17 May 2001 - Ottawa, ON, Canada Concert Review |
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Set list a little confused in solid show
As any Bon Jovi fan will tell you, Thursday's show at Corel Centre started off with a series of solid classics from the New Jersey natives. You Give Love A Bad Name, It's My Life, Keep The Faith and Livin' On A Prayer span the BJ catalogue and are fist-pounding, sing-along crowd favorites. But perhaps the group should have saved a couple of 'em for their finale.
With a two hour set complete with video screens and a rooftop background, the band convinced naysayers that the 80's really aren't over - they're just stored in the closet and brought out when the Jovi crew comes to town. Clad in typical JBJ attire (jean jacket and white t-shirt) the frontman had his audience on their feet before opener 'One Wild Night' was 5 seconds old. Wanted Dead or Alive, Lay Your Hands On Me, Bad Medicine and I'll Be There For You were crowd pleasers as the night moved along with a mixture of signature ballads and rockers.
But the show was on a high until the final encore - where a band with 20 years of history and countless singles ended their solid set with two cover tunes. Cover tunes ? Why bother ? You're Bon Jovi for God's sake - people want to hear Bon Jovi songs. Granted, the show's earlier covers worked well - the Stones' Sympathy for the Devil combined nicely into Keep the Faith and the Isley's Shout was a boost to Bad Medicine. But to finish with Tequila and Twist & Shout ? Any cover band in the world can do those. As many of the fans leaving the show were wondering - what about recent single Thank You for Loving Me ? Anyone could list off songs they didn't do as personal favorites differ even among hard core fans - but to end an otherwise solid show with other people's music was disappointing from a band that has proven they can do much better.
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