Bon Jovi In Birmingham.

"Caddy Set"

The music of Bon Jovi may never stand in high regard amongst the ‘experts’ of Rock Music folklore. Lyrics too generic for Springsteen. Guitar work too formulaic in relation to Slash or Satriani. Songs too poppy for lovers of Led Zeppelin. Shit, even the singing is never compared to Freddie Mercury. Essentially, it is – as a friend of mine once put so bluntly, easy to compare the music of Bon Jovi to dry toast; warm, tasty, and full of energy – but lacking that something to ever consider ‘exceptional’.

It is a bright, sunny day. I stand in the middle of what is the football pitch of Villa Park, in the town of Aston, Birmingham. This is a view people such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, will have seen many times over; I wonder how wonderful it must feel, to do something you love in front of thousands who love you back for doing it? I am with my girlfriend waiting to see Bon Jovi. For me this is the first time, for her, something she has done many times over. I ask why she keeps seeing them so often? “Because they are amazing live!” she says. Surely dry toast cannot be that good?

The stage before me resembles the front of a Cadillac, and the first thing I notice are the variation of ages, styles, and sizes of the fans around me; as well as the amount of Bon Jovi tattoos they carry. There is a loyalty about these fans; the kind 95% of Justin Beiber or One Direction followers will never know. Most have been with the group since their first breakthrough in 1983, while many others have joined along the way and never left. There are even a fair few Bon Jovi lookalikes floating around; my favourite, the skinny fella, who I thought resembled Pat Sharp more than the lead singer. Must be weird living your life as somebody else. Not my thing, but it keeps others happy – and probably ramps up his pulling power.

Between the four hours wait, support arrives in the form of beer, Kings Of Captains, a local band, and to my shock and delight, Coventry’s finest. The Enemy. An odd group to support Bon Jovi, but one who nailed their set with an intense, passionate, professional display or raw melodic brilliance; they will only get bigger, trust me. Come 7:30pm, we were given the “30 minutes countdown,” just to build tension, I guess. It worked. Even though personally, at this point I still wasn’t that into it as the hardened surrounding Jovi-ites. (Do they have a name?)

Come 8pm on the money, the main event started. As soon as the seasoned middle-aged rockers hit that stage, the crowd cheered in a defining roar which never once let up, and I was fortunate to witness pure rock royalty, make three hours seem like thirty minutes. The group went through all the classics, a few lesser known numbers for the hardcore fans, a couple of covers (Status Quo, how good is that!) And they played throughout, like it was their last night on Earth. By the time the second encore had finished, and feeling as if I had witnessed one of the truly special gigs of history, most fans carried a general tone of, “This level is about normal for them.” The toast was more of a cooked croissant, and part of a larger meal, really.

As far as Bon Jovi himself is concerned. He comes across as a man, who has crafted his trade down to a science. Yet has the ability to work as an artist in its frame - from the singing and energy of his performance; seriously, the guy is 51 and never stopped to pause for a second. Clearly influenced by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Bruce Springsteen - and living in an age where musicians seem more concerned with selling trainers, and Twitter photos, there is a feeling Bon Jovi is one of the last true Rock Stars of our time. Not another classic drug riddled waste of history, but a true professional showman… someone who simply loves to give back in performance, a little of the immense wonders life has given him already. A lot of acts treat their fans with contempt; these guys have a warm, long-term relationship with theirs – it shows on both sides, whenever they get together. It’s pretty healthy, and isn't going to change anytime soon.

And this is exactly what the ‘experts’ neglect to mention about Bon Jovi. While there is always someone else who does the separate things just a little better; and I use the word 'just', because the dude has a bloody strong voice, the guitar work is solid, and the songs deceptively emotive. When you total the sum of its parts altogether, there really is no finer band out there playing music to entertain, as a way to remind us to simply enjoy life. To consistently perform at the level they have and still do - for three decades. And to have each gig leave the entire crowd feel like it is both the greatest show they ever played, as well as belonging to one giant arse, private party - in which they are the evening’s hosts, is something remarkable. 

Their music isn’t designed to make you think, it is designed to make you dance, celebrate, and smile. They perform again at Hyde Park in a few weeks. My girlfriend is going, I am not. If I’m honest, should I get the chance to see them again? I will. And to convince someone who only really liked their music to do such a thing after one show? Put it this way; I have only eaten dry toast once... Croissants are with me for life.

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