Bon Jovi: 11-24-00 - Savvis Center
St. Louis, MO

We (being my parents and myself) did make it to St. Louis in plenty of time to find a hotel and freshen up before the show and wait impatiently, on my part, for 6:30 to arrive. I had 4 friends who had the opportunity to use that other seat but who all cancelled on me for one reason or another. Their loss. Definitely their loss! I would have been fine going alone, but dragged my mother with me instead. It actually turned out to be sort of a theme of the evening. We ran into a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were going together, saw several parents with their children, teenagers, middle-agers, groups of friends, and couples. It seems Bon Jovi is a family-friendly rock experience.

Before the show, I saw Obie and just spoke to him. All I said was "Obie, I just wanted to say 'Hi' and tell you I enjoyed the webcast." I would really have liked to ask him if they're ever going to tour the South, but didn't want to come across as bothersome or psychotic. Less Than Jake was... interesting. They're energetic, I'll give them that. There was one guy whose entire gig was to dance around with a skeleton mask on his head. Okay. Kind of weird. They didn't sound really bad, but I'm not interested in any act when they're taking up time between me and a Bon Jovi concert.

The Bon Jovi show was spectacular for many reasons. I thoroughly enjoyed their use of the video screens with additional footage, whether it was backstage stuff or historical clips. The evening starts with the intro music to "One Wild Night" as you see the band as if they're riding in an elevator to the "roof" where they're performing. They made funny faces into the camera and were entertaining before they even took to the stage.

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Now, I may not have all the songs in the correct order since I wasn't taking notes, but they started with "One Wild Night," of course, and it set the theme of the evening. Every rock song got you pumping and every ballad hit all the right emotions. "Bad Name," is my least favorite live song, but even it was fun.

"Captain Crash" was such fun to hear and sing along with. I'm not an excitable person, by nature. I'm not loud or rambunctious at all. But I caught a glimpse of myself on the big screen and it sure looked like I was having a good time! :-) I remember watching Dave intently through part of this song. It looked like he was looking right at me, felt like we had eye contact and he approved of my singing along with every word. He had a big grin on his face and was nodding. It may not even be possible to make real eye contact like that from 7th row, but it sure felt like it.

"Keep the Faith" is one of my favorite live songs. There's something about Jon shaking those maracas and doing his little rain dance that I find incredibly sexy. Add to that his wild-animal jungle screams that punctuate the intensity of the song lyrics. (Urp, you should have been there!) This is the kind of version of KTF I'd seen on vidoes from Europe and always wanted to experience first hand. It was spine-tingling. Hell, it was toe-tingling. The video screen included historical shots of civil rights movements, Mother Teresa, and the Shroud of Turan among other religious and activist images.

Jon started "Prayer" a cappella. Sigh. His voice was in perfect condition all night long. Jon doesn't often get recognized for being the truly talented singer that he is. His voice is strong and beautiful. He could have done the entire song solo and it wouldn't have bothered me one bit!

They continued with "Born to Be My Baby," a song I never thought I'd hear them peform live. Needless to say, it was a treat to hear an old song that had fallen out of the usual set list brought back. More on that later.

"It's My Life" was energetic and people sang along with it as well as they would have the older songs. It really rocks live.

"Runaway" acoustic. This was worth the 400 miles of rain. With Jon's vocals, bass, and piano only, "Runaway" has been transformed. An image of the Brooklyn Bridge appeard on the video screens while images of Jon and Dave played over it. Of course, most of the time I watched Jon and not the screen. There is such emotion in this song and in the way Jon presents it. In the slower format, the words really hit deep and they will really tear into your heart as you hear how he captured the feelings of someone searching only for love at whatever the cost. Amazing. There's a real maturity in the lyrics that you wouldn't have expected from a songwriter who was as young as Jon was when he wrote it.

"Blaze of Glory." How could they not include this on a set list? At every show I've attended this song always has a great audience participation. Jon puts a lot of emotion into it and really paints a picture with the lyrics. I admit it suprised me a bit, but Richie was really into the guitar solo. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying playing this hit. It may have started as Jon's song, but the band has certainly made it theirs as well.

"Thank You For Loving Me" was quite beautiful. Again, Jon sounded incredible. It was touching to see all the couples embrace. In those moments, you see how this band has reached so many people from different walks of life. There were young couples, marrieds, and even two guys in an embrace close by. How sweet... next time I hope I have a better half with me so I can enjoy the full effect of the song. I think the collective rock-concert goers of the world should loose the lighters during ballads though.

