Source: San Jose Mercury News

It's called the "Lost Highway" tour, but Bon Jovi is one high-performance machine that sticks to the main roads.

The veteran New Jersey band, which returns to HP arena April 8, doesn't venture far from the tried and true. If you want to see Jon Bon Jovi break into a million-dollar grin as 19,000 faces belt out the chorus to "Livin' on a Prayer," you'll get what you came for.

Wednesday at the arena, Bon Jovi delivered two hours of singalong hits with movie-star charisma, first-rate musicianship and impeccable production values. If you want a little substance with all that, come back April 5 for Springsteen.

After a competent but unmemorable opening set by "American Idol" alum Chris Daughtry's band, Daughtry, the headliners took the stage shortly after 8:30. Founding members - singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres - were joined by bassist Hugh McDonald, an extra guitarist and, on a handful of tunes and female violinist Lorenza Ponce (she didn't have sufficient grit or drive in her playing to earn the title "fiddler").

The set kicked off with the "Lost Highway" title track from what's ostensibly the band's "Nashville" album, but none of the five new songs stood out from the more typical Bon Jovi fare. Whether a pop-metal anthem from 1983 ("Runaway") or a minor country hit from last year ("Make a Memory"), it all sounded like Bon Jovi.

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