Review & Photographs by Diane Fleischman
One thing is for certain, Allentown loves Eighteen Hour and Bon Jovi, and when the two came together Tuesday night at the PPL Center, it was rock and roll bliss.
For this special 30 city tour, Bon Jovi sweetened the pot by offering up the opening band slot to local talent every stop on this special 30 city tour. Submitted by video, their requirements were to prove they had the sound, substance, and style to take on arena shows.
For Eighteenth Hour, it was a natural fit. The band is no stranger to the arenas, and has opened for Three Doors Down, Collective Soul, Bret Michaels, Spacehog, and several other groups. The band took the stage full of energy and dazzled the crowd for a short set.
After a brief intermission, the crowd began to cheer and howl in anticipation of Bon Jovi. The show began with “This House is Not For Sale”, with the band behind a sheer backdrop of the house, and by the end of the first chorus, the backdrop fell to the ground, and Jon Bon Jovi rushed to the front of the stage as the full arena went wild.
“I’ve got no time for talking”, Jon exclaimed, “I’ve got a lot of work to do”, as the intro to “Raise Your Hands” started. The energy got higher as Jon bounced up and down as “You Give Love a Bad Name” followed. One of the early crowd favorites was the sing a long to “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”.
Bon Jovi also brought their full stadium lighting. In “It’s My Life”, the theme was white lights and steel, with three steel light towers set on each side of the stage.
As a big surprise to many fans, Jon left the stage and walked down the side of the venue and entered the stands around the 105-106 section, where a microphone stand was placed in the aisle. He sang “Amen” and a true ballad rendition of “Bed of Roses” to this ecstatic crowd, as he hugged and kissed some very lucky fans.
“Lay Your Hands on Me” exploded through the arena and the crowd applauded even louder as David Bryan began the keyboard intro on “Runaway”. As this song became the group’s first anchor, it never sounded better. The set closed with “Bad Medicine”, that went into an extended play as they gave three ending choruses.
Bon Jovi returned to the stage and performed three songs in their encore, “Dry County”, followed by the two songs everyone wanted to hear the most, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, the audience sang the full first verse, and “Living on a Prayer” closed the show.
These days, Bon Jovi has a lot to smile about. Two weeks ago they received their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and are celebrating their 35th band anniversary. They call this special 30 city tour a way to celebrate and thank the fans.
