A review by ckjax / ckjax77@aol.com

Bon Jovi gives me another reason to see them again. Steven Van Zandt said the Bon Jovi is one of the greatest rock bands - I agree. Unlike other venues i've been to, the fans here were dead. They left early (before the encore), sat down, or didn't respond/sing to every song - everywhere else i've been to, the opposite was true. In my opinion, this is so b/c 95% of the fans don't really appreciate Jovi's music (i.e. look at These Days numbers in the States). They go to hear them perform the "radio" songs, see Jon's ass, or for nostalgia. They proved to be the definition of rock music and a rock band. They played songs just like the album versions, changed a few songs (i think for the better) to keep them fresh, and covered songs they way they should be - as close to the original as possible.

The most notables in the show for me were: "Undivided" - slower and heavier than the album version, "Born to be my Baby" - had a couple of "my heart beats like a drum" breaks after the solo, "I'll be there for You" - simply amazing with Richie on vocals, and a song i was never too fond of when it first came out..."Keep the Faith" - saw a version a couple of years ago with the "jungle" break after the solo -this was the same, but after the "jungle" part, a "save yourself" part was added....sang/screamed in vintage Jovi-Jersey album style - simply speechless during that part of the song. The encore notable was "Eve of Destruction".

Here is a list of songs they did, i might have forgotten 1 or 2, but i think this is all of it: Bounce, Undivided, Bad Name, Wild in the Streets, Prayer, Wanted, Everyday, It's my life, Older, Born to be my Baby, I'll be there for You, Raise your hands, Runaway, Right side of Wrong, Distance, Hook me Up, Bad Medicine/Shout, Sleep when I'm Dead, Saturday Nite, Keep the Faith, Misunderstood, Eve of Destruction.

I've noticed some fans commenting on Jon's shirt during the encore. I didn't mind it b/c we were in the capitol (so it seems fitting) and we know he supports the Democratic party. Being a Conservative (from NYC) i would have, however, walked out had he made a spoken political statement. Speaking out politically is different then doing a politically driven song - as in "Eve of Destruction".

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