[Rdkopper]

Review:

Overall Great Time!!!

For starters, it’s different… Not a Pro or a Con, just different! We were sitting first level, dead center which is quite a distance from the stage. For starters, there are no screens. In some ways, it’s good and in some ways it’s bad… It’s good because the screens dictate what you watch. When there are no screens to look at, you watch what you want to watch. However with that, it’s obviously hard to see certain things from such distance. For example, being dead center, it was hard to see Everett in the back and you really have to focus in, to see what he’s doing… In addition, it’s not that colorful set we are all used to… It’s all very dark (not in a literal sense but more of the mood setting). Everyone is dressed in black, there are no stage props, or screens. Maybe that’s the vibe Jon is going for… It wasn’t that smile, happy, colorful stage set that we are all used to seeing from Bon Jovi for the past 30 years… Again, not a pro or a con, just different…

Let’s just get the vocals out of the way…They are a non issue… Is he singing like he did back whenever? No! But he’s not butchering songs either.. There has definitely been some overall improvement since the start and although he does pronounce some of the lyrics weird at times, it doesn’t take anything away from the experience… I’ll stand by my opinion that a lot of it isn’t as noticeable when you are there live… To my ears, he sounded like his normal post 2K self, for the most part...

The Cons:
- I’ll agree with everyone here… The set-list… If he just tweaked a few songs, it would work better… To casual fans, Whole Lotta Leavin is just as new as God Bless This Mess… As diehard fans, we like certain songs because we know them but when you’re hearing these songs for the first time, it doesn’t matter how good they are, they are difficult to get into because you don’t know them yet… Sure, unknown upbeat rocker could work like WGIGO, Knockout Etc... but too many in a row that don’t pack that 1 - 2 punch just don’t work.

- Too many of the new songs… That small block mid show just flattened it out… No one is into them for the reason stated above… As much as I was looking forward to them and my main reason for going, they just didn’t move me like I was hoping… THINFS followed by Knockout, into Bad Name was amazing… I’ll get to that in the Pros but God Bless This Mess, Scars, NYD, were just sleepers… Even WDR was a snoozer… I do however think Jon did a great job performing them but there were just too many new songs for a wild audience as such… I am looking forward to the Soundboard because Jon did do a great job regardless of how they went over…

- No Devil’s In The Temple… the one song I was looking forward to hearing… Hopefully MSG...

- I felt like there was no flow to the show… Jon was just playing songs…. Maybe it was to fit that darker mood but there really weren’t any of those moments… The Fighter was very cool for the die-hards and I enjoyed Jon doing it that way but maybe a hit would have went over better… Like a plucking of NSG… I just felt like there was no personality to the flow of the songs… (hard to verbalize)

The Pros:
- Jon’s energy… He was NOT glued to the mic… He’s still a great performer and could work a crowd.. He even went into the audience during Bad Medicine. It was cool but again, hard to take in with no screen but still very cool.. His voice is improving and he looked comfortable up there. The hits were enjoyable.

- The opening… THINFS followed by Knockout, into Bad Name was Amazing. Knockout is a new song but it’s quick, rockin, and the arena acoustics really bring it out… great live tune… The outro solo in THINFS was fantastic live too…All three songs combined really get the crowd going… Jon should have keep that rhythm going with a few more hits before killing the energy with Lost Highway and WLOL… Rollercoaster also went over well.

- The energy of the Philly crowd.. The place was packed and ready to rock…Not an empty seat in the house... These people still love this band.. When the hits went off, so did they.

- KTF was amazing… Great seeing all the members showcase their talents.. Phil is really fun to watch… He’s like a kid in a candy store… Just living his dream at the age of 50 instead of 20… I hope he’s there till the end. Maybe replace Shanks with Sambora one day but keep Phil till the end.

- Wanted into Prayer is the way to end it.. Jon holding his guitar up at the end of Wanted was a moment. Jon holding his mic to the audience like he did in the 80’s during the end of Prayer was a picture. Again, great energy.

-I thought Raise Your Hands as the encour was killer... Runaway was also fun.

- The stories.. As much as the new songs went over flat, the stories at least add to them.

