Review: Bon Jovi Rocks South Korea

20 years on, Bon Jovi rocks Korean fans again Age is truly an issue of mind over matter for U.S. rock band Bon Jovi. Front man Jon Bon Jovi's hair might have gone from long and blonde to thick, short and silver over the 20 years since he last appeared in Korea, but his explosive energy and scintillating smile remained untouched, and all the members of the band seemed genuinely glad to see their fans here for the first time in two decades. The "Bugs Super Sound Live ― Bon Jovi Live in Seoul" concert at the Jamsil Sports Complex Tuesday was a part of the band's 2015 promotional tour for their latest album "Burning Bridges," released on Aug. 21. Though the band was coming off an intense gig in Singapore four days before, they had no trouble turning the concert venue into a rock festival of sorts, complete with beer kegs, a euphoric crowd and raging music by one of the world's best-selling rock bands. The 23-song set Bon Jovi handed out was a patchwork of now and then. The band opened with "That's What the Water Made Me," off their 12th studio album "What About Now," and followed with hits including "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Born to Be My Baby," "Raise Your Hands" and "Runaway." Next up was a piece from their newest album, "We Don't Run," which came before a restrained version of "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night," featuring Jon Bon Jovi in a snug, black shirt and leather pants, center stage with just his guitar. Though the lead vocalist, now 53, broke on some of his higher notes, he squeezed out as much as he could and worked the stage with ease and force, to which the audience responded with heightened enthusiasm. The concert peaked with the band's smash hit "It's My Life," before closing with "Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars," "Keep the Faith" and "Bad Medicine." "His voice wasn't in the best of condition, but that doesn't matter to fans," said Joo Seung-woo, 34. "It was the best concert I've been to in years." Some 14,000 fans of all ages were in attendance. During "Wanted Dead or Alive," Jon Bon Jovi stopped singing to let the audience take over. Then, during "Keep the Faith," he jumped into the stands to take a banner from a fan that had the song's title scribbled on it, and waved it at the crowd. Fans roared even louder and the band repeatedly thanked them for coming out. As the show appeared to draw to a close, Bon Jovi had three encores ready, but when the audience wouldn't let the band go, it returned for four more. The final number, "Always," was a pleasant surprise, being a song the band doesn't often perform live. The band didn't say much throughout the 150-minute long rock rumble, but the intensity with which it took to its performances and the smile that never left Jon Bon Jovi's face were enough to move fans. Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in New Jersey in 1983. Its members consist of namesake Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboard player David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. Phil X filled in for guitarist Richie Sambora, who left the band in 2013. The band has released 12 studio albums, two compilations and two live albums, and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and performed more than 2,700 concerts in more than 50 countries. source

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China Shows A No-Go

Bon Jovi China Tour: Shot Through the Heart

This Romeo is bleeding, but you can’t see his blood.

Jon Bon Jovi – who recently made his Mandarin-singing debut in an online video — was slated to perform in mainland China for the first time next week with his eponymous band, much to the anticipation of certain members of the China Real Time team. But a ticket-selling platform halted sales for the tour’s Beijing and Shanghai stops on Tuesday without warning. That was followed by an early-morning statement by the promoter confirming the concerts were cancelled.

The reasons weren’t immediately clear.

“We regret to announce that Bon Jovi’s 2015 concerts planned for September 14 at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center and September 17 at Beijing’s MasterCard Center have been cancelled due to some reasons,” read a statement posted by promoter AEG China on its official Weibo microblog early Wednesday.

“We will issue refunds to all fans who have purchased tickets. A formal statement and details on the refunds will be released later today. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment,” it added.

The Beijing and Shanghai tour dates had been removed from Bon Jovi’s website Wednesday morning.

The seller, online ticket platform Damai.cn, initially told worried commenters on its website Tuesday that the tickets were on hold temporarily and urged patience, saying more details would be coming shortly. On Wednesday, it responded to disappointed fans that “the reason for the cancellation isn’t clear yet.” The website was still promoting the Bon Jovi tour on its homepage, however.

China’s Ministry of Culture, which oversees foreign musical acts in China, didn’t immediately respond to a faxed request for comment on whether Bon Jovi’s shows were still on. A spokeswoman for concert promoter AEG said the company didn’t yet have any confirmed information.

The confusion follows a string of cancellations by authorities of performances by Westerners at the 11^th hour, leading to speculation online that the New Jersey rocker was the latest casualty.

Earlier this summer, when U.S. band Maroon 5 dropped a Shanghai concertfrom its tour without explanation, fans surmised that the reason was a tweet by the band’s keyboardist, Jesse Carmichael, linking to a photo of an event he attended to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. Beijing condemns the Dalai Lama as a separatist, while the exiled spiritual leader maintains that he seeks only greater autonomy for Tibet.

Similar moves have led to the axing of performances by other groups, including Linkin Park in 2011. The band played in China earlier this year without incident.

The reasons for cancellations aren’t always clear-cut. British pop group Oasis said in 2009 that authorities had scrapped its China tour due to singer Noel Gallagher’s participation in a Free Tibet concert more than a decade earlier. A Chinese cultural official blamed the cancellation on the concert promoter’s financial problems.

In online discussions, some Chinese music-industry watchers speculated that the latest cancellation was linked to unspecified recent comments by Mr. Bon Jovi on the spiritual leader. Others pointed to a 2010 Bon Jovi concert in Washington, D.C., which included a video of figures including Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama.

China Real Time wasn’t able to track down any photos of Mr. Bon Jovi and the Dalai Lama together.

Damai’s website and China’s Weibo microblogs were inundated with messages from angry fans who demanded a response to the rumors swirling around the show.

“Bon Jovi’s concert got canceled?” wrote one Weibo user. “Give me an explanation! I wanted to celebrate my birthday in a luxurious way, but now it’s all gone!”

source

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