[Dicanio]

Considering this is the Have A Nice Day Tour its a bit rich moaning that they are playing too many songs from the album.

I hope Im lucky enough to hear 8 tracks from HAND when the tour rolls into Europe this summer.

Ive heard KTF & In These Arms on past tours many times (When they sounded much better) so would welcome a different Bon Jovi show.

Id rather hear the new material live so I can make my mind up about it, rather than one of the old hits performed half-heartedly!

[sambosrain]

First Glad you Ryan and Amy had a great time . Hollow the openigg act like Ryan said werent too bad and ill agree with rock and a bit of a twang ...The walking through the crowd for Last Man is a staple hes been doin that at all the shows , and its gotten a verry positive response . I was over in front of Richie , I had the seat one over from him ( lets hope no one saw me though I know a few folks did so I tried to hide as much AS POSSIBLE )
I am thilled you got amazing pics Ryan.. I breifly looked over mine in photoshop and it looks rather good..Im pleased...so Im not complaining about that...

I know we all talked about Blaze and YUP I still hate the damn thing..IM TRYING to appricate it more though now after you all explained it to me WHY its so good...Im really trying to give it a chance .

Highligts...well

Novocaine - Jon sat at the end of the stage and talked to a young boy in the front row about baseball and the future and gave him kind words of advice.

I liked that personal touch as well


welcome WELL so am I ..I love that song and cant get enough of it...I like the feeling I get when they end with that...it just makes me leave the arena feeling well...good inside ...that no matter what i can make it ..I canr explain the feeling I get ..I just an emotoinal wave .


I’ll be there for you ---I NEVER grow tired of this NEVER ever never ...and as usual it was brillant..I wont bore everybody with my post...( IM thrilled for Ryan his first experience was great)

I cant wait to get more to come....This never gets old for me NEVER

[SamboraQueen21]

Originally Posted by The Walrus

Sorry, but I gotta go all Mongoose on yo' ass now

If you COULD care less about it, it means you do care about it! You mean you COULDN'T care less about it

haha my bad.. i was just excited that i was finally able to quote certain parts of a post after spending like 20 minutes in the test section... i am a blonde though!

Let me edit it: I COULDN"T care less about Bounce

[Captain Walrus]

Originally Posted by SamboraQueen21

haha my bad.. i was just excited that i was finally able to quote certain parts of a post after spending like 20 minutes in the test section... i am a blonde though!

Let me edit it: I COULDN"T care less about Bounce

Well done Doesn't that feel better?

[JoviForever]

Originally Posted by yomamasofat

It's probably not that brilliant anymore because it's a hard song to sing for Jon, but I still love the song, that's why I want to hear it live, just once. I don't care if they tuned 4 steps down. Yeah this is about the only classic song I haven't heard live.

I love the studio version but it's never worked live in my opinion. How stupid to say you will never go to a concert again because of ONE song!

[rainsong]

Sambosrain, if you don't mind me asking, why do you feel the need to hide at shows???

[RockMusic]

Hi 1st post. Thanks for this great site and message board. Bon Jovi’s label’s official site has closed their message board to any new membership registration. WTF? The clowns not get the message that the HAND Tour Second Leg started in Oklahoma City, 01.14.06? Also, I just draft reviews when I get a little time after the gig. I don’t do the clean up or editing. Please ignore the spelling, grammar, and side-bar tangents in this review. Enjoy - SS

# # # # #

Bon Jovi - Review
"Have a Nice Day" World Tour
Second Leg Opening Night
Ford Center Oklahoma City (OKC)
Saturday, January 14, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
RockMusic Review by Steve S.


Part One

As a natural born rock guitarist, doing the concert scene for over 25 years – with the severe tinnitus to prove it, I have tremendous respect for Bon Jovi (“BJ”), and their accomplishments over the last 22 years. You don’t make it in this highly competitive, cut throat, and corrupt music business, as long as BJ, if you’re not doing more than a few things consistently right. However, BJ’s music has never been my cup of mocha, except for 4-5 song I enjoy. I don’t own any BJ albums nor have I ever been to one of their concerts.

