Alex Mann

The MK Bowl is one of the most surreal concert venues I have been to. It's just one massive field, with the edges raised as if to protect a medieval concert. Certainly at the front the sound was great, if a little fuzzy. Due to the nature of the venue though, there was one set of speakers at the front, so it may have been quieter towards the back. However, if it was you could not tell just by looking: everyone was having a ball!

The first band, Spin, were the winners of a Virgin Radio competition to be the opening act for the gig, and judging by their performance, potential is something they do not seem to lack. This six piece from Leeds consists of lead singer Karl Johnson, along with a lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and drums. They cite influences as Bon Jovi, Queen and Aerosmith, and this was clear throughout their music. Loud catchy rock, with choruses that get into your head and stay there! Their set was not particularly memorable, and coming on stage three hours before the main act on a scorching Sunday afternoon was not the best slot either. However, they made the most of it, and through themselves into the performance.

Karl Johnson says they aim to "write big loud rock songs that it seems few artists do not wish to or can't". A bold statement for sure. For now though, there is nothing ground breaking about their music, and their big song 'Give Into Me' is evidence of this. The chorus is cliché, and leading into the mellow guitar section it almost sounds like two different songs, barely linked. And in an attempt to build up tension going into the chorus there is a silence before the crashing drums. Rather than an epic climax, this gap merely sounds like a poorly produced mistake. In this song though, the guitar solo from Dan Kilmartin is very 80s and very listenable.

As for the performance itself, much of the band seemed to lack charisma, looking at each other a lot rather than interacting with the crowd. The same cannot be said of Karl Johnson, who played to the crowd at every opportunity. At least three times in the set he held a note for a sizeable portion of time intending to bring the house down. Although effective, he did this too often and he came across more as a one trick pony. That all said, Spin clearly have potential and if there is a developing market for classic rock in England, they could well fill the gap!

An hour later, Nickelback came onto stage and considering they are a support act, received a fine ovation from the crowd. The mass media exposure they have had over their careers will have helped them no end, but on stage they genuinely came across as talented, charismatic and the sort of men you would gladly share an evening drinking with! Singer Chad Kroeger's banter with the crowd was hilarious, including a funny five minutes with the band joking about a sign asking for 'Chad's package'. "What are we, just four pieces of meat up here on the stage?!"

One criticism levelled at the Canadian three piece is that their songs sound very similar, with the harmonies in particular being predictable and samey. This came across in many of their songs, like 'Animals', 'Never Again'  and 'Figured You Out', with ballads 'Someday', 'Far Away' and 'How You Remind Me' also seeming to come from the same page of music writing. But if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Nickelback are exception for writing catchy rock which sticks in the mind and can be sung along to. Their live performance maybe doesn't differ greatly from the studio, but then for a supporting act aiming to just keep their name out there rather than break onto a new level, nothing ground breaking was ever going to happen.

The set was reasonably by the numbers, with the aforementioned crowd banter setting them apart fro the rest. Older songs like 'How You Remind Me' sounded worn, but in particular 'Photograph' from their latest album caught the attention of fans. This was a steady performance from Nickelback, and they will have done their reputation no harm on this tour.

After Nickelback, it was an hours wait for the main act, Bon Jovi. There was likely a good 50,000 in the Bowl, and certainly from the Golden Circle there didn't seem to be many spaces. At 8pm, the red face from the cover of their latest album 'Have A Nice Day' appeared on the screen, causing the predicted screams, surge to the front, and many small people standing on tip toes. As the 6'5" giant to my left explained to everyone around him "I'm sorry, I'm a bit tall, but I've got to stand somewhere." If I was him I would get right to the front, piss everyone right off 

After two minutes of a thumping heartbeat, the band finally filtered onto the stage! First on were Bobby Bandiera (guitar) and Jeff Bozee (keyboards). They're not actually members of Bon Jovi, but are on loan from the Asbury Jukes to play the parts that would otherwise have to be overdubbed. After that, it was Hugh McDonald, the bassist, Tico Torres, the drummer, David Bryan, the keyboardist, and Richie Sambora, the guitar legend. Still no sign of Jon Bon Jovi. The setlist on their recent tour has started with new song Last Man Standing everytime, but today we were in for a surprise!

Tico launched straight into the drums for Neil Young classic, 'Rockin in the Free World'! For old time fans like me, it was a real treat that got everyone around me in the gold circle jumping, although I am told it wasn't received as well further back. When Jon came onto the stage, all the women around me (both young and old, pleasantly surprised that not everyone was over 40!), I swear someone around me feinted. Oh dear. From a musical point of view though, his voice sounds a lot stronger than it has for a long time, and he went for more high notes than on previous tours throughout the show.

At the end of the opener came their trademark breakdown, before the instruments subsided and Jon launched straight into 'You Give Love A Bad Name', sung by the crowd as if it was a brand new single and not a release from 1986! One must wonder if the band ever gets sick of the big songs, as songs like Bad Name must have been played at least 1,500 times. If they are sick of them though, you couldn't tell as Jon bounced about the stage with an enthusiasm belying his years, and Richie added little twists and improvs on the guitar to keep the old fans happy. The pace didn't slow down with 'Wild In The Streets', and then the arm waving 'Captain Crash' from 2000 release 'CRUSH'.

