A night with Bon Jovi

Most of us could easily name at least one Bon Jovi song. He’s an artist whose career has successfully spanned a number of decades, hair styles and fashion trends. And after seeing his second Sydney concert, there is no doubt he knows how to entertain.

While I’m not a huge Bon Jovi fan I do own at least one of his CDs and definitely enjoy his music. So when the band announced their Circle tour in 2009, I fired off an SMS to my hubby suggesting we go. And so last night we did. We joined about 36,000 other fans at the Sydney Football Stadium for one of Bon Jovi’s last Australian shows.

I was definitely impressed. We both had a great night. At almost 50, Jon Bon Jovi still looks and sounds fantastic. And the same goes for his band. They performed for more than two and a half hours with barely a break. He didn’t talk to the crowd a lot – instead he told us he was going to stop talking and start squawking.

The crowd was a reflection of just how diverse Bon Jovi’s fan base is. We were surrounded by people of all backgrounds, young and old. Women of all ages were everywhere (as evidenced by the length of the queue for the ladies).

While lining up for a snack, I struck up a conversation with a teenage girl. She was at the concert with her middle aged mum. With a Bon Jovi bedspread, pillow, posters and t-shirts her mum had been waiting 20 years for the chance to see her pop idol in concert. She informed me her mum had packed an extra bra, just in case the opportunity to throw one at Bon Jovi eventuated. I felt seriously out of my depth.

I have always enjoyed his music, his hit It’s My Life, released in 2000, is one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs. And I do know the words to Livin’ on a Prayer. But I’ve never adorned my bed in his image or paid hundreds of dollars for a concert ticket. But in saying that I don’t think I was alone in last night’s crowd. There were certainly quite a few die-hard fans.

But there were also fans of music in general who were out for a great show and night out. I think it’s safe to say my hubby and I fall into the second category. And for us Bon Jovi certainly delivered.

Enjoy a clip from last night’s show. Apologies for the shaky footage – I was too busy bopping along to the music.