best bj concert

I've been to four. One during Crossroad to the East tour in Singapore, the second was during OWN tour in Pittsburgh, the third was Bounce tour in Cleveland and the last was HAND tour in OKC.

The best was the first one for several reasons:
1. I was close to the stage
2. It was my first concert ever
3. They performed great
4. LOAP, These Days (before the album was released), BOB, Always, Saturday Night, KTF and Bed of Roses. Hell, I even got Dry County.

The Pittsburgh show was cool because I got a long version of REAL IBTFY (with Jon singing), Raise Your Hand (when it was still a rarity), It's My Life, Just Older, Born To Be My Baby. Basically songs that weren't present in my first show.

The Cleveland show was cool for the stage show (those cheesy satellites) and the BEST KTF version of all time.

The OKC show was the worst because:

1. No BOBITA (at this point in time I HAVE TO HEAR ITA LIVE)
2. Weakest encore ever
3. Worst version of IBTFY ever

HAND (the song) was neat though.

After this summer i will have been to around 10

All of them were just fantastic. give you a brief description of each one.

I went to both the Crush shows at Wembley and for some reason find it hard to remember much about them(i wasnt drunk!!!) So these are probley the least favs, they were still great but not sure why, i cant remember setlists etc and much about the shows. I think for the first time ever i chose to sit down in the seat section and maybe just felt a bit out of the atmosphere.

My very first Bon Jovi concert was Milton Keynes in 1996 These days tour.
That was fantastic and can still remember it very clearly. Everything i expected the show to be was surpassed and loved every minute of it.

I then Joined the Fan Club for the One Wild Night Tour and was in the fan pit for Milton Keynes and Cardiff Millenium Stadium, just being so close was fantastic and will never forgot that. Was great meeting all the other Backstage members, and with wristbands felt like royalty!!!!!

But the concert which was just magical and fantastic just due to the size was the Hyde Park Concert in 2003. we had Gold Circle tickets and were infront of about 90'000 people. The band bought out there Kids and it seemed that all of them just couldnt believe that so many people had turned up to see them. They played for nearly 3 hours and wouldnt stop saying how special it was to them all. It seemed was a landmark concert for them all.

I am hoping that the Wembley Shows this year will be the same kind of atmosphere as Hyde Park im sure they will be better and cannot wait. I am going to both Wembley Shows and the Southampton show on Friday. be interesting to see the differnce from Southampton to Wembley shows cause i am sure they will be better at Wembley.

This was a thread worth siging up for.

It really is hard to pick one individual concert, but lots of memories.

The First Time was hard to beat. 1993 at the Birmingham NEC on the Keep The Faith Tour. The last indoor arena tour they played in the UK and nothing like anything I'd seen before. I was probably 14 at the time and can actually remember worrying on the way to school that morning whether or not they would go down well. I had loved the music, New Jersey, especially for years. and would have been devestated if it was nothing but the best show I had ever seen.

I remember first of all being struck dumb by Jon's charisma and looks. He frankly glowed back then and a ball of energy. Three songs in, and he was running all around the arena floor, shaking hands, smiling and totally upstaging Richie's guitar solo. The power of the opening trio floored me - I Believe, Bad Name, Wild In The Streets.

It wasn't just the excitement of something new, or even of having snuck into a way better seat than I had a ticket for (a bunch of people got moved forward because the projector was blocking their view, and I couldn't resist sneaking forward with them), but the set list is one that people would kill for today - ITA, Dry County, Blood Money from Blaze of Glory (Sung entirely by the crowd!), cover of Drift Away, and the acapella intro version of Livin on A Prayer. I remember being across the aisle from the cutest red haired girl, and gettin into Prayer together. I even posted a message in Kerrang Personals looking for her! - Way better than the Milton Keynes show later that year, just a looser atmosphere with much more interaction.

