Bon Jovi: July 25, 2001 Tweeter Center, Mansfield MA...The View From the Front Row
Aug 12 '01
The Bottom Line Bon Jovi put on a mighty impressive show that left all of us wanting more.
When I was six years old, soon to be seven, I didn't know or care much about music. Kind of surprising given my obsession with music now, almost 15 years later. But for Christmas when I was six years old (2 weeks away from being seven), I received a tape from my aunt and uncle as my present. The tape was Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet, an album that would shape my musical tastes for the next 9 years of my life.
I loved everything about that tape. The big loud guitar riffs, the pounding drums, the extra layer the keyboards added, and the absolute rock star voice that made me smile no matter how bad a day I might've had at school. I stayed a Bon Jovi fan the rest of my life, buying all their albums (ironically, it's their latest studio album, Crush that is missing from my collection) and watching them grow and mature as artists.
This year, the band released a live album documenting 15 years of live shows, entitled One Wild Night: Bon Jovi Live 1985-2000. When a new North American leg of their tour was announced, I really, sorely wanted to go after missing what might have been the best show of 2000 back in the fall. Then I saw the ticket prices and I was, no pun intended, Crushed.
One day at school I walked into my friend Jackie's dorm room and she ran up and hugged me all excitedly. Kind of odd since Jackie doesn't get excited this often. I asked her what was up. The words that came out of her mouth made my day: "I just won 4 front row tickets to the Bon Jovi concert here in July." Oh yes, I was going to Bon Jovi alright, front row no less.
Finally July 25 came. Work dragged on forever, as if 4pm would never come to be. When we got to the venue, Eve 6 was rattling away on their opening set. I was kind of surprised to see them, as they weren't ever actually announced. I didn't pay much attention to them, and I wasn't the only one.
We took our seats and finally the house lights went down. The band walked out onstage and all 19,900 fans (this was the first show to sell out the Tweeter Center this year, although the Barenaked Ladies show I saw ultimately sold out like a day before the show) jumped up in unison to greet them.
The band immediately ripped right into One Wild Night, and the first line, "It was a hot night" was only so appropriate as it was still 90 degrees when the band took the stage. After that, it was a giant hit parade, mostly from Slippery When Wet on, including Jon Bon Jovi's solo smash, Blaze of Glory, and Richie Sambora's not so solo smash Stranger In This Town. Surprisingly, the crowd reacted well to Sambora taking over the lead duties, even for just a song.
Keyboardist David Bryan wore a giant smile on his face all night long, as did Jon himself, seemingly overwhelmed by the fact that his band can STILL sell out 20,000 seat arenas close to 20 years since they broke through to the mainstream here in America.
The only disappointment of the night was drummer Tico Torres, who seemed to not be moved one way or the other most of the night. He just seemed very sedate, very stagnant.
The crowd reacted best to the hits of course, and songs like Just Older and I Got the Girl from the Crush record didn't get much of a reaction other than polite applause.
The opening to It's My Life was extended a bit, to allow for more crowd shout-along, and Raise Your Hands was every bit the pop metal pleasure it was in 1986 when Slippery When Wet wouldn't leave my old tape player.
I completely loved I'll Sleep When I'm Dead in a live setting, it's old time rock and roll feel was perfect on a hot, sticky summer night such as this. I've always loved the song, but it just seemed to resonate even better on this night.
Sadly, one of my all time favorite tunes, Something for the Pain from the 1995 These Days record, didn't get played. However, I couldn't exactly complain after the set closing Lay Your Hands On Me that was quite possibly the most anthemic performance I myself have ever experienced.
The encore included a gorgeous Blood on Blood and a giant Wanted Dead or Alive. Then it was time for the band to have some fun. They played Tequila and Twist and Shout, which left everyone dancing, twisting, and shouting into the night.
I was a sweaty disgusting mess after the show but I didn't care. Many people lump Bon Jovi in with the hair bands of the 80s, but I never really did. Bon Jovi is just a rock and roll band with some great songs to sing along to in the summer heat. The tour is done now, it finished 3 days after my show with homecoming shows in New Jersey. However, whenever this band goes back out on the road, be sure not to miss them.
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Member: Matt Aucoin
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