Bon Jovi performed their first of two shows at the Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey last night. This was their first New Jersey show without guitarist Richie Sambora. The show definitely had a different feel without Richie being in the band, but that did not make the show any worse.
Guitarist Phil Xenedis is filling in for Richie until he comes back, if he ever does. Phil took the bulk of the solos, while additional touring band member Bobby Bandiera also took a few. The new version of Bon Jovi seemed to have more of a feel of being a backing band for front man Jon Bon Jovi. When Richie was on stage, the screens tended to show him quite a bit, and both he and Jon shared a microphone many times over the course of a show. Richie also use to sing a song at the majority of their previous shows, usually a Bon Jovi song, but occasionally one of his solo songs. The musicianship may be the same or better with Richie missing, but the part he plays historically with the band is noticeably missing when he is not on stage. The relationship between Jon & Richie is always apparent when they are on stage together. With Richie gone there was less focus on Phil X, and Jon stayed pretty much at his own microphone. In past shows Jon would frequently go over to Richie several times a show. The one moment where Jon did share his microphone was when he and Bobby Bandiera performed two covers during I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. Jon brought Bobby down to do a verse and chorus of the Rolling Stones classic Start Me Up, and a complete version of the Roy Orbison classic Oh Pretty Woman.
Bobby is a veteran of the Jersey clubs, and has performed with Jon for many years whether in the Asbury Jukes, or Jon's solo band or in one of countless charity events they perform at. Bobby knows virtually every classic rock song imaginable. Of course keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres also got plenty of screen time, but there was more of a feel of this being a Jon Bon Jovi concert and not as much a Bon Jovi concert.
This is however not an insult. The band sounded great and Phil X fit in perfectly. He was not brought on the replace Richie, but to fill in for him. He may actually be a better guitarist than Richie, as he proved with his solo on Keep the Faith. As great as Richie always is on this song, Phil brought it to another level. And when you thought it was done, David took a short organ solo, and then Bobby came in with his trademark crunchy guitar work. It may have been the best version yet that I have seen of the song.
Opening the show was the J. Geils Band. They were amazing. Peter Wolf is a great front man and the band was incredibly tight. I only wish more people were there to see them perform. They played a one hour set, which could have been lengthened to two hours, and probably still would have been too short. They performed a couple of their hits; Centerfold, Love Stinks, and some amazing blues rock songs from their extensive catalog.
Here is a copy of the setlists.J. Geils Band
Setlist included the following:
Sno-Cone
Hard Drivin' Man
Homework
Just Can't Wait
Centerfold
Detroit Breakdown
Give it to Me
Musta Got Lost
Love Stinks
Looking For a Love
Whammer Jammer
(Ain't Nothin' But a)House PartyBon Jovi
What the Water Made Me
You Give Love a Bad Name
Raise Your Hand-see clip
Born to be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
It's My Life
Because We Can
What About Now
We Got it Goin' On
Keep the Faith
(You Want to) Make a Memory
Bed of Roses
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
We Weren't Born to Follow
Who Says you Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up(Rolling Stones Cover/Oh Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison cover)-see clip
Bad Medicine
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have a Nice Day
Livin' on a Prayer
Always
These Days
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