Bon Jovi concerts are typically energetic shows full of hits where fans dance and sing along for hours. Although the specifics regarding the duration of a particular tour may differ, the general average of the Bon Jovi Concerts lies between 2 and 2. 5 hours, not including the opening acts. This allows the band to go through hundreds of rock and roll standards and many of the most popular hits of their 40-year career.
The band was started in 1983 and has been actively touring throughout the years, with a brief hiatus only during the making of its albums. During its 35+ years of touring, Bon Jovi has developed a recipe for making performances that fans will remember and pay their money for. One of the reasons why Bon Jovi‘s concerts can be so long and span decades is that the band’s lineup remains largely intact: Bon Jovi as the singer, David Bryan as the keyboard player, Tico Torres as the drummer, and Richie Sambora as the guitarist (until 2013).
This makes it possible for the band to perform the many hit songs in a live style and also get energy from the crowd. As much as the group has created 13 studio albums plus various compilations, live performances, and the rest, Bon Jovi ensures they perform all the hits on stage, tour after tour.
It is still part of the same show night after night on a tour and for Bon Jovi, one can expect to hear the band’s radio hits such as ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’ ‘You Give Love a Bad Name,’ ‘Wanted Dead or Alive,’ ‘Bad Medicine,’ ‘I’ll Be There for You,’ etc On stage, Bon Jovi unlike many bands, also likes to play new material and one can expect to hear songs.
Nevertheless, the band plays the arguably difficult game of having so many hits in their extensive repertoire. Thus, a bonus might be when a band starts a song the fans have never heard before, such as “She Don’t Know Me,” or a track that may have been retired for a while, such as “I Believe. ” Jon has been known to swap songs between shows.
He will occasionally play a local band if the group is playing in an arena or stadium in a large city, or a song from a different band just for variety. However, songs such as It’s My Life, Have a Nice Day and We Weren’t Born to Follow are heavier rock songs that are part of any Pearl Jam concert.
Of course, given the fact that Bon Jovi launched its catalog in the 1980s and has been going strong to date, it’s impossible to fit every hit song or album number into a concert. The fact that they include so many hits, some new tracks, and some unexpected choices makes for a fun experience from beginning to end.
Indeed, Bon Jovi has been on the road for almost 40 years now and the band does know how to pace a show aptly. The concerts often start with some energy, as Bon Jovi comes on stage with an uptempo track or two right away. The first few parts of the show consist of a lot of the said cheerful stadium rockers to maintain the pace.
As the night progresses, they will begin to intersperse it with some romantic love songs and soft tunes for people to get a breather and join in on the singing. It is usually around the middle of the setlist that Jon Bon Jovi will then take the acoustic guitar for some of the band’s folkier songs, such as “Bed of Roses”, “Always” and “Thank You For Loving Me”.
It also allows the band to play music in this segment and engage in more conversations with the fans. They will then get back into more of the band’s driving music and other party songs before transitioning towards the end. They will usually perform this after the last song before they go off stage, their ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ which, as expected, gets all the fans in the building raising their hands and singing along to the ‘whoa-oh-ohs’ as they clap along.
When the show ends with the bows, bright lights, and loud fireworks, Bon Jovi and the audience are tired and breathing heavily, and some of the voices are hoarse from performing and singing familiar songs. Yet, it is that ability to tell a personal and individual story of love while at the same time rocking the building at Bon Jovi concerts that make fans keep coming for more, regardless of the multiple times they have watched the group for the years.
Most Bon Jovi shows last around 2 to 2. 5 hours but there are some cases where the superstar rockers will put extra effort to entertain their fans. During Their Because We Can Tour in 2013, Bon Jovi performed several extended sets for some of the cities on their tour.
In one of their shows at London’s Hyde Park, they were able to perform 26 songs, with the show lasting for 3 hours short of one. During the same tour, fans in Australia were amazed when Bon Jovi took on stage a breathtaking number of songs that amounted to 40, lasting more than 4 hours at the Allphones Arena in Sydney. But the record is held by Buenos Aires: in 2006, Bon Jovi performed for almost 4. 5 hours to provide a 50,000-Argentinian audience with an unforgettable show.
Thus, experienced Bon Jovi concert attendees are always likely to be treated to lengthy performances packed with the best of the band’s hits. However, the new fans, who might be attending the legendary band for their first live concert, should also be prepared for the ride of their lives with an endless setlist of surprises, great musicianship, and lots of feel-good songs to sing along to. Bon Jovi always tries to bring out the best for the bucks and that involves high energy and a set list packed with popular songs.
Having toured for nearly four decades and performing in front of millions of fans worldwide, Bon Jovi is finally coming back to touring in 2020 with their first full concerts in three years. Bon Jovi is preparing for their Bon Jovi 2020 Tour starting in June, which will take over from where the This House is Not For Sale Tour stopped.
The fans can once again get ready for more than two and a half hours of rocking as the band performs many of the hit songs off the new album in addition to all the favorite songs and rock anthems to keep the audiences on their feet and dancing well into the night. Just getting close to their 30th anniversary, the marathon Bon Jovi concert appears to be in its prime.