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Date d'inscription: 24/09/2007
 |  Sujet: Washington, DC review @ inrich.com Ven 29 Fév - 22:51 | |
| [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]| Citation: | Bon Jovi lights up Verizon Center
Friday, Feb 29, 2008 - 02:37 PM
WASHINGTON - Those who came of age in the '70s have Bruce Springsteen to worship. But the kids from the ’80s? Their loyalty to Bon Jovi is steadfast.
Proof of that allegiance came Thursday night at the Verizon Center from a sellout crowd whose members are still probably hoarse from scream-shouting along to 2½ hours of hits.
Any current Bon Jovi audience happily disregards the band’s shortcomings — the over-reliance on stomp ’n’ clap backbeats ("We Got It Goin’ On," "Have a Nice Day"), the parade of clichés in many songs — to enjoy the band for what it is: a slickly professional, impressively tight rock group.
You can say what you will about Jon Bon Jovi’s playboy charms — the sideways grins, the handsome-star attire of black vest open to the chest and snug black velvet pants, the Messianic poses — but there is no doubt that Jon Bon Jovi loves being Jon Bon Jovi. This is a guy who earns his million-dollar paycheck.
It’s almost impossible to believe that the charismatic frontman, turns 46 tomorrow, as his unflagging energy during the musical marathon was an exhausting exhibition in stamina. He’d certainly be the most popular aerobics instructor at any gym.
Though this three-month U.S. tour, which launched 12 days ago in Nebraska, is ostensibly in support of the experimental country album "Lost Highway," the band played only a handful of new cuts at Thursday’s show.
Instead, the core four of Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan — plus longtime bassist Hugh McDonald and secondary guitarist Bobby Bandiera — concentrated on rewarding fans with a convoy of smashes and choice album tracks from their 25-year career.
The adrenaline shot "Raise Your Hands" and giddy swing of "Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars" were complemented by Jovi staples "You Give Love a Bad Name" and the band’s first hit, the keyboard-jabbing "Runaway."
Though his voice sounded clear and robust on most songs, Jon Bon Jovi doesn’t even bother trying to hit those impossible screeches anymore, turning instead to agreeable co-pilot Sambora or allowing the audience to relive those bathroom-mirror moments.
So much is often made of the band’s superficial appeal that rarely does it receive due recognition for its talents. Bon Jovi’s musicianship is so taut that when the touch of Bo Diddley drumming that anchored "I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead" segued into a blistering patch of "Jumpin’ Jack Flash" before circling back home in a boogie-swamp jam, it suggested these guys could read one another blindfolded.
The other star of the show — aside from Sambora’s cool talkbox that shadowed a deliciously defiant "It’s My Life" and the still gloriously anthemic "Livin’ on a Prayer" — was the band’s stage.
Four Venetian-blind screens floated throughout the show on a truss, contracting and expanding while projecting live video from the stage and scenes of cityscapes and highways.
Several times during the concert, the back of the stage rose upward to form a wall of LED screen panels, allowing the audience even more angles to catch Jon Bon Jovi and Sambora sharing a smile or pumping their fists overhead in unison, their brotherhood on proud public display.
Opening the show was Daughtry, the current hits machine fronted by former Fluvanna County resident Chris Daughtry.
Daughtry and his four-piece band attacked his songbook with what looked like passion but sounded uninspired.
Ubiquitous radio favorites "It’s Not Over" and "Feels Like Tonight" are catchy pop/rock tunes that were delivered ably, but perhaps it’s the limited range of Daughtry’s voice that infused other songs such as "You Don’t Belong" and "What I Want" with nothing but dullness.
Chris Daughtry clearly admires the Bon Jovi model — right down to naming his band after himself — so it’s hoped he’s watching from the sidelines each night to pick up some pointers. �
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