Review: Bon Jovi in Omaha

A review from the Omaha World Herald...

Bon Jovi Rocks the Qwest

Omaha fans sure do like their Bon Jovi.

Before the band took the stage, you could hardly move through Qwest Center Omaha’s hallways. Once they started, you could practically hear crickets.

Hundreds of fans filled the concourse waiting for beer and T-shirts before Bon Jovi started. Opener Dashboard Confessional played some of its heart-on-your-sleeve pop-rock songs to warm up for several thousand in their seats, while many of their friends were making beer runs.

And, seriously, lots of beer was flowing.

After Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, David Bryan and Hugh McDonald took the stage, the scene was different. The concourses became a veritable ghost town. Bon Jovi songs echoed faintly in the hallways, while a few people scurried to the bathroom or concession stands for more beer before bolting back to their seats.

Inside the arena, a sold-out crowd of nearly 16,000 went wild — dancing, screaming, waving and cheering.

The fans, a crowd of mostly 30-somethings and older, certainly have not given up on the band, which is going on its 11th studio album and 27th year.

Bon Jovi, the champions of arena rock, certainly haven’t given up either. They still kick out the fist-pumping sing-along anthems they cut their teeth on.

The show was a barrage of hits and new material from the band’s latest album, “The Circle.” Classics such as “Bad Medicine” and “You Give Love A Bad Name” were mixed with new tunes including “Love’s The Only Rule” and “Work For The Working Man.”

“Omaha, Nebraska, on a Tuesday night! I need you to get up out of your seats,” Bon Jovi said near the beginning of the show. “I ain’t gonna waste no time with talkin’. You paid me to sing and dance, and that’s what I’m gonna do for you. We got old, we got new, we got borrowed, we got blue, so strap in, baby.”

Fans were in for a ride, including watching the band run all over a circular stage, moving platforms and multiple moving video boards.

Bon Jovi showed he was quite the heartthrob — a simple shimmy from him made 40-year-old women scream like 12-year-olds at a Jonas Brothers concert. At one point when he momentarily removed his shirt, the place erupted.

Songs were peppered with Sambora’s guitar solos, and he even took lead guitar and vocals for “Homebound Train.”

Fans weren’t as familiar with the band’s newest material. While they were standing most of the time, some sat down during the band’s newest single, “Superman,” ran out for more drinks.

In contrast, men and women were dancing in their seats and fist-pumping during songs such as “It’s My Life.”

Amid all the arena anthems, the band slowed it down with a four-song acoustic break that included “(You Want To) Make A Memory,” “Never Say Goodbye,” “Something For The Pain” and “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night.”

A three-song encore of “Runaway,” “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and “Livin’ On a Prayer” gave the arena back the feel of a middle school roller rink.

“Uh oh, it’s 1984 again,” Bon Jovi said.

Throughout the show, he thanked the audience for their support.

“The only reason we’re here is because you’re there,” he said. “I’d like to say thank you to each and every one of you for coming out to see us again.”