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Oostende, Paris, Milton Keynes
From: Christian Denoisieux (noisieuc@btmaa.bel.alcatel.be)

After both dates in Cologne, I got a nice feeling. Really, it's different to see Jon once or
follow him through several countries. You encounter other people having the same sensation than
you. You make new friends who know how good it is to follow the guys of New Jersey.
Being with other persons having the same opinion about the shows, you're really make part of a
familly. I think I was on another planet, what a sensation to see your dream being true !
I didn't went to Frankfurt, but I heard Jon was brillant, the public too : Jon played 3 hours
25 minutes ! I wasn't there, it doesn't matter, other fans would talk how good it was. Bon Jovi
promised us to give show for our money, and he does ! Every night is the show different. After
7 shows, I never saw twice the same. Bon Jovi is a great band, they are playing to make us happy,
they don't want to keep our money, they want to give us more than what we are paying for. Thanks
for all Jon, Richie, David, Tico and Huge !
So, just one day after the wonderfull show in Cologne, I was ready for the next show : back in
town ! Destination : Oostende, in my home Land.
I wasn't glad to go there. In fact, as I don't like Wechter (where Bon Jovi went in 1995), I got
some bad impressions about Oostende. I guess (this is my personnal opinion), Belgian people
prefer to go either to Brussel or to Ghent, two closed areas. Open air festival in Belgium
doesn't furnish a good acoustic. Another major problem : the show happened inside the Hypodrome,
that means in the heart of a residential area, in a city where the law doesn't allow too much
noise after 10:00pm... Well, I left my home at 6:15am to arrive in Oostende around 8:15am. Just
the time to take the tram and 15 minutes later I came near the main entrance. Not a lot of fans
present at that time, may be 100 persons. What a difference with Landgraaf !. We seat down until
12:00pm, then the classical situation : someone queueing try to win some position, one person
goes up, the second one, and after 10 seconds, it's the rush... At 3:30pm, opening of the doors.
Nice run, approximatively 800meters !. I got the first row, at front of Jon !. The first group
was something called "Gin ozon". Not that bad, not that good, depends of the songs. I didn't
got a great impression about their prestation. Then K'S Choice. That was great. A nice ambience !
Ambience once again destroyed by Joan Osbourne. Except a couple of "F... Off", "Go Home", "Please
Stop", she didn't receive any applaus. When she asked "Do like it", no one answer
except a couple of persons (it wasn't me) said "NO". She thank us for ?!? A few ones applaus on
"One of us", and a lot when... Richie came on the left side. When Bon Jovi came, we were sleeping
after the sad show of Joan Osbourne...
7:55. The fanfare cames on stage on the air of "Lay on hands on mee". The most energic 'til now.
That was great. What a pitty, the public didn't sing on this air, like in Germany. When the
fanfare left the stage, we remark someone else without trumpet but with a guitar, without
green uniform but with a black lether vest following the group... Yes, that was him, the public
cried for Richie, who begin to play, the show is going on. An enthousiast public, but at the
first rows, too much people thinking more about how to take some pictures than singing with us.
Classical introduction, followed by Bad Medicine, All I want..., Something for the Blues,
Runaway... Only 3 songs accoustics (we got 4 songs in Cologne the second day and in Paris too !),
and after a good show of Bon Jovi, the concert was done at 10:20pm ! What a short event ! No "Dry
Country", no "I'll be there for you", no "These Day", no "Diamond ring", ... For sure the shortest
concert of the tour. We could remark Jon got some troubles with his voice, was he getting cold,
or was he tired after two big shows (Cologne and Frankfurt) ? Playing so much date above the
3 hours could also be a reason. Or should the City of Oostende have limited his prestation until
10:30pm ? I would never know. Anyway, let's give a 7/10 for this event.
Should I give notes for all the event, that would be my quotation :
Landgraaf(08/06) : 9.0Enschede (09/06) : 8.5Cologne (28/06) : 8.5
Cologne (29/06) : 9.5Frankfurt(01/07) : 9.5Oostende (02/07) : 7.0
Paris (03/07) : 9.6Milton K.(06/07) : 8.5Milton K.(07/07) : 9.6
Once again, it's my own quotation, I know everyone would give another points. As you can see,
the best shows/ambience were Paris, Cologne + Milton Keynes (both the second date).
I came back at 2:30am in Antwerpen, but at 12:00pm I was already on the road to Paris. A lot of
trafic jam, I came inside Paris Bercy at 7:50pm, 10 minutes before the concert. And what a
pressure ! A good prestation for the formation out Bordeaux (France), the french public
appreciated that first part. I appreciated that Joan Osbourne wasn't there. At 20:30, the
surprise ! The stage wasn't the same (no room enough inside Bercy for the Stage used in open air
concerts), and Jon decided to change his introduction ! We got a brillant "Helter Skelter" as
first song... The rest of the concert was a little bit different of the other one. I guess he
played around the 3 hours. Even in 1993 the french public wasn't so good (in comparison with
Brussel), the current assistance was great. Intense pressure 'cause everybody wants to jump, to
sing, ... to participate at this event. More than 40 girls and 10 boys have been evacuated near
me... in less than 10 minutes. I heard that 4 rooms of Paris Bercy were full of people getting
some trouble during the begining of the show !!! Anyway, once again I got the first row before
Jon's prestation and I can told you it was very hard to resist to this pressure, but I did. The
day after and for 2 days I felt like strange... I don't know why. As rewarding, jon decide to
sing an extra song, not forseen on the track list. Yeah, it happens when the public is so good.
