Review: Bon Jovi, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, 3/29/17

Bon Jovi rocks Detroit with two Bob Seger tributes and farewell words to The Joe

DETROIT, MI - They've been rocking Detroit since the early 80s. Bon Jovi played Joe Louis Arena one last time with a tweaked setlist, some farewell words and not one, but two tributes to Metro Detroit's own, Bob Seger.

The rockers brought their "This House is Not For Sale" tour to The Joe on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 in what looks to be the last true rock concert in the storied arena's history.

"I want to thank you all very much for coming out here tonight," Jon Bon Jovi told the fans. "One last time at The Joe. Buildings come and go, but memories always stay." You can see Jon's full farewell and more fun moments from the concert in the video below.

Bon Jovi made some more unforgettable memories on this night with a 2 and a half hour high energy concert full of hits and a few songs from the new album.

The show kicked off with the band's first hit off the new album of the same name "This House is Not For Sale," followed by "Knockout." Then, the hits kept on coming with "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Lost Highway," "Whole Lot of Leavin'," and "We Weren't Born to Follow." Bon Jovi also played "Roller Coaster" from the new album.

First Seger tribute:

Then, something a little different, just for Detroit. The band mashed it's song "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" with Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll," playing the Seger hit nearly in its entirety.

The band continued to tweak the setlist from previous shows with another big song, their first hit single from 1984 "Runaway." Following that were hits "We Got It Goin' On," "Who Says You Can't Go Home," and "It's My Life."

Bon Jovi then told some stories behind some of the songs on their new album, playing four in a row. The rest of the concert featured all hits from years past with "Lay Your Hands on Me," "Born to be my Baby," "Have a Nice Day," "Bad Medicine," and ""Keep the Faith."

The encore changed right off the top from some previous shows with "Raise Your Hands," followed by two of the band's signature hits "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Livin' on a Prayer."

Second Seger tribute:

In the introduction to "Wanted Dead or Alive," Jon not only dedicated it to Bob Seger, but credited the living legend as the inspiration for the band's huge hit. "It was 1985, I couldn't sleep. I heard "Turn the Page" and this song is what came to me."

Farewell words to The Joe:

At age 55, and with a full head of grey hair, Jon Bon Jovi is still rocking like it's 1985 with a lot of energy on stage and a powerful voice. He also continues to move the band forward with new music. Here is Jon's goodbye message to Joe Louis Arena, which is set to close in a few months to make way for Little Caesars Arena.

"We bid a farewell to this old arena. Another new one will take it's place. It doesn't mean that it will be better just because it's shiny and new because you all grew up here and you know what happened inside these walls. Champions were made in this building. Rock concerts and memories were made, relationships were as well. I just want you to know that I'm proud to have been just a little bit of it when we got to play here way back when. Thank you all very much for letting us be a part of it."

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You can read the rest of the review here.

And now, some pictures: