| Pull out your Bics and get ready to flick. If ever there was a band made for massive rock shows, Bon Jovi is the one--and this is the video to prove it. So the veteran band lacks the sheer charisma of fellow Jerseyite Bruce Springsteen, or certain other distinctive qualities--U2's impassioned social conscience, say, or REM's self-conscious weirdness--of others who made it big in the '80s. Bon Jovi is, by objective definition, a journeyman band. But that's not a bad thing. They specialize in the kind of hook-heavy, unpretentious anthems ideally suited for stadium crowds, and that's exactly what they deliver to the 50,000 fans packed into a Zurich, Switzerland, venue on their 2000 European tour, who pump their fists, wave their arms, and sing along from beginning to end, undeterred by the steady rain that falls throughout the show. It's a safe bet that no one who was there went home disappointed, and neither will the Bon Jovi fans who pick up this great-sounding, well-directed DVD. Singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, and company hit the ground running, opening with two of their catchiest hits, "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name," before rolling through seven tunes from 2000's Crush, their first album in five years, and a host of other Bon Jovi ballads and rockers. And if the 20 songs from the two-hour concert all start to sound the same after a while, you can always switch to the host of DVD bonus features, including a 30-minute "on tour" documentary, a photo gallery, a complete discography (including solo albums), and two song videos. A splendid time is guaranteed for all, more or less. --Sam Graham |
