I saw Bon Jovi last night at PNC Arena. It was a lot of fun – lots of people, fun experience, good company, but it was one of the more boring concerts I’ve attended. Let me elaborate:
I was never a big Bon Jovi fan. I am on the younger side of Gen-X, and I came of age right around the time that Bon Jovi was famous. However, I have a very strong memory of being on the school bus, and one of my friends destroying her Bon Jovi tape so that she’d seem cool. She couldn’t even give the tape away, so she destroyed it. Around that time, Poison was my favorite. Iron Maiden and Metallica were also pretty great. Even Kiss was pretty awesome. It was right around the time of hair metal, and I, with my sad attempts at Farrah Fawcett hair, was a fan of all those bands. Unfortunately, Bon Jovi always seemed pretty milk-toast. (I really shouldn’t use that expression because I love toast!) In my eyes, he seemed as soul-less as Britney Spears (who came up way later than me).
What struck me last night: the music never “touched” me to tears. I also never had a moment of elation, or even of nostalgia. Nearly 2 years ago, DPSO took me to an Alan Jackson concert, and I had both those emotions. Even 3 nights ago, when my dad put on a house concert of songs he’s written, I felt tears and elation. When we saw Cher and Cindy Lauper a few years go, and I felt so much emotion! But with Bon Jovi, I felt like I was faking. I could laugh, I could have fun, but it took a few beers. But life’s too short to fake it…
Perhaps Bon Jovi’s music doesn’t hold up over time? No, that’s not it. Music is one of the things that definitely DOES hold up over time. If I hear a Joni Mitchell’s, “All I Want,” I will have the same emotions as the first time I heard it. If I hear Dar William’s “As Cool as I Am,” I will lose myself in the song! When I heard Alan Jackson’s, “Where were you when the world stopped turning?” I cried with the audience. I felt like, at that moment, I was exactly where I belonged.
That’s a little bit because… I pick up on the emotions of the audience. If someone else in the audience starts crying, I will probably start crying. In an audience of 30,000+, I should probably pick up on something, besides just fake, milk-toast fun, and cell phone lights where there should be lighters! (Right?!)
We left the arena just as the last song, “Living on a Prayer,” was beginning. The word “formulaic” was going through my head more often than “chocolate ice cream,” and that says something. We were very disappointed that “Blaze of Glory” wasn’t performed. That is one of his excellent songs…
Maybe Bon Jovi has some other excellent songs that I’ve never heard, being that he’s been famous for so long… maybe he didn’t sing any of them because he’s just doing what his publicist told him to do, not sure.
But I will say: Life is full of both good concerts and bad concerts. Some music touches my soul, and others doesn’t. Mr. Bon Jovi, you never touched my soul. Sorry!
“Living on a Prayer” tells a good story with a great hook. Sometimes the emotional connection comes from what you were doing or who you were with when a song becomes popular. I liked his “Who Says
you Can’t Go Home” when John-Bon recorded it with Jennifer Nettles just as she was making it big with Sugarland.
Songs like ” Wanted Dead or Alive” never did connect with me.
Keep up the blogging!