A review by KEV / kevmbourne@hotmail.com

The trip to see Bon Jovi had been the only thing on my mind since December last year when the tour was first announced. I ordered tickets the Huddersfield gig and Cardiff too. Well I went to see Bon Jovi at Huddersfield last Wednesday and the day immediately came the best night of my life - Until Sunday that is.

For the trip, I had to get up at 6am to get into Liverpool City Centre to meet my friend who had organised Transport to Cardiff. We left town at 8 O'clock and was in the capital of Wales for around 12.30

Me and my mates are not members of the BSWJBJ fan club, but we decided that we would queue up with the members in the hope that we would get wristbands, to enable us to get into the pit at the front of the stadium to get as close as possible. For about two and a half hours we stood and waited and when I went up to the window to ask if we could get one, we were told that we had to show our membership card to gain a wristband. However at the back of the box
office, there was a guy who was talking to some ladies about Backstage passes and they got them. We thought that maybe if we ask him then he could possibly give us some wristbands once the queue had died down and all the
members had got theirs. However we told him that we had been waiting for two and a half hours already and he reached over to his desk and got us wristbands. We were all made up and as soon as the wristbands were on, we ran as fast as we could to Gate 6, we the members were queuing up to get into the stadium. With having wristbands, it allowed us to enter the Millennium Stadium 15 minutes earlier and to enable us to avoid further queues at the merchandise stalls. As I had already bought my Merchandise on Wednesday, it was only my mates who got some this time around.

The stadium itself was fantastic, but the stage was only half way down the pitch, probably because it was the only UK gig that wasn’t quite a sell out.

I had imagined the stands to have been higher but they were still one of the highest that i had ever seen. The stadium also has a retracting roof, but today it was shut. This made it seem like a massive club and the sound was fantastic.

The support acts this time were fantastic, I didn’t think much of them at Huddersfield, but I really enjoyed them this time around. I remembered the songs a little, and maybe that was a factor of me enjoying them more. Both support acts (Delirious? And Matchbox 20) thanked Jon for letting them tour the UK with them and said that the Bon Jovi crowds were fantastic and they got a really good reception.

The lights went down about ten past eight for the main act. This was quite unexpected as they came of after 8.30 at Huddersfield. The elevator scene was again fantastic and the stage set was also the same. The set list was very much different from Wednesday. Being so close to the stage (4th row) and the band themselves was a dream come true and the set list was one that was like taken from heaven! We started as always on this tour with the Title of the tour One Wild Night.

Some people even seemed surprised by this but didn’t take long at all to realise what it was and to start singing and dancing. Raise Your hands was up next and everyone's hands and arms were in the air, especially during the chorus'. Then came the fantastic rendition of In these Arms that had been played in most places around Europe this years and it blended in really well with the whole set and sounded amazing. The song that came next was also a surprise considering it had been played in the first or second encore in nearly every show this year - Its my life, Jon said that he hoped that we knew this, and he was certainly not wrong. Jon then told us that he loves this new stadium in Wales, the Millennium stadium, but he said he was going to try and get the name of changed to “Jonneys church of love”! Cue laughter amongst other band members and crowd. Then Always got a rare hearing to, followed by the fantastic I got the girl, which had only really been played on last years Crush Tour. Born to be my baby burst into action in its usual life but we got the biggest chock of our lives when Tico played the first few drum notes of Always and we all seemed to scream in not just amazement, but the fact the they were going to play the bands biggest UK hit. Jon sung it fantastically and Richies guitar solo was out of this world.

When Jon and Richie got their guitars together and began to play Just Older, the bands ‘anthem’ from the Crush Tour, and crowd again new they were in for a rocking track that would get their heads bopping up and down and arms waving about in the air. We loved it, as we did with the ‘Fun live track’ Wild In the streets. Jon then said that the next track would be for all you young guns out there before he started the chords to Blaze of Glory. Next up was the crowd favourite Lay your hands on me, I think we will always love this song being played live, because the whole band gets us to sing the first few chorus’ on our own, before the song starts properly. Bon Jovi played keep the faith and Bad medicine (is there a doctor in the house?) to complete the end of the main set. The band said goodnight before eturning just two minutes later for the first of four encores tonight.

