Starting 5 minutes early, Birds of Tokyo began their act to a near empty arena and I couldn’t help but feel bad for them as they put on a fantastic performance. The entire arena was seated apart from a small general standing section at the back of the grounds, which seemed unfortunate but understandably necessary for such a large expected crowd. BOT’s sound tech was a godsend, sounding absolutely on point – it could almost have been played straight from the record it was so clear and distinct. The clear vocals and well-balanced band came together to put on a spectacular quality performance and kept the stage energy up – all the more appreciated considering the lack of crowd response. Lead singer Ian Kenney paused after a booming performance of ‘Empire’ to introduce, saying ‘God damn Melbourne, love this town, it’s always special when we come here’. Kenney’s vocals were near-perfect, minus a few higher notes that weren’t quite reached projection-wise. They went on to play ‘Broken Bones’ and ‘I’d Go With You Anywhere’, and filled up as much of the massive stage as possible with their performance of well-known track ‘Wild At Heart’. Kenney had to pull away at one point after, mentioning ‘Oh no my shoe has come apart, I’ve gotta fix this’, before going on to play ‘Brace’ which held an amazing breakdown and some seriously smooth on stage moves from Kenney – not to mention his funky printed jacket, gotta get me one of those.
I really can’t explain how GOOD the sound is for this act, kudos to whoever their sound tech was. As they play through ‘Silhouettic’ and better-known song ‘Plans’ the crowd finally begin to fill in and participate. Next, they introduced a new song detailing what sounded like a sad dramatic breakup with the lyrics ‘Nobody loved you like I did, I thought you’d be mother to my kid’ – potentially called ‘Promises’. Moving into somewhat more upbeat discography, they went on to play another radio-popular track ‘Anchor’ and cheerfully welcomed new punters still entering the grounds before playing another new release ‘Unbreakable’ which is a fantastic song of hope and self-assurance – the song sounding somewhat reminiscent of American band This Wild Life. Before playing their final songs for the night, Kelley expresses his thanks once again and comments on the privilege of the night, stating ‘Look at this my friends, what a beautiful thing.’ Birds of Tokyo finish up their gorgeous set with well-known tune ‘Lanterns’ and 2012 tune ‘This Fire’ and made their way off stage as the now enthusiastic crowd of many old and new fans cheer, now patiently waiting for the main event.
The half hour between the two acts was filled in with a few INXS, AC/DC and Queen tracks playing intermittently, the venue and sound-tech obviously knowing their primary audience’s tastes. As dragonflies started to make an appearance in the summer weather and dark clouds begin to roll overhead, middle-aged men and women are now dancing with drinks in hand.
Bon Jovi’s set begins slightly late at 8:11 with a dramatic ‘Lost Highway-esque’ (the film, not their song) video of the Australian flag and main Australian cities and road imagery, invigorating the crowd for what is to come. The entire audience is now on their feet, anticipating what they remember of the band’s previous tours and releases. A grey-haired Jon Bon Jovi makes his way to the middle of the huge stage wearing a jacket emblazoned with their ‘shot through the heart/You Give Love A Bad Name’ imagery and ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ begins to play. Giant print-outs of a young Jon’s head on sticks begin to bob up and down at the front of the crowd as he pulls out the vocals he is so well known for. They hold up but are clearly not quite as strong as they used to be and are sounding a little stressed and wobbly – thought this probably wasn’t helped by the depletion in sound quality (which has apparently been attributed to wind…I’m not so sure). This doesn’t deter the crowd, however, and they continue to sing along, clapping and cheering as they would have 20 years ago. The side-stage screens show perfectly clear images of the band and Jon grinning out to the crowd, evidently holding the same rock’n’roll attitude as always.
I personally had quite an emotional reason for wanting to see these boys live, and I’m so glad I got the chance, and it hits me as Jon begins and introduction between songs; ‘Well good evening Melbourne Australia, we got a lot of catching up to do’. As the side screens turn to black and white, we hear ‘YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME’ begin, and this song being one of a few more largely popular of their discography, the crowd goes absolutely crazy, clapping along to the beat and singing the last chorus back to the stage as the band sat silent- what a moment.
As the show goes on its clear the boys have near-defined ageing gracefully, as they prove their skill and talent has not withered, with guitar solos everywhere (seriously, take a shot every time there’s a guitar solo) and more pianos and keyboards than I could count. After moving through, ‘Whole Lot Of Leavin”, ‘Lost Highway’, and ‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’, Jon takes a moment to mention their latest record ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ and proudly declares their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and introduces the rest of the band. Jon pauses to nervously laugh, saying ‘This song did REALLY well back in the states, not sure how it went here…’ and began to play ‘Roller Coaster’, though it seemed they had nothing to worry about as the crowd sang it right back. By this point the arena is near-filled, as the waves of cheering come rolling through to the front. Jon takes an acoustic guitar – having previously been empty handed and begins a solo-intro to ‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home’, with the rest of the band coming in boldly for the chorus. Brothers, sisters, family, couples, are all swaying arm-in-arm, singing to each other, and raising their hands in time with each repeat of the words ‘IT’S ALRIGHT’, through the last chorus and outro. ‘Born To Be My Baby’ plays next, and by the time Bon Jovi classic and crowd favourite ‘It’s My Life’ comes around the skies have cleared to reveal a deep dark sky, making for an amazing atmosphere going forward.
Jon being clearly aware of the stage-camera placement, uses this to his advantage, posing in front of middle stage camera for dramatic jumps and song-endings, creating an all-engaging performance from all angles. By the time ‘It’s My Life’ finishes I am well and truly in tears.
As ‘God Bless This Mess’ plays through, images of old newspaper articles fill the stage-screen, detailing past articles and negative headlines about the band ‘losing their touch’ and other (good and bad) drama in the bands catalogue. Running through their songs of resistance and hope ‘We Don’t Run’ and ‘Keep The Faith’ play through, Jon appearing to worship Tico Torres on drums, and as can be seen on the side-screens, he is going HARD – such respect goes to these guys. As performers, they’ve certainly kept their passion and skills alive. ‘Bed Of Roses’ appears to have quite an effect on the crowd, creating a sea of lit-up lighters and phone torches around the arena to match to candle display on the stage-screen. As I begin to notice the feeling of the music literally coming through the floor, a girl at the front in camera shot is yelling ‘HE’S RIGHT THERE’ as guitarist Phil X walks down the catwalk of the stage to play yet another intense guitar solo, followed by a double-keyboard solo from David Brian, ending the song with a massive finish.
Jon now stands at the front of the catwalk himself, stating ‘I think it’s about time we put this thing into 7th gear’, as they kick into ‘Lay Your Hands On Me’. A large fan-sign at the front of the crowd presents itself with the words ‘BON JOVI WE SALUTE YOU’ in big black letters, before the band play through what appears to be the last songs of the set; ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ and a massive performance of ‘Bad Medicine’. I say ‘appears’, because this definitely wasn’t the end. With the crowd still cheering and punters whistling and yelling for an encore, the lights haven’t gone up yet and we ask ourselves…will they? OF COURSE THEY WILL. A freshly dressed Jon makes his way back on stage to finish the HUGE 2 hour set with ‘Blood On Blood’, ‘I’ll Be There For You’, ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ and of course their huge hit ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ – much to the joy of anticipating punters behind me.
While I dare say this may just be the last tour, its clearly one for the books. Officially finishing for the night at 10:22 pm after a massive 2hr+ set, Jon stands on stage pouting his lips and fist in the air in classic rock style. The night was obviously a mammoth moment for all in attendance, and while perhaps age may be showing its effects, the band still hold up for their long-time fans, old and young.