Camden New Jersey in 2001 woudl probaly come second. A few nights before, and much more exciting performance than the Giant's Show of that year. The highest energy (and smallst venue) since the first time, my first trip to Jersey (so not my last!!!!) Alec John Such re-joining the band for Wanted (I screamed like a girl!) and this girl striaght of '88, blood red nails, leather etc dancing for me in Lay Your Hands before jumping up to my seat and kissing me.

Of the stadium shows, there is no doubt they save something back for the biggest shows. The first night of Wembley in 2001 was about the most charismatic I've ever seen Jon, most ridiculous speaches (the movie career one, especially), charming the crowd with an insane cover of London Calling, loads of references to the history of the venue and for my money, a better show than 95. And the fact that I had, even as the show was going on, no Idea where I be staying the night, thanks to some last minute tickets.

I eventually hooked up with my cousin before going back from Round No. 2.

Milton Keynes on the These Days tour, I'm sure will have a special place for many serious fans, if only because of the choices of songs they played. The first night saw the band was incredibly laid back. A ballad heavy set, the first acoustic segment I remember, Loads of These Days songs played - Diamond Ring, My Guitar, Something for the Pain, and way more jamming than usual. I was actually half convinced the band had enjoyed a little pot before the show. Also fantastic to see the show beginning with a Marching Band playing Lay Your Hands on Me.

They didn't make an appearance the second night, but the band turned up the rock. Dressed in Leather and opened with Rockin in the Free World. The Rock N' Roll Circus stage set they used that tour was Hands Down the best one they have ever used and really gave a sense of Mounting Spectacle.

I can understand why otherwise reasonable people gripe about the predictable set lists the band can deliver on the low key shows. It's just that they have soooooooo much to live up to!!!

wow, cheers for all that! I would of killed to have been at a These Days tour gig!

andi

I've been to six Bon Jovi concerts (all in Toronto) and like Lizz, I have a tie as to the shows I consider the best.

February 20th, 2003:
My first Bon Jovi show ever, so its got the excitement factor there. This is going to sound incredibly corny, but I got a chill when the house lights went down and the first notes rang out. It was almost surreal. I still, 3 years later, can't get over the fact that they played Damned. TD is my favourite album and I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never hear one of its tracks live. When they started to play it, I stood slack-jawed.

January 21st, 2006:
Great setlist and great crowd. I went nuts when they started to play WITW, so much so that the guy beside me leaned over and asked if I was okay LOL The little creeping dance the band did during Gloria, BoB and KTF (with jungle screams), then seeing the band in the hotel bar - I had a huge grin on my face all night

Oops this is the show I was talking about with Damned and the six encores... I put the wrong date in my post... all these shows and I got the months mixed up! I agree getting Damned was the shocker of the night!

cool......i hop they tour here

Well lets see, I first saw BJ at The Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1986 on the Slippery When Wet tour then in 1989 i saw them 6 times starting with January 13 and 14th in Honolulu, Hawaii where the first night they sang half of their songs and the people lucky enough to come back for night 2 they played ALL the songs they did not play the night before!!! That was definitly their best show for me. Jon and Richie did their little sides of the stage thingy where Jon had one side going wild and Richie the other.....Jon's side ALWAYS won, but I gave it my all being a Richie fan and all! Anyhow saw them twice in March 1989 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View California then twice again September 8th and 9th in Sacramento, CA. This was the New Jersey tour. In 1991 I had the pleasure of seeing Richie Solo in San Francisco and then I saw BJ for the last time in 1993 on the Keep The Faith tour. I have not seen them since....Had kids and doing the mom thing now. I can't remember the other 2 times I have seen them cause i only count 9 here and i've seen them 11 times. I'll have to find my ticket stubs....This was back when tickets were only $20.00!!!!! For ALL seats!! The good ole' days!!!!

Of the four I've been to this tour, Tampa Night 2 had the best set list. Omaha had the best energy and crowd reaction. I can't really narrow down to one single best show ever though. St. Louis in 2000 was unbelievably good and so was the Atlanta Christmas show in 1994.

How many shows have you seen?