Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community - June 19th London O2 Review

Hell, I know it’s been a long time coming but here is my review for June 19th at the O2!! And since the band is getting such a lot of negative stick for the final leg of the tour in the states, I thought I may add in my positive speel on them along with a few regrets.

Firstly, the show was awesome. Naturally, this is only my opinion, but of all the Bonjovi shows I have attended it is up there as one of the best. Certainly beat Twickenham in 2008!! There was something special about the night. The thrill of arriving at the new venue, although slightly worried, as people had been saying about crowds not fully into the show, lots of empty seats etc but I thought, surely to God, on a Saturday night in London, it would be full.

It was also my girlfriend’s first bj show, she having experienced a supposedly excellent Westlife show in Belfast a few weeks earlier; I was praying the boys would be on form!! Outside the arena, the crowd was buzzing, the place packed and I purchased the customary T-shirt. The O2 is a great venue! We made the seats early which where about half way along the arena, lower tier which turned out to be great seats. Bonjovi walked right past us……….sadly it was 5 guys dressed in the full 80s long hair wigs; blow up guitars and all but very entertaining!!!

One republic was actually better than I thought so hats off to them. Again, after experiencing the dire crap of The Feeling at Twickenham it would not be hard. I still loved Nickelback from the Have a Nice Day tour as they got the crowd really going but no matter. I look around the arena and saw people of all ages which was great plus a surprising numbers of guys, possibly dragged along with their gfrs but they would have left knowing what Bonjovi are all about live, that’s for sure.

As that screen came down, the lights off, I could barely make out 1 empty seat, bar the ones behind the sound control box. The arena was actually sold out. Everyone stood and well, it seemed that no one sat down until after Prayer!!! The band was amazing. I was hoping for Blood on Blood to open as its powerful but was pleased with Happy Now – a new song after all!!! After that it was one hit after another. My gfr couldn’t get over the fact it took 5 or 6 songs non stop for Jon to say hi to everyone but like I said to her, this is Bonjovi usually, high octane performance of non-stop hits for anything up to 3 hours!

WWBTF went down good, the crowd sung the words, raised the arms to the ‘Yeahs’ and I thought that was a good sign. YGLABN has everyone pumping and Jon did not let go of us as a crowd. His voice was on top form while Richie looked like he was playing anything but auto pilot. In these arms slowed it down just enough and then back up we went again with BTBMB. Slightly disappointed they didn’t extend it out as they sometimes do. However, to follow it with Wild in the streets and Wild is the wind was brilliant. These would be rarities to me though I cannot remember if they played streets at Hyde Park on not. No matter, the arena was rocking, all tiers were standing up, Tico was smashing the life out of those drums with Dave plonking away and interacting big time with the crowd. The bands faces told me that they were well into it.

Next was Crash. Now I know people don’t like it. I’m not the greatest fan of it either but its there for a reason. When you see a whole arena swaying side to side, arms in the air, in flow with Jon’s guitar you know why they play it. When you see that from the stage looking out, it’s a great sight!!! However, if it’s not a regular, I am happy! Runaway was special, simply because it’s a classic. Then it came to the controversial song on this board…..WGIGO. I am sorry; I hate the song for the lyrics but loved it at the show. Jon worked the crowd brilliantly; the screens allowing him high up, dancing away, the beat that rocks on, it is a great song live. Better here than at Twickenham but then the arena held the sound brilliantly!!! My gfr had long gone past thinking Westlife were any good at this stage!!!

Bad Medicine, I loved with the Painted Black bringing back great memories for me when I helped build a school in Mozambique. It was painted ‘white’ and we recorded a fun video of Painted ‘white’ as a team, one of the girls was a professional singer, oil cans as drums and spades as guitars!!! The fact the band is now playing different add-ons rather than just shout is great. Pretty Woman had everyone in nostalgia land!!!

LYHOM, a slight disappointment for me simply cause I wanted to hear Homebound Train. Richie is better on Homebound and I just don’t get the guitar rifts on LYHOM the same as he sings. Still a classic so can’t be bad.

Now the interesting interaction part of the show…… in the crowd. What would they play?? Open all night was a surprise. I couldn’t even remember if it was the Bounce song or the Boxset song. But it was different and I thought Jon did great vocally on it. Diamond Ring is a nice song and the two of them singing in the crowd was great. IBT4U was awesome. The last number of tours Richie has sung it, and did a great job, but nothing beats the two of them doing it. It’s made for both of them to harmonise together with Richie screeching the solos. A lot of people were out of breath at this stage with singing non-stop but on we went with no obvious ‘toilet break’ song either. There was no mass rush to the toilet during any of the songs. Love for sale was catchy and finished the acoustic side of things.

WFTWM went down surprisingly well. The crowd continued to stand, fisted the air during each ‘work’ and sung along, well the ones who knew the words did. The screens helped this song but after going the whole show since the 2nd song without a Circle song it was nice to hear another!! Its My life pounded the arena as always and then we came to my pet hate, WSWCGH. God how I hate that song but it’s played for the All Rights. Like most Bonjovi tunes its beat catches you and you sing along but it isn’t a favourite of mine. Faith closed the set and I had sung every word with Jon. If he was knackered like I was, there wouldn’t have been an encore!!!

But what an encore!!!

STBI was special. Maybe not completely nailed but hell yeah, it was great!!! The fact they tried something old but new was a big plus for me. Who cares if you miss a word or chord or two! And everyone stood and listened; no one went and sat down cos they didn’t know it. The crowd were pumped and loving every minute. Saturday Night was one of the best I have seen, maybe not extended as much, but listening to Jon building up to the last chorus was awesome. Magical performance soon hit higher and finishing notes with Wanted and Prayer. I was praying for no ILTT and they were answered. I looked at the stage before Prayer and Jon was bent double, exhausted. The crowd were so into it, he got lost with them and sang/danced/put his heart and soul into the performance. Goodbye dome roof with the singing of Prayer, in fact why Jon bothered singing at all you may wonder as you couldn’t hear him over all of us!! Lol!!!

So the show sadly came to an end near 11. Why the heck was there no ‘**** it, lets play’ like Hyde Park to extend a few more songs past 11, they did come on slightly late after all!! 24 songs and that was it. Did I sleep much that night, no! The adrenaline was still flowing after such a brilliant show. The gfr loved it so its looking good for the tour next year. What a way to start at trip to the States the next day, by hearing an immense performance like that.

Every show has its down points and these are my very few.

1. Why the lack of Circle songs – Loves the Only Rule and Superman are my favourites and I heard neither. WWWB was not even played and its the new single. This was slightly disappointing. LTOR instead of Who Says would have been brill!!!

2. No Homebound Train or Let it Rock

3. No breaking of the 11pm barrier despite doing it 2 nights previously.

4. Finally, no Bed of Roses. My favourite ballad of the lot, I have been to probably over 25 shows and still have not heard it!!!!! How unlucky is that and of course it was played on the Sunday night. However, after seeing Jon after Prayer, it’s a wonder he made it on Sunday night.

Positives – simple the whole show from start to finish. Lighting, screens, the band, the songs and I actually loved the set list. 2 more songs would have been perfect and they are mentioned above, will just need to go to a few more shows next year!!! Hard luck to the USA as they don’t seem to want to do the same sets with you guys for some reason??!!!

To everyone who was there, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I/we did. I could put videos up but sadly there is a second Jon who can’t sing (me!) on a lot of them as well!!!