Bon Jovi Guys & Dolls
Bon Jovi guys and Dolls
By Stephen English
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Published: Friday, March 14, 2003
It's an affront to my inner 20-year-old concert hound, but I'll say it anyway -- Bon Jovi is way cooler than Goo Goo Dolls. And their national tour, swinging into American Airlines Center on Wednesday, will prove it.
How did this switch happen? Bon Jovi is lame-o '80s hair rock, right? And the Dolls were one of your hipper -- if rather derivative -- alt-rock acts, until they were constantly showcased on MTV, posing hangdog on a bus, in the video for their breakout hit Name.
Well, a lot has changed. Bon Jovi -- singer Jon and guitarist Ritchie Sambora, in particular -- are older and wiser, yet they haven't lost their sense of fun. So they realize that nobody who goes to their concerts these days is interested in hearing how the tracks off their new record, Bounce, sound live. No, fans want the sixteenth-note synth chords and bombastic guitar blasts of Living on a Prayer. They want to hear Jon's voice drip with condemnation as he sneers, "You give love . . . a bad name." The band knows that anyone who buys a ticket to its show is in need of some serious bad medicine.
Goo Goo Dolls, on the other hand -- and bandleader Johnny Rzeznik, in particular -- could use a good blast of rock 'n' roll fun. In his quest for VH1 dominance, Rzeznik has apparently decided not to emote anymore, and he comes across as a know-it-all annoyed that the rest of the world hasn't caught up with him yet.
Plenty of bands have been getting weirder and more experimental with great results in the past few years, but while Wilco and Radiohead have been challenging their audiences with their latest releases, Goo Goo Dolls have consistently underrated their audience since 1995.
At least members of Bon Jovi know their abilities and their limitations. They can rock you old-school as long as you're willing to shake that irony that was the rage in the '90s and let your hair back down.
Bon Jovi with Goo Goo Dolls
7:30 p.m. Wednesday
American Airlines Center
2500 Victory Ave.
Dallas
$39.50-$75
(214) 665-4200
Common ground: livin' on their hair At first glance, Bon Jovi (still best-known for late-'80s hair metal, even though the band's been around for nearly 20 years) and Goo Goo Dolls (known for radio-ready '90s power pop) seem like an odd concert combination. But there are more similarities than meet the eye. -- Robert Philpot
Sartorial trademark
Goo Goo Dolls: Lead singer Johnny Rzeznik's disheveled '90s mane, often seen on VH1
Bon Jovi: Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi's pouffy '80s mane, since trimmed but still frequently seen on VH1 Classic
Early hit that doesn't get enough airplay
Goo Goo Dolls: We Are the Normal, from 1993. Long Way Down, from '95, rocks, too.
Bon Jovi: Runaway, from 1984
Sellout power ballad
Goo Goo Dolls: Name, from 1995
Bon Jovi: I'll Be There for You, 1988 (yes, we know Wanted: Dead or Alive came first, but it's a cooler song)
Song title that belongs on a playground
Goo Goo Dolls: Slide
Bon Jovi: Bounce
Weird movie connection
Goo Goo Dolls: Contributed ballad Iris to the soundtrack of the Meg Ryan-Nic Cage weeper City of Angels.
Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi auditioned for the lead role in The Crow: City of Angels, which is not the same movie
Commercial tie-in
Goo Goo Dolls: Rzeznik was one of many artists who sang Supertramp's Give a Little Bit in a late-2001 Gap sweater ad.
Bon Jovi: Shot a commercial for Target, which sold a Target-only Bon Jovi CD
Television connection
Goo Goo Dolls: Made cameo appearances on several series, such as The Drew Carey Show and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi had a recurring role on Ally McBeal
Cool, small-scale 1995 concert
Goo Goo Dolls: Played radio-station sponsored "Party by the Ponys" in April 1995 at Irving's Williams Square, before Name made them enormous.
Bon Jovi: Performed free concert in September 1995 in Sundance Square, marred only by late arrival and acoustic version of Livin' on a Prayer (one more time, guys: that song needs to be electric)
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03-21-2003, 02:44 AM
Just a rumor. It was such a rumor that it wound up getting Jon a caricature in Entertainment Weekly's Hot Sheet column, but there's no truth to it whatsoever. He also did not audition for Speed 2 which is another rumor that went around about the same time.
