Live Review: Bon Jovi, Birds Of Tokyo

The weather is holding above the hallowed grounds of old lady Suncorp, and even if the rain did set in, there’s not much that could douse the fiery energy accumulating outside the gates. The very young, very mature and all ages in between are swiftly gathering for tonight’s sold-out show. Spirits are high as punters bearing trays of drinks slip and slosh their way down onto the field. It’s the sort of headliner that’s going to pull a boisterous crowd and it’s these preliminary moments that never fail to ramp up the excitement.

Perth five-piece Birds Of Tokyo have ticked all the boxes lately to find themselves supporting tonight. Their last run of shows on the back of their latest album BRACE were doozies, they’ve notched up glossy new singles recently, and they opened last month’s Invictus Games. Not bad given their inception as a catchy rock four-piece more than a decade ago to now being practically a household name with mega-hits Lanterns, Plans and This Fire. Leading man Ian Kenny is an endless source of energy as he bounds on stage, busting out his classic Peter Garrett-esque moves and faultless delivery. Their set covers mostly the fresher albums, but there’s a dig back to their first forays with classic thumpers Silhouettic and Broken Bones. But with plenty of catchy newer tunes to sing along to like Empire, Unbreakable and I’d Go With You Anywhere, Birds have become the perfect stadium show opener.

We’re at sold-out capacity by the time the break is over, and when the lights dim, it is near deafening in the tight confines of the arena as everyone leaps to their feet for the arrival of Bon Jovi. The touring seven-piece – most of the original line-up padded out with extra players – let You Give Love A Bad Name rip. All credit to the man himself, after 30-odd years fronting this band, JBJ is still shadowboxing and still has pipes as golden as his hair once was, trilling and reaching the highs in Raise Your Hands, Lost Highway and corking classic Runaway. This show is clearly a well-oiled machine and there doesn’t seem to be much deviating from script, but his banter and jubilance is tangible, especially after jumping into the crowd for It’s My Life and admitting that, “You’re all good kissers.” It’s his show really, but original players David Bryan (keys) Tico Torres (drums) help revive the glory days with Keep The Faith, Bed Of Roses and Bad Medicine.

There’s a downshift in energy for the encore, starting out with Last Man Standing and Blood On Blood, but they have the crowd in the palm of their hands when the piercing notes that open Wanted Dead Or Alive ring out. Sweaty but still standing, JBJ of course proffers Livin' On A Prayer as the closer. He struggles with the anthem’s constant reaches to those high notes, but nobody cares. All they care about is this band and making their unwavering devotion heard.