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BON JOVI Review
by Jenny Parkin (The Huddersfield Daily Examiner): THEY came, they saw, they conquered. Last night Huddersfield partied to Jon Bon Jovi's One Wild Night show. The deal was more than 20 stomping hits packed into two- and-a-half hours, with barely a five-minute break. They threw in a fancy stage in the shape of a skyscraper, posh lights and fireworks - as well as support from breezy Matchbox 20 and Delirious?
Jon Bon Jovi went one better than shouting "Hello, Huddersfield!" at the McAlpine Stadium. He cheekily included the name of our town into the second song of his band's mammoth set. The recorded version of Raise Your Hands mentions Chicago and Tokyo - but strangely not West Yorkshire's foremost rock music mecca. Last night, though, it did. Bon Jovi rose to fame in an era when rock music was all about hairspray, cowboy boots and widdly guitar solos. Fashions change, and today's nu-metal dominating the music charts bears little relation, with its grungy grunting and body piercing. It's excellent, then, that old classics like You Give Love A Bad Name, Livin' On A Prayer and Bad Medicine still manage to sound so meaty. Lay Your Hands On Me, with its robust riffery, and Sleep When I'm Dead are reassuringly solid. Yes, there is still room in our hearts and our stadiums for Bon Jovi and their soaring, feelgood, out-on-the-freeway anthems. And that's why they are one of the world's top rock attractions, alongside Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones.
The New Jersey kings, who opened with latest single One Wild Night, are quick to knock out some of their most recognisable work. It's a move that cranks up the party atmosphere before material from latest studio album Crush is aired. Jon maintains his rock god mystique, with bug-eye sunglasses and a large cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes. In takes him nine songs just to say hello - and another four before the shades are discarded. But, from the off, his grin gives away what looks like sheer delight to be here. He spies the crowds watching the performance on the sly from Kilner Bank and says: "There are 40,000 people in here and another 10,000 outside." He sings a bit of Elvis Presley's I Can't Help Falling In Love a capella, and during Bed Of Roses invites a pretty blonde girl to smooch with him onstage. He bounds around, touching fans' hands and hamming up his cowboy persona like he's auditioning for Calamity Jane. Guitarist Richie Sambora seems particularly convivial, strutting back and forth in sparkly snakeskin trousers. And powerhouse drummer Tico Torres beats the skins like a man with an important point to make. The band have been known to cover Neil Young and other such serious rock, but to finish with last night they stuck to their party-time ethic and opted for Lulu's Shout and The Beatles' Twist And Shout. It's time to put any staunch rock principles aside and get down and boogie. If only Huddersfield saw such wild nights more often . . .
Setlist: Encores: ********** Interview
with JBJ by the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: ROCK superstar Jon Bon Jovi arrived in Huddersfield today to entertain a sell-out crowd. And before he took to the spectacular stage at the McAlpine Stadium, he took time out to answer questions from The Examiner. Q: You played a few concerts last year. You must have had a good time, as you're back for more? Tell us about this tour and what can we expect to see and hear? A: We played Europe last summer and by the end of the tour, after the five dates in Japan and the 20 or so in Europe, more than one million people had already come to see us. It was great. Being the last rock 'n' roll show ever at Wembley Stadium was incredible - we were each sent an actual seat from the stadium - they pulled them out for us before they razed the building. Then we did a concise 15-20 date tour of the US in the fall and then I went to Mexico to do a movie. This time around, we started with five shows in Japan again and then we toured the US in April and May. In June, we hit Europe and we're very happy to be coming back. The stage at Huddersfield is going to be amazing - completely different from last summer's show. There are big video screens and the whole setting is going to be us performing on a rooftop - part of the New York City skyline. Q: Many artists have a real passion for performing live, above studio recording while others see it more as a necessary evil. What particular do you love about touring? A: That time out there on the stage. You live for that. That's when you're safe. It's magic. Everything else about touring is just a beating. The travel - the planes, trains