Review: Bon Jovi at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, December 1st, 2018
Back in June, Australian Bon Jovi fans began to get their hopes up that New Jersey’s finest were about to announce their first tour of our shores in five years. Thankfully, this news soon proved true, with the group announcing their return with a four-date tour of the country for December.
Having released their thirteenth album – This House Is Not For Sale – back in 2016, local fans were undoubtedly keen to see the rock icons make their triumphant return to Australia.
On Saturday night, the wait was finally over as Bon Jovi kicked off their latest Aussie tour with a Melbourne show that fans won’t soon forget.
As fans found their way into the Melbourne Cricket Ground on a balmy Saturday evening, it was evident who they were here to see. With Bon Jovi t-shirts at every turn, the group’s dedicated fanbase made themselves instantly recognisable, singing the band’s iconic songs, and clutching pieces of sought-after merch on their way into the stadium.
Kicking things off for the evening was Perth’s Birds Of Tokyo, who delivered a powerful set full of their biggest and most recognisable hits.
The perfect band to be opening for such a iconic group, the group’s sound was so grand and theatric that anything less than a stadium venue would have done the band a disservice.
Starting their set with 2016’s ‘Empire’, Bird Of Tokyo played to a sadly sparse crowd, with Ian Kenny’s voice resonating tremendously with those in attendance. While the band’s sound was occasionally interfered with by the wind, this problem only lasted briefly, and before long their sound was as clear as a bell.
As the show continued, the band showcased their versatility, switching effortlessly between the pop-rock stylings of tracks like ‘Wild At Heart’, before dropping into the driving hard-rock sounds of tracks like ‘Brace’.
Although they were relegated to the opening spot of the tour, you could easily be mistaken for thinking the group were a headline act, with their energy, sound, and perfect musicianship setting them apart, and proving their worth as one of the finest bands in Australia today.
As an intermission lingered, conversation between fans soon switched to excited discussions about what songs the evening’s set might consist of. Thankfully, these fans weren’t left wondering long, with an Australian flag on the backdrop signifying the triumphant return of Bon Jovi to Aussie shores.
Instantly kicking things off with a powerful rendition of their latest album’s title track – and their current tour’s namesake – ‘This House Is Not For Sale’, it was clear that the members of Bon Jovi hadn’t missed a single trick in the years since they’d last visited us.
“It’s been too long,” singer Jon Bon Jovi explained to the packed stadium. “Five years now, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Soon, the six-piece band and their eponymous frontman found themselves tearing through a litany of their greatest hits and recent singles, running through tracks like ‘Knockout’, ‘Whole Lot Of Leavin”, and ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’, with the latter prompting a singalong that felt as powerful as the band’s glory days.
Dressed in a jacket emblazoned with the band’s heart & dagger logo, Jon Bon Jovi was backed by a series of stunning visuals, with the video screens making the evening’s show seem like more of a professionally-produced concert film than anything else.
After taking things down a notch to revel in the country-rock stylings of ‘Lost Highway’, the group polished off a few old classics and newer favourites before the stage darkened, leaving only a haze of smoke and minimal lighting.
Before long, the opening notes of their iconic 2000 hit ‘It’s My Life’ rang through the stadium, indicating that the evening’s gig was about to be turned up to eleven, and seeing fans chant out chorus after chorus.
From this point on, there was almost no backing down, with hit after hit. While tracks like ‘God Bless This Mess’ and ‘We Don’t Run’, 1992’s ‘Keep The Faith’ was turned into an extended jam sessions, and ‘Bed Of Roses’ turned out to be such an emotional number, that even Jon Bon Jovi himself appeared moved by the crowd’s response.
After a trio of huge hits, including ‘Lay Your Hands On Me’, ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’, and ‘Bad Medicine’, the band took their leave from the stage, as fans chanted for more of the rock hits they’d been hearing all night.
Returning to the stage in a leather jacket, Bon Jovi instantly got the crowd moving with renditions of ‘Blood On Blood’ and ‘I’ll Be There For You’, before everyone joined in to chant along every single word to classic hits like ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ and ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ to close out the evening.
While the show was marred by a couple of technical issues, including Jon Bon Jovi’s vocals being lost in the mix from time to time, it was more than made up for thanks to the sublime musicianship of the group, and the immersive light and visual display backing the band.
Although fans were left waiting for five years for Bon Jovi to come back to Aussie shores, it’s clear that this performance was more than worth the wait. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait another five years to see this iconic group rock their hearts out on local stages again.
Bon Jovi’s Australian tour is set to continue on Tuesday in Adelaide, before hitting up Brisbane and Sydney throughout the week.
Check out Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’:
Bon Jovi @ MCG, Melbourne 1/12/18 Setlist
‘This House Is Not For Sale’
‘Knockout’
‘You Give Love A Bad Name’
‘Whole Lot Of Leavin”
‘Lost Highway’
‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’
‘Roller Coaster’
‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home’
‘Born To Be My Baby’
‘It’s My Life’
‘God Bless This Mess’
‘We Don’t Run’
‘Keep The Faith’
‘Bed Of Roses’
‘Lay Your Hands On Me’
‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’
‘Bad Medicine’
Encore:
‘Blood On Blood’
‘I’ll Be There For You’
‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’
‘Livin’ On A Prayer’
Birds Of Tokyo @ MCG, Melbourne 1/12/18 Setlist
‘Empire’
‘Broken Bones’
‘I’d Go With You Anywhere’
‘Wild At Heart’
‘Brace’
‘Silhouettic’
‘Plans’
‘New Song’ (‘Promises’)
‘Anchor’
‘Unbreakable’
‘Lanterns’
‘This Fire’
Bon Jovi 2018 ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ Australian Tour Dates
Tuesday, December 4th
Botanic Park, Adelaide, SA
Tickets: Ticketek
Thursday, December 6th
QSAC, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets: Ticketek
Saturday, December 8th
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Tickets: Ticketek
