Stories from 2010: The Mini-Meanie & Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi rocked the Air Canada Centre in Toronto last week, and it inspired the latest Story from 2010.  Last July the Mini-Meanie and I saw them play at the Rogers Centre, and this is my Screaming Review.

The first thing you need to understand, is that Bon Jovi is my absolute favourite band.  However, until last July, I'd never seen them play live!  I know, how crazy is that??  It just seemed like whenever they came to Toronto, it was the absolute worst time and I simply didn't have the money to go (yes, I'm the "down-on-his-luck" guy that Bon Jovi seems very fond of singing about).  However, thanks to a very generous Christmas gift, my luck was about to change.

I took my teenage son (The Mini-Meanie) with me to the concert - I felt it was only fair since I took my daughter to see Daughtry, and The Mini-Meanie and I had to skip the Jays home opener last year as fallout from the 24 Hours of Hell.

Kid Rock was the opening act, however we didn't get into Toronto on time to see him so I can't really comment on his performance.  Actually, we did get into Toronto on time, however traffic and parking was a nightmare so it would be more accurate to say that we didn't get to the stadium on time to see Kid Rock.  And I'm not complaining, just explainin'.

When Bon Jovi hit the stage at 9:00pm, it was a magical moment for us.  Here we are, Father and Son, Screaming Meanie and Mini-Meanie, and our favourite band in the world is right there in front of us.  Actually, I suppose Bon Jovi is the Mini-Meanie's second favourite band (he still likes David Cook best - although technically David Cook isn't a really a "band", so I suppose we're back to Bon Jovi being his favourite?).

I digress....

Even at my age, I have to admit, I was starstruck!  Finally, after 25 long years, I was finally seeing my favourite band live in concert!

They opened with Blood on Blood from their album New Jersey.  It was a wee bit of an odd choice I thought since it wasn't really a big hit for them, nor is it the kind of song that really pumps you up.  But really, who cares, Bon Freakin' Jovi was on the stage!  They followed that up with We Weren't Born to Follow off of their recently released CD 'The Circle'.

After that, they blew the roof off the dome when they played You Give Love a Bad Name!  It's still my favourite Jovi song, and the Mini-Meanie and I were loving every second of it!

The party continued with Born to Be My Baby and the country-ish Lost Highway, before they blew the roof off the place AGAIN playing Runaway and It's My Life.  I was actually surprised how many of the 50,000 in attendance knew the song Runaway - and it was awesome!

Kid Rock joined Bon Jovi on stage to perform Old Time Rock n' Roll - even though I think the song is completely overplayed, and I'm not a fan of Kid Rock (at all), it was actually a pretty cool moment.

The Stage set up was very cool.  The lights were mounted on a semi-circle above the stage, while the inside of the semi-circle served as a giant video screen - which was great since our seats were so far back.

If I had one complaint, it would have to be our crappy seats - floor seats aren't as cool as they sound.  Not when Andre the Giant is standing in front of you and you're about 40 rows from the stage.  When you have 6th row seats, as I did for Def Leppard in 1988, then floor seats are uber cool!

Ok, I actually have a second complaint.  Would it have killed the folks at the Rogers Centre to either open the roof, or turn on the air conditioning??  Look, I'm no rocket scientist, but it's the middle of summer, and you've crammed 50,000 people into a stadium, do you think it might get a wee bit hot???  The Mini-Meanie and I were sweatin' like hookers in church!

In fact, at one point during the show, a woman in front of us collapsed!  I felt bad for her as I could see early on during the concert that she was struggling.  When her and her husband/boyfriend finally made the decision to leave, it was too late - down she went.  I was disappointed at how long it took the paramedics to arrive, but once there, they did a great job taking care of her.  It was more than a little ironic that the woman collapsed while Bon Jovi was performing, Something for the Pain!  Hey, I can't make this stuff up folks.

The other thing that bothered me was the sound (ok, so it's 3 complaints - sue me).  This was the first time I'd ever seen a concert at Rogers Centre and if you've never been, the acoustics suck!  The sound was bouncing off every corner of the concrete jungle.  It was a big disappointment, but not enough that I didn't enjoy it.

Am I allowed one more wee complaint???  Of course I am - it's my blog!!  They didn't play anything from their album Bounce.  In my humble opinion, Bounce is probably their most underrated album.

