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When rockers Bon Jovi play to 35,000 screaming fans of all ages on July 28 at Mosaic Stadium, it may be hard for some to reconcile the now middle-aged clean-cut frontman and founder Jon Bon Jovi with the '80s glam metal icon.
But his roots, quite literally, are the reason Bon Jovi and his band can still fill stadiums more than two decades later. The New Jersey group found fame as part of the hair band movement -- that is, for those too young to remember, hard rock and metal bands whose long scraggly locks, bandanas, ripped denim and tattoos defined their image and music.
Anybody who loved Bon Jovi in the '80s likely also had cassette tapes of Ratt, Poison, Slaughter and Cinderella. While those bands are still active, Bon Jovi prevailed, weathering industry changes, and persevering through the creative dry spells. Madonna may be a musical chameleon and the Rolling Stones are as indestructible as cockroaches, but hard-working Bon Jovi has held his own, and is still beloved by millions today.
So how has he remained so popular? Maybe it's because when glam metal gave way to grunge in the early '90s, he began shifting into the pop genre, attracting a brand new demographic of fans. Maybe, as any female fan will attest, it's because of his rugged good looks, with or without his famous hair. Or it could be that he's just a decent, hard working nice guy. Like fellow New Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi has kept his nose clean over the years.
He married his high school sweetheart Dorothea in 1987, has four children with her, and they're still married, practically unheard of in the industry. Just ask his womanizing guitarist, Richie Sambora, who found himself in plenty of mischief over the years from rehab to a high profile divorce from Heather Locklear. Bon Jovi's biggest scandal? He cut off his famous mane in the early '90s, which made headlines on CNN.
Not that the band members didn't squabble, but rather than resolving it the usual way with drunken fighting, they once retreated to the Caribbean specifically to work out their issues and discuss the future. Ultimately, the group went on hiatus a few times in the '90s, but all four members -- Bon Jovi, Sambora, drummer Tico Torres, and keyboardist David Bryan -- kept busy with solo projects, including television and movie stints in Bon Jovi's case. Even in many of those roles, like his kind contractor Victor on the Fox sitcom Ally McBeal, he was a nice guy.
In the last decade, Bon Jovi has enjoyed a huge resurgence with Crush, which featured "It's My Life," Bounce, a nod to the band's ability to bounce back into the limelight, Have a Nice Day, Lost Highway, and their latest The Circle.
Make a Bon Jovi playlist that pulls singles from each era, and it's easy to see how much the band has experimented with its sound. Classics from Slippery When Wet, like "You Give Love A Bad Name," "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive," wildly vary from newest single, "We Weren't Born to Follow."
Yet, he lost few fans along the way. Regina couple Blaine and Chera Miller have been devoted to Bon Jovi since 1987.
"I was 12 years old, and had the Slippery When Wet tape," says Chera, a Grade 3 teacher at Henry Janzen School.
" 'You Give Love A Bad Name' was their No. 1 hit, and that was pretty much when I really fell in love with Bon Jovi."
Her husband picked up on Bon Jovi when sophomore album 7800° Fahrenheit was released.
"I got into that glam rock era. My friends were all into it, Motley Crue, Cinderella, the hair bands," says Blaine, a maintenance worker with the Regina Public School Board.
For the Millers, Bon Jovi isn't just a band, it's a way of life. Between them, the Millers have seen Bon Jovi nine times. Blaine first saw the group on its New Jersey tour in 1989 while Chera camped overnight at the Agridome to be the first to buy tickets for the band's 1997 performance in Saskatoon. She laughs at herself now, acknowledging that kind of dedication wasn't necessary as Bon Jovi wasn't at its peak then.
When the couple married, their first dance was to "Thank You for Loving Me," and when their second child was born, they named him Jovi, showing just how dedicated they are. Already, the one-year-old pays tribute to his namesake when he wears his Bon Jovi onesie.
