YOU’D think a serving of Bon Jovi on the Jersey side would be guaranteed goodness. Sadly, this wasn’t the case at the band’s opening performance of a 10-show series at the shiny new Prudential Center in Newark.
With a set of songs that often dragged and the band just punching the clock (with the exception of drummer Tico Torres), the show revved and sputtered in a concert that was desperately seeking momentum.
Blame the songs that appear on the band’s new country-influenced record, “Lost Highway.” The tunes are such easy listening that it makes them hard to handle in concert.
Also blame singer Jon Bon Jovi, who has played better shows. By the encore rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer,” his a capella introduction was ragged – and for once the audience sing-along was welcome.
Jonny B. Bad wasn’t even his usual charming self. As an artist, he’s always acted as if it was the band’s job to make the crowd scream. At this show, though, he repeatedly requested more response from the house.
Cheers are like kisses – if ya gotta ask, they don’t count.
And blame this $340 million arena. There was a fantastic opportunity here to make a 20,000-seat auditorium that could serve as a sporting arena and an acoustically perfect concert hall. As a music palace, it failed sonically. Rather than projecting warm, crisp omni-directional acoustics that filled the room, the sound was delivered with old-fashioned sledgehammer force.
The gig wasn’t entirely void of good. JBJ and the boys found their groove on two oldies (“You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Bad Medicine,” which segued into “Shout”) and the new “I Love This Town.”
You could argue that “Raise Your Hands” and the aforementioned “Livin’ on a Prayer” had power, but in comparison to past performances, they were just OK. And the Prudential Center is hardly a hole. It’s clean, it’s larger than the Garden (but that just means more opportunity for a bad seat), and they make a very good $4 hot dog and an almost-cold $7 beer.
Word to the wise: Don’t buy the burger-fries combo. The fries were cold, the meat seemed to whinny, and mysteriously the bun was stale. How is that possible when you consider this was the very first event at the arena?
Bon Jovi continues their 10-show run at the Prudential Center (through Nov. 10) with a performance tomorrow.