| For fans at Gillette, Bon Jovi was Saturday night, all right |
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Boston Globe article
Such is the reach of Bon Jovi that it’s not even necessary to like the band at all to have known just about every song played Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Of course, they’re so overstuffed with clichés both musical and lyrical that even new songs sound familiar, but after a quarter century of almost astonishingly consistent hitmaking, they’re practically encoded in our DNA whether we want them there or not.
No points for guessing which option the sold-out crowd preferred. The show kicked off with “Blood on Blood,’’ an album track that might have seemed an oddly obscure opener if it weren’t about the unbreakable lifelong bond between childhood friends. It established a degree of resonance for both the four men at Bon Jovi’s core and the fans who have stuck with them this long.
It also connected with the theme that Jon Bon Jovi sang about more than any other: the importance of living a life chosen by him and nobody else. He rattled off one minor variation after another: “Gonna live while I’m alive’’ (from “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’’), “Gotta live my life’’ (“Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night’’), “Why you wanna tell me how to live my life?’’ (“Have a Nice Day’’), “I ain’t living just to die’’ (“Work for the Working Man’’), and all of “It’s My Life’’ and “We Weren’t Born to Follow.’’
There were few surprises in the band’s mix of lite-metal, sub-Springsteen anthems and heartland rock. Despite an incongruous church backdrop, “Lay Your Hands on Me’’ was a nice, modestly subdued showcase for guitarist Richie Sambora, who handled the rough-edged vocals while his boss took a break. And the ringing, U2-like thump of “When We Were Beautiful’’ added a new dimension to the band’s sound.
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Related URL: http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2010/07/26/for_fans_at_gillette_bon_jovi_was_saturday_night_all_right/
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