Live review: Bon Jovi and Roxus at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Friday, November 3 1989
By STEVE MASCORD
I THOUGHT Jon Bon Jovi was joshin’ when he was quoted a little while back as saying Elvis “is living inside me”. But here he is, his spandex-coated posterior pointed at the audience, doing a bloody hip swivel exactly like the Pelvis himself.
And what’s all this new talking during the downbeats in songs? Springsteen?
As the New Jersey tour powers into its second year (tonight is the second show of the 13th month), a couple of facts are glaringly obvious. Firstly, this is a much better Jovi concert for your 32 bucks than the last one. While the rather less frenetic material in the current album pales by comparison to its predecessor, it balanced the live show out masterfully. As musicians, the BJs have progressed nicely and are tighter than Richie Sambora’s pants these days.
Secondly, it appears Jon has maybe become a bit of a cardboard cutout for himself. Two unsuccessful albums into his career, Mr Noo Joisy didn’t have much time to think about his image. Twenty-two million records later, he’s rambling about being a gangster and Elvis and has almost forgotten poor Superman.
Somewhere mid-set, he comments “I love Australia, the girls here are so easy”. What are you trying to prove, Jon? It sounds like something Lemmy would say, not a permed megastar who was married six months ago. If it was meant to be shocking, it only managed to come across as very daft. Maybe it’s all that touring with Sebastian Bach.
The sound tonight is deplorable, but such is the visual maelstrom some would have forgiven this small defect if not for Jon’s incessant mumbling. He mumbles under Sambora’s wail, in between Tico Torres’ thumps and in spite of David Bryan and Alec Jon Such’s efforts. No-one knows what he’s saying — maybe it’s the gibberish in the “Lay Your Hands On Me” intro that he missed reciting at the beginning of the show.
Indeed it would be sad if Bon Jovi lost their sincerity up their own arse but I’m sure that will never happen.
Such vague misgivings aside, it was simply astounding tonight how compelling a band could be for so long. No-one looked away, only a few sat down, as the Jovis switched gears from “You Give Love A Bad Name” down to “Living in Sin” and back up again to “Let it Rock” with scarcely a jolt.
The diversity provided by two hit albums was the secret to a much improved showing than the SlipperyTour. The new effect where Jon flys up and out for the floor was not in use here, but they compensated by showing the band leaving their rooms on a giant catwalk, which gives all 14,000 of us ghastly close-up views of sweaty Americans. It’s that much better than the posy trapese act.
Roxus, who seem to get every HR support in Australia now, were also infinitely tighter than during their opening slot with Poison. Perhaps because they are, still, a poor man’s Bon Jovi. New guitarist Dragon is a bit more showy than departed Joe Cool and the amount of new material is quite unbelievable. “Heartbeat City“, “Don’t Stop” and “Stand Back” all leap at ya, while the grand synth-laced “Body Heat” remains a masterpiece live. What a shame the studio version sucks so much.
Bon Jovi has now played 200 shows to over two and a half million people on this tour, supporting an album which has sold less. They got it right in the studio in 1986 and on stage this year.
Imagine if they managed to do both at once.
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