A review by Sam B.

A great show at the Target Center on Friday night. Bon Jovi are the consummate professionals, plowing ahead through their set despite a few glitches early on. The digital screens behind the stage didn't appear to be working right for the first few songs. Some screens looked like they would freeze and then go black -- it appeared the crew were trying to reboot the complicated computer system which just wasn't cooperating (interestingly, I saw Kiss a few years ago in this same arena and they had the exact same problem!).

Another "goof" came during "Born To Be My Baby." The stage was black and Jon counted in the song, just like on the recording, and the band started playing but the stage lights didn't come up until four of five bars into the song. Oops! I am pretty sure that this wasn't the way it was supposed to work (and I am sure Jon had the problem fixed very soon after the show!), but it is early in the tour and the wrinkles are still being worked out. Such is live music (and "this boy don't lip synch...").

Despite these couple of minor problems, the show was absolutely terrific. Jon and Ritchie did an incredible job during "I'll Be There For You," singing in harmony on the same mic while playing their acoustic guitars. Before they sang the song Jon said something about he and Ritchie "wrote this next song over a couple bottles of scotch."

Another funny moment came when Jon looked at a lady in the audience and said, "I suppose you want to dance?" (screams from the audience). "I can't dance. I do the white man dance." (does a dorky dance to more screams). "But I look pretty good in jeans." (deafening screams) Yeah, the guy knows how to work a crowd.

Here is the set list; a couple of songs in the encores might be slightly out of order, but I am certain this is the complete set:

LAST MAN STANDING
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
COMPLICATED
EVERYDAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
STORY OF MY LIFE
I WANT TO BE LOVED
RUNAWAY
THE RADIO SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT
HAVE A NICE DAY
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
IT'S MY LIFE
ALWAYS (acoustic)
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (acoustic)
~instrumental interlude~
BLAZE OF GLORY (acoustic) [Jon appears in the audience!]
CAPTAIN CRASH AND THE BEAUTY QUEEN FROM MARS
GOOD LOVIN' (cover of the Rascals classic)
BAD MEDICINE
RAISE YOUR HANDS
LIVING ON A PRAYER
encore 1:
I GET A RUSH
JUST OLDER
KEEP THE FAITH
encore 2:
SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
TREAT HER RIGHT (The Roy Head '50's classic)

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