Bon Jovi headlining the Bamboozle on the beach in Asbury Park.
Folks, it’s not just another show.
“It’s
going to be the ultimate Bon Jovi experience,” said Bon Jovi fan Denise
Balestracci, 51, of Colonia. “It’s literally on the boardwalk. It’s so
Jersey .”
Bon Jovi
— Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres plus touring
members Bobby Bandiera and Hugh McDonald — are set to close this year’s
edition of the Bamboozle festival, which moved back to Asbury Park after
a several year absence, on Sunday evening. The stage, located on the
north end of the boardwalk, will span the boardwalk and the beach.
“Bon
Jovi is an iconic New Jersey performer so it made a lot of sense to
have him come play for us this year,’ said Christian McKnight, talent
buyer for Live Nation who has worked on Bamboozle since its inception.
If
you’re wondering why Bon Jovi is playing the Bamboozle, well, the
festival has moved away from the pop-punk it built its name on in the
mid ’00s. The fest has featured former Bon Jovi contemporaries like Bret
Michaels of Poison and Motely Crue in the past.
“What
happened is when the festival grew and got bigger, the kind of people
who would come to the festival changed — it wasn’t just emo kids or
pop-punk kids, it became all facets of life,” McKnight said. “We wanted
to give kids a chance to see a band they wouldn’t normally see ... a fan
of Linkin Park wouldn’t normally see a Bret Michaels or MC Hammer,
that’s kind of been the purpose of the Bamboozle, it’s always unexpected
— you never know what you’re going to see.”
Yet,
a Bon Jovi show on the boardwalk makes sense in a way. The staging
evokes memories of the city’s WNEW radio station concerts, formerly held
next to the casino through the late ’80s and early ’90s. In 1985, Bon
Jovi filmed the video for the song “In and Out of Love” on another
Jersey boardwalk — the one in Seaside Heights.
Sunday’s
show takes place, of course, in Asbury Park, where Jon Bon Jovi and his
bandmates from Bon Jovi and pre-Bon Jovi bands bands like the Atlantic
City Expressway, or ACE, played gigs at the Stone Pony and Fast Lane.
The guys are from towns just north of the city: Sayreville, Woodbridge,
Perth Amboy and Edison.
“He was relatively an outsider in Asbury
Park ,” said former Asbury Park Press music writer Matty Karas. “The
city was all about (Bruce) Springsteen, Southside Johnny and John Eddie,
and that old ‘60s soul rock. Bon Jovi was not a part of that — they
were metal and they’ weren’t thought of as part of the Asbury Park
scene.”
Yet, over time, the Bon Jovi sound
has moved more toward the bluesy Sound of Asbury Park and the
definition of the city’s music has become less rigid. Now, Bon Jovi is
as synonymous with Asbury Park as Springsteen. Off stage, members of the
band have shown themselves to be talented beyond rock ‘n’ roll. Bryan
won a couple of Tony Awards for the musical Memphis , which he co-wrote,
and Jon Bon Jovi works toward the eradication of hunger and
homelessness through his Soul Foundation and Soul Kitchen restaurant in
Red Bank. He’s also a member of the White House Council for Community
Solutions.
With
the hair metal days far away in the rear view mirror, Bon Jovi has
assumed a new role in the culture. The band is a not-so-guilty-pleasure
to fans across the musical spectrum. So much so that the words “Bon
Jovi” have become a perpetual meme on Twitter, with references to the
band popping up every minute or so.
“Awesomeness
is your best friend calling you from the Vegas Bon Jovi concert so you
can hear the man you’ve been in love w/ since age 2 sing,” reads one
tweet.
“Bon Jovi hurts my head BUT I DON’T CARE!!” says another.
See you in the sand at sundown.
“It’s going to be a true Jersey experience,” Balestracci said. “Classic music and the beach go hand in hand.”