Show review (LV Sun)

A really good article from the Las Vegas Sun.

Some highlights from the article...

Last night’s Bon Jovi concert appears to be the first show at the new Joint to not sell out.

The 4,000-seat venue opened its doors at the Hard Rock last weekend with a trilogy of inaugural weekend sellouts, The Killers, Avenged Sevenfold and Paul McCartney.

(One should note, however, that the Avenged Sevenfold sellout was largely a surprise.)

While many thought last night’s session of classic rock revival would be an easy draw, the increasingly cash-conscious public didn’t truly bite.

And the show wasn’t cheap: Tickets ranged in price from $191 to $746, before taxes and fees.

When Bon Jovi played the MGM Grand last April, ticket prices ranged from $68.25 to $210.

Meanwhile, passes to the band’s next gig at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival are just $40 – a fraction of last night’s prices.

A box office sales agent admitted there were “a considerable amount” of floor seats available at 9:50 p.m. last night, just 10 minutes before Jon Bon and the boys took to the stage.

General admission on the floor came to about $205 per person.

The band treated fans to updated renditions of “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “It’s my Life,” and “You Give Love a Bad Name,” among several other hits from their collection.

When it came time for "I'll Be There for You," the frontman turned the mic over to guitarist Richie Sambora, who performed double duty and manned both lead guitar and vocals as his bandmate took a break backstage.

Sambora had no problem stepping up to the plate. He sounded good and hit all his notes – the high ones and the low ones, too.

The 49-year-old guitarist also won bonus points for his spot-on solos: While some might complain they were predictable and lacked improvisation, Sambora made the most of his time in the spotlight while never taking things too far or for too long.

Give the whole thing a read if you have a minute or two.

Damn, I wish I had been able to go....

~ Hath