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Riding High with BON JOVI By Ed McArdle Bon Jovi - Photo by Kay McEntee In a word- awesome. Bon Jovi was all that and more when they made their triumphant return to the Palace of Auburn Hills on November 18. Back on the road again following a lengthy hiatus, this was the legendary band's first Detroit appearance in seven years, and for the capacity crowd it was well worth the wait. Rarely in life is one fortunate enough to encounter something this good. >From the moment the New Jersey brotherhood of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres and Hugh McDonald took the stage disembarking from a backstage elevator (captured on "spy cam" and broadcast live on the large video screens for the waiting masses to view) one couldn't help but sense this a momentous occasion. Indeed, the music sent chills down the spine at regular intervals throughout band's performance. On few occasions has this sort of power taken control of the Palace - Pearl Jam, Kiss, Metallica, Elton John, of course the Pistons in their championship-winning "Bad Boys" years, but Bon Jovi possessed something altogether different in their natural ability to cast a spell on the entire audience. People were singing, dancing, jumping for joy and clapping their upraised hands in unison the entire nightlong. Not a single soul seated. Despite harder edged rock currently dominating the sales charts and airwaves, Bon Jovi has proven themselves proud survivors of a sadly bygone era with the countless sellout dates on this tour. In fact, every ticket to this long-awaited concert in Detroit was sold the first day they went on sale, putting further credence in the staying power of Bon Jovi. Many are calling this the musical comeback of the year and with good reason. Not that Bon Jovi ever went away, taking an extended break while Jon ventured into acting. While away from the musical stage he realized how much he missed performing. The band's last proper album release was the vastly underrated "These Days" in 1995. The inactivity since that time proved true the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" when the members of Bon Jovi decided to begin working together and recording once again. The resulting album, "Crush," (released in June of this year) has gone on to achieve double-platinum status and following a #9 debut still rests at #41 on the Billboard album sales charts 22 weeks later, proving that rock of this sort is far from dead.
The musical climate evolved drastically in the 1990's and what is popular in the year 2000 is not the same as it was when Bon Jovi ruled the airwaves well over a decade ago, but that failed to stop the band from creating a magnificent album. "Crush" is indeed the paramount release of this year. A complete work with each and every one of the 12 songs containing the superior level of excellence that can only be described as Bon Jovi. This new work comes from the same band that produced a pair of classic albums in the late 1980's that defined that generation so well as evidenced by sales figures attained in the United States alone by "Slippery When Wet" (12 million) and follow-up "New Jersey" (9 million). Two of the biggest selling albums of all-time, as a matter of fact. Overall Bon Jovi has now sold over 90 million albums worldwide - an astonishing feat matched by few in the history of recorded music. Photo by Kay McEntee Historically, Bon Jovi has broken new ground in many ways. In essence they are the trend setting band who introduced a measure of melody into heavy metal. This crossover appeal won the hearts of millions, introducing many females to hard rock and the rest is history. Prior to the success of the single/video "You Give Love A Bad Name" which dominated airwaves in 1987, Bon Jovi was best known for the hard rocking "Runaway" and typecast as one of many similar early 80's metal bands. But the success of "Slippery When Wet" changed everything and set the standard for fashion as well as inventing the term now known affectionately as "hair metal." The band also launched the power ballad, which quickly became a staple and major selling point of every hard rock album from that point forward. Times have certainly changed but on this night we were reminded how good it can still be. Bon Jovi rocked for over two hours, playing all the hits spanning their 16 year career. Bon Jovi is one of those few bands that have nary a duff track in their entire library and that consists of seven proper albums at this point. Even the rather obscure "Damned" was aired and the crowd loved its unexpected inclusion. The proceedings opened appropriately enough with new song "One Wild Night" whose sentiments would prove to be ever so true. When the band followed by launching into "You Give Love A Bad Name", a thunderous ovation came forth from the tremendously appreciative crowd. "Livin' On A Prayer" brought the assembled arena choir out in full force once again. They got a workout on almost every song during what quickly became Jon's Church of Rock and Roll Revival. The vocalist had little need to sing the choruses of many songs since the fanatics seemed to know all the words by heart to every one of the 19 songs performed, and were heartily belting out the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Hits continued spanning their lengthy career, including this year's chart-topper "It's My Life," Jon's solo smash "Blaze of Glory," MTV staples "Keep the Faith" and "Bad Medicine - all had equal billing during this performance of constant high points. The current single and the song sure to be played at many a wedding reception for years to come, "Thank You For Loving Me," was a mellow breather from the nonstop rock that had been laid out thus far. A surprise acoustic version of "Runaway" featuring only keyboard accompaniment was a special treat and kept things on the lighter side for a brief moment. The lone resemblance to the classic rocker that put Bon Jovi on the map were the lyrics, which in this stripped-down version were more prevalent and carried the song. At one point Jon took the opportunity to knock the "boy band" trend of late, proudly proclaiming that Bon Jovi is a "man band." Of course, this was greeted by raucous applause. Jon is now 38 years of age and Sambora 41, but their music stands the test of time. Reflecting realistically upon the unavoidable process of aging in the aptly titled "Just Older" appearing on the new album, Jon sings, "Hey man it's been a while do you remember me? Through all these years and miles of memories I'm still chasing dreams but I ain't looking over my shoulder. It's not old...just older." In addition Jon sports the entire dynamic package necessary to be the focal point and consummate frontman. He is a great singer first and foremost but also a showman and, lest we forget, has the looks required to attract female fans of all ages in droves. He possesses the endearing power to drive thousands of fans wild with every well choreographed move of his hands and shake of his hips. And, oh yeah, he can strum a pretty mean guitar when called upon. After all, it is still about the music, isn't it, girls? The encores followed and were plentiful and seemed never ending. Of course no show would be complete without the ultimate closing number. When the unmistakable opening chords of one of the greatest songs ever composed, "Wanted Dead Or Alive" began, everything seemed to raise up another level completely, and those in attendance (male and female alike) had little choice but to gain a greater appreciation for Bon Jovi. Throughout the course of the festivities Jon was surely the main attraction, but far from the sole star. Sambora wailed on guitar, throwing notes off his fingertips with regularity and having each well-known blistering solo greeted by a round of cheers. It was weird to hear everyone going crazy for a guitar solo almost on cue, but it was fitting. Above all else Bon Jovi went above and beyond to reinforce the fact that great music is indeed timeless. After all, if a song was great in the 1980's there is no reason why it can't hold a similar level of greatness in the year 2000. Think about it. In other words if you liked Bon Jovi in 1987 there is no reason why you shouldn't hold the same level of affection towards them now. This appreciative crowd surely did. The bottom line of this amazing rebirth is that only a fool would knock achievement, and Bon Jovi has reached a level that is unparalleled throughout their astonishing career. Any doubters would be wise to join in the fun when the band returns to rock Pine Knob in the summer of 2001. There is no end in sight for Bon Jovi's continuing success story. Remember that this is the band that has proudly "seen a million faces and rocked them all!" |
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