and automobiles, the hotel beds instead of your own. Living out a suitcase just isn't as appealing as it was when we were 22! The touring part is hell but as soon as you get out there in front of all those people and take it all in, you know that there's nowhere else on earth you'd rather be! Q: Bon Jovi are renowned for their high energy and high-flying special effects. Do you find it harder and harder to keep coming up with new ideas and the energy needed to tour? A: You can have all the pyro, all the confetti and all the bells and whistles you want ... but if you can't go out on that stage and put on an incredible show that you enjoy and the crowd enjoys, who cares what your stage looks like? It's all about the music. Our stage won't distract you from the music. When you leave our show, what you're gonna remember is the music. We're not really trying to out-do anyone else. We're not putting on a circus spectacle. Here we are, welcome to the show, we're here to play. As far as building up the energy to tour, mentally once I'm committed to touring then the physical prep begins. If you can imagine what a prize fighter or an Olympic athlete goes through training for their moment of glory, it's not really all that different from what I have to go through to gear up for a tour. Our stage is the width of a football pitch and I'm running from end to end all night long... hell, yeah, I better train for that! Q: How do you all decide what to include in your set? Do you ad-lib a lot on the set depending on the mood of the audience? A: Sure, sure ... and on the mood of the band! I've always considered a set list nothing more than an outline. It changes all the time. Obviously you want to make sure you've got your big hits in there because the fans want to hear them and you want to play the new stuff because when you put out an album you're proud of, you want to play those songs. But we've got such a huge catalogue of music that I don't have to play the same thing every night. I can change it as often as I like. We adlib a lot. Sometimes we'll break into something. Tico will see a look on my face and know I'm making a left when we thought we were going right! Q: How do you take care of yourselves on the road? Do you have special diets/exercise regimes? A: Going on tour now isn't like it used to be. We work really hard at keeping as healthy as possible. The grind of touring alone can take its toll physically - it's hard to take good care of yourself on the road but we try. The gym every morning. Vitamin supplements. We eat pretty well. We'll indulge in wine. We may not drink as much as we used to but we know which is the better stuff now! Q: Why do you think your songs and your career have endured? A: The songs. It's always about the songs. If you can write a song that people feel connected to and people want to hear, while being true to who you are as a songwriter and not compromising yourself as an artist, you'll always be able to survive in this business. I write a song for myself but when people make it their own, the song takes on a life of its own. We've had that happen enough times now that people have a real connection to a lot of our songs. Plus, I think Bon Jovi are a great live band ... there aren't a lot of rock bands out there playing our kind of music and playing venues the size that we play. A Bon Jovi show is a good time. This is a great live band. Q: Despite the continued success you have all had in your solo ventures, there is no doubt that you work well as a band. In this increasingly fickle industry, few bands can boast the same line-up. Why do you think this is the case with Bon Jovi? A: I'm a loyal guy. These are the same guys who believed me when I told them we were going to make it and they stuck by me. Plus, there is a certain magic when this band gets together. The sum is truly greater than the individual parts. Q: Even though Bon Jovi is quintessentially rock 'n' roll, your music has much wider appeal? Why do you think this is the case? A: Again, it's all about the songs. We've never defined ourselves as anything other than a rock 'n' roll band. We're a bar band that just plays really big bars! But we're able to write a ballad or an anthem or a mid-tempo song. As songwriters we don't just stick to one style of songwriting, so if a lot of different kinds of folk like what they hear then that's great. But it's really all about the songs - they can transcend a genre. Q: Which artists, both from the past and present, have influenced you? A: Growing up, it was Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen. Lyrically, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan are true poets - their storytelling is nothing short of