My favorite Bon Jovi video is Conan O'Brien's "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" vs. Bon Jovi entitled "You Give Poop A Bad Name". Extremely funny video. All BJ’s band members were very good natured to put up with the degrading slam-dance skit done at a Bon Jovi Meadowlands concert. Told me they were really good guys. Half way into that skit, I probably would have punched out Triumph’s “talking master”. Of course, Bon Jovi is laughing all the way to the bank, with their current HAND Tour success.

I was also somewhat disappointed in BJ’s new album Have A Nice Day (“HAND”). It’s not a bad album, it’s just not a great album and below the band’s potential. Yes, I liked the title track, but overall the album's material lacked imagination and there is too much recycling of old ideas and musical structure. Of course, I could say the same for other new albums from 80’s top touring rock bands. The only recent album, in this class, that really impressed me was Billy Idol’s 2005 Devils Playground. Very impressive and solid comeback album, backed up by an incredible live 2+ hour, small venues ’05 Tour.

I’m not putting Bon Jovi down, as they are a very successful band. I’m just a much harder, in your face, rocker than most of their music the last 20 years.

My new serious babe “main squeeze” (girl friend) was really giving me a “no love, bad name” for not wanting to see Bon Jovi in Oklahoma City, so we went to the concert. Yes rock friends, I still believe in chivalry and pleasing women, well if they’re really hot and like to party. Six months ago I was company transferred from L.A. to OKC. I feel like Pauly Shore in that movie "Son in Law" where he went home with this college babe to her parents South Dakota farm for Thanksgiving. I can’t help it I talk like Ozzy Osbourne. I wasn’t from drugs, I was born this way. Beside the major culture shock, from moving to OKC, we don’t get many National rock touring acts through here.

So I got two tickets yesterday online from Ticketbastard, 3 rows just off stage left in the stands. They ended up being killer seats and I was surprised to get them the day before the concert. I though maybe the concert was not selling well.

We arrived at the concert towards the end of the opening act, named Hollow. For those, that don’t know about the Ford Center, it is very nice, opened June 2002 at a cost of $89 million, and for end-stage concerts holds 19,200 (End-stage capacity per Pollstar promoters book shows 18,400, so somewhere between those two numbers). OKC homies are very lucky to have such a first class facility here. Bon Jovi is using local venue city contests to find local opening acts to showcase, at each stop on the Tour’s second leg. Hollow won the local OKC "Have a Nice Gig" contest in December '05, sponsored by local radio station 98.9 KYIS-FM. Great exposure concept, for both BJ and the local opening act, and it cuts down on BJ’s touring overhead. From what I heard of Hollow’s performance, I was impressed with the band. Two female front singers, with the band sounding a lot like early Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill, days.

After the opening acting, while the crew was setting up BJ’s stage and equipment, it got my attention how much classic AC/DC music was being played over the sound system. I can’t wait for AC/DC’s 2006 Tour announcement, and thought maybe the concert’s promoter, AEG Live, (#1 competitor to Clear Channel Entertainment) was giving the crowd a hint of an upcoming announcement regarding the completion of AC/DC’s new album and supporting National Tour. Anyone who attended AC/DC’s 2000-01 Stiff Upper Lip World Tour, understands the excitement of their upcoming ’06 tour. I’ll have to make a few “friends in the concert promotion biz” phone calls Monday. Personally, I think AC/DC will do a three month, large venue only, August – October ’06 first Tour leg. The band has always been fairly predictable. Guess that’s why they’ve sold over 105 million albums.

