Page 49 - Black Velvet Rock Music Magazine Issue 92

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BON JOVI – OKLAHOMA CITY CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA, 21.02.17
It’s Bon Jovi’s first U.S. tour since 2013, the year that Richie Sambora failed to turn up for a show (well, numerous A Bon Jovi concert is
shows), which really had an effect on Jon Bon Jovi. So much so that he didn’t pick up a guitar for a long time after the a real sing-along experi-
completion of that tour. ence and from opening
The band are now back and this tour it includes John Shanks, the band’s album producer, on second guitar. Phil X song and new album title
(“The man who answered the call in my hour of need,” Jon says) is on lead guitar, while Everett Bradley has added per- track, ‘This House Is Not
cussion – alongside the core members of Jon, David Bryan, Tico Torres and longtime (but never made official) member For Sale’, to final song
Hugh McDonald. Jon looks happy with the unit on stage. “I’ve finally found my way, said goodbye to yesterday,” Jon sings ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’,
in fourth song into the set, ‘Lost Highway’, and although this song was written a decade ago you sense this is how Jon is everyone in the audience
now feeling. is standing and singing
along. New songs such
as ‘Roller Coaster’ and
‘Knockout’ spruce up the
set, adding their fresh-
ness, while ‘It’s My Life’,
‘I’ll Sleep When I’m
Dead’, ‘Born To Be My
Baby’ and ‘You Give Love
A Bad Name’ are classic
hits that even the casual
fan knows and wants to
croon along to. Every-
one’s vocal chords get a
tip-top work out for over
two hours.
Jon speaks about in-
tegrity before new song,
‘God Bless This Mess’.
It’s something he has al-
ways held dear and
something that keeps the
band relevant to this day.
He also gives a nice
speech about being down
but coming out the other
side before the slower,
mellow ‘Scars On This
Guitar’, a song that
prompts cell phone lights
in the air. “We used to
light lighters in the 80s,”
Jon reminisces nostalgi-
cally.
Phil X in particular
adds a lot of charisma
and energy to the band
and when Jon, John
Shanks and Phil come to-
gether it’s the perfect
photo op. Jon has a funny
‘senior moment’ during
‘Bad Medicine’ when he
stops the song to tell the
crowd he’s singing the
wrong lyrics, blaming the
‘pretty girls’, while at the
end of the heated song,
he proclaims, “I need a
kiss,” and jumps off the
stage to kiss a random
fan in the front row.
A three-song encore
featuring ‘Because We
Can’ from 2013’s ‘What
About Now’ album and
then the band’s most well-
known anthems, ‘Wanted
Dead Or Alive and ‘Livin’
On A Prayer’ wraps up the
entertaining set. Although
the best seats in the
house are quite pricey,
the band’s show is defi-
nitely worth it.
YYYYY
SBV
Jon Bon Jovi Photo By Shari
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