* By Kathy McCabe
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* December 09, 2010 3:02PM
Jon Bon Jovi in Perth. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: PerthNow
JON BON Jovi may have just turned 48, but twenty years from now he says he can't exactly see himself still on stage rocking out a la Rolling Stones.
Another two decades of touring is just a little too much for the Bon Jovi frontman to imagine.
“I can’t see me being 68 and running around that stadium stage. I have to get a hobby,” he said.
But as long as Bon Jovi exist, so will stadium rock.
The critics may proclaim it a dying “art” but Jon Bon Jovi and tens of thousands of adoring fans at their opening Australian concert in Perth last night haven’t heard the death knell.
The American rockers have survived bad hair and pop culture’s bad moods and tantrums to remain one of the most successful acts of the past three decades.
After witnessing their opening night on The Circle tour, their secret to longevity is revealed.
It’s the hits and the man who sings them.
Try not singing along to Livin’ On A Prayer - it’s impossible. Or It’s My Life, Bad Medicine, Wanted Dead Or Alive, Always. Even if you are not a Bon Jovi fan, those songs have wormed their way into your memory courtesy of jukeboxes, backyard BBQs and supermarkets.
Jon Bon Jovi himself is a rock music conductor as much as he is a singer, songwriter and musician.
Armed with a megawatt smile, he plays the audience as much as the songs, urging them on with “Are you still with me?” and constructing all the right moments for them to raise their voices.
It’s part medicine show, part revivalist church with the latest concert video technology to help even those in the nosebleed seats to get a front seat view.
Bon Jovi will be performing not only three stadium concerts in Sydney but also an “intimate” Star City gig for more than 1500 lucky punters and on one of the Oprah Opera House shows.
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