Review of:

“Bon Jovi”

At the Rioch Arena, Coventry

On: 24/06/08

By: Gaby

It’s been a long time since I last saw Bon Jovi live in concert. In fact it was way back in the 80’s as they launched their career on the back of such albums as “Slippery When Wet” and “New Jersey” and on the whole life has been pretty good for these East Coast US rockers and if this concert were anything to go by they are still; to use the words of a friend, “at the top of their game”.

This was a good and fulfilling gig lasting perhaps a little over two hours in which they played most of the old “crowd pleasing” favourites such as “Living on a Prayer”, Bad Medicine”, Wanted Dead or Alive” , “Keep the Faith”, Runaway” and “Bed of Roses” as well as a selection of songs from their two most recent albums “Have a Nice Day” and “Lost Highway” as well as a few surprises such as their version of “Shout” by Lulu and a nice solo spot by guitar wiz Richie Sambora.

Whatever anyone might say they are all still accomplished musicians and Jon Bon Jovi has lost nothing of his vocally rocky rasp and still gives one hell of a stage show even though he may no longer fly around the arena on trapeze wires.

If anything this was a solid, professional and good natured performance offering a little something of everything and which I would hesitate to say left everyone feeling happy and content as they made their way home afterwards.

So with that said what if anything is there negative to say? Well not a lot really apart from the fact that I did feel that just maybe Bon Jovi could fall into the trap of becoming a light weight mid western soft rock group as they and us get ever older.

Gone of course is all the hair and theatrics and in it’s place are a group of middle aged guys (however good looking they may be for their age) who have the tendency of sliding their way down the road to more easy listening and radio friendly material than perhaps the more cutting edge and heavier side of the rock mainstream.

For rock heads like myself I think that this is a shame for however good and talented they are as a band I did during their more subdued moments find myself drifting off wondering when a particular song would end. But thankfully my ears would spring to attention again once the heavier beats and guitar chords started to echo around the arena.

So enough of all the soft and slushy stuff and cowboy warbling and bring on the harder rock sound that many a fan who grew up with Bon Jovi remember so fondly from their earlier days and if not just carry on doing what they are doing and fans will no doubt still turn up in their droves for their concerts. For this really is fine and polished rock tamed and groomed to within an inch of it’s life and who am I to argue with that!