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"New Jersey rockers get crowd off its feet with pure, powerful sound"
It may have been Sunday, but it sure felt like "Saturday Night."
Before a sold-out Marcus Amphitheater on Summerfest's closing night, Jon Bon Jovi and the band that bears his name answered the question plaguing many a rock critic for several months now: Why has the New Jersey '80s pop-metal act made such a startling comeback?
In a nutshell, because it rocks.
With the same energy and passion as the Garden State's other famous son (the one who was born to run), Bon Jovi led his band through a flawless, joyful, pure rock show.
The set spanned more than two hours, beginning with a lengthy video plugging VH1, the tour's sponsor and arguably the instigator for Bon Jovi's comeback, thanks to its heavy coverage of the band in its "Behind the Music" series.
Of course, no amount of music-channel puff pieces could explain Bon Jovi's ability to sell out the Marcus some 10 years after the band's commercial peak. The band brought fans to their feet solely on the merits of its music and the tremendous star power of its frontman.
With a successful acting career and loads of money already socked away, Jon Bon Jovi had no obvious reason to return to the road, except maybe for love of being a rock star. The buff and well-coiffed thirtysomething clearly fed off the energy of the crowd and proved himself to be a born entertainer.
The rest of the band wasn't too shabby, either, though the spotlight was almost Jon's entirely. Guitarist Richie Sambora, forever the Joe Perry rock to Jon's Tyleresque aerobics instructor, peeled off a few smoking solos at center stage, but otherwise it was Jon's show.
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Read the rest of the article and take a look at some great photos of the show at Journal Sentinel web site by following the link below...
Related URL: http://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/music/jul01/amp09s1070801.asp
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