Live Review: Bon Jovi, Kid Rock

Touring Australia for the first time in his career, American multi-instrumentalist and celeb personality Kid Rock attempted to inspire the Sydney crowd into some sort of frenzy. Equipped with some of Detroit's finest blues musicians, Kid Rock bounced around the stage in daylight, subdued fans not quite sure if rocking out was acceptable. A seemingly disheartened (and a bit shitty) Rock broke into All Summer Long – sparking some interest from the slowly growing  crowd – before moaning “Oh, I know who this guy is now, I've heard this song before.” His first jaunt around the country seemed to be a learning curve, concluding, “Enjoy Bon Jovi and enjoy forever.”

The sight of Bon Jovi was greeted with anything but confusion, Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan and Tico Torres unfazed by the absence of guitarist Richie Sambora, who pulled out of the world tour months ago. In a vest of stars-and-stripes and flashing his star-studded, heartthrob smile, Jon Bon Jovi oozed American rock and had everyone in the palm of his hand. Shockingly, a dint in the armour! His impressive upper register all but gone, as fans winced during the strained choruses of You Give Love A Bad Name and Keep The Faith, Bryan's keyboard and backing-vocal mastery thankfully taking charge at the latter's conclusion.

Bon Jovi rekindled the interest of his fans during an intimate and comfortably adjusted Someday I'll Be Saturday Night, marking the concert's turning point. 2009's We Weren't Born To Follow and 2005's Who Says You Can't Go Home built the excitement to a welcomely rousing I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, juke-boxing the Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, AC/DC and The Surfaris. Live favourite and highlight of the night, Bad Medicine erupted in a chorus of thousands, fans on their feet and soaking in the energy of a frontman truly warming up to wild form. And singing to his capability, Jon Bon Jovi's doubts were gone. He turned the mic to the crowd for the potentially cringe-worthy key change of Livin' On A Prayer, seeming more like a rescue than a cop-out. The band have been voted #1 touring act in the world three times in the last five years, an honour that seems appropriate for the act we saw in the concert's second half.