Most arena performers consider video screens a necessary evil. For a larger-than-life showman like Jon Bon Jovi, it turns out they're not necessary at all.
Performing Monday night before a near-capacity crowd at American Airlines Center, the singer boldly did away with the huge screen imagery that's been ubiquitous at concerts for nearly 30 years. Most of the crowd barely seemed to notice their absence.
Two small side-stage screens helped fans whose views were partially blocked by lighting rigs. But most everyone else in the arena watched an ant-size Bon Jovi strut, spin and samba across the stage just like in the '80s, when the band that bears his name first came to fame.
The Aqua Net lion's mane from the hair-metal days is long gone, replaced by a shorter, silver fox haircut. But his charisma had lost none of its wattage.
At age 56, Bon Jovi is still one of rock's most captivating front-men.
He moves like Jagger — part modern dancer, part aerobics instructor — but he comes off as a lovable goof, waggling his jazz hands, blowing kisses and constantly flashing his trademark gee-whiz smile.
Musically, the show was less dazzling. Bon Jovi's voice was in solid shape, except when it started to run out of gas in the encore of "Wanted Dead or Alive." The bigger issue was that his singing often got lost in the blare of the band.
Without guitarist Richie Sambora, who quit in 2013, the group has mushroomed into a seven-piece live ensemble with the addition of percussionist Everett Bradley, guitarist Phil X and singer-guitarist John Shanks, the band's co-producer. All that firepower added some new layers — like the Santana-like jam in "Keep the Faith" — but too often, it seemed like overkill.
Bon Jovi gave fans an even-handed career retrospective, doling out tunes from Slippery When Wet all the way up to 2016's This House Is Not For Sale. Still, there was plenty of filler in the form of forgettable songs like "We Weren't Born To Follow," "God Bless This Mess" and the cheesy, Neil Diamond-style power ballad "Bed of Roses," which Bon Jovi sang while perched in the middle of the arena. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame might be inducting the band in April, but that's more a result of the Bon Jovi's popularity, not musical originality.
Yet if Monday's show reminded you how generic a lot of their songs are, it was also a testament to the timeless power of a simple rousing melody in hits like "Livin' on a Prayer" and the gospel-toned "Lay Your Hands On Me."
"Is there is a doctor in the house?" Bon Jovi hollered before "Bad Medicine." Turns out there were 20,000 of them, each one singing at the top of their lungs.