During the encore they played Always, their mega-hit Wanted Dead or Alive and then finished off the night with a rousing rendition of Living on a Prayer.  You haven't lived until you've heard 50,000 people sing an acupella version of the song.  It was nothing short of incredible and I'm man enough to say, it gave me giant goosebumps!

After more than 25 years of performances, it's not surprising that Bon Jovi knows how to entertain a crowd.  He certainly sent the Mini-Meanie and I home very happy!

Setlist

1. Blood on Blood

2. We Weren’t Born to Follow

3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. Runaway
7. It’s My Life
8. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
9. We Got It Goin’ On
10. Bad Medicine/Old Time Rock & Roll/Shout (with Kid Rock)
11. Love’s the Only Rule
12. Lay Your Hands on Me (Richie on lead vocals)
13. Bed of Roses
14. I’ll Be There For You
15. Something for the Pain
16. Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night
17. In These Arms
18. Work for the Working Man
19. Have a Nice Day
20. Who Says You Can’t Go Home
21. Keep the Faith

Encore:
22. Always
23. Wanted Dead or Alive
24. Livin’ on a Prayer

Another Screaming Review: David Cook Live at Casino Rama

This past Monday night the Future Mrs. Meanie and I travelled two and a half hours to Casino Rama in Orillia to see David Cook - the man, the myth, the legend! Ok, so maybe he's not a legend yet. Or a myth. As for the man part, well, he does like the Kansas City Royals so feel free to draw your own conclusions.

Anyway, I digress......

The two of us are both huge fans of David Cook and have been ever since his improbable run on Season 7 of American Idol - although we seem to like him for two different reasons.

In contrast to Daughtry two weeks ago, David Cook put on an awesome show!! I did have a couple of wee complaints so let's get that out of the way before the shameless gushing begins.

First of all, the show was way too short. He hit the stage at 8:00pm, and was finished by 9:15pm. No opening act (not that I'm complaining), and start to finish the whole concert was 75 minutes long! Arghhhh!!!

From what I understand, the length of the concert is due to a restriction of the Casino and not an issue with Mr. Cook's, ahem, stamina (The Future Mrs. Meanie just breathed a huge sigh of relief).

My second and last complaint was his set list. He didn't play Declaration. Or A Daily AntheM. Or Permanent. These are 3 of the best songs on his debut record and he didn't play them! Instead he chose to cover Van Halen's Hot For Teacher, play a song from his pre-Idol Analog Heart record, and the bonus (or hidden) track Kiss on the Neck. Look, it's not that I don't like these songs, but how can you have a "Declaration Tour" and not play Declaration?!?? It was more than a little disappointing.

Ok....enough of that. Time for what he did right - and believe me when I say that he did plenty very right!

The band was incredibly tight and sounded fantastic! It's fairly evident that almost a year on the road has really brought these guys together. However I was a little surprised to see Survivor's Evil Russ playing bass!!

Kidding of course, but check out the picture, he really does kind of look like Russell Hantz!

What can I say about David Cook's voice?? This cat can flat out sing! He never has any trouble hitting the high notes, and his voice is just as strong at the end of the show as it is at the beginning. And I like that Mr. Cook sounds like a man when he sings - could be a macho thing.

Unlike Chris Daughtry, David Cook is incredibly charismatic. He was bantering back and forth with his band, and with the audience. He really made us all feel like we were a part of the show and expressed genuine appreciation for being able to perform for us. Whether it was convincing everyone to get on their feet, or offering up an early Christmas present in the form of a new song he's written for his sophomore record, David Cook knows how to work a crowd.


By the way, that new song he played - Make Believe - is freakin' AWESOME! But don't just take my word for it (although my word really should be considered gospel), click here to hear it for yourself!

One of the lighter moments (and my personal favourite from the show) was when the band spontaneously broke into Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. I know, you're probably thinking it's lame - but believe me, it was very very funny! Even David Cook was crackin' up.

Our seats were incredible! After purchasing tickets on the floor (12th row), The Future Mrs. Meanie took it upon herself to surprise me with upgraded tickets - 2nd row! Of course, she kept this most excellent surprise to herself right to the bitter end. I actually thought the usher put us in the wrong seats!

However, she still had the 12th row tickets in her purse. So, this called for a Random Act of Kindness! I took our no longer required 12th row seats, marched to the back row of the theater and gave them to a young couple who were thrilled to be moving much closer to the stage!!

