Brilliant Bon Jovi

By Shannon Hicks

When Caitlin O’Handley woke up last Thursday morning one of the first things she asked her mother was, “Are we still going tonight?” Caitlin, her parents, and three of Caitlin’s friends had plans to attend the Bon Jovi concert at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 6 (see related story), and snow was not about to keep the group of Newtowners away from Jon Bon Jovi and the band.

The show was worth the trip, Caitlin reported.

“I’ve always liked their music, so I was thrilled when I first found out we were going to this concert,” the seventh grader said over the phone this week. The O’Handleys own a couple of the band’s CDs, so the family knew most of the songs going in to the show.

The performance included some of Caitlin’s favorite Bon Jovi singles, among them “Everyday,” “Misunderstood,” “Bad Medicine,” and “Raise Your Hands.”

“The whole thing was great,” Caitlin added. “I really thought the whole show was well put together. The lighting was amazing, the band’s interaction with the audience was really good, and the backdrop –– three satellite dishes that projected the band as they were playing –– was really cool.”

The set list for Thursday’s concert was as follows: “Bounce,” “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Everyday,” “Undivided,” “Runaway,” “Just Older,” “Wanted (Dead Or Alive),” “The Distance,” “It’s My Life,” “Misunderstood,” “I’ll Be There For You” (with Richie Sambora on lead vocals), “Hook Me Up,” “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night,” “Raise Your Hands,” “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” “Born To Be My Baby,” (encore) “These Days,” “Bad Medicine,” and “Shout.”

The show lasted just about two hours, ending promptly at 11.

The good news for fans who missed last week’s show? The band has said it will be returning –– after heading over to Europe next month –– for another North American tour this summer. No dates have been confirmed by promoters, although Jon Bon Jovi has begun hinting during recent shows about cities the band will be playing. During the past two weeks there have been mentions of shows in Philadelphia and Massachusetts.

While the rest of us will be waiting for the band to return so that we can catch a glimpse of the guys from our seats, Caitlin O’Handley has fantastic memories to live on for the rest of her life.

“Before last week I had only been to see ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic and N*SYNC, and those were when I was 5 and 7,” she shared. “This was my first real concert, and I don’t think any other concert is every going to live up to this.”