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Bon Jovi introduces new single in Jakarta
Still fantastic: Vocalist Jon Bon Jovi (center) from renowned American rock band Bon Jovi entertains his Indonesian fans at Gelora Bung Karno Senayan Indoor Stadium in Jakarta on Friday
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Still fantastic: Vocalist Jon Bon Jovi (center) from renowned American rock band Bon Jovi entertains his Indonesian fans at Gelora Bung Karno Senayan Indoor Stadium in Jakarta on Friday. The band came to Indonesia as part of their Tour Asia program. (JP/DON) (center) from renowned American rock band Bon Jovi entertains his Indonesian fans at Gelora Bung Karno Senayan Indoor Stadium in Jakarta on Friday. The band came to Indonesia as part of their Tour Asia program. (JP/DON)
Still fantastic: Vocalist Jon Bon Jovi (center) from renowned American rock band Bon Jovi entertains his Indonesian fans at Gelora Bung Karno Senayan Indoor Stadium in Jakarta on Friday. The band came to Indonesia as part of their Tour Asia program. (JP/DON)
It took the US hard rock band 20 years to return to Jakarta, but Bon Jovi gave Jakarta the honor on Friday evening of hearing the first-ever performance of its upcoming single, 'We Alright', during a jam-packed concert at the Bung Karno Main Stadium.
Bon Jovi started the performance by playing 'That's The Water Made Me' from its March 2013 album What About Now, the last with leading guitarist Richie Sambora onboard.
After three songs, vocalist Jon Bon Jovi greeted the audience and said, 'It's been a long, long time.'
The concert, which was more than 30 minutes late after the scheduled show-start time of 8 p.m., began with Indonesia's own singer Judika singing the 'Indonesia Raya' national anthem.
American Internet sensation and cover singer Sam Tsui was the opening act at Friday's concert. Unfortunately, he was not welcomed by the audience, which demanded Bon Jovi seize the stage immediately.
The band originated from Sayrevill, New Jersey, and was formed in 1983. Its current line-up includes Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres.
The band's line-up has remained mostly static throughout its history with the only significant change being the departure of iconic guitarist Richie Sambora in 2013. Replacing Richie during the concert Friday night was Matt O'Ree.
The band achieved international fame in 1986 with its third album titled Slippery When Wet. This success was followed with similar results in 1988 with its next album called New Jersey.
Bon Jovi then took a brief hiatus and returned in 1992 with the launch of one of its most successful albums of all time, Keep The Faith. In 2000, the band managed to capture a younger audience with the release of a single, ''It's My Life'.
Throughout its 30-year history, Bon Jovi has released 12 studio albums, two compilations and two live albums. It is considered one of the world's best-selling bands of all time with more than 100 million records sold worldwide and with more than 2,700 concerts in more than 50 countries.
The band's fan base is also one of the largest with 34 million fans.
The spectators, mostly in their 30s and 40s, poured into the stadium as early as 3 p.m. with many of them clad in black T-shirts.
Security was very tight with the organizer setting up three layers of security checkpoints, a well-understood measure as the concert was held on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
It was not until the fifth song, 'You Give Love A Bad Name' that the spectators started to move their bodies to the music.
Other songs played during the concert included 'Who Says You Can't Go Home', Lost Highway and Raise Your Hands.
When Jon Bon Jovi sang 'Someday I'll Be Saturday Night' in an accoustic arrangement, an audience member proposed to his girlfriend who said 'yes'.
Dutchman Huib Kleinhout proposed to Wuri Rostandy attracting the attention of fellow spectators and journalists at the concert.
Wuri said they had been in a relation for about two years.
Bon Jovi closed the concert with a couple of encore songs 'She's A Little Runaway' and 'Living on A Prayer'.
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