Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community - My Milwaukee review (actually written on 2/28/03)

Well, let me say that I think that the concert last night in Milwaukee was fantastic. I think Jon's voice is alot stronger on this tour than the last one. He was superb last night.

The Goo Goo Dolls I really liked. At one point in the show, while attempting to sing Sympathy, Johnny forgot the lines. It took him 4 tries to get it right while the crowd cheered and laughed (I think that brings them down to a normal level, which I liked). The first time he messed up he said "I fu**ed that up" and everyone howled. After the 2nd time he said "I guess that's what I get for staying until last call at the Safehouse last night" (a bar in Milwaukee). After 2 more tries he finally got past the part giving him trouble and couldn't help but smile when the crowd cheered like crazy. They played for almost an hour, and they went on 5 minutes early. They were very good. I love his voice, and the last song they played was "Iris" which is my favorite Goos song.

Bon Jovi took the stage at around 8:40pm. I know alot of people don't like the stage, but I think it looks awesome. I love the big satellite dishes. Soon we heard the opening guitar on Bounce...and all was lost. The crowd went crazy and stayed that way until they finally left the stage at 11:15. Jon's voice was in fine form...Richie was goofing around the whole show...Dave was having the time of his life...the crowd going crazy with each song...truly an amazing concert. They kept the usuals in the setlist, but added Keep the Faith. I was happy that they sang not one cover the whole main set. Every song was a Jovi song until the encores. They did Right Side of Wrong, and what I really liked about this one was that Jon sat down on the stage with his legs dangling over the side and just sat there and sang to the crowd. He just looked so relaxed and comfortable like that.

During Just Older, Richie flicked a pick out into our section (I was in the 9th row right in front of him). This guy in the row in front of me started leaping over chairs and knocking peoples stuff on the floor to try to find it. Everyone was looking at him like he was nuts. Anyway, because of this guy, I missed the first half of Just Older but ended up with Richie's pick because I looked down at the ground and there it was between my sister's feet. The row behind me started cheering and patting me on the back because no one wanted this guy to have it.

The ending of the main set was cool because Jon started to lead into Bad Medicine...you know, when he says he can't be held responsible for what he's about to do...etc. Then he counted 2-3-4 into Born to be my Baby. I think he had fun trying to confuse the crowd.

During Saturday Night, the emotion in Jon's face was clearly evident...he got teary a few times. That made the crowd go off even more. I did notice during this show that there wasn't alot of interaction with the people in the fan pits onstage.

Toward the end of the concert, during the encores, Jon said that Milwaukee has always supported them, from 1983 when they played the bars...to Summerfest...to the Bradley Center...that set the crowd off again to a more feverish pitch. They finally dragged themselves off the stage and the crowd was still screaming for more.

Milwaukee was worth the drive to get there, that's for sure. I saw them at Summerfest in July 2001...this show was 500 times better. Back in 2001 they had just come from Europe and I think were still a bit tired at that show. But last night...AWESOME!!!!!

This morning Jon called into the radio station sponsoring their show tomorrow in Chicago...they wanted to know if he was ready for tomorrow night (I know I am!)...they talked about Jon's birthday on Sunday, and he said he is happy to be spending it in Chicago. Eric the radio guy said that he has some surprises for him for his birthday...and Jon asked if he needed to beef up his security. FYI~Eric is nuts. Jon and Richie came to Chicago on Halloween for a promo for this radio station and Eric brought an alligator, gave Jon a snake and had a whole squad of Bon Jovi cheerleaders. Jon said that it was the best promo they did. During the promo, Jon gave Eric a card with the name of a shrink and told him to give him a call. Today Eric told Jon he still has that card he gave him, and Jon said that he really needs to use it because Eric is whacked. It was so funny. Eric went on to say that the tickets for tomorrow's show are the hottest in town in the last couple of years...they have been sold out since the day they went on sale. You can't even find a single seat. The United Center holds around 25-28,000 for a concert depending on the stage setup.

Jon also said he will start filming a movie in September...he said he only gets to do one every 2 years or so...that way it doesn't interfere with the music (YAY!!!).

I'll review Chicago for you after tomorrow night.

Setlist:

Bounce, You Give Love a Bad Name, Wild in the Streets, Livin on a Prayer, Runaway, The Distance, It's My Life, Wanted, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Just Older, Misunderstood, Hook me Up, Undivided, Right Side of Wrong, I'll Be There For You, Everyday, Raise Your Hands, Born to Be My Baby, Saturday Night, Keep the Faith

In These Arms
Bad Medicine/Shout
Twist and Shout
Rock and Roll Music