During the last song of the evening, David worked his way into the crowd and played the tail end of the song out amongst his fans. Very cool.

Speaking of the crowd. There seemed to be three very distinct groups of fans. There were the women (most of which seemed to be 40-something cougars), the geriatrics (who were comped tickets by the casino), and then there was me - the lone man who was there because he wanted to be there and not because he was dragged against his will by his girlfriend.

That's right, I'm a man, I'm a fan, and I'm not gay!

The Future Mrs. Meanie and I had a good laugh actually watching all the geriatrics coming in. We figured they were either comped the tickets, or they were there to see that "nice young man on Idol who sings The Beatles, Mariah Carey and Neil Diamond". I'm guessing that they've never listened to his album and realized he is a rocker!

And yes, David Cook is a rocker - and a damn good one! He put on a helluva rock show, and this Meanie can't wait to see him again! Besides, I really like the mood that the Future Mrs. Meanie is in after seeing him live - makes it a good night for me!! Heh heh. Thanks Mr. Cook - I owe you one brother!

A Screaming Review: Daughtry Live in Toronto

Well, I'm only two weeks late getting this up, but on the eve of the David Cook concert I thought I would review the show that Daughtry put on 2 weeks ago in Toronto at the ACC.


The short review would be that Daughtry sucks live.

However, since I am a man of the people, I am going to treat you to the long review. My inner-most thoughts. Yes, I will bare my soul simply so that you, my dear reader, are entertained.

Ok, ok, I'll just tell you about the flippin' rock concert.

Two weeks ago the Future Mrs. Meanie and I took my daughter Martina to see her absolute favourite band (that's Daughtry for any of you having a hard time following along). It was her first rock concert.


Daughtry played the Air Canada Centre in Toronto and in my humble opinion it was the absolute wrong venue for them to play. They attracted a crowd of around 6,000 people in an arena meant for 18,000. When you only attract enough people to fill a building to one third capacity it really looks empty (are you listening Toronto Blue Jays?). I can't help but think that Massey Hall or Hamilton Place would have been a better location for their live show.

Despite what I said off the top about Daughtry sucking, the show wasn't a complete disaster. The good - Daughtry sounded great. Actually they sounded awesome! Chris Daughtry is an Uh-May-Zing singer!! How the hell did Taylor Freakin' Hicks beat this guy on American Idol?? The sound mix could have been better though as the instruments easily drowned out Daughtry's vocals (much to my dismay).

But there was plenty of bad. The "show" was awful. Honestly, somebody needs to find Chris Daughtry a personality! Yeah, the man can sing, but he is no frontman. After every song there was a long delay as he ran to the back of the stage to wipe the sweat from his brow, chug down some water, and change guitars. And then he would walk up to the mic and say something astonishing like, "yeah". He really needs to learn to engage his audience. Tell some funny stories, or tales about life on the road, or an anecdote about the song he's about to sing - hell, say anything for cryin' out loud!!.

And then there was his song choices. There were two notable gaffes that I noticed, one on a song he did play, and one a song that he didn't play.

First, he chose to cover a song for the "children of the 90's". The problem was the song he chose was an obscure one that nobody seemed to know (I'd tell you what song it was but I still don't know). Secondly, he chose to omit 'What About Now?' from his setlist. Are you kidding me?? What About Now was only one of his biggest hits and he chose to dump it so he could sing some lame art house song that no one cared about?!?? Terrible mistake as far as I was concerned.

Having said that, he did a great job covering Phil Collin's In The Air Tonight.

Their use of pyrotechnics was embarrassing, the stage was way too big for them, and even when the President of Sony Canada presented the band with a platinum record (Canada is the first country where their record has gone platinum) the only thing Chris Daughtry could think to say was, "well that doesn't suck". Uhhhhh, how about "thank you" you ungrateful jack ass??

*sigh*

Look, I'm a fan of the band and I love their music, but I would never pay to go see these guys again - their live show is terrible. Perhaps it's just too early in their burgoening career to be headlining an arena tour?? I don't know. But they're going to have to make some changes to their live shows if they hope to have a long and lustrious career.

That being said, my daughter loved the show and that's the most important thing. When my little girl is happy, I'm happy.

I can't wait to see David Cook tomorrow night - having already seen him in concert before (twice if you count Idols Live 2008) I know he will put on a good show. Stay tuned for my review.