brilliance, how they can paint a picture with words - and Elvis Costello. Those are my songwriting heroes. I've always been a huge Rolling Stones fan so I look to them as the gauge of ``when they call it quits, then the world will know when it's time for a rock band to hang it up!" I listen to a lot of new stuff like Matchbox Twenty and Lit. I think Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers are the real deal. Again, it's all about the songwriting. As long as you write your own stuff, you have a chance at longevity. Q: You've been writing and performing for over 18 years. How do you feel your music has evolved? A: Well, it would have to evolve or we'd never have had this much success over this amount of time. Anyone doing anything for 18 years had better evolve and improve! I hope I'm not writing about the same things I was writing about when I began! "I think we're better songwriters now. We've embraced technology so that it's our friend, but not so that it's changed the fundamental heart of our music. I think we're more comfortable in our own shoes. Q: You released an album of live tracks in the spring - tell us a bit about it. A: It's called One Wild Night and it's only rock 'n' roll songs. No ballads. Just in your face rock tracks, up-tempo, big guitars ... maximum testosterone! Older stuff, current stuff ... all recorded live over our years of touring the globe. It's gonna rock. ********** Review
by Neil Atkinson (Huddersfield Daily Examiner): ROCK giants Bon Jovi delivered their promise in Huddersfield - with One Wild Night. The rock superstars conquered a sell-out 37,500 audience at the McAlpine Stadium last night and brought a massive boost to businesses across the town. Pubs, takeaways shops, car parks and restaurants did a roaring trade as thousands of music fans packed into town for a stunning late-night show at the stadium. And after a wildly successful concert by the US band, the verdict was: "We want more." Fans and traders alike enjoyed the occasion and for officials behind the concert it was a remarkable success. It was the first concert at the stadium for four years after the previous successes featuring the likes of REM, Bryan Adams and The Eagles. But Kevin Collinge, stadium chief executive, hopes it will not be too long before the next concert. He and others revelled in the memorable sights as a stunning light show and a backdrop of a New York skyscraper welcomed the supergroup on stage. And charismatic frontman Jon Bon Jovi, cowboy hat and shades to the fore, had the sell-out crowd eating out of his hand even before he set foot on the stage to kick off a mammoth 2½-hour performance. The trademark grin as he peered from the set backdrop had the crowd on their feet, arms in the air, from the first seconds and the tempo never slackened. Today Mr Collinge was euphoric. "It was fabulous, absolutely unbelievable. The show was stunning and the crowd were magnificent. I spoke to the promoters at length early today and they were delighted." Now Mr Collinge hopes to tempt more big-name acts to the town. "The message will very quickly get around that Huddersfield is a great place for a concert and I am expecting and hoping to start negotiating very soon on a concert diary for next year". Insp Trevor Thackray, of Huddersfield Police, said: "The crowd was well-behaved and good-humoured. "Traffic was heavy and there were long delays for vehicles heading towards the M62 along Leeds Road but other main roads were free-flowing." ********** Article
by Huddersfield Daily Examiner: Information technology manager Tim Wood, 34, of Paddock, said: "It was great that they played a greatest hits set, a cross section of songs from their whole back catalogue, rather than concentrating on recent material. "The band, audience and venue were all superb. This was a really positive sign for the town and the stadium as a future venue for rock music." Dave and Caroline Reid, of Newsome, agreed: "Bon Jovi were every bit as good as when they first appeared on the scene in 1983." Emma Rattigan, 14, of Gomersal, and her friend Carlie Nixon, 19, of Cleckheaton, were thrilled with the concert and thought the crowd was very friendly. Emma said: "It was amazing, especially the fireworks. My throat kills from screaming and I can't hear anything. The atmosphere was so brilliant we felt we were on top of the world." Carlie agreed. She said: "We will definitely see them again and we are proud to be locals." Roger Dyer and his wife Katherine, both 50, from Holywell Green, enjoyed the concert as much as their son Gareth, 17, and nephew and niece from Northampton, Thomas Jenkins, 18 and Hannah, 17. Roger said: "It was all brilliant, we never sat down. It was my idea and Gareth