-The Band!!! Fantastic!!! Some real talent up there… Definitely makes Jon look better!!!

Overall, Excellent!!! A better setlist would have made it Amazing!!! I take back what I stated in other posts about Jon not being able to handle them vocally or the band not being able to play them… He can sing them and they could play them…Now that I’ve seen it and know what to expect, I’m looking forward to seeing it again next week in NYC, MSG...

[efpg0708]

Originally Posted by kleman

Well Jon' s back. He sound amazing. chech out the videos from this user

"Bad Medicine" Bon Jovi@Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia 3/31/17 - YouTube

Wow, this is great !

[liljovi93]

JBJ sounds and looks great. His energy in Bad Medicine was so good to see. Made me think 'he's back!' - Not going to get too carried away, though.

NYD was great too. Loved his energy in the speech at the end and the count of four!

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[MellyMel]

That bad medicine performance was phenomenal! My first thought- did he take the steroids last night?

[bj4ever]

lol, for once people on here seem to be saying some positive things about how he is sounding and moving around etc.

On the other hand, I just read one of the first harsh reviews in regards to Jon's voice....

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/musi...rt_review.html

After reading that, I was curious to see what was going to be said here.
Glad you've balanced it out (in the other direction) for once haha. (we are usually very critical but reviews are always very good).

Anyways, I'm still looking forward to my Toronto show in a couple of weeks, regardless of what I've been reading.

[Six-String]

After that show last night I'm really looking forward to MSG! His voice is much better for sure.. I hope they'll play Always Friday or Saturday

[ThePunisher]

And sadly this one isn't being released

[bj4ever]

I really really really really hope he doesn't read that review and goes back to being glued to the mic stand to try and sing better, because him moving around is definitely better, especially considering he still sounded fine.

[symbeline]

What the hell, Jon?

Just when I had almost given up on this tour and I was glad I wasn't losing sleep over this (literally and figuratively)...

This is exactly what I've been missing. I was watching a recent show after reading here some positive feedback about Jon’s voice, and I kept thinking "this is not terrible by any means and I believe the positive reviews here and in the press, but this is not BJ. This is a good cover band, I don't feel the connection to this anymore". I was almost begging Jon to bring back his dreadful nasal voice if it meant more comfortable singing for him so the shows could have more passion, more energy, more BJ-ness.

After last night, I might care about this tour again.

And even if this is just a one-off, it proves once again that Jon still has it. Whatever is holding him back, it disappeared for this show. Compare that Bad Medicine with a recent Who Says:

Bon Jovi Who Says You Can't Go Home Xcel Energy...

That was heartbreaking, watching Jon clinging to the mic during the bridge, during the ****ing bridge of ****ing Who Says. If I had seen this video without audio focusing only on Jon, I would totally believe it was an acoustic Who Says.

That Who Says is not how I want to remember this band. I thought that Jon would regain confidence and sell the shit out of the songs once he saw the positive reviews, the seemingly high attendance and how his voice is holding up and improving. I never thought for a minute that the static, karaoke-night-star Jon would last for so long. But after so many disappointing shows I thought that it wasn't going to change anymore, tha we were going to get the same dull, emotionless performances over and over (even though I’m quite sure that Jon is not half-assing his performances). I guess I understood and accepted that this tour is a huge improvement for him from where he was vocally and personally at the end of the BWC tour. This is probably the best he’ll ever be again and though it’s quite poor by BJ standards, judging by the shows overwhelmingly positive reception it’s better than they expected. It's just not enough for me anymore.

And then this show. I'm confused, I guess. I don't feel the chemistry between the members of the band, which was a big part of the appeal for me, but seeing Jon back in shape makes up for it. I almost feel guilty for thinking that, but I've missed this Jon.

[Captmorgs]

Originally Posted by Rdkopper

Review:



Overall Great Time!!!