Anyway, the Ford Center was about 90% full when we got there, and by the time Bon Jovi hit the stage, at 8:35 p.m., the place was 99.9% full. Well I should say, the band without Jon, hit the stage. In BJ’s gig opening song, “Last Man Standing” (see complete set-list at end of review), I was watching Ritchie Sambora’s brilliant guitar work, from 30 feet away, not realizing that Jon Bon Jovi was not on stage. My main squeeze poked me half way into the song and pointed to Jon singing and playing a guitar on a floor riser, at the back of the arena, flooded by three white lights. After the song Jon, and a large staff entourage, worked their way up our side of the arena to the stage. Of course, when Jon passed right in front of us, the women in my section went totally bonkers. If Elvis was alive today he probably would have hired a hitman. Got to admit it was cool concert opener.

Later in the concert, Jon sang on a riser set up in the lower level stands, about mid-arena, stage right. There were so many women, with video phones flooding into the surround aisles that arena security starting getting nervous. But they were cool and did a great job managing the situation, without hassling the women who were just there to have a good time, and rape Jon in the aisle at the song’s conclusion. Again after the song, Jon and a large staff entourage, worked their way back to the stage, but this time Jon took his time working the crowd and kissing a few ecstatic, and gushing on the arena floor, babes on the way. Aw, the life of a hot looking, well toned, 43 year old rock star. And hey, Jon even has all his hair and teeth. I asked my main squeeze if Jon came up and kissed her like that, would she pass out and hit the floor. (She was getting red in the face from a histamine buildup, she was getting so worked up) She said no, because I would catch her before she hit the floor. Then with a puzzled look, she asked …“you would catch me, wouldn’t you? ~ ~

[RockMusic]

PART II

I was very impressed with the packed to the rafters crowd at the Ford Center. They were a great group of people, responsive, very supportive of the band, and rocked hard when the band fired up their classic rock hits. Oh, one more thing, there was a boatload of hot unescorted class act babes at the gig. Everyone in my section was standing and jamming the whole 2+ hour concert. The other thing that impressed me was the gig wasn’t an ol’ farts rock reunion crowd. It appears that Bon Jovi has done an excellent job of diversifying their fan base, attracting younger listeners (but not jail bait young with an IQ of a 3 minute egg), while not deserting the older listeners that made this band great, as to total lifetime gross unit sales and revenue.

I was also extremely impressed with the quality of the gig tonight and very surprised how good Bon Jovi was live, even to songs I wouldn’t even listen to on the radio. The BJ gig reminded me of when I was dragged to the Tour opener, December 2002, in Las Vegas of Def Leppard’s X Tour. The babe I was with was really hot, with major “daddy money”, but I knew if she made me go to the DL gig, I would chunky barf on the stop when Leppard starting playing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and some of their other candy ass lyric songs. Well, like the Bon Jovi concert tonight, Def Leppard totally blew the roof off the Mandalay Bay Center before a nearly packed houses. Cripes, it was a killer gig. I thought after the gig, hell I don’t listen to a song’s words anyway. I only listen to the musical content and structure of a performed song. I’m such a music purist, I don’t even drink alcohol before or during rock concerts. Driving to the OKC BJ concert tonight I had a good feeling, for no reason, that it would be a killer gig like the 02 Def Leppard gig in Vegas.

All the members of Bon Jovi looked great, sounded great, had great chemistry together the whole night, the performed songs were tight, and they did a super job working the crowd. Also, at least where we were sitting, the sound the entire gig was excellent and well managed. Very rare indeed these days, with the idiots that large touring acts seem to always have running the mainline soundboards. Never mind, twice the amount of necessary sound equipment being packed into rock concert arenas, just to keep overpaid union roadies, loaders, and truckers employed.

Big plus for me was sitting right off stage left where Richie Sambora played for most of the gig. The guy is still an incredible guitarist and a highly polished world-class music professional. I’ve always felt that Jon and Richie were “matched stage musicians”, like Steve Tyler-Joe Perry, Billy Idol-Steve Stevens, and unfortunately the sad debacle of David Lee Roth-Eddie Van Halen. Break the set up, or these guys get to fighting, and their respective bands and new material becomes just so-so commercial litter. On that note, Jon and Richie did a great job working and drawing off each others energy the whole night. Both veteran rockers appeared to be having a blast performing together, and sucking the crowd in on the fun. I don’t really know the rest of BJ’s band members, but was extremely impressed with drummer Tico Torres. The guy’s good, not really flashy, just very solid like the late great rock drummer Randy Castillo. (played ten years and did 5 albums with Ozzy Osbourne - post Randy Rhoads).