"We saw him in 2006, and after watching that concert and falling in love with him all over again, I said to Blaine, 'Our next child, boy or girl, we're naming him or her Jovi.' "
Friends and family weren't surprised by the choice of name. When people think of Blaine and Chera, they think of Bon Jovi.
Like Bon Jovi and his wife, the Millers are also high school sweethearts, finding each other at F.W. Johnson Collegiate and discovering their common passion soon after dating. As members of the Bon Jovi fan club, the pair landed fourth-row seats to the Regina performance, and hope to hear tunes from their favourite Bon Jovi eras.
For Blaine, it's "Wanted Dead Or Alive," and "Blood on Blood," while Chera loves Lost Highway the best and wants to hear "(You Want To) Make a Memory" and her wedding song.
Despite their long-standing devotion to the band, the Millers have yet to meet Bon Jovi, but Chera hopes a letter she wrote to the fan club about how much Bon Jovi has impacted their lives will one day lead to a photo opportunity with her son and the band.
"I've never met him in person yet, but I'd love to."
Rosie Blais also hopes to meet him in July. Blais is lead singer of Enjoy Your Pumas, the Winnipeg act that landed the opening slot at Mosaic Stadium before Kid Rock takes the stage. The 19-year-old figures she could learn a lot from the rock veteran.
"I think I would ask him how to stay relevant, and stay real," she says.
"You gotta think about this. Bon Jovi is an enormous act, the biggest tour in the world, and he's asking local acts to open for him. He doesn't have to do that, it's so nice he does give this opportunity to people."
With ticket prices as low as $25, Bon Jovi is giving fans the chance to see a huge rock show for next to nothing. Neil Donnelly, vice-president, events and entertainment, at Evraz Place, promises the show will have all the spectacle of the Rolling Stones and AC/DC concerts.
"The lighting, the staging, the video, the audio will be just as big as what we saw at AC/DC. It will be a full-on rock show."
Rather than a catwalk through the middle of the crowd, Bon Jovi's setup will have a semi-circle jutting out from each corner of the stage. Those willing to pay more than $500 a ticket will enjoy the show from inside 'the circle,' as dubbed by the band.
Whether fans are teenagers or 30-something parents, love Slippery When Wet or Crush, once worshipped hair bands or just like to sing along to the band on the radio, they're sure to agree on one thing -- Regina is in for "one wild night."
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TOP SONGS
Selected by Tim Harrison, Jack FM.
5. "Blaze of Glory"
I know it wasn't a band song, but it just seemed perfect as the theme for the Young Guns II movie complimenting the "young dudes" cast of Kiefer Sutherland and Emilio Estevez. Plus it hit No. 1!
4. "Wanted Dead or Alive"
So fitting a song for the time period. It was the third release from Slippery When Wet, they were the biggest band in the world, jetting all over the globe on the "Steel Horse" they rode. And people clammered to see them "Dead or Alive." The video just showed the exhaustion, yet they had to bring it every night.
3. "Bad Medicine"
So, it had been two years since Slippery When Wet overtook the world, they had toured extensively and now they had a new album. How good could it be? Could it rise to the heights of Slippery? The first single answered that question. That nasty hook in the intro of the song grabbed everybody -- and the ride was on again.
2. "You Give Love a Bad Name"
Up until this point, they were another flashy young band with long hair and some catchy hooks. But when they released this song to radio, I remember getting goose-bumps playing it. The cold intro -- "Shot through the heart and you're to blame" They had no idea what this song was going to do to them for the next five years.
1. "Livin' on a Prayer"
What do you say? It's their signature song. I remember seeing them in Calgary back in the early '90s and I wasn't sure which song I most wanted to hear until half the show was over and I said to myself, "They have to do 'Livin' on a Prayer.' Everybody around kept screaming 'Livin' on a Prayer,' 'Livin' on a Prayer.' " That's when I knew this was their biggest song. Oh, and it was their final encore of the night. It may be that way July 28th at Mosaic Stadium!!!
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