Bridgestone Arena welcomed Bon Jovi to town with a full house Saturday night in the Music City. A seat couldn't be found in Bridgestone. Even the back end of the stage was opened up to accommodate the 360-degree stage with elaborate lighting. About halfway through the two and half hour set, Frontman and band namesake Jon Bon Jovi announced that the crowd had just set an all-time attendance record for the arena; 18,514 fans, spanning generations, came out to party with New Jersey’s greatest rock band.
“This House is Not for Sale,” the band's 13th studio album, and the name of the current tour hit makets on November 4, 2016.
The album achieved critical acclaim and debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard charts.
It has been some time since the rock world has heard from Bon Jovi. Their previous album, What About Now, was released in 2013, the same time as the group's last tour.
Even after all these years, Jon Bon Jovi still has what it takes to thrill a packed arena. It's been thirty-four years since the band got its start in New Jersey. It took three albums for them to get the world's attention. After the release of “Slippery When Wet” the band, and the man, became a house-hold name.
Clad in classic black leather Jon Bon Jovi and the band first appeared behind a transparent house screen that covered the entire stage area. The image of the house was a constant theme throughout the night and was used a representation of what the band has built throughout its impressive history.
“You Give Love a Bad Name” was the third song out of the chute and got Nashville on their feet and singing the '80s anthem. Most of the first half of the show featured Bon Jovi’s newer songs, which received mild enthusiasm. There were some catchy tunes in the new set such as “Work for the Working Man.” Jon Bon Jovi also had some trouble staying in tune on a few numbers. The crowd didn’t seem to mind though.
Referring to Nashville as the "center of the music universe," Jon Bon Jovi took a moment to introduce his bandmates and discuss their most recent album. He graciously recognized the last thirty-four years of his career allowed for the album’s instantaneous success on the charts. He then jumped into the latest single "Rollercoaster" which featured a pretty good hook.
Bon Jovi is no stranger to setting records. With a rich history of rock n’ roll success, selling out arenas is just part of the territory. But there was something special about Saturday night. All of Bridgestone erupted during the final encore performance of the 1986 classic “Livin’ on a Prayer.” With those final lines Bon Jovi closed out yet another record night.