot, then shuffled into a warm Giants Stadium and listened to a decent "Battle of the Bands" group perform and as the sun started setting Nickeback came on and got the crowd pumping. You could feel the excitement growing as the sun set and the hot air lingered, then 15 minutes before Jon and crew took the stage a cool rain fell on the crowd giving much relief and giving energy back to all. As Jon, Tico, Bryan and Richi took the stage the sound was deafening and it grew and grew. They opened with a song off their new album and got the crowd pumped, then Jon promised that rain, wind, snow and sleet would not keep him from performing. With a great mix of old classics and new hits, ballads and on your feet, jumping rock songs, Bon Jovi proved that they deserve the all the hype, awards and fans. the concert was a non stop action, screaming fun time. Coming home to NJ is always a thrill for all fans and at times you could barely hear Jon over the voices of the crowd. When the second storm came towards the end of the concert (just as he started singing "Have a Nice Day") it just energized the fans into a frenzy. The show is worth every penny spent and just as their songs are great so is the fact that they don't rake their fans over the coals to see them. Ticket prices were totally reasonable and everyone from the "cheap" seats at the top to the floor seats got a great show with a ton of hits. |
| Saw the concert on Wednesday, July 19th. Sound was horrible. Band played for 2hrs and 45 minutes but very few songs were of good sound quality. Many if us were disappointed. |
| I flew up from Tampa, Florida to see the show on the 18th. I am a Jersey girl at heart living there most of my life. I thought Bon Jovi was great but was disapointed the rain came and cut the concert short. It was wonderful how they kept jamming even when it was really raining!! Going to the show gave me a chance to reflect back to my youth and the day when Richie used to play at all the high school dances and CYO dances too! |
| Was curious as to where the person who thought the sound was bad was sitting in the stadium?? We were sitting on the floor and the sound was amazing! |
| Show was amazing!! Great sound,Awesome Video Screen and lighting! Oh yeah.....the band rocked as well! |
| Bon Jovi live in concert is a GUARANTEED GOOD TIME!!! My wife and I never miss a show in the Tri-State area. Well worth the time, money and inclement weather. Worst part of the show was running through the rain and lightening to our car afterwards. |
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