For starters, it’s different… Not a Pro or a Con, just different! We were sitting first level, dead center which is quite a distance from the stage. For starters, there are no screens. In some ways, it’s good and in some ways it’s bad… It’s good because the screens dictate what you watch. When there are no screens to look at, you watch what you want to watch. However with that, it’s obviously hard to see certain things from such distance. For example, being dead center, it was hard to see Everett in the back and you really have to focus in, to see what he’s doing… In addition, it’s not that colorful set we are all used to… It’s all very dark (not in a literal sense but more of the mood setting). Everyone is dressed in black, there are no stage props, or screens. Maybe that’s the vibe Jon is going for… It wasn’t that smile, happy, colorful stage set that we are all used to seeing from Bon Jovi for the past 30 years… Again, not a pro or a con, just different…



Let’s just get the vocals out of the way…They are a non issue… Is he singing like he did back whenever? No! But he’s not butchering songs either.. There has definitely been some overall improvement since the start and although he does pronounce some of the lyrics weird at times, it doesn’t take anything away from the experience… I’ll stand by my opinion that a lot of it isn’t as noticeable when you are there live… To my ears, he sounded like his normal post 2K self, for the most part...



The Cons:

- I’ll agree with everyone here… The set-list… If he just tweaked a few songs, it would work better… To casual fans, Whole Lotta Leavin is just as new as God Bless This Mess… As diehard fans, we like certain songs because we know them but when you’re hearing these songs for the first time, it doesn’t matter how good they are, they are difficult to get into because you don’t know them yet… Sure, unknown upbeat rocker could work like WGIGO, Knockout Etc... but too many in a row that don’t pack that 1 - 2 punch just don’t work.



- Too many of the new songs… That small block mid show just flattened it out… No one is into them for the reason stated above… As much as I was looking forward to them and my main reason for going, they just didn’t move me like I was hoping… THINFS followed by Knockout, into Bad Name was amazing… I’ll get to that in the Pros but God Bless This Mess, Scars, NYD, were just sleepers… Even WDR was a snoozer… I do however think Jon did a great job performing them but there were just too many new songs for a wild audience as such… I am looking forward to the Soundboard because Jon did do a great job regardless of how they went over…



- No Devil’s In The Temple… the one song I was looking forward to hearing… Hopefully MSG...



- I felt like there was no flow to the show… Jon was just playing songs…. Maybe it was to fit that darker mood but there really weren’t any of those moments… The Fighter was very cool for the die-hards and I enjoyed Jon doing it that way but maybe a hit would have went over better… Like a plucking of NSG… I just felt like there was no personality to the flow of the songs… (hard to verbalize)



The Pros:

- Jon’s energy… He was NOT glued to the mic… He’s still a great performer and could work a crowd.. He even went into the audience during Bad Medicine. It was cool but again, hard to take in with no screen but still very cool.. His voice is improving and he looked comfortable up there. The hits were enjoyable.



- The opening… THINFS followed by Knockout, into Bad Name was Amazing. Knockout is a new song but it’s quick, rockin, and the arena acoustics really bring it out… great live tune… The outro solo in THINFS was fantastic live too…All three songs combined really get the crowd going… Jon should have keep that rhythm going with a few more hits before killing the energy with Lost Highway and WLOL… Rollercoaster also went over well.



- The energy of the Philly crowd.. The place was packed and ready to rock…Not an empty seat in the house... These people still love this band.. When the hits went off, so did they.



- KTF was amazing… Great seeing all the members showcase their talents.. Phil is really fun to watch… He’s like a kid in a candy store… Just living his dream at the age of 50 instead of 20… I hope he’s there till the end. Maybe replace Shanks with Sambora one day but keep Phil till the end.



- Wanted into Prayer is the way to end it.. Jon holding his guitar up at the end of Wanted was a moment. Jon holding his mic to the audience like he did in the 80’s during the end of Prayer was a picture. Again, great energy.



-I thought Raise Your Hands as the encour was killer... Runaway was also fun.



- The stories.. As much as the new songs went over flat, the stories at least add to them.



-The Band!!! Fantastic!!! Some real talent up there… Definitely makes Jon look better!!!



Overall, Excellent!!! A better setlist would have made it Amazing!!! I take back what I stated in other posts about Jon not being able to handle them vocally or the band not being able to play them… He can sing them and they could play them…Now that I’ve seen it and know what to expect, I’m looking forward to seeing it again next week in NYC, MSG...

Appreciate the detailed review! One of the surprises of the tour for me is how much Knockout has grown on me and how well it works live.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk