[New Orleans, LA] a band Rockboy discovered in SXSW research that led us to Jay Reatard\”s tribute – they were described as an inspiration for Jay in the little pamphlet memorializing him – they were not Reatard-punk but totally illuminated his sound – they were perfect power pop with a punk edge and I mean perfect – they were a terrific band – the lead singer was a non-shirt wearing sweaty large man and it didn\”t even matter – they were loud and fast and hard but had perfect melodies and lyrics and hooks – a top show

[Austin, TX] we first saw them at a little record store, I love their recorded music and seeing them all big fancy band was exciting – I know the lead singer was posturing in his dark sunglasses but he deserves to with his big sexy voice – they do dark shimmering psychedelic blues rock that reminded me of a much slicker Brian Jonestown this time – they\”re gorgeous

[Dublin, Ireland] big sound pop rock that sounds fiercer live – I really liked their tight performance but Rockboy thought they were boring

this is a band that I have never liked – his dramatic voice grates on me – I particularly hate their hit and the song I am most familiar with: “She Sells Sanctuary” – the ticket to this show was bought for me and I underwent two evening sessions of training in the catalogue of The Cult by a long-time devotee of the band, Rockboy – I enjoyed my training – I am now qualified to tell you that while I respect the band-integrity (pre-Rick-Rubin producing) of the earliest albums of The Cult, such as Dreamtime and Love, it is exactly the music that I don’t like from them: wishy-washy romantic dramatic unrock rock – the albums that followed were a surprise to me (such as Electric and Sonic Temple) as I had no idea that The Cult had such music – while I see the transformation intro crunchy AC/DC metal as Rubin-homogenizing-evil and as The Cult becoming very un-Cult, I cannot deny that I quite enjoy those albums more than the early frilly-shirt soaring-sob albums – and so the concert went – they did the Love album in entirety and it was perfect – it was as if we were in the studio but for the dirt under our feet, the sweat and heat, and the most annoying drunk mish-mash packed-in crowd I have ever been in (I was nearly knocked down twice by 2 near-fights between the same 2 ignorant middle-aged obliterated-drunk men) – and then the second set was a selection of hits from their proper metal albums and the crowd went even more wild although it didn’t seem it was possible – Ian Astbury’s voice is undeniably distinctive and high-quality – in the end, the show was tremendous, this band is still not for me, and I felt inexplicably drawn to Ian Astbury – he was round and shaggy-haired and wearing a hoodie with little white insignias on it – he looked all cuddly and accessible – he banged his tambourine and shimmied forward and backward like’s he done this as long as he’s done this – I liked his aura of knowingness and the sort of self-confidence that underlies not having to dress to impress

much better than last band – have a 90s alt rock sound – like Toad the Wet Sprocket but harder – sound in this venue was so bad that it was difficult to judge – moved into anthem rock too

Swarming to TD Banknorth Garden, Bon Jovi was the like the Pied Piper of white trash. Rarely have I seen so many fake boobs / fake tans / bleach blondes in one place. But it wasn’t just the aging sorority girls that came to party. The crowd also had its share of college jocks, soccer moms and husbands in tow. In all, 18,000 people descended on the Garden for the first of a two-night stand at the tail end of Bon Jovi’s Lost Highway Tour. And they all had two things in common. Everyone was trashed out of their minds and they knew every damn word to every damn song.

Bon Jovi puts on an amazing show. The show was part glam band, part Springsteen and a whole lot of fist pumps and chest hair. Bon Jovi, and in this case I mean the man, does an impressive job of making you feel like you are the only one he’s singing to. It’s a rare talent, even more impressive given the size of the venue and energy level he maintained for almost two hours. He mounted a small stage by himself in the middle of the arena for (You Want To) Make A Memory and Bed of Roses, shaking hands and touching bodies without missing a beat. He did a lot of gyrating on stage the entire night, waving his arms and shimming around the stage. During I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, the band took a long diversion into Twist & Shout which did nothing to kick the feeling that Bon Jovi would be pretty successful in an exercise video, too.

Whole Lotta Leavin’ was the best of the new material, and followed up by the exhilarating In These Arms, it showed off Bon Jovi’s rich vocals. Richie Sambora looked like ass, but he belted out I’ll Be There For You and his voice sounded great. It hasn’t been a good year for him, I hear, but his guitar sizzled through out the night regardless.

The visuals were mostly kept to a minimum because this was all about the guys themselves. During Bad Medicine, the stage behind the band raised up and made itself into a enormous screen for a mid-song segue into the Isley Brothers’ Shout. Earlier, we also got screen shots of just-short-of-naked coeds, some fireworks and a 1980′s hyper space effect borrowed from George Lucas. But otherwise, the cameras were zeroed in on the guys.

The Garden sold obstructed-view seats behind the stage. For the most part, those fans got a close look at the band and Bon Jovi himself pandered to them as often as not. But occasionally, screens came down from the ceiling to block their view of the stage (though the screens were double-sided so they could see the same thing on the screens that we could…for what it’s worth.) A number of fans paid $1250 for the bonus experience which included side stage standing room only for 3-songs.

The last five songs were the hottest part of the night. The crowd put extra effort into the singalongs Who Says You Can’t Go Home, and Living on a Prayer. Sure, they probably do the same on every tour, but in the end, the night finished on a great high.

Bon Jovi setlist
Lost Highway
Born To Be My Baby
You Give Love a Bad Name
Summertime
Capt. Crash
Runaway
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead / Twist & Shout
Whole Lot Of Leavin’
In These Arms
Any Other Day
We Got It Goin’ On
It’s My Life
Keep the Faith
I’ll Be There For You
(You Want To) Make A Memory
Bed of Roses
Have A Nice Day
Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Bad Medicine / Shout
Encore
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer