Review - Bon Jovi - Saddledome, Calgary Stampede

Bon Jovi doesn't let injury hamper concert
Wounded rocker's vocals right on the money for sold out crowd


Whether you're a devoted member of the Bon Jovi fan club or you're more apt to goof on the band, hard rock-lite heartthrobs that they are, you have to give a hard working rocker like Jon Bon Jovi credit where it's due.

The man has always given the impression that he's knocking himself out for the fans when he's standing on the stage fronting the band that is his namesake.

He even powers through painful injuries suffered on the job, like the calf muscle he blew out during Bon Jovi's Friday night gig in his hometown of New Jersey.

That's the sort of thing that's been known to put many a pampered rock star out of commission for a bit of a bed and beauty rest and time to lick the wounds.

Not so for this 48-year-old rocker who brought his band to Saddledome on Wednesday night for a Calgary Stampede gig.

Like Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan said in an interview before the concert: "He's our race horse," and that race horse put on an impressive showing at the Dome in a sold-out gig that went on for a good two-and-a-half hours.

Hitting the stage with Blood on Blood it was clear the singer was working through an injury in that he favoured his strong leg and he wasn't quite as rambunctious as he can be.

He acknowledged as much too, rewriting a line from Blood On Blood as "me, I'm the one-legged singer in a long-haired rock 'n' roll band."

But he didn't let it slow him down -- much. During hit songs like You Give Love A Bad Name, Born To Be My Baby and It's My Life he actually pogoed and broke out a few moves on that one leg, and he didn't look all that silly doing it, either.

In fact, to the many ladies in the audience who came to drool at the guy, he looked fine. Was that a squeal I just heard? Mighty fine, I suppose.

Unlike so many classic rock bands, Bon Jovi is able to push its new tunes on the audience as well, without losing momentum.

That was clear during songs like We Weren't Born To Follow, Work For The Working Man and the band's foray into contemporary country rock, Who Says You Can't Go Home?

A huge part of the show's success was down to the band, who played it loose but with real authority, guitarist Richie Sambora and drummer Tico Torres driving the sound.

As for our wounded hero, his vocals were right on the money, warm, raspy and soulful, and throughout the evening he emitted the charisma of man who had something to prove.

One of the highlights in that proving was a version of the '80s hit Bad Medicine, which incorporated Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman. It brought the roof down.

At press time the encore had begun and Jon limped up to the mic leading his band through an excellent version of Wanted Dead or Alive.

The fans, of course, loved the show, but even Bon Jovi's detractors would be jerks not to admit that the band with the beat-up frontman won the fight on Wednesday night.


source