The bon jovi concert was a great show and the band did an excellent job. They are all very talented and I loved how they interacted with the audience. The crowd was very happy and excited to be there. I would definitely go to another bon jovi concert!
There wasn’t any smoke or pyro or confetti or balloon drops, and Jon Bon Jovi didn’t wander into the audience like he did last time he was in Charlotte in 2018 (thanks, COVID). But the massive network of lights and video screens proved rock-show worthy — most notably during the “Bad Medicine” finale when it lit up above the stage to display five huge medical crosses and, alternately, silhouettes of women doing the kind of, um, gyrating that was popular in music videos produced by Bon Jovi during its heyday.
Despite Jon Bon Jovi’s advancing age and a voice that has clearly taken a beating from years of singing in front of packed arenas, he still manages to hold the spotlight with an electric smile and rock-n-roll intensity. He looks good, too, in black leather jeans and a jacket that was detailed with an American flag. The newer songs off the band’s latest album, 2020, sounded good, and Bon Jovi’s lower range proved effective during a sing-along of “Born to Be My Baby” and “Limitless.”
But it’s hard to overlook that his vocal instrument has deteriorated over the years. His diction is off and his tone uneven. This was especially evident during the Encore Drive-In Nights, a show they recorded during the pandemic and released to drive-in theaters around the country.
The edgy cover band Shot Thru the Heart, featuring founding drummer Tico Torres, keyboardist David Bryan and bassist Hugh McDonald, provided an energetic complement to Bon Jovi’s sound. They are razor sharp in their recreation of the studio recordings, and their live renditions elicit a rapturous response from audiences. The group also has a number of their own originals, proving that the 1980s New Jersey-based rockers haven’t lost any of their vitality.