came because he is a big fan. The venue is superb - we came here to see The Eagles. It is one of the best venues around. We wish they would hold more events like this." Simon Kendall, 36, of Ripon, thought it was one of the best concerts he had ever seen. His partner Sue Burgess said: "The McAlpine Stadium is excellent, we would love to come here again." Sales manager Colin Reader, 44, of Leeds, said: "It was magic. The lighting especially was over and above what I expected." Mel Shaw, 26, of Birstall, said: "I've never seen Bon Jovi play before but I'd definitely go again." Her husband Marcus, also 26, added: "I was amazed at the encores and the set design." Nurse Emma Griffith, 30, from North Yorkshire, said: "Jon is downright sexy. The cowboy hat really did it for me." Her companion Nicola Wilkinson, 34, a horse racing manager, added: "I like the old stuff best. It was a good mix." Jon Bon Jovi arranged for disabled fans who attended the concert to receive gifts. PC Dave McSweeney, of Huddersfield police, said: "There were about 60 disabled fans and Jon sent them each a free Bon Jovi T-shirt. It was a great gesture." ********** Article
by Huddersfield Daily Examiner: BON JOVI today joined an impressive line-up of rock giants to strut their stuff at Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium. The US rockers were due on stage this evening to follow in the footsteps of REM, Bryan Adams, The Eagles and The Beautiful South. And it was a welcome and massive boost - not only for the 37,500 rock fans packing the stadium but for Huddersfield as a whole and stadium staff in particular. Today's event at the stadium became the first concert beneath the famous banana trusses since July 1997 when The Beautiful South made the short journey along the M62 from Hull to delight a crowd. That four-year gap has been bridged by Bon Jovi - regarded as one of the world's premier stadium rock bands - and their support acts, Delirious? and Matchbox Twenty. The first rock gig at the stadium was in July 1995 when Michael Stipe led REM on to the stage in what was then a three-sided ground. The US band - supported by The Beautiful South - played two nights to a total of 70,000 fans in what reviewer Clare Horton described as "as close to perfection as a band could ever come". Twelve months later and there was another double treat for music fans in Huddersfield and the region. July 10 saw a huge audience for The Eagles, who ran through a massive repertoire of hits including Hotel California, Lyin' Eyes and One Of Those Nights. And July 23 saw Canadian rocker Bryan Adams jet into town to perform before another huge crowd. The musical delights continued in the summer of 1997, when The Beautiful South returned to headline their own gig, supported by Cast and The Lightning Seeds. That was the last of the big concerts before today's monster gig, but stadium staff are confident more will follow. Stadium chief executive Kevin Collinge believes the venue is perfect for bands wanting to perform in front of up to 40,000 people. And he is ambitious enough to target giants of rock such as The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson as possible targets for future concerts by offering them two-night slots. But tonight the stage, the stadium and the town belonged to Jon Bon Jovi, his band and the support and rock fans from across the north. ********** Article
by Huddersfield Daily Examiner: THREE giant speakers and a fantastic 40-foot high stage greeted Bon Jovi fans today as Huddersfield prepared to rock. Fans queued from the early hours to grab a prime position to see rock legends Bon Jovi for their sell-out One Wild Night concert. At least 100 people were at the McAlpine Stadium by 9am today and a dozen had slept outside in brightly-coloured sleeping bags. They had come from as far afield as Cornwall and London, with groups from Finland, Sweden and even Israel arriving at dawn. Many were members of the Bon Jovi fan club Backstage. Tim, 40, and Jacqui Birch, 32, travelled from Cornwall arriving in Huddersfield at 1.30am. Tim said: "We had good company last night and it was worth it to get right next to the stage." Jacqui said: "Bon Jovi's music is brilliant, it is well worth all the hassle to get here." "This is a new concert we have not yet seen - we have been to about 20 in total." The couple were impressed with the beautiful stadium but not happy with the security officers' attitudes or the lack of parking nearby. Student Anu Kyttala, 26, of Finland, was following the rock group around Europe. "The One Wild Night show is really awesome. They are great entertainers and really interact with the audience." | |||||
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