SamboraBlog

The New Jersey arena-rock supergroup, which has sold tens of millions of albums in the past 22 years, invited unsigned bands from across the country to submit songs to XM Satellite Radio, as well as local radio stations, for a chance to be an opening act on its "Have a Nice Day" concert tour.

KLSY 92.5 FM was host to local finals this week at The Premier nightclub, where judges selected the opening band for Bon Jovi's concert Monday night at KeyArena. The winning band will be introduced at the show.

Bon Jovi got a similar break more than 20 years ago when the group submitted a recording of "Runaway" for a New York station's "homegrown" compilation album. The station began playing the song in "heavy rotation," which in turn led to airplay around the country, kicking off the band's long and lucrative career.

"Every kid who ever picked up a guitar dreams of playing their hometown arena," blond-haired lead singer Jon Bon Jovi said in a statement announcing the contest.

"Most only dream. I was that kid and I remember dreaming from the cheap seats about that shot."

The Nadas were the first group to win an opening spot. They played at Bon Jovi's Nov. 2 tour kickoff concert in Des Moines, Iowa. (Bon Jovi got a big scare when its private plane skidded off a runaway while landing in poor weather near Toronto in January.)

Bon Jovi's tour supports the group's current album, "Have a Nice Day," whose title single highlights the political divide that followed the 2004 presidential race. Jon Bon Jovi participated in the Vote for Change tour supporting John Kerry, perhaps a risky move for a band with so much red-state, working-class appeal.

With its booming, singalong choruses, Bon Jovi has been an arena favorite for years. The Seattle-based grunge explosion of the early '90s blunted the band's profile, though Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora and keyboardist David Bryan continued to pack stadiums overseas.

In 1989, two years before Nirvana rearranged the face of rock with "Nevermind," Bon Jovi played the Tacoma Dome. It was in early May, on the same week that "I'll Be There for You" became the No. 1 single in the country.

Concertgoers who packed the Tacoma venue brought dozens of giant banners, encouraged by a KISW-FM contest. Among the posters was one covered with handprints that read, "Let Us Lay Our Hands on You," a play on the song "Lay Your Hands on Me."

A boyish-looking Bon Jovi (who still looks boyish today) skittered above fans on a huge, U-shaped catwalk suspended above the main floor.

The band was at its peak, playing loud and raucous versions of "Let It Rock," "Slippery When Wet," "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on a Prayer."

The current tour is a chance for longtime fans to relive those glory days -- or for younger fans to experience them for the first time.

Bon Jovi is a genuine rock 'n' roll survivor at a time when popular music has fragmented into hundreds of pieces.