BON JOVI ROCKS PHILLY ON JON’S BIRTHDAY !!!
Photo and Review by Michael Davis/Horizon Press Company

Bon Jovi played a sold out concert at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA on 3/2/08 !!! Actually they played 2 back-to-back, sold out concerts at the Wachovia Center, the second night was 3/3/08. But the concert on 3/2/08 was a rather auspicious occasion, as it was Jon Bon Jovi’s 46th birthday! The band is on tour in support of their latest album, “Lost Highway”. The “Lost Highway Tour” started on 12/9/07 in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the MTS Centre. The full tour has 58 concerts in 13 countries. First there was a 6 concert run in Canada. Then 30 dates in the US, starting on 2/18/08 at the Quest Center in Omaha, NE, ending on 5/1/08 at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA. The tour finishes with 22 dates throughout Europe in Germany, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Finland, Norway, Denmark and 7 concerts in the United Kingdom, ending on 6/28/08 at Twickenham Stadium in London.
The concert was nothing short of killer! They spared no expense on this tour. The stage had giant vertical screens that hung like venetian blinds. The floor lit up and was engineered in a way that allowed Jon and Richie to go in back of Tico and his drum kit and entertain the fans with seats behind the stage, which I’m sure was very much appreciated by people with those tickets, as they probably expected to only see the back of everybody’s heads and there were more lights than I’ve seen from any previous Bon Jovi tour. The concert started off with their first single, which bears the same name from the new album, “Lost Highway” and continued with one fan favorite after another. “You Give Love A Bad Name”, “Raise Your Hands”, “Runaway”, “Blaze Of Glory”, “Bad Medicine”, “It’s My Life”, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, “Have A Nice Day” and “Livin’ On A Prayer”, just to name a few. They played three encores, one of which was “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and everyone sang along with Jon and the band, word for word.
Speaking of sing-alongs, as it was Jon’s birthday, Daughtry, who was recently on American Idol and now on tour with Bon Jovi opening the concerts in the US, led the crowd in yelling, “Happy Birthday Jon”! Daughtry’s performance was awesome as well and only furthered to ensure the crowd really got their money’s worth!
Hard to believe that a little band from Sayreville, NJ formed in 1983 could have the longevity and success of Bon Jovi, but that is exactly what has happened! With worldwide sales of more than 120 million albums sold and the ability to sell out stadium concerts just about anywhere, Bon Jovi is one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Still going strong after more than 25 years and with a 10th studio album, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres haven’t slowed down a bit and their last few albums have been among their best.
Throughout their career, the band has released ten studio albums, of which nine have gone platinum or multi-platinum. In addition, the band has charted 19 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, four of which reached #1 ("You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Bad Medicine", and "I'll Be There for You"). The band also holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1 on the Billboard 200 with “Slippery When Wet”, as well as the most Top 10 singles from a hard rock album, with “New Jersey”, which charted five such singles, “Bad Medicine”, I’ll Be There For You”, Lay Your Hands On Me”, Born To Be My Baby” and “Living In Sin”. In 2007, the band won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration for "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and also became the first rock band to reach #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the same song. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” also received a CMT Music Award for Best Collaborative Video and a People’s Choice Award for Best Rock Song. The band has also received multiple Grammy nominations for music from the albums “Crush”, “Bounce” and “Lost Highway”. Not to mention more awards from VH1, MTV, American Music Awards, BRIT Awards and World Music Awards than you can shake a stick at. Bon Jovi is at the top of their game & I highly suggest you see a concert on their current tour!
The music aside, Bon Jovi also has taken a vested interest in helping Habitat for Humanity building homes for those in need in Philadelphia. The band has many other charitable endeavors as well, like David Bryan’s work with the Only Make Believe foundation, for which David received the James Hammerstein Award for his outstanding dedication to children in need at a star-studded event held at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Additionally, Jon, who is Co-Majority Owner of the Philadelphia Soul (Philly’s indoor arena football team) along with designer Kenneth Cole, have joined forces to raise money and awareness to break the cycle of homelessness.
For more information on Bon Jovi visit WWW.BONJOVI.COM !!!