I have seen Bon Jovi five times in my life - a lot by some standards, and a typical year for other fans. My first concert on my own was the Keep the Faith show on Dec 1, 1993. I love this band and frequently wished I could travel to see them as so many seem to get to.

On July 11th, The Calgary Stampede brought an unmotivated Bon Jovi cover band to the Saddledome. Having seen them in 93, 95 and 2006, this really excited me - to finally have one of my favorite bands once again play in Calgary for the first time since December of 1993.

What we got was not the band I remembered seeing. Other then a few shining moments (Richie's solo on Any Other Day, Jon's cover of Hallelujah) the show was paint by number, wrap it up in 2 hours, standard arena concert without the magic and enthusiasm that usually comes from a Bon Jovi show, despite an electrifying crowd.

While I didn't regret going, I did leave wondering if the legendary shows of Bon Jovi were a thing of the past. When they announced a full scale Canadian tour I got a ticket. I mean, Bon Jovi is like sex or pizza - even when it's not great it's still worth getting. While the setlists on the tour so far didn't exactly get my excitement going, I went in expecting to have a good time, sing at the top of my lungs, and enjoy myself.

The band blew me out of the water.

The crowd was insanely loud from the moment the lights went out, as the band sauntered on stage and kicked off Lost Highway, then massive singalongs You Give Love a Bad Name, Raise Your Hands (everyone did) and Runaway. Early in the night, Jon said he was in a crazy mood and to buckle in. Sporting a constant grin and seeming to draw energy from the crowd, Jon twirled, danced and spun around like a preacher - it's a statement that's been used before but its accurate, when he is on the man is captivating to watch.



While I was dissapointed that Stranger in This Town was Richie's solo over These Days, it did give me the heads up to leave my seat and head to the penalty box, where I had scouted out the small stage when I arrived at the arena. Having read the reviews

I knew this was where I wanted to be if I wanted to be up close and personal (I had the same luck in Vegas in 06 when Jon popped up close to me in the stands.) Sure enough, Jon came out and hopped on the stage to perform Make a Memory.



Then Richie joined him, and I expected I'll Be There For You and Bed of Roses. My jaw dropped and I said rather loudly "Holy shit" when instead they broke out Diamond Ring to a fairly loud reaction from the crowd. Jon said "We're just making this shit up as we go along" before again surprising me by launching into Never Say Goodbye, (and a big sing along) which gave me goosebumps and reminded me of how they finished off the Vegas show with that song, just Jon and Richie. Keep in mind, I am less then 5 feet away from two guys I grew up watching, just in awe.





Jon suggested another song, but Richie wanted to go back to the main stage. "I want to stay here for a bit" Jon replied, so Richie headed back and Jon said "I'm trying to decide what to play. (I yelled Dry County and he smiled at me.) We've got more hits then a heavyweight!" He picked a rarity "This is from, wow I don't remember, I think Bounce. I feel like doing Mystery Train tonight." So he did. After the song he paused to remember the lyrics, then started an acoustic version of Blood on Blood, heading back to the stage to complete the song in its full version.



Living on a Prayer, which ended the set (as opposed to starting it in July) was perfect - starting with just a spotlight on Jon. "We've got to hold on, to what we've got. It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not...." the crowd ROARED and Jon stepped back and let the 18'000+ sing. "And that is why I came back to Calgary" he said, smiling. Again, this is the way the song should be done. Wow wow wow.



After a brief break, Santa came to town and threw stuff out to the crowd. Another surprise, as the band still did I'll Be There For You which I thought had been dropped in favor of Never Say Goodbye. Of course, it can't be a Bon Jovi show without Wanted... Waaanted.. Dead or Alive which was another sing along. The crowd actually started singing before Jon did, so he said "You guys know this one, let me hear you sing." So we did. Loud and proud. "You guys are going to put me out of a job!" Again, you could not wipe the smile off of Jon's face.

Still more, with a couple of covers - Twist and Shout and Treat Her Right, before the night came to an end and Jon walked through the crowd to the back exit and said goodnight.

My faith in Bon Jovi is restored, 100%. For over 2 and a half hours, the band I watched with so much joy in the first three shows I saw them in was back. Richie was in great form and the entire band seemed to be having a blast. Even songs I am not fond of like Keep The Faith, We've Got It Going On, and Sleep When I'm Dead were delivered with a fire and energy that made them memorable.

It would be easy to pick apart the show, and yeah, there are things that I wish had happened (that also would have made it a 5 hour concert.) I'd rather have seen Have a Nice Day or Lay Your Hands On Me over some of the other tracks, and I really don't like them ending with covers. But on the other hand, the crowd was going absolutely crazy at the end, all around the Saddledome, people were twisting and shouting and having a good time. It obviously works, even if us die hards just roll our eyes reading the set lists and go "Can't you play your own songs?" The Christmas songs were pretty cool too, but I am looking forward to seeing them again sometime and seeing more familiar songs in their place.

A lot has been made of this tour, but December 13th marked a truly special night. While this is a trend that continues for the band, or was one great night, remains to be seen. But I absolutely have no regrets. While the July show wouldn't even make my top ten shows I have seen this year, December 13th would make the top ten shows I have seen in my entire life (over 100.) I wish I could go back and relive this show again and again, because it was so awesome, especially getting the chance to be so close.

I've probably rambled a bit, hopefully I at least partially captured the magic that was the December 13th show. I am a Bon Jovi fan again and wish I could see more.






Full album of 55 photos - I took over 200 and these are the best of the best - can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...1&id=680245005.

Jason