Live At Madison Square Garden [DVD] [2009]

This DVD is a must have for any Bon Jovi fan! I saw Bon Jovi in concert in Boston 10 days after the Madison Square Garden concert and although the playlist was different, this captures what it's like to be at one of their live concerts. You can feel the energy from the band and the audience. It has serious moments and some playful moments, all of which are absolutely wonderful. It gives you a close-up chance to see just how fantastic a guitar player Richie Sambora is and a close-up chance to see Jon Bon Jovi at his best, in great vocal form, and how much he enjoys interacting with his audience(s). I may have to get a second copy of the DVD because I may wear my first copy out!

Lets start of by saying this is a great concert,the band are on fire Sambora especialy have never sounded better,but please tell me who is responsble for the editing.Why take 3 great songs from the same concert,2 of there biggest songs, and the one where it all started and pretend they are bonus material.WHY WHY WHY dont they put them in the gig where they should be,its not like a cd where you are limited to 80 min and have to make omisions, if you are going to put bonus material on put songs
from another concert,another tour,backstage stuff, if i dont want to listen to a song i press skip on the remote control,but please give me the chance.

The version of bed of roses that has been downgraded to bonus is superb,Jon out on his own,surely one of the highlights of the show, and they omit it for absolutely NO reason

As for bad medicine, WHY WHY WHY TELL ME WHY Do i have to listen to a US No 1 single,a song that has been played at virtualy every concert for the last 22 years to a black background why the credits roll............VERY VERY frustrating...so 10/10 for the gig, 1 out of 10 for the editing.

I have been patiently waiting for the release of this DVD since going to see Bon Jovi last year on their 'Lost Highway' tour.
Not long after the tour ended, news came out that a DVD would be released from Bon Jovi's homecoming concert at Madison Square Garden, New York.

The DVD was finally released this week on 23rd November, and as I had my copy pre-ordered from Amazon, my copy dropped through my letterbox the day after release.

Bon Jovi - Live at Madison Square Garden sees the band returning home after performing all around the world on what was to be the biggest tour in the world in 2008. It was filmed in July 2008, on the last date of the tour, which was just a couple of weeks after I had seen them in concert here in the UK.
Directed by Jon Bon Jovi's brother, Anthony Bongiovi and Brian Lockwood, the DVD was shot in high definition and surround sound.

The set list includes tracks from their 'Lost Highway' tour, and also songs spanning their 25 year career.

Bon Jovi always perform a long set, and here at Madison Square Garden it was no different. The crowd having a great time, as pitch-perfect Jon belts out some of the band's biggest hits and ballads with the same enthusiasm as 25 years ago.
Indeed, all the band give nothing less than 100% as always, and give a slick, perfect performance throughout the concert.

I was really pleased to discover that my favourite Bon Jovi track, the epic 'Dry County' was featured here. The highlight of the concert I saw a couple of weeks previously to this, was seeing this song performed live, as they had never performed it at earlier concerts I had attended.
It is the highlight of this DVD for me.

Other stand out performances here include 'Blaze of Glory' which features a brilliant guitar solo from Richie Sambora, and also again when Richie takes centre stage to sing 'I'll Be There For You' which has became one of the highlights of every Bon Jovi tour in recent years. Richie thanks the crowd for being there for him through his troubled past couple of years, and delivers a passionate and soulful vocal that matches his amazing guitar playing.

The crowd join in singing 'You Give Love A Bad Name' and a big cheer goes up as Jon asks 'Who Says You Can't Go Home?' and the crowd eagerly join in to sing the ending, while thousands of hands are held aloft for the roof-raising 'Raise Your Hands'.
The beautiful ballads, Always and Bed Of Roses are performed and sung with raw emotion, as is Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' ( yes the band covered this long before Alexandra Burke!) which Leonard Cohen himself rates as his favourite version.

Jon often takes himself off to walk along the crowd during the concert, shaking hands with fans, and also leaves the main stage to perform a couple of the songs including the beautiful '(You Want To) Make A Memory'.

Crowd pleasers, such as 'It's My Life', 'Runaway' and 'Livin' On A Prayer' will have you dancing on the sofa, and we are also treated to performances of some of the band's lesser known tracks such as 'Living In Sin' and 'Blood On Blood'.

'Keep The Faith' is another highlight for me as it is always one of my favourite songs that the band perform live, but overall, I cannot fault any of the songs performed here. I have my favourites, but the band deliver a faultless and enthusiastic show from start to finish. They deliver an energetic performance and show no sign of slowing down just yet. Indeed the band have recently announced a two year world tour which kicks off in 2010.

The DVD is an amazing account of the band's return to Madison Square Garden. Bon Jovi were born across the water in New Jersey, and 'The Garden' was the always a holy grail, the marker that they had made it. It is nineteen years to the day after the band first performed there, and Jon recalls being there as a young fan to see Bruce Springsteen, The Who and Elton John performing there years ago.

The DVD is a must for any Bon Jovi fan, and serves as a great account of the bands 25 year career which still sees them hitting their peak when performing live.