Source: The National (UAE)

ABU DHABI // More than 17,000 people packed into the gardens of Emirates Palace last night to see the American rock band Bon Jovi stage the largest concert in the capital’s history.

Many turned up hours before the scheduled 9pm start, setting up camp on the grass.

The band is one of the world’s most successful rock acts, having sold 120 million albums and scored dozens of radio-friendly hits such as Livin’ On A Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name.

The crowd last night ranged from hard-core veteran fans to teens who would have been too young to remember Bon Jovi in their mid-to-late 1980s heyday.

At 19, Rami Ik, a Lebanese student, was one of the new guard of Bon Jovi enthusiasts who was looking forward to a two-hour set of the band’s greatest hits. “Jon Bon Jovi, he’s great. He rocks, no matter that he’s getting old. The songs are fantastic. He will never die.”

With temperatures reaching 35°C, organisers provided mist showers to keep the crowd cool.

At a press conference before the concert, lead singer Jon Bon Jovi said the group had never played in the UAE before because it had been “a long walk” to get to Abu Dhabi.

“It took us a long time to get across the desert. The people have been great and everybody we’ve met has been very welcoming.”

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