SamboraBlog

Review: Bon Jovi takes fans on a tour of his music

Three songs into Bon Jovi's concert at the Bradley Center Thursday night, Jon Bon Jovi invited the near-capacity crowd to "strap into (his) time machine."

With increasing fervor, the singer counted back the years until he reached 1982, describing himself as "some punk kid" pulling into the parking lot of a small radio station, handing a demo to the disc jockey and insisting it had the right chords to be a hit.

"In three minutes and thirty seconds, you'll see a rock star," Bon Jovi recalled, waving his hand over his head before the synthesizer intro to "Runaway" pulsed through the speakers.

Since that first hit, his band has forged a career of varied sounds that has broadened its fan base beyond the '80s hair-band days. It also doesn't hurt that the charismatic frontman hasn't lost his baby-faced good looks or the ability to make the women in the crowd scream with the smallest hip wiggle.

Flanked by four video screens that constantly floated above, behind and around the band, the four original members and three supporting musicians performed a tight-knit, 2½-hour set that encompassed most of their career.

The encore-closing "I Love This Town" and the title track from Bon Jovi's latest album, "Lost Highway," featured more than a twinge of country.

The biggest hits, including "Living on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" were often overpowered by the crowd's singing. Guitarist Richie Sambora took vocal duties on "I'll Be There for You," the night's biggest power-ballad moment. For a quiet, stripped-down take on "Bed of Roses," Jon Bon Jovi stood on a small stage in the crowd.

There was one big surprise in this carefully polished production. Midway through the show, Bon Jovi announced that he was making a change in the set list. The sparkling lights and images flooding the arena in anticipation of a different song froze as the technical crew tried to follow the band into the pounding 1988 hit, "Blood on Blood."

Cameras, still pointed in the wrong place, flashed vacant parts of the stage on the video screens, leaving the band alone with the crowd and the music. Judging from the crowd reaction, no one missed the extra visuals.

Another band named for its frontman, Daughtry, opened the show with a 45-minute set. Since his introduction on "American Idol," Chris Daughtry has polished his rock postures as he has become a proven radio hit-maker. But songs like "Gone," "Over You" and "Home" suffered from an echo-y sound as the Bon Jovi crowd filtered into the arena.