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Here's a review from The Guardian. (3/5)
EDIT: They rated the Glasgow show to 3/5 in 2013 too! Bon Jovi review – shaky stadium heroes go with the whoah "Visually, it’s an impressive spectacle; musically, less so. JBJ’s gravel tones are not quite what they were. He spends much of the gig rooted at the microphone stand, concentrating to hit notes he once did with one arm around (now departed) guitarist and fellow poodle hair criminal Richie Sambora. At times, the sound is truly dreadful, which isn’t a problem when You Give Love a Bad Name is bellowed by the crowd, but the lesser known Born to Be My Baby and Have a Nice Day are lost in Anfield’s natural bass and echo." ..."that cathartic eruption for Livin’ on a Prayer ensures that even some distance from their heyday, Bon Jovi will never walk alone." Hehe :) |
The Official June 19 Anfield, Liverpool, England Thread
After debating whether I’d ever see them live again, I ended up purchasing two tickets for Anfield. I’m really happy I did.
While the band are not the force they once were, and Jon is obviously struggling vocally, it was still a really enjoyable gig. Jon seems genuinely happy right now, the band are really tight (one small blip on Twist & Shout if I remember correctly) and despite Phil being quite irritating on Twitter and his perpetual rushing of solos, in all fairness he is infectious to watch. The guy doesn’t stop smiling, making eye contact with the crowd and actually seems to love it up there. Anfield had a great crowd too, which most definitely helps. That energy rubs off and when you see and hear others enjoying themselves, singing and smiling, it really adds something to an experience. For me, the bottom line is pretty simple. You’re going to hear Jon skip words, be slightly behind the music, be flat at times. It’s there, but it really didn’t matter all that much with the band playing so great and him moving and enjoying himself. No sulking, no stink eyes, no egos, just a singer doing his best and actually looking interested. It must be said that I was in great company last night too. My wife and I met up with Jay, his gf, Kev and a few others and they were absolutely brilliant with us. Really friendly, funny and it definitely added to the experience. I’ve been to shows were Jon has been superb vocally and the crowd have been dull, quiet and half arsed. I’d honestly take last night over that. Those factors I’ve mentioned (energy, enjoyment, great company) go a long way to making a show for me. I totally understand why some people don’t want to see/hear Jon struggle through a show. I almost didn’t go for that exact reason. But I’m really happy I did now. Back to the gig. The set list was average to say the least. I actually don’t mind Amen but it needs dropping immediately. My wife said to me, “why play that song Amen. It’s shit. Couldn’t they have played Always, or Bed Of Roses or something we can sing to?” She had a point. As stated a hundred times, WLOL and LH need separating, dropping or just play one. No need for the two back to back. WWBTF is shit live, isn’t it? Nothing to do with vocals, it’s just filler. I’ve no issue with the Beatles covers, only their placement. End on a Bon Jovi song. A good one. That said, I thought THINFS worked great, the outro is fantastic. BOB, LYHOM, WDR were really solid. TD wasn’t a train wreck and went down a treat. I’ve warmed a bit more to Phil X. He’s trying to fill some big shoes and in the main does a good job. Tico is immense. He’s looking his age but he’s rock solid back there. I can’t remember if Jon introduced him actually. I know he did with Hugh, Phil and Everett. Did he with David and Tico? Not sure. My brother and nephews were at the gig (further back in the GC and on Shanks’ side) and said they had to move around to find a better acoustic spot. Heard a few people say the sound was a bit messy at times. It was mostly great were we stood on Phil’s side to be fair. The stage was great, nothing extravagant but decent. Obviously the closer you are the less you take in but the huge screens offer plenty of detail if your line of sight is blocked by arms and phones. Overall then, a much better show than I was expecting. I wish I had booked tickets for Wembley now. Hopefully they get a better setlist. Enjoy. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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Have a nice day from Anfield -
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For what it's worth, a quick review now some time has passed.
Was in Gold circle which was brilliiant, walked in at five past 8 and the band kicked off at ten past! I'd heard everything before except; THINFS, Amen, WDR and the two Beatles songs. Thought they all sounded good to be honest. Pretty standard set but actually a good cross section of work from most of the albums, good for casual fans I thought. Although might be time for Capt Crash to get on his spaceship back to Mars... The screens were the best I've ever seen at a BJ concert, and the production and graphics were excellent. The crowd absolutely loved it and it was great when everyone lit up their phones during these days. Don't think Jon asked them to do that either (?). As for the band; Shanks didn't annoy me as much as I thought he would to be honest. Tico and Dave, legends as always. My wife (first concert) remarked on how happy Phil looked and how much energy he brought to the show. Don't want to get drawn into the debate on Jons voice vs the sound in the stadium, but to my ears he sounded fine. He played it safe in the setlist vocally for the most part. Overall, thoroughly enjoyed, of all the shows I've been to it felt the most like a (Bon Jovi themed) party where everyone was just there to have a good time. I'd give it a total of seven Jovi's out of nine! https://i.ibb.co/Xx1dNJH/Untitled.png |
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