Bad Medicine In The Peg

 

Bon Jovi/Skid Row/Winnipeg Arena/Aug 25 1989

So basically the biggest tour of 89 next to the Stones/McCartney was the Jovi Jersey Syndicate road show that waltzed its way to the Peg with me and TBone in tow! This show was packed to the rafters and leading off that nights festivities was Skid Row who were selling a ton  of records at the time with the big single being 18 & Life at show time.

Skid Row hit the stage to Makin A Mess and basically ripped thru the debut album. They were energetic and wired up with enthusiasm  even Sebastian Bach name dropped Thunder Bay at  the Winnipeg show. When me and TBone ever heard shit like that we just  laughed..like Jesus man..its Thunder Bay??? But hey Sebastian thanks for noticing that we drove 9 hrs to get to the show!

 

So once the  house lights are killed, on the screen above the stage were now backstage with the guys in Jovi and one by one they come out of the dressing room until the last two guys Sambora and Jon himself get the loudest cheers and bam were into Lay Your Hands On Me and its shrieking women everywhere holy crap TBone were on a desert island except the shrieks are towards those two guys (Jon and Ritchie) and not us (two schmucks from Tbay) damn…oh well and man it’s loud,no not the band but the crowd. I guess this was Jovimania 1989 style. Were not even thru the first song and  its an Olympic Bra toss to the stage!

So once my senses are a little clear from the crowd I realize there having issues with Jovi’s mic and it’s only about halfway thru song two I’d Die For You that all mic issues are resolved. It’s becoming pretty evident about halfway thru the show that the first two albums are gonna be ignored and they were. Nothing was played off of the debut or  7800 Fahrenheit ! Bummer I was hoping Only The Lonely would be played so David Bryan could reprise his tuff guy role from the video ,sadly tonight it was not meant to be! All the hits are played but I wish they would thrown down Homebound Train

JBJ was on the front page of the Winnipeg Sun.

or sumthin but na only so much you can plug even there current single at the time Living In Sin wasn’t even played. That’s how deep the Jersey album was with singles. That and  Leppards Hysteria must have had at the time the most released singles from said releases.

The stage was a slick-looking affair with no obstruction behind meaning they sold seats behind the stage was packed as well I think about 16,000 and it has to be one of the most packed Peg arena shows I ever seen. When they played Let It Rock the lighting truss lowered from the ceiling(see vid)  and Jon and Ritchie could run the length of the arena  just above the floor crowds heads. Pretty damn impressive. You can also see the lighting truss effect on the Lay Your Hands promotional video.

Born To Be My Baby,Wild In The Streets,You Give Love A Bad Name,Wanted,I’ll Be There for You,Bad Medicine,Blood On Blood were played as well as a cover of Were An American Band.

For the time this was THE big band in the year 1989! I still have never been to a show since where the women were screaming like there was no tomorrow and that’s how Jon the corporate guy liked it.  This equals -$$$$$$

2014 I couldn’t care less about this guy and his music. I will say New Jersey has stood the test of time perhaps it was this tour but the album as a whole is very solid.

 

It’s been years since I left the Jersey Syndicate due to well after Keep The Faith I found there albums lacklustre  to say the least but back than me an T were full-fledged card-carrying Jersey Syndicate members so no complaints back that night in August /89.

Give Jovi credit though and I will say that he had one impressive show back than….