Tearing down the house

By Cassandra Kyle, TheStarPhoenix.com

Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The traffic jam was worth it.

An hour in the car from downtown Saskatoon to Credit Union Centre to see Bon Jovi live seemed like little sacrifice once the band took to the tavern-style stage on Monday night.

A brief smile from the ever-dreamy Jon Bon Jovi, the first sounds from Richie Sambora's steady guitar - yes, the 60-minute view of the rear end of an SUV wasn't all that bad.

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Bon Jovi, led by frontman Jon Bon Jovi, rocked Credit Union Centre on Monday.

Greg Pender/The StarPhoenix

The band kicked off the evening with Lost Highway, the title track from their latest, and Nashville-inspired, album. Even in the first few minutes of the show, which also included You Give Love A Bad Name, one could tell how comfortable the group was on stage.

With the band at ease (and looking like they were enjoying themselves), audience members were free to let their hair down and enjoy the evening. It seems reasonable that a good portion of the set list included songs from Bon Jovi's latest release, but the audience responded best to the New Jersey group's classics like Bad Medicine and Bed of Roses.

Still, songs from Lost Highway were received well. The group played their newer tunes as if they had been playing them as long as Livin' on a Prayer, making them an easy sell to the appreciative audience. Even the country single Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore, performed as a duet with Leann Rimes on the album and without her in concert, was treated as if it had been in Bon Jovi's repertoire for years.

It would have been nice, however, if Jon shared the duet spotlight with his female back-up singer and electric fiddle player who supported his vocals so well during the song. She deserved more than the back-of-the-stage designation she received at the time.

The heartthrob rocker, who came to the stage dressed in a leather jacket and a white, unbuttoned shirt, may have made up for the snub by sneaking onto a second stage while Sambora held the main spotlight with a solo. After performing on the Section C platform, he made his way through the audience - with security, of course  - serenading the up-close-and-personal crowd.

Jon kept his voice clear and smooth - not unlike Sambora's guitar solos - throughout the show. It wasn't until the middle of the concert, however, that the singer really showed off his skills and displayed his full range during an abbreviated version of Shout - the song often heard at weddings and Christmas parties everywhere.

While the performance was good and the songs were played to perfection, what really stood out was Bon Jovi's cohesiveness. That the band has been together for more than 20 years is a feat in itself, but to still play with such emotion is an accomplishment.

Opening act Hedley seemed to capture the attention of the audience - at least those who made it to the venue in time. Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, wearing tight red pants and sporting a pompadour hairdo, managed to keep his vocals steady while running animatedly around the stage.

ckyle@sp.canwest.com

© The StarPhoenix 2007