A review by Chris / cvh5150@yahoo.com

I will start off by saying I love Bon Jovi and in my eyes, they can do no wrong. But with that being said, of the three times I have seen them since the summer of 2001, the show in Columbus on July 29th has been my least favorite. I knew going in what to expect as far as the acoustic/electric format. For the most part I enjoyed some of the acoustic setup. But I have to say doing "unplugged" versions of Livin' On A Prayer and Everyday did not do those songs justice. I noticed a lot of people around me appeared bored and tired of the acoustic set as it seemed to drag on. When I go to see Bon Jovi (as I've done in the past) I expect to be on my feet rockin' for 2 hours plus. Not sitting down through the entire first half of the show. There was a nice transition into the electric set, though. Jon started off softly singing the "One for love..." chorus of Undivided. Then they rocked into that song, but the crowd really got going on You Give Love A Bad Name, which is and probably always will be one of their best songs live. Some of the problems that I had with the show were the fact that the band didn't seem very energetic. I think Richie may have been sick or something because he didn't rock out like he usually does. And Jon performed well, but he didn't seem to interact with the crowd much. The electric set went one song into another with little talking in between. And I know I've seen better versions of Keep The Faith and It's My Life with Jon jumping around and getting more excited than he did. In order for the audience to believe it, the band has to believe it. They just seemed like they weren't feeling it. I think they may have also been battling through some technical problems as well. I noticed a couple times Richie or Jon looking at one another for their cue because they lost their monitors or whatever. And a dissatisfied look on Jon's face a few times. Like I said I still and always will love Bon Jovi. Their music is a staple in the soundtrack of my youth. But I think last nights show was the first time they began to show some wear and tear and it didn't translate well into their performance.

back to tour information page