Bon Jovi has been rocking the world since the eighties and they still bring it every time they hit the stage. Even at their ripe old age they still put on a two hour long performance that will leave you breathless and dancing all night to their classic hits from Slippery When Wet to the latest album What about Now.
The band has been touring huge arenas for years and their live show is legendary. The band puts on an amazing show with high energy and fantastic sound and lighting. The audience always gets into the music and everyone is singing along.
Jon Bon Jovi isn’t as good a singer as he was back in the day, but he’s an expert showman and knows how to interact with his audience. He’s also not afraid to get in the crowd and dance with them.
Even though the coronavirus pandemic has forced most musicians to cancel their shows, Bon Jovi has continued to play live. The band has recorded a concert film that is being shown at drive-in theaters around the country. The film, called Encore Drive-In Nights, features Bon Jovi performing 19 songs.
This is the first concert film that Bon Jovi has made since guitarist Richie Sambora left the band in 2013. His replacement Phil X was impressive, nailing both the anthems and ballads and showing true musical chemistry with tour drummer Tico Torres and bassist Hugh McDonald.
Bon Jovi has figured out that audiences are really there to hear the copper-bottomed smashes from their benchmark 1980s albums, such as New Jersey and Slippery When Wet. They may have dabbled in country and written songs with dance-pop producer Max Martin, but they’ve never changed their basic style or tone.
While the new material isn’t as strong, the older hits have a lot of oomph. “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Born to Be My Baby” were particularly effective. The band plowed through them with gang vocals and Jon shakes his booty, flashes that Hollywood smile of his, and everyone has a great time for a couple of hours.
The opening act was the reunited Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The band has been together for 40 years and they haven’t lost a bit of their energy or their connection with the audience. They’re a little bit like the E Street Band’s younger brothers, and they played their hearts out to a pumped up crowd. The crowd was screaming and singing their heads off for the entire set. It was a great start to the show and a great reminder of why Bon Jovi is so popular. The crowd was a great mix of people, from young teenagers to senior citizens, and everyone enjoyed themselves.