"Someday I'll Be Saturday Night." Again, no Bon Jovi show is complete without this song. At least, that's my opinion. Why? Because it's one of my favorites and one that means a lot to me personally. I was also surprised to hear that a lot of people were really singing along with this one. Let's face it, it wasn't a hit in the States. Jon commented later that while singing "Saturday Night," his mind was wandering and he was thinking of all the dreams he'd had that had come true and the ones he was still working on. Basically, he said that it felt good to see so many other people who believed in dreams and he hoped that we all would have the opportunity to see ours come to fruition. That is no where near a quote, by the way. I can remember the message, not the exact quote.

"Lay Your Hands On Me" was, as always, a mover and shaker song. Jon did his usual spill about believing in the power of rock and roll. It may not be unique, but it's always entertaining. This song also began the ugly hat contest between Jon and Richie. Richie won hands down with some escaped from Wonderland piece. Jon actually looked kind of cute in his beret. Richie looked like he needed a fashion coordinator. Though his outfits were not as bad as some shows this tour--no hot pink pants paired with zebra-print shirts. He almost matched this time around. Brava, Richie, brava! :-) I noticed on the way out that Jon's beret was selling for $50. That's one way to make the ugly merchandise go more quickly.

"Rocking All Over the World," "Sleep When I'm Dead," "Bad Medicine," and "Shout" rocked the way to the end of the first part of the show. "Before Rocking All Over the World," Jon told the story of how he had disappeared for a few years and left us to our own devices. It's nothing others who've seen the shows haven't heard. He said he looked at the post office and saw his picture, looked on the back of the milk carton and saw his picture, and looked in People magazine under Sexiest Rock Star and saw his picture. He said he wondered why he'd wound up in LA, a town with one season, no football team, and no idea how to make good pizza. He was sitting in a hotel room, wearing a nice terry cloth bathrobe when he heard a knock on the door. He joked about having the security lock on because you never know what's going to happen. He opened the door, looked to the left, looked straight ahead, looked to the right and saw nothing. But then, who was it? You guessed it--he turned around and Richie, Hugh, and Dave were all standing in front of the riser for Tico's drumset. "I tried to get out, but they pulled me back in." But that's okay, because, well, he likes rocking all over the world. This is one time I wish I could remember exact quotes because Jon was really quite amusing. Even my mom was laughing out loud.

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The thing I remember most about "Bad Medicine" is a rather lewd gesture on the part of Mr. Sambora. I know a few people who would probably like to be that guitar, but I'm not one of them and I'm wondering if this imagine will forever be in my mind. LOL Let's just say "you get a little but it's never enough" won't be the same for a while.

I may be a little confused on the set list, but I think our first encore was "I'll Be There For You" and "Wanted." "I'll Be There For You." Now there is a song I've dreamed of hearing the band play live for 12 years. Again, I thought I'd never see it happen. It was one of those, "I can die a happy woman" moments. All those years of wishing and dreaming landed in that spot in St. Louis. I heard the opening guitar and felt my heart leap. Someone cue the Hallelujah Chorus.

I'm not sure if it was after this encore or at some other point, but Jon did the band introductions. When they came out to take the bow, Tico, pointed to Jon, kind of picked him up in a sideways hug, and basically got the audience to give Jon the recognition he deserves. I'm very glad he did that. It's great to applaud for all the band members. They all deserve credit for making the shows such success, but Jon is the key. As a frontman, he captivates the audience with his movements, speeches, humor, and intensity. He reached out to every audience member and brings them into the show and without him, Bon Jovi would be about as exciting and moving as watching paint dry.

Our second encore started with "Next 100 Years." It was incredible. I don't like the guitar solo on this song on the CD. It seems long, drawn out, and pointless. It was excellent in concert and I'm NOT a fan of guitar solos in concert. (C.C. DeVille is a bad word in my house.) As like the rest of the show, Jon sounded incredible. He seems to only get better as a vocalist. The imagry on the screen that brought the lyrics to life was very fitting and really added to the song. Maybe it's the imagery that helped the guitar solo for me. I think this was the encore where they also played "Just Older." This song is so meaningful, not just to Jon, but to the fans. I've grown up with Bon Jovi. The words also make me feel good about myself. I think that's one of the keys of Bon Jovi's success. They write songs that people can relate to, songs that touch your heart, and become part of you. Obie once said that Jon seems to have some kind of radar that is tuned into things the rest of us just don't get. Maybe that radar is picking up the general feelings of mankind because he certainly knows how to capture them in song.

During one song, Jon stood back at the drums, surveying the audience. As he looked over the audience, I would venture to read his mind and say he was thinking how incredible it is that he's still doing this after all these years. Who knew in 1986 that Bon Jovi would still be packing arenas in the year 2000?

