Review: Bon Jovi @ Gulf Shores Public Beach

 Bon Jovi 'lays his hands' on tens of thousands at Gulf Shores

GULF SHORES, Ala. — The Bon Jovi relief concert on the beach in Gulf Shores started with a bang when opening band Green River Ordinance took the stage in front of tens of thousands, but by the time the headliner’s turn came, the event had reached a fever pitch.

The latest Concert for the Coast benefit was expected to draw 35,000 tonight, and judging from the shoulder-to-shoulder masses on the sugar-white sand, that goal was well within reach.

In-between songs in the early part of his set, Jon Bon Jovi reached out to the crowd, saying, "Out on the beach in Alabama on a Friday night! Are you with me out there?"

With the deafening reaction from the sprawling crowd, the question might have been better put: Is there anyone who isn’t?

Moving through hit songs such as "Blood on Blood," "Bad Medicine" and "Runaway" — even bringing out a fast-paced version of "Pretty Woman" — Bon Jovi had the crowd eating out of his hands.

The unity displayed in that one moment resonated with organizers of the concert, which is the second such event to take the place on the massive stage at the foot of Ala. 59 in Gulf Shores. Local boy Jimmy Buffett kicked off the series in July, bringing more than 30,000 to the shores of an area that was crippled by lost income in the wake of the BP oil spill, which began on April 20 and continued throughout most of the summer tourist season.

Tourism funds from BP, administered by the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, helped make the concert series happen. And tonight’s show was only part of the off-season celebration, which includes the Thunder on the Gulf powerboat races and ends with country star Brad Paisley’s concert on Sunday night.

With his trademark smile, and dressed in a black leather jacket and blue jeans, Bon Jovi held his fists in the air and sparked the crowd with a chorus of "Everybody say yeah, yeah, yeah!" during his hit "We Weren’t Born to Follow."

And considering occupancy rates reported in the range of 80 percent to 90 percent across the Alabama Gulf Coast for the weekend, the resulting roar was surely echoed by area business owners who were hoping for a windfall of profits a week after the "official" beach season ended with last week’s Shrimp Festival.

Officials with the coastal communities and the tourism bureau felt like that goal was achieved, as well as reaching an attendance of 35,000.

"This is absolutely spectacular for us," said Linda Whitlock, president of the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce. "Look at that beach!"

She could have been talking to Bon Jovi directly, for after playing crowd favorite "Shot Through the Heart," the New Jersey-born rocker smiled and said, "It’s been a while since we’ve been in Alabama, and judging by the sight of 35,000, I wonder why the hell it took us so long."

In all, his portion of the weekend’s festivities seemed to hit the mark, with crowds moving relatively well all along the beach’s boardwalk. The logistics of the event were a key point of improvement after Buffett’s summer concert, according to Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft.

"The good thing about this one is that we knew we knew what we were doing," Craft said. "Last time, we thought we knew.

"There’s a big difference."

All along the shore of the cooling Gulf waters, one thing is for sure: that difference will be measured in dollars.

Jon Bon Jovi in concert in Gulf Shores

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