The crowd got another surprise with the mouth-watering These Days, from 95 started to get played and this song is rarely played live, so we all knew to make the most of it, while it lasted. Someday Ill be Saturday Night completed the first encore, without the band saying goodnight, which I thought was rather strange because I have always known them to say their goodbyes, after the first encore. The gap between the first and second encore was quite long but we got a treat when the band came back out to massive screams and to play Ill Sleep when I’m dead. Jon then went to our left hand side of the stage to bring out Jessie James, Jon’s son, he kissed him before taking him to centre stage and told us “That’s my son Jessie James” to more screams and aaaawwwwwwws, which I thought was rather cool! Jessie is about 5 or 6 and looked really cute. Richie lifted him up to Jon’s Mic where he shouted ‘Hello’ ahead of more aaaaawwwwws! Jon then took him off Richie and sat him front of Ticos drum kit, but I think it must have been too loud for him and he was taken away.

The band finished the second encore with the fantastic cover version of Tequila which was better than when they played it at Huddersfield and twist and Shout. Jon told us to free some room between each other and to dance as much as we can. But of course its easier for him, he hasn’t got 50, 000 people around him pushing and shoving! We did our best however. Ahead of tequila Jon told us the small tale that he told at Huddersfield about the drink itself and said that if we take a small sip, we’d be dancing like this (he moves his arms about a little bit) and with a second wed all be dancing like this (and he moves about like he was starting to get really drunk). He then told us that a third would make us dance like crazy and he moves around like a funky chicken’! For the third and what we thought would be the final encore, they band played Wanted dead or alive (where they let the crowd sing all of the first verse,
which was absolutely fantastic and was one of the highlights of the entire show) and Jon and Richie’s face was brilliant, they seemed it total amusement and kept smiling and laughing at each other. Reading the quotes from the Tour program afterwards Richie said that if the audience see that that the band is having fun then they will have fun too – I think is a prime example of what the band is about as a whole. After Wanted dead or alive, the band started to walk off the stage, before round of the Livin on a prayer chorus from the crowd made them return (they don’t get away that easily!) Jon began the song the usual way for this tour, by introducing it slowly to the crowd first and then roaring into it in pure rock fashion, the way we all know and love it! The crowd didn’t really Have any voice left at all after the entire show, and to put Prayer right at the end, was a bit of a puzzler but from somewhere everyone of us grabbed a new voice box from the party to sing Livin on a prayer louder than ever and it was fantastic!

As they began to walk off again after one final finale some fan ran on stage, went up to Jon’s Mic and shouted “Thank you Cardiff” and ran off. He held a giant red inflatable guitar the entire show and somehow managed to get on and
off the stage without being nabbed by security. Jon and the seemed in total bemusement and the rest of the band members also laughed and Jon asked the crowd “who was that crazy guy?”, the crowd went crazy and because of this, Hugh, Tico and Dave left the stage before Jon and Richie stayed to sing the most fantastic song of the night – a slow, acoustic version of “Never say goodbye” wow, that’s all I can say. Absolutely fantastic To start the night with One Wild Night and to end it with Prayer and Never say goodbye was just fantastic, words cant really describe how amazing the entire day was. It will never be forgotten, for as long as the world lives. No fireworks tonight because the roof was closed but Thank you boys! Ill
definitely cya next year. Goodnight!

Other notes:
Jon wished all the dads a happy father's day after singing I've got the Girl.

Big cheers when Jon took of his jacket and pulled up the sleeves on his T-shirt.

Big cheers at the start of all Richie's guitar solos.

When Jon went into the bars at the side of the stage, some woman held onto him so much that he couldn’t let go, he had to drag himself out with some force to break free, it was all done in good humour though.

Jon really was enjoying himself and his great sense of humour came through every time he said a word, once insulting the Backstreet Boys!!

Jon said just before Wanted dead or alive that the next song was their "our national anthem".

They couldnt have played a better set - Having Always, Blaze of glory and These days, made it a set list from heaven. No concerts that you guys go to to will be forgotton, but this one will remain the one you will remember as the best day. I cant thank Bon jovi enough for making me feel like the happiest guy alive. Thank You!

kev

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