The band started to leave and I'm sure the show was meant to be over at this point. But it wasn't. The audience made such noise, that Jon came back, strapped on his guitar and the band launched into the best version of "Twist and Shout" ever performed by anyone at any time for any reason. Don't you dare accuse me of exaggerating! We, as an audience, were great! We got all the cues from the harmonized "Ahhhs" to the movements. What a blast! Welcome to the biggest party on earth!

Well, on that high note, the band left the stage. But guess what... we wanted MORE and we got it! Jon came back and told us the other guys were halfway out the building by now. But he grabbed his acoustic guitar and started.... tears start, heart stops... "Never Say Goodbye." I NEVER in a million years thought I would have the opportunity to hear this song live. This is obviously the "you've been a really good audience" reward song. I get chills thinking about it.

Well, that, was unfortunatley the real end of the show. The audience did our best to get them out for a 5th encore and Jon really looked like he didn't want to leave. But I guess 5 encores would have been a bit cocky. LOL It would have taken as long for encores as it had for the bulk of the show. I've never seen a bigger smile on Jon's face as he's left a stage. I know he had a wonderful time last night and I know I did too.

The trip to St. Louis was worth 700 miles of rain (it was raining today too) and undoing 6 weeks worth of PT by sleeping on that mattress. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat! When I'm counting my blessings this year, Bon Jovi is near the top of the list.

Bon Jovi moves forward with a step back into the optimism of the past.
Jon Bon Jovi performs at Savvis Center Friday night.

If the latest Bon Jovi CD "Crush" seems like a return to the feel-good anthems that typified the band's hit albums of the 1980s, like "Slippery When Wet" and "New Jersey," that isn't an illusion.

Having found mass success with such arena-ready pop-metal songs as "You Give Love A Bad Name," "Runaway" and "Livin' On A Prayer," the group shifted away from that formula during the 1990s.

The 1992 CD "Keep The Faith" showcased a rougher sound, while the 1995 release "These Days" took the group in a dark, introspective direction. Group leader and singer Jon Bon Jovi also released a 1997 solo CD, "Destination Anywhere," that was stripped-down, gritty and personal.

"What I went in to do with this record ('Crush') was to have an upbeat sense of optimism, because I saw it in the world around me and I saw it in the faces of the guys in the band," Bon Jovi said.

Owning up to his talent for writing lighter, radio-ready anthems, he said, "Throughout the '90s I ran away from that, not because I didn't like it, but because I guess it was time for me as a person, as a man, to grow."

Indeed the past decade has taken Bon Jovi's career and life into many different directions. It began with his decision to step away from the band to do the soundtrack to the film "Young Guns II." Fueled by the hit title track "Blaze Of Glory," the CD topped the charts.

Being involved with music in films also piqued Bon Jovi's interest in acting. He began taking lessons with Harold Guskin (whose previous students include Glenn Close, Kevin Kline and the Fondas - Jane, Peter and Bridget), and in 1995 made his debut in the film "Moonlight And Valentino." Roles in other low-profile movies such as "The Leading Man," "Little City" and "Homegrown" helped establish the singer as an actor.

Bon Jovi has made a bigger splash over the past year with well-received turns in a pair of big-budget films - the thriller "U-571" and "Pay It Forward."

"When I became an actor, it wasn't really a great idea with Sting and Bowie and Madonna and all these other people who haven't been very successful at it," he said. "Well I'm still doing it. It's going rather well."

Meanwhile, Bon Jovi's personal life has taken a significant turn. In 1989 he married his high school sweetheart, Dorthea Hurley, and the couple had two children, Stephanie Rose and Jesse James Louis.

And yes, making music with his Bon Jovi bandmates - guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres - has remained an ongoing endeavor. Just look at "Keep the Faith" and "These Days," CDs sandwiched between a wildly successful 1994 greatest hits collection, "Cross Road."

"I think the idea that I diversified and was trying to be an artist gave me the opportunity to fail, but it also gave me the opportunity to show that there was more than 'You Give Love A Bad Name.'"

If anything, "Crush" suggests Bon Jovi's arena pop sound has never really gone out of style. Where many of the group's '80s pop-metal peers have faded from the scene, Bon Jovi continues to make a major impact.

Released last spring, "Crush" has already sold 2 million CDs outside of the United States. The CD has sold about half that number so far in America, but that's sure to change. First single "It's My Life" has been a multi-format radio hit, and the group is now turning its promotional efforts to the states with the first leg of an American tour.