The Bon Jovi Experience + The Scopyons
The band treated fans to a 2 hour set, in which they packed in all the classics.....
On Friday night, I joined many avid fans to see the Bon Jovi Experience as they exploded into Norwich, bringing with them all the vibes of the classic 80s rock band. Like all fans, my prayers were answered when lead singer Tony appeared on stage, a total spitting image of Jon Bon Jovi with all the demeanour of a rock star through and through. The band have in excess of 20 years experience touring the UK, Europe and further afield and can boast that they remain the only tribute to have performed live and shared a stage with Jon Bon Jovi. Certified as ‘the most authentic tribute on earth’ by Jon Bon Jovi himself, it’s safe to say my expectations were high and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The night began rocking with the support band the Scopyons, capturing the crowd’s attention with their tribute to the great German legends -Scorpions. Appearing onstage very early in the night, around 6.15pm, they might’ve expected to be playing to a relatively empty venue, yet Norwich’s Waterfront was already alive with excitement as they surged onto stage with classics like ‘Gas in the tank’ and ‘Wind of change’- showing how ready fans were to rock that evening. Their set ended with their awesome rendition of ‘Rock you like a hurricane’, perfectly hyping the crowd in preparation for the sensory adventure ahead.
When Bon Jovi Experience took to the stage, fans’ excitement was tangible with everyone singing along to their opening track and front man Tony already capturing the crowd’s attention as he encouraged everyone to ‘Raise their hands’. Next up, the band kicked off one of Bon Jovi’s most famous songs ‘You give love a bad name’ sending the crowd into orbit as we sang along to the iconic lyrics. Having grown up watching videos of live Bon Jovi performances, as I have clearly inherited my parents’ music taste, (and I wouldn’t have it any other way) it honestly felt like the real deal, Tony’s resemblance to Jon was uncanny, his mannerisms and characteristics totally spot on.
The band treated fans to a 2 hour set, in which they packed in all the classics, my personal favourite song of the night was ‘It’s my life’. This was around halfway through the set, though the crowd’s energy certainly wasn’t dulling, as we sang along to the classic, the lead singer perfectly capturing the essence of Jon’s usual energy and aura during this song.
As the band slowed things down with ‘Bed of roses’, the energy in the room was very much that of a fan base so ecstatic to be hearing their favourite classics performed live, with the crowd swaying in time to the relaxed licks of electric guitar. The night ended with fans begging for an encore and the band dutifully returning to rock out one more iconic track, closing with ‘Livin on a prayer’. The atmosphere was electric as the band went crazy doing justice to such a classic rock tune and encapsulating the essence of this band- a totally awesome tribute to the wonderful Bon Jovi and a seamless impersonation of Jon himself, making for a really fun night. Having heard these songs live, it can finally be said that the Bon Jovi Experience are not only half way there, but that they’ve finally made it.
