Entertainment

It was a New Jersey double header that started off the week at American Airlines Center, first with Bruce Springsteen playing the venue on Sunday night, then Jon Bon Jovi on Monday.

Mr. Bon Jovi previewed his appearance by singing "Glory Days" with Brooooooce the night before, and the juxtaposition then still held true Monday night: Although Mr. Springsteen has the advantage in gravitas and critical acclaim, witness the fact that the AAC was every bit as filled-to-the-scuppers for JBJ and his eponymous band.

And his fans loved him with an intensity that burned every bit as brightly as the Boss', shrieking when clothing was doffed, and clamoring every time he raised an arm or pumped a fist.

Although the band got an impressive amount of traction from later hits – say, the populist anthem "I Love This Town" or the crossover hit (written with Big & Rich) "We Got It Going On," the big response was reserved for the classics. Bruce Springsteen may more ably command the attention of critic Robert Christgau, but nothing rules the console of a Camaro like "Bad Medicine" or "You Give Love a Bad Name."

Throughout the show he exhibited – and adroitly worked – the working-class charm that has led him into a reasonable career as an actor, flashing a million-watt smile and dissembling and aw-shucks-ing with a warmth that pulled you in even if you were suspicious of it.

The long show was a series of old-new push-pulls: "Lonesome Highway" (the title track from their latest release), then "Blaze of Glory," from his 1990 foray into the movie biz with Young Guns II.

He also sprinkled tidbits from his musical youth throughout the night: the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash," Martha & the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" and the Isley Brothers' "Shout!"

That may be the best summation of the evening. A song known to most as an approximation of the real thing (via Animal House), but nonetheless joyful. A happy half a loaf is almost always better than none.