Review: Bon Jovi at Regina Mosaic Stadium 7/28/10

Bon Jovi makes up for lost time with a Regina stadium show heavy on hits and deep cuts

Even Jon Bon Jovi is willing to admit that time flies when you’re having fun.

“Somebody told me before the show that it’s been 20 years since we were last in Regina. How is that possible?” the 48-year-old rocker asked the estimated crowd of 35,000 at Mosaic Stadium on Wednesday night.

“I like lots of things about Regina. I liked the fly over before the show. I liked the nice things written about us in the newspaper. And I met Jovi, a baby who was named after the band. It won’t be another 20 years before we’re back in Regina.”

Currently touring in support of their their latest album, The Circle, Bon Jovi certainly made up for lost time with an impressive 23-song, 135-minute set. Bon Jovi, joined as always by Richie Sambora (guitar), Tico Torres (drums) and David Bryan (keyboards), dipped deep into the band’s discography and gave the crowd a taste of the music that’s enabled the New Jersey rockers to sell 130 million albums worldwide over the past 26 years.

Opening with “Blood On Blood” and “We Weren’t Born To Follow,” Bon Jovi decided to challenge the crowd right off the bat.

“Regina — are you with me out there?” he shouted.

The answer was a resounding yes and when Bon Jovi asked the crowd, “Show me what you’ve got,” they responded with an enthusiastic singalong of “You Give Love A Bad Name.”

While the music was front and centre, the massive stage was also a sight to behold. Backed by a high definition video screen in the shape of a half circle — it measures an imposing 115 feet wide by 50 feet high — the stage also included a circular ramp into the crowd. With rectangular video screens on each side of the stages, fans were guaranteed not to miss a beat, whether it was a sly smile from Bon Jovi or a sneer from Sambora.

During “We Weren’t Born To Follow,” a song about standing up and fighting for a belief, the screen filled with images of Lance Armstrong, the Wright brothers, President Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, Oprah Winfrey and Martin Luther King Jr. It was interesting imagery — most people wouldn’t compare Lance Armstrong with Martin Luther King Jr.

Bon Jovi, who usually is very active on stage, apparently was limited by a calf injury he suffered on July 9 while performing at the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It took Jon 11 songs but he finally made it out onto the circular walkway. It was a gentle stride out into the crowd and although Jon didn’t appear to be limping, he definitely wasn’t his usual high-energy self.

The pre-concert press kit indicated Sambora brings 15 different electric guitars on the road and if he didn’t use all 15 Wednesday night he came close. It seemed he changed guitars with every song but what didn’t change was Sambora’s skill — he plays like a man possessed, with poise and confidence. He might not be AC/DC's Angus Young but Sambora is capable of holding more than his own with it comes to guitar licks.

Sambora also proved he was more than just guitar player by taking centre stage and lead vocals for “Lay Your Hands On Me.” Sambora’s voice fit the quintessential rock ballad perfectly as he morphed into a church choir leader orchestrating the congregation.

Jon’s voice sounded great, the band sounded great, the visuals were impressive but the set did hit a bit of a lull one hour in with “(I Want To) Make A Memory,” “I’ll Be There For You,” ”Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night,” “In These Arms” and “Work For the Working Man.” This isn’t a knock on the songs — the material definitely was good — but stringing that many slower songs together took the crowd out of the performance.

The band regained its footing, ending the set with “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and “Keep The Faith.”

Jon threw a curveball with the first song of the encore: “This Is Our House.”

“We’re going to play a song we’ve never played live before,” Jon explained. “And I hope you don’t mind but we’re going to film this for a video. So if you want to fix your hair and makeup, go ahead.”

Before playing the song a second time for extra filming, Jon had an interesting suggestion: “I wouldn’t mind if the Riders wanted to use this as they’re new theme song.”

Of course like any great showman, Bon Jovi kept the best for last, completing the encore with “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and a haunting version of the band's king-making hit, “Livin’ On A Prayer.”

On the latter, it sounded as if all 35,000 sang every word. It was a great way to end a great night.


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