Bon Jovi proves it’s more than just an ’80s holdover

  Olaf Heine Bon Jovi performed Friday at
the Anaheim Pond to a sold-out crowd.

By Ruvin Spivak
Daily Bruin Contributor

A moment of silence, please, for the fallen rockers who
didn’t make it into the new millennium.

Sad but true ““ it seems those other bands that used to
rock back in the day didn’t make the cut. Think about it.
Today’s survivors of ’80s rock don’t include the
most monumental names ““ Guns “˜N Roses, Motley Crue,
Skid Row, Warrant and the Scorpions. Yet in the aftermath, on
April 20, 2001, Bon Jovi still hit the sold-out Arrowhead Pond
loaded with hits that span two decades. Who would have thought?

From original love ballads and neo-westerns to ’50s rock
covers, the show was an experience for a wide range of ages and
styles. Husbands and wives brought their kids. Eighties rock fans
came to relive the days of big hair and loud guitar solos. Recent
fans were there to hear hits from the new album, or maybe to check
out Jon Bon Jovi’s gold leather pants.

Regardless of sex or age, fans knew that their favorite band was
coming to town. Fans come back every time to sell out any venue at
which Bon Jovi chooses to rock.

Maybe it’s ironic that these lone rock “˜n’
roll survivors weren’t bred off of the drugged-out Sunset
Strip (at least not enough to be detrimental).  Bon Jovi is
straight up New Jersey ““ home of Bruce Springsteen, Kevin
Smith and good ol’ all-American values. That’s its
appeal. It conveys an inseparable brotherhood.

No doubt there were fans set on hopping backstage with the
band’s sexy lead singer, but most were there to hear their
favorite love songs such as “I’ll Be There for
You” and “Bad Medicine.”

Regardless, the show began with the song, “One Wild
Night” in an impassioned intro that sparked enough energy to
last the crowd two hours and 15 minutes.

Fans were served a sauté of fresh new songs that whetted
the palate of old school fans, followed by proven hits that filled
their appetites. The band wove through new and old songs, from
“Bad Name” to the recent hit “It’s My
Life,” ending a slew of powerhouse songs with
“Faith” before slowing down its set.

Giving the crowd a rest, “In These Arms” proved to
be the perfect slow tune to get the sold out arena settled, but the
arena was back to high adrenal levels when the crowd’s
resonance overpowered the bands performance of the hit,
“I’ll Be There For You.” Lighters were thrust in
the air to accompany the impassioned singing.

The cheering which followed catalyzed the ascending repetition
of the words “Lay your hand on me” in the following
song of the same name. Bon Jovi repeated those words and it felt
like the crowd was waking up from its nostalgic slumbers.

It was at this crescendo when the impressive qualities of the
group’s dynamic appeared. For one thing, there was the sheer
power of Bon Jovi’s voice. Oftentimes it seemed that the
words themselves held far less meaning than the elegance with which
they were sung. Then of course, the rest of the band,
especially guitarist Richie Sambora took time to enliven the music
with improvisational solos.

Fans might have thought the concert was coming to an end when
the band set off piles of confetti during “Live While
Alive.”Â It was during this song though that Bon Jovi
gave the crowd more reason to rock out.

During its rendition of “Bad Medicine” the lead
singer, still looking no more than 28 years old, circled the stage
telling his band mates that the Arrowhead Pond was his house. Of
course the whole situation was humorous because Bon Jovi’s
dancing looked like that of an aerobics instructor.

Even funnier, most of the crowd was repeating his moves. The
stereotype of rock fans having no rhythm could not have been
clearer, but no one really noticed. No matter what it looked like,
the band and the crowd was not finished dancing or singing quite
yet.

Richie Sambora took the stage for a long guitar solo after a
second encore, leading into “I’ve Got the Girl”
as the crowd went wild. When the song was over, the band
seemed to think it was leaving the stage but the crowd’s
cheering wouldn’t let it go. Three or four songs prior,
Bon Jovi had told his sold out venue he was going to rock the party
all night long, and fans were holding him to the promise.

The third encore was the exact remedy fans demanded though.
Decked in cowboy gear and a twin necked guitar, Sambora and Bon
Jovi performed their famous duet, “Dead or Alive,” with
the massive crowd singing the first verse flawlessly, alone;
Sambora stole the microphone from Bon Jovi to sing the second
verse. Chilled by the song’s harmony, lighters, lyrics
and laughter filled the arena. 

The show was fantastic and something about it was
blissful.  Perhaps it was the flashbacks of MTV’s Top 20
““ way before Carson Daly and TRL ““ coming home after
elementary school, sitting on the couch with a Hi-C and hoping Bon
Jovi had beaten Def Leppard for the No. 1 spot.