Biggest rock night ever!

Hello you lovely people! I hope you are well. I am so excited to tell you all about Friday’s concert at Wembley Stadium! Before I reveal the act, I’d only like to say it’s been a long time coming! For me it was some long 8 years, for others I’m sure it must have been 6. No, I’m not talking in riddles, I’m just talking about Bon Jovi’s concert! I cannot describe to you the feelings I had when I heard the first notes from “This house is not for sale” on Friday or “Raise your hands” back in 2011! I only know that I had the best of times this Friday and that summer of 2011, I can tell you that! But before talking to you about Friday’s concert in depth, I want to say some things about the best concert of my life, in 2011.

I will not forget 8 years ago, when I was a student in London and going to the Bon Jovi concert at Hyde Park was the absolute best of my life so far! Back then, he owned the stage for about 3 hours, even with a leg brace! He kind of made true on his promise that he would sing until the police would force him away, as he sung for over two hours! Since then, I have never seen a band or live performance or you can give whatever name you want that has lasted that long and I’ve been to a couple! Not Eros Ramazzotti’s in Amsterdam or Enrique Iglesias or the Backstreet Boys! It was only this band and only Bon Jovi who’ve done that and I am incredibly happy that I was there to witness it!

But let’s go back to Friday’s concert. I was so excited this whole week for the concert, I was counting the days! When I first entered Wembley Stadium, my first thought was “Okay, this is it! It’s finally a reality!” I found our places relatively easy and then had to wait for my friend who would arrive soon. In the meanwhile, Manic Street Preachers were entertaining the crowd, as they are the supporting act in the UK leg of This House is Not For Sale Tour. The show started early, as the Manic Street Preachers appeared on stage at almost 6.25 and Bon Jovi would appear at 8.00. They were fantastic, they appealed to the crowd, they even did a cover of “Sweet Child of Mine”!

It was time though for the main event! Bon Jovi appeared on stage shortly and it was everything I imagined! Still getting the crowd to jump up and down for almost two hours, no matter the age, still getting the crowd involved, with even better graphics, but the same hits that have rocked the house for over 30 years now! Wembley Stadium was packed, a sold-out event that I was expecting it to be honest! From the first notes of the setlist to the last one “Livin’ on a prayer” or “our national anthem” as he called it, the band got the crowd crazy, dancing and singing, while Jon did his absolute best!

Bon Jovi played all our favourite ones, with Runaway, You Give Love A Bad Name, Bad Medicine, It’s my Life and others in the lineup. If only the concert was longer, and if only Richie hadn’t left (I know, but I still have regrets that he left the band! He was a fantastic performer on stage, plus he had chemistry with Jon). However, let’s not dwell on the past, as it was a great performance and my friend, who’ve never been to a Bon Jovi concert before had an amazing time! Phil X is on the other hand a gifted musician and offers something else to Bon Jovi. I don’t regret him!

Best moment of the night? When Jon was introducing his bandmates and it was time to introduce Tico Torres, he started singing “Ole, ole, ole”, probably to pay tribute to Torres’ roots, prompting the crowd to do the same! Second best moment of the night (according to my friend)? When Jon sang “Always”! Apparently she loves this song and the ambience and atmosphere was something else with it! I think deep down Jon really loves London, because every time he has a concert here, he is simply magnificent! It is no wonder that they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as they are simply ones of the best rock bands in the world!

As a longtime Bon Jovi fan I loved this concert, but I would have done the same if it was my first time there! I hope that in the coming years, Bon Jovi will perform again in London and I can go, see them again for a third time (they say that third time is the charm, no?). If you’ve never gone to one of their concerts, I’d suggest you go, as the feeling of music is different in a stadium than in a closed space, such as an arena, and this is what Bon Jovi do best! Just try it and you will be completely satisfied, I promise!

Till next time,

Sofia-Maria