BJ’s stage setup was also primo. Kind of a clean techno Vegas act look to it. The stage had a monster moveable digital video HD screen and a large number of cameras shooting the entire concert. There was also a huge backdrop at the back of the stage, that also functioned as a huge video screen, which was utilized towards the very end of the concert. Without question, the monster digital HD video screen was the best I’ve ever seen for a National rock touring act. I don’t know how large it was, maybe 30x40 feet?, but the clarity, quality, and numerous camera angles, shooting the concert was incredible. No question, Bon Jovi set the standard tonight, for other National touring acts, when it comes to a big screen live concert feed.

3/4’s into the concert, a guy across the section aisle from us bitched that BJ was playing too many “p---y slow songs”, as he grumbled up the stairs for his sixth 40 ounce cup of beer. I turned to my main squeeze and said “what a dumbass, guy probably never gets laid”. Obviously, being a lifelong hard rocker, I could have done without the slow ballad songs BJ performed tonight. But, tell you what, my new babe, and all the hot babes in our section went bonkers, over Jon and Richie doing those slow ballad songs, particularly when Jon come over stage left. When Jon was singing right in front of us, two babes in the row behind me were literally crawling over us to get at the guy. It was real primal urge heat.

There was a boatload of unescorted super hot babes at the concert tonight. Have I ready said this – Well I’m saying it again. Not as many hot and nasty “do me now” babes, as a ’05 Motley Crue, Billy Idol, or Steve Via gig, but a lot of real class stuff. The way I look at it is, so what if BJ plays some slow ballad songs if it brings out the number and caliber of babes I saw at the gig tonight. If my new squeeze wasn’t so hot and good to me, I would have been real sorry I took a date to the gig tonight. As a true humanitarian, I just hate to see hot worked up babes leaving by themselves. “Bon Fluffer” performed a 23 songs, 2:05 hrs set. They played plenty of material to satisfy everyone in attendance, from party animals, swooners, to serious floor gushers.

Would I see Bon Jovi again? After their great OKC second leg tour opening gig, I would definitely like to see them again on this leg of the HAND tour. There are several factors that make for a great concert. The band, the venue, the stage and sound, and the crowd. Those factors considered, Bon Jovi, at the OKC Ford Center, was clearly an A rated concert.

NOTE: The Bon Jovi concert Sunday night, 01.15.06 at the American Airline Center in Dallas is presently another HAND tour Sell Out. Congratulations guys, you deserve it!

~ ~ ~ ~

Bon Jovi, Ford Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Set List - 01.14.06
2:05 Hours

01. Last Man Standing
02. You Give Love A Bad Name
03. Complicated
04. Born To Be My Baby
05. Story Of My Life
06. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
07. Runaway
08. The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
09. Novocaine
10. Have A Nice Day
11. Who Says You Can't Go Home
12. It's My Life
13. I'll Be There For You
14. Blaze Of Glory
15. Bed Of Roses
16. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
17. Bad Medicine
18. Raise Your Hands
19. Livin' On A Prayer
1st Encore:
20. Welcome To Wherever You Are
21. One Last Cigarette
22. Treat Her Right
2nd Encore"
23. Wanted Dead or Alive

# # End # #

[Living_on_my_Hair]

ehh... who the **** is this guy? Him an all his 'babes'? and being a ''lifelong hard rocker''? puh-lease..

but was an interesting review in the end, well written and quite witty.


andi

[bjcrazycpa]

Loved your review Rockmusic. It's always good to see a review of someone who hasn't been to a bunch of shows that can appreciate the show for what it is and not gripe over the set list or a certain favorite song not getting played. You need to make your next show Giants stadium in NJ!! That's a Bon Jovi show that should NOT be missed. And your girlfriend would love your forever if you take her!!

deb