A review by Kurt Torster / ktorsterr@yahoo.com

[This is a more detailed review of the one I originally posted.]

So, my Bon Jovi ammended live review is below. Some thoughts on things unrelated to the show but to the night itself:

-The costs are out of hand! $55 for a ticket. $10 for parking. $5.50 for a beer (Miller Lite no less). $30 for a T-shirt. My God, I plunked down $200 easily that night.

-Someone needs to tell a lot of these people it’s not cool to dress like it’s 1987 anymore. Women, please, if you are overweight, DO NOT try to fit into that mini-skirt/tank top combo you wore on the “New Jersey” tour. People ARE looking at you, but not in a respectful way. And guys, fringe jackets? Poodle haircuts? Fedoras? It may have looked semi-cool way back in the day, now you just look like a fucking dork. And to the dude I saw wearing parachute pants…kill yourself now.

-People still wave lighters during ballads? That just struck me as so damned funny, I don’t know why.

-Props to Ticketmaster for the two strippers that sat in front of us last night. I can now listen to BJ in a whole new light, thinking of the grinding I saw to each song. My ribs are a little sore though from my wife elbowing me every time she caught me gawking.

-Jon promised they’d be back next summer to play Giants Stadium. I’m holding him to that.

Review:
How could a show that was so good leave me disappointed? Easily…for as good as the band was, it seems that for every positive there were two negatives. The boys hit the stage, after a rather comical intro, at 8:30 sharp and the show was over by 10:40. Barely two hours! After the hype I had been hearing on the radio about how special this homecoming was to be, it felt like just another show (rumor has it that there was some backstage tension between two members of the band). And Jon continued the hype during the set bragging about all the celebrities in the house (“the Jets, the Giants, rock stars, movie stars, Sopranos, E-Streeters and the Governor”) but there was no all-star jam session. The setlist (below) is practically unchanged from the other shows so far on this tour, and if anything a song or two shorter (as they didn’t play “Ride Cowboy Ride” or “I Got The Girl”). I also found it odd that they played nothing from the first two albums or “These Days”. Enough whining I suppose…the show itself was pretty good and the band was in “machine” mode all night, with all the requisite moves and cheese ball speeches from Reverend Jon in place (I meant that in a good way). Highlights? “Captain Crash…” sounded way better live than on album and sounds like a single. The half acoustic “Blood On Blood” was inspiring and proves once again why it’s my favorite Bon Jovi song. “Lay Your Hands On Me” tore the roof off and if you weren’t on your feet by now, this got you up and moving. And encores “The Next 100 Years” and “Just Older” were incredible. Maybe not the best I’ve seen them (that’s still reserved for Jones Beach on the “These Days” tour), and maybe I’m a bit disappointed for expecting more, but still…they are the best live band out there today. Do not miss this show when it hits your town.

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