In between songs, the big screen focused in on a sign that said 'FUCK WEMBLEY'. This show had originally been re-scheduled to be the opener for the new 80,000 seater stadium, but major delays to construction work had put pay to those plans. Still, as Jon pointed out with a brief monologue, that wasn't going to stop anyone! The promise of a return to Wembley was interesting though, and internet rumours are floating about that the band will return to re-open the stadium.

The first reduction in pace came from 'Story of My Life', the last song on their 2005 release 'Have A Nice Day' which recently re-entered the British charts on the back of the tour. It is far from a ballad, the tempo was reduced a little and many fans took a backseat and watched. It is still a beautiful song, and perhaps one line sums up the relationship which makes this band exceptional: that between guitarist Sambora and singer Bon Jovi. With a finger pointing towards his right man, Bon Jovi sang "when I paint my masterpiece/I swear I'll show you first!".

Continuing to mix up the set, they launched into the title track from 2002 album 'Bounce', which has not been played much this time around. This was followed up by a medley of 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' and 'Dancing in the Streets'.

Still, there was an amazing amount of energy in the show, and as a precursor to their first ever song 'Runaway', Jon whipped the crowd up into a frenzy by taking them into his time machine and counting time back 22 years, with David Bryan delving into the key bashing intro. Bryan is perhaps under rated in his role, purely because he cannot move from his keyboard, but whenever on backing vocals he appears to be giving it his all, and plays the keyboards with an energy that is admirably. He has written musicals before, and his vocal talents are exceptional, as shown during the second verse of ballad 'In These Arms', with a chilling and unique tone to his voice.

This was followed up by the two singles from their new album, 'Have A Nice Day' (with a lovely middle finger from Richie in the tag line) and their latest 'Who Says You Can't Go Home'. The latter has a chorus consisting purely of shouting "It's alright! It's alright! It's alright! It's alright!". Predictably, this was drawn out with the crowd singing it for what seemed like an age, and was the only part of the evening that seemed to drag. Maybe a bit of over indulgence and promotion for the single that was released the next day.

2000 single 'It's My Life' was a defining song for the new age of the band, and the template has been repeated again and again for their new songs: a thumping positive chorus, about taking control and living life for what it is (or 'Everyday' as a later song proclaims!). It really made the band relevant once more and put them back on the map with new fans flocking in their millions, yet this was the first time this song sounded tired. It may have been purely in comparison to a song which had flowed at a searing tempo, but tonight it was slow and plodding.

In a mid-show lul, now was the perfect time for another ballad, 'Bells of Freedom' for the new album, complete with images of Martin Luther King and other democratic heores projected on the side of the stage. Production wise, Bon Jovi's sets are bettered by few, and the light displays were amazing. This was followed up by their biggest ballad, 'Always', albeit a slower version from 'This Left Feels Right', an album which reproduced their greatest hits in a more mellow and experimental manner. This did not deter the crowd though: they just carried on singing the chorus as if nothing had changed!

Richie Sambora took the lead for 'I'll Be There For You', and his bluesy tones breathe new life into the song. They closed out the main part of the set with three rockers: Bad Medicine (including an interlude of 'Shout'), 'Raise Your Hands' and the anthemic 'Livin on a Prayer', complete with the crowd singing the chorus solo without any instrumentation before Bryan added in the keys. The intro to 'Prayer' has developed over time, and it is now very layered: Sambora's guitar in particular sounds different, with again the blues influence evident.

The encore was epic, and easily the best part of the night. After returning, they launched into rare song 'Blood on Blood' with the classic line "me I'm still the singer here, in a long haired rock and roll band!". Another anthem, 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' brought the finest chorus singing from the crowd, before closing out with another rare song, 'These Days'. It is a track held in high regard with the fans, who bombard the band with requests every night for it to be played, yet rarely do they oblige. Tonight they did, and what a performance. Bon Jovi have often been accused of just going through the motions, particularly in their tour closing performance at Hull where Jon is reported to have been disinterested all night. The same could not have been said of 'These Days'. Jon went for every high note, and although his voice clearly sounded strained, and every band member looked completely drained and done for, the performance was amazing and everyone felt they were witnessing something special.

So that was the end of the show. Or was it? Just as they had all got off the stage, the lights had come on, and the crowd had started to leave, one band member stuck in the doorway to the stage and turned around. Planned or not (and it probably was planned, but it is the only time a band has ever fooled me into thinking a show was over), they came back on and played the usual opener, 'Last Man Standing'. "There was a magic in the night!" sang Jon euphorically, Richie still grinning like a cheshire cat, Tico still smashing the drums like an angry small man. The last note was played, but Hugh carried on, going straight into the bass line for 'Keep the Faith'!. An extended version of that was played out, before the band took their final bow and left.

It was an amazing night, and anyone who was there would defy criticism that they are going through the motions. Others would say that a band cannot pick and choose what nights to perform and they should be that good every night. However, as a musician, sometimes there is just an extra something about an evening that drags a little special something out from the bottom of your soul, and puts it on display. Thank God tonight was one of those nights. Worth £70? Maybe not. An amazing night none the less.

Rating:

9/10

Discuss this article in the forum