Times review of O2

http://entertainment.timesonline.co....cle1980661.ece

"Originally booked to launch the revamped Wembley Stadium, but bumped by delays, Bon Jovi had to make do with inaugurating the O2 Arena.

Fortuitously, the shiny new venue proved a fine fit for the vintage rockers, although the strange, tented structure once known as the Millennium Dome in which it resides hadn’t totally shaken its sordid past.

Rescued by an American consortium with £350 million to spare, the O2 has morphed into a corporate crowd-pleaser, complete with 20,000-capacity arena, mall-style walkways packed with bars and restaurants and an 11-screen cinema complex. There’s even an icerink-in-waiting if wanted.

Yet some construction is still under way – there were isolated building sites and gaping holes in the ground – while first night organisation was appalling and some supposedly hi-tech facilities failed.

Not that fans cared from the moment they saw a smiling Jon Bon Jovi exit his dressing room and make his way through backstage – captured on camera and beamed on to giant screens around a surprisingly small stage. It was a smart start, which improved as soon as the show began. The arena’s sound was superb – as sharp and powerful on the floor as in the two tiers of pricey corporate boxes. Yes, the place lacks character and atmosphere was tricky to conjure, but as a modern arena it works well.

A joyous Bon Jovi were as slick as their surroundings. “Welcome to your brand new house,” said the singer after an awesome opening couplet of golden oldies Livin’ on a Prayer and You Give Love a Bad Name that had arms punching the air and incited a cacophonous singalong. “Who needs Wembley?” he continued. But you can bet a stage that struggled to contain both the band and its equipment and left little room for dancing, never mind running from side to side, was not what Bon Jovi had hoped for.

Sporting a black silk shirt on the back of which was printed golden angel wings – the front, naturally, open to expose plenty of chest – the glossy-haired singer found other ways to work the crowd. He invited competition winners, then pretended to take the huff when one preferred to hug the keyboard player, handed choruses over to folk on the floor to sing and dug out the band’s debut hit, Runaway – a song now old enough to drink alcohol, he quipped.

For how long he can continue highlighting his hair and striking poses for the screaming women who made up a vast percentage of the audience – and ranged from teenagers to fifty-somethings – is a question Bon Jovi must surely be asking himself. The ladies loved him, but at times, he looked ludicrous, standing with his legs wide apart and his arms reaching out.

His strong, warm vocals, however, couldn’t match the punch of the blazing riffs of Richie Sambora, fresh from rehab and looking a little dishevelled, but incendiary on Born To Be My Baby and the set highlight, It’s My Life.

^^^ great to read^^^

Tracks from the current, countrified album Lost Highway, which featured a female fiddler in a glittery dress and pedal steel and mandolin players, slotted in sweetly, but it was the old hits that brought the house down.

The main part of the O2 still to be completed is the casino awaiting planning. With more than a million tickets already sold for forthcoming shows, the arena looks a safer bet. As for the opening act, they were never going to be gamble."

S.

I'm really gutted I wasn't able to go

Yeah, how many times was the big screen all over the shop? The weird thing was the HAND smirk appeared near the end despite HAND not being on the setlist?

I thought the organisation of the O2 was woeful, and at the train station was borderline dangerous.

The Arena itself and the concert marvellous. But everything before and everything after was a thumbs down.

Good to hear the review- they may all slate the albums, but they can never fault them live!

"Set highlight It's My Life"

???

It's My Life was the worst performance of the evening - it was flat, dragging, way too slow and lacked energy.

Also the screens weren't huge!

And I thought the venue was superb, so it's not quite ready yet but it looked stunning, the staff were very friendly (when I was told off by a security guard they came to me and said "please could you" rather than just outright shouting which is what I'm used to from security at other venues).

The station was jammed and it was a bit of a kafuffle, but it's not the stadium's fault - if 20,000 people want to get out at the same time, it's clear that the tube can't handle that. It went shiftly though, and I think closing the station to let bunches of people through was a really good idea.

I agree though with the review - Richie was the highlight of the show and the crowd loved him!

Sad but true

Is there a difference between a plain old fiddler and a female fiddler. Would they have called her a male fiddler if she were of the opposite gender?

Kathleen (who is getting tired of the stereotyping)

I can understand your dismay. But look at the opposite side of this distinction: Judging from this board Ponz had been accepted as a "part" of the band far quicker than Bobby B or Kazee or any of the male side performes.

You can't be too upset if you've never heard them refer to a "male fiddler" as just a "fiddler." Personally, I think there are more important things in the world to be upset about instead of a review of a Bon Jovi concert making a factual statement. I hope you understand where I'm coming from, as I can understand why you might be upset about this.

That's cause she's better than Bobby - and she looks better in leather pants LOL.

Not too dismayed - just tired of the same old - same old when it comes to Bon Jovi reviews. Hair - Housewives - Poses - Looking ludicrous. And now they have a female fiddler - what next circus animals LOL.

Doesn't anybody talk about the voice - the arrangements - the guitar - the piano - the lyrics etc? I don't expect a lot from the media but these reviews really only repeat what every other review has been saying since the 90's.

Kathleen

The reviews are always the same. I get tired of them saying that having female fans somehow makes them lesser. That the stupid female wouldn't know anything.


Kat