I remember Cologne... we got "Stranger in this town". Don't ask me what he was singing, I was zo
amazing, defending my place at first row (at front of Richie... should I like his guitar play, I
shouldn't ?) and enjoying the concert. Believe me, there was no tourist into the first row.
You had to be there on "Bed on Roses", "Always", "Living on the Prayer", ... what a fantastic
public it was. I will remember a great remind of this concert, even some person will told you
the pressure was creazy... The return to the coach, near Bercy was very very difficult. I couldn't
stay right on my been ! That's was a fucking good event tonight. The return to Antwerpen was
long (I came back at 6:00am), but full of vision from the previous hours... The show was done but
the concert continued in my head. I was ready for the last in line : Milton Keynes !
Just a day to recuperate from this long series of concerts on a row. No time to sleep to much
'cause I had to go to the bank in order to take some cash money for the UK. I didn't realized
directly it was thursday. I lost all notion of time (we were already in July, I didn't realize
!), language (Which one to speak : after German - Dutch - French - ...), which money to use now
(DEM, BEF, FRA, ...). I didn't remember.
Milton Keynes is a nice place for the concert. Even Jon announced 65000 people for the first day
and 62000 for the second, I'm sure there were more people the second day than the first one.
Anyway, I didn't like the first support act. The first (Vivit) have either good or very bad
songs, the second (GUN) is not that terrible (except one song), and you know my opinion about
Joan Osbourne.
The first day, I arrived at 1:00pm. I didn't had the special wristband for the fan club area and
it was impossible to get it (I made everything for, believe me). I could reach the second "first
row", not the classical one, the one I always reach, I mean the one really at front of the
stage, but the one after the fan club area. In all the other countries, this area is dedicated
for the member of the fan club having a wristband or the first one arriving in that zone. Most of
the time control on wristband are not serioulsy performed. In Milton Keynes, I had a
serious control (verification the wristband was correctly closed, that it was the good one, ...).
At 8:05pm, the fanfare came. A show like the first date in Cologne. A good public singing
togheter with Jon for the most know songs, but it seems there were a lot of curious. I'll not
claimed. He played all the song I like, and he played 2 hours 50 minutes. I was not that closed
from the stage, so I could appreciate the light show, the video's on the big screens, the 3 small
fireworks during the concert, the big one after the show, and some view from David, Tico...
you never could see when you are so near your idols. I had prefer to stay at my traditional
place, but it wasn't possible. I tried to be positive, thinking at all those people that couldn't
be there tonight. How much people had like to stay at front of Jon, even at the second
serie of barrier ? On 17 concerts with Bon Jovi, it's the first time I'm not at the real
first row... I'm a lucky man I guess. I was already 10
times at front of Jon... I'll not complain. Every show of Bon Jovi is particular. I find fine
I was there. Anyway, that was much beter than Oostende, for sure. But I knew the public could
be better. I got the feeling the day after would be better. Don't ask why, It was just a
feeling... or a hope for my last concert from this tour. Yeah, every good things have an end.
The second day was terrible. No fanfare, but no "Helter Skelter". Suprise, one more time : they
begin with "Rock'n roll in a free world", then "Hey God" (which come generaly at the end of the
show, after the second rappel), then Diamond ring... Runaway came after 2 hours concert I
guess. He played 3 or 4 songs accoustic, and my favorite version of "I'd died for you", I like
this intro. Some stuff from the Rolling Stones, and... "Stranger in this town". I was screaming,
for my last show, I got it again. Did Jon know it was my last show ? Did Jon know that a
friend from France, a big fan of Richie, having her birthday on this 7th July was there, was it a
present for her Birthday ? Or was it a rewarding for this magnific public. The ambience was
perfect. We didn't stop to sing during the 187 minutes of the concert (which was diffused
at the radio !). What a last show ! No pressure, so I could sing, jump, cry, dance, fully
participate for more than 3 hours. One of his longest show, with some bonus title like "Wild in
the street", the song of Richie... For my last concert for this tour, it couldn't be better.
Sunday night, I reached the hotel, that was hard, hard letting me go to my hotel room. My tour
was finished. I had 7 concert on a row in 5 different contries, I went to my first event in UK,
I made two new good friends, what could I ask more ? My old dream is now realized. I have
keep the faith during so many years, I saw so much people doing that before, now it's my turn,
tomorrow, may be it's yours. I decided that from now, I will go only to Bon Jovi Concerts, even
I have to wait 3 or 4 years. I will spent some money avoiding to go to concerts from other
groups. I find out a new dream : going in New Jersey for a beach party or a xmas show with Bon
Jovi. Yeah, after that concert, I got the New Jersey Virus. When you have it, you can get it
lost !. To conclude this report... Just thinking about Bon Jovi Songs :
Never say Good Bye, Keep the Faith and Have something to believe in !

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