Age becomes just a number among the audience on Friday (21 June) as Jon Bon Jovi and his band take the stage at Wembley Stadium. Armed with twinkling eyes, exuberant charm and brilliant music, it unites both new music lovers and lifelong fans.
Starting off with their latest track, ‘This House Is Not For Sale’, the first few songs successfully established the New Jersey legends’ well-known anthemic presence. Urging the audience to get to their feet before launching into the fist-pumping ‘Raise Your Hands’, every seat in the stadium remains forgotten for the rest of the set. Mixing lesser known tracks with hits such as ‘Runaway’- “taking crowds back to 1983” as JBJ promises - the band surprisingly remain a breath of fresh air despite being in the industry for four decades. Playing for the first time at the new Wembley Stadium, after being the last band to play at the old one, the performance is akin to the return of the prodigal son(s).
From ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’, to ‘Born To Be My Baby’ and ‘Bed of Roses’, energy levels remain sky high before slowly calming to sea of swaying phone flashlights for a rare rendition of ‘Always’ brought out JBJ’s captivating vocals. The calm is welcomingly broken with the explosive ‘Shot Through The Heart’ and ‘Lay Your Hands on Me’ prompting reverberating chants and adoring sing alongs. Serving up an astounding setlist consisting of tasteful acoustic riffs in ‘ Wanted Dead Or Alive’, a pinch of expected hard rock in ‘Bad Medicine’ and a dessert of sweet ballads in ‘Always’, Bon Jovi’s performance is a feast for fans. The best, however, is yet to come as they close the show with ‘Living on A Prayer’. The final track in the encore, transports you to a time of top-notch music that you don’t want to come back from.
Jon Bon Jovi, now 57, remains ever youthful, and ever talented. And while the tight pants and long hair seem to be a thing of the past, the sound of his music continues to be present in the best of ways. Admittedly with vocals that may not be at the same range as it used to be back in the day, the performer remains just that – undeniably captivating his fans with easy charm and a teasing glint.
Playing on the day of the summer solstice, the stadium and stage is backlit by the mesmerising orange glow of a slowly setting sun, almost as if nature itself were celebrating being in the presence of the musical legends. It’s the longest day of the year and Bon Jovi perform a lengthy 22 tracks, but as the final notes of ‘Living On A Prayer’ grace our ears, sending everyone homeward, it seems to have come to an end all too soon.
Bon Jovi played:
‘This House Is Not For Sale’
‘Raise Your Hands’
‘You Give Love A Bad Name’
‘Born To Be My Baby’
‘Whole Lot Of Leavin’’
‘Lost Highway’
‘Runaway’
‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’
‘Have A Nice Day’
‘Keep The Faith’
‘Amen’
‘Bed Of Roses’
‘Blood On Blood’
‘It’s My Life’
‘We Don’t Run’
‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’
‘Lay Your Hands On Me’
‘Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars’
‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’
‘Bad Medicine’
Encore:
‘Always’
‘Livin’ On A Prayer’
