No need to ask Jon Bon Jovi why he’s traversing stadiums up and down North and South America right now. The motivation behind the Because We Can tour is self-evident, but it’s turned into a rallying cry of sorts after the tribulations Bon Jovi the band has experienced since the initial concert in March. First guitarist Richie Sambora left the tour, replaced by former Triumph guitarist Phil X, then drummer Tico Torres required surgery for appendicitis during a tour stop last month in Mexico City, then was hospitalized for gall-bladder surgery just before the Sept. 20 Rio de Janeiro concert, prompting Rich Scannella to fill in. And there would still be a question in the minds of longtime fans holding tickets for future dates: Will this be the concert that Sambora will come back for?
It was always Jon Bon Jovi’s band, ever since he swept floors to get on the inside of Power Station, the New York recording studio co-owned by his cousin. Bon Jovi existed before there was a band or a brand, with scrappy, young John Bongiovi networking among the session musicians who would play on his first hit single, “Runaway,” then working hard to get noticed in the industry. Old friend Dave Bryan joined as a permanent band member on keyboards, who brought in drummer Torres and bassist Alec John Such. While future Skid Row guitarist Dave Sabo filled in for the new band’s first shows, it was versatile stringsman Sambora who would plug in permanently until bowing out this year.
Sambora had previously taken a break from touring in 2011, when he entered rehab and Phil X had taken his place. The “new” guitarist has a seasoned grasp of the repertoire for the marathon Because We Can set lists, which dates back to “Runaway” but kicked off with What About Now album track “That’s What the Water Made Me” at a July 27 concert before home state fans. Equal time seems to be given to every recording era in the band’s history, with Slippery When Wet hits such as “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Raise Your Hands” relied on to rev up the audience before Bon Jovi runs the gamut of material, including the country leanings of 2007’s Lost Highway and rocking cuts from 2009’s The Circle.
The more pertinent question is, can Bon Jovi carry on creatively? What About Now debuted at No. 1 in March on the Billboard 200, but without Sambora as a musical foil, Jon Bon Jovi’s next recording may be considered a solo album even if the entire touring band—which includes bassist Hugh McDonald from the “Runaway” session—plays on it. It’s hard to forget Sambora’s image from the golden age of MTV when he personified the mid- to-late-’80s guitar hero, but Bon Jovi the band still represents fist-pumping pop metal, no matter how many phases and stages it goes through. And as long as Jon Bon Jovi can deliver the goods, you can be pretty sure longtime fans will be there to receive.
MGM Grand 8 p.m. Oct. 12, starting at $59.50 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
