Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Review: Bon Jovi - Air Canada Centre, Toronto !14-11

Bon Jovi gives romantic and rockin' performance
No real surprise but even Bon Jovi had Valentine's Day on the brain Monday night as the New Jersey rock veterans kicked off the beginning of two back-to-back shows at the Air Canada Centre. "I'm looking for love tonight? Are you with me?" asked the band's still boyish frontman Jon Bon Jovi, 48, clad in tight dark denim pants and a black leather shirt just minutes into the two-and-a-half-hour show.

Judging from the act of screaming, excited females in the crowd, I'm guessing the result would be an overwhelming yes? "Bon Jovi is like Viagra for women, you know," the singer correctly summed up while acquiring a "kiss-cam" trained on couples in the audience who were then triggered into locking lips. "I need to see some smooching going on!" he demanded. "Happy Monday night to you all on Valentine's Day. .For all you lovers, and soon-to-be-lovers, and somebody-who-meets-somebody at a Bon Jovi concert and becomes lovers." Bon Jovi, who had the No. 1 tour of 2010 and released a greatest hits package last year, have been recent visitors to Toronto having played two back-to-back shows at the Rogers Centre last July. The major difference this meter was a lots more intimate show - if you can claim a large, in-the-round stage, a circular catwalk, and an impressive LED screen and several mini screens as a backdrop intimate - with the energetic frontman able to easily move about and run the room. Back in July, the singer had just torn his calf muscle at a New Jersey show two weeks before and was a trooper but a stationary one. On Monday night, about 150 audience members were also lucky enough to be in a semi-circle of seats that was actually part of the present while the band - rounded out by guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres as good as current bassist Hugh McDonald and a touring guitarist - played only a few feet in presence of them. "Now brothers and sisters, you ask why I get second to Toronto time and time again," said Bon Jovi, on one of his jaunts to the backbone of the stage. "Well the accuracy is I wish to see you scream!" Oh, the scream came alright for such hits from the band's 27-year back catalogue as You Give Love A Bad Name, Born To Be My Baby, Lost Highway, It's My Life, Runaway, Who Says You Can't Go Home, Keep The Faith (with Bon Jovi on maracas), Wanted Dead Or Alive, Just Older and, the grandaddy of them all, Livin' On A Prayer. Sambora got some mic time too, taking over on lead vocals on Lay Your Hands On Me, but it was the frontman with the billion dollar smile who clearly had the sphere in the decoration of his hand. Covers included Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman - with Bon Jovi at his most flirty - Robert Palmer's Bad Case of Loving You, which became start of the band's own Bad Medicine, and the jazz standard, My Funny Valentine, which featured Bon Jovi at the face of the catwalk crooning away in a red T-shirt while getting red roses thrown at him for that call and the follow-up ballads, the band's own Bed Of Roses, Superman Tonight and I'll Be There For You. "Like a fine wine, we just keep getting better," said Bon Jovi of the band early in the evening. He might only be right.source

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