Source: Norwich Bulletin

On more than one occasion during Thursday's Bon Jovi concert, Jon Bon Jovi cracked that cocky grin of his. It appeared as if the recently turned 41-year-old rock star was saying to his critics, "Twenty years and we're still here."
The sold-out crowd inside the Mohegan Sun Arena couldn't have been happier.

Even with Old Man Winter unloading yet another round of snow Thursday, Bon Jovi's fans still packed the arena and the band made the slippery trip worth it.

The group's two-hour, 20-song show was filled with old favorites as well as selections from its latest album "Bounce."

It became a trip down memory lane. At times, it also turned into a sobering look at the present given some of Bon Jovi's recent Sept. 11-themed songs and the images of New York City that were shown on three huge satellite dish replicas that were behind the band and were used as giant circular video screens.

When the band performed "Undivided," the first track on "Bounce" -- the tune most directly linked to Sept. 11, some fans waved small American flags.

The concert, however, was mostly a party, a place to forget about weather, war and all other problems if only for a few hours. The energy Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, drummer Tico Torres, keyboardist David Bryan and bassist Hugh McDonald provided gave the audience an outlet for a much-needed good time.

Although he can't quite hit the high notes as he did in the mid-1980s, Jon Bon Jovi showed that he's lost little of his sex appeal. He came out wearing dark pants and a tight brown shirt with some sort of spider-web pattern.

A small group of mostly female fans stood near both ends of the stage and whenever the lead singer came their way, he shook their hands while they tried to touch other parts of his body.

After opening with "Bounce," the title track from its new CD, Bon Jovi went into a couple classics with "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Other past hits the band performed included "Wanted Dead Or Alive," "It's My Life" and "I'll Be There For You," which Jon Bon Jovi stepped back from while Sambora sang lead vocals.

The group performed six songs from "Bounce," including "Everyday" and the latest single "Misunderstood."

For the encore, Bon Jovi did a strong rendition of "These Days" before going into "Bad Medicine." It capped the evening by covering Lloyd Williams' "Shout."

It made sense since this was a party.

Somewhere John Belushi, dressed in a toga, was probably smiling and giving his approval.

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