Not Old, Just Older

Bon Jovi could be forgiven for resting on their laurels after all this time (their debut album came out nearly 30 years ago) and I've seen them do just that at past shows where they have just rattled through the back catalogue.

So it was a pleasant surprise to witness them take Villa Park by the scruff of the neck tonight and keep the fans on their feet for the best part of three hours. The old songs were there allright but plenty of new and recent stuff too and all delivered with the same level of energy and enthusiasm.

Richie Sambora was AWOL with 'personal issues' (hic) but his replacement (Phil X ? - no, me neither) was an inspired choice and much, much more than just a stand in.

The setup with the standing tickets was such that you strangely also had the pick of the lower tier seating and as a result we had this great vantage point to take in the whole glorious effect of the stage show and the magnificient sound quality.