Published Date: 16 June 2011
By GARY FLOCKHART
HE who laughs last, laughs loudest. That's the attitude of Bon Jovi, who were mocked for being a 'hair-metal' band by music critics after they released breakthrough album Slippery When Wet in 1986.
The slurs about them being stuck in a soft-rock time warp have continued ever since. It used to be a sore point for the New Jersey boys, who titled their 2004 box set 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong - though their lead singer and namesake now laughs about it.
What's probably so funny to Jon Bon Jovi is that his band have sold more than 120 million albums and were the biggest earners in music last year, raking in a staggering £130 million during their 2010 world tour.
That said, ask the 50-year-old if his band have finally got the respect they're due and he'll say it all depends on how you define respect.
"Is longevity respect? Is coming home and having your family be proud of you respect?" says the man whose band has enjoyed 20 hits, including You Give Love A Bad Name, Wanted Dead Or Alive and Lay Your Hands On Me.
"I don't know if what you're asking me is, critical acclaim, you know?" he continues. "There are critics' darlings. That I won't be. I got that."
The singer, who has also had roles in films and in TV shows like Sex And The City over the years, jokingly describes himself as the Elvis Costello of movies and the Tom Cruise of music.
"I've been critically acclaimed in most of my television and film work, but I didn't sell any movie tickets, and with the band, it's like Tom Cruise," he laughs. "I've had all the commercial success you could dream of, but hey, the guy still doesn't have an Oscar. Whatcha gonna do?"
What one of the original architects of Eighties stadium rock are gonna do is get back on the road again.
On Wednesday, the band kick off the UK leg of their 2011 world tour at Murrayfield, which has a capacity of 67,000. Not that playing the home of Scottish rugby will faze them - after all, they've already performed more than 2600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 32 million fans.
"What gets us on the road is its fun," explains keyboardist David Bryan, whose band played Ibrox in 1996 and Hampden in both 2002 and 2008. "Putting that many smiles on that many faces, it's a great thing. And you know, it puts a smile on our faces too."
Bon Jovi have played more than 85 shows since the Full Circle tour started in 2010 - but they're showing no signs of flagging as they return to the UK.
"It's great to be back," says Jon Bon Jovi, whose band will be back in its full line-up in Edinburgh after lead guitarist Richie Sambora rejoined after his recent stint in rehab.
"It's the final leg of the Circle tour, the longest tour we've done in almost two decades," continues the singer.
"But we're happy, we're healthy, we're having a good time."
Speaking of how the tour has evolved, Jon Bon Jovi says, "There's a lot of songs, you know, that's for sure - we're playing stuff from all the albums, dating back to Runaway to the most recent album The Circle.
"The song list has changed every night. At the O2 last summer we played a month-long stint there - and there was 72 different songs performed. With any luck I'll outdo myself on this run on the continent."
As you'd expect from a band with literally thousands of gigs under their belt, picking out the most memorable one is tough.
'The RDS in Dublin where the famous statement that even God and the angels had seats at the Bon Jovi concert because that was when I was talking and the lightning and the thunder hit right on cue," he offers after giving it some thought.
"And of course all the magical nights at Wembley stadium... Hyde Park, nobody has ever had 93,000 people in Hyde Park before - you know, with the exception of like The Prince's Trust kind of concert.
"So many things over so many years - we're really happy to be back," he adds.
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