Bon Jovi Proud to Be Part of Grand Opening

Oct 24, 01:23 PM

Current Headlines: By MIKE KERWICK, STAFF WRITER

Jon Bon Jovi acknowledged Tuesday that building a 17,000-seat arena in one of Jersey's most maligned cities is a risk. But the Jersey rock star, who is kicking open the door to the Prudential Center on Thursday with the first of his 10 shows there, said it's a risk he has supported from Day One.

"You have to have faith in somebody and something in order to help it to work," Bon Jovi said after his group's second and final rehearsal at the Prudential Center on Tuesday afternoon. "I really think that [Newark Mayor] Cory Booker is very special. And he has a great vision of bringing this city back to its old glory. And he's very, very passionate about it. ... And after meeting with him a couple times, it wasn't hard to convince me we could do this."

Bon Jovi has 73 songs at the ready so that each night's set list will offer something unique. Among the songs the group performed live Tuesday were "Bells of Freedom," "Wild is the Wind," "I'll Be There for You," "Lay Your Hands on Me" and "Welcome to Wherever You Are."

"And now for one of those songs we've never performed," Jon Bon Jovi said into a microphone, facing a mostly empty arena, before embarking on "Open All Night" during the rehearsal.

He had rave reviews for the arena's sound quality, based on the band's two rehearsals. He took a studied look at the rafters and noted the care that went into building an arena whose primary tenant is a hockey team.

"They invested a lot of time and effort into soundproofing," Bon Jovi said, "and that's a compliment to the design team who thought like that. It's an extra cost."

On Tuesday night, there were still plenty of seats available for the group's opening night show. Ten shows is a lot to fill, but the gambit is reminiscent of the six shows Bruce Springsteen played at Brendan Byrne Arena when the Meadowlands arena, now the Izod Center, opened on July 2, 1981.

"We beat him to the punch," Bon Jovi joked. "Well, sure, it's a generation thing, absolutely. I grew up listening to the E Street Band. They were my heroes. I was aware of it."

He promised to play the hits, "all the new album, a couple covers, and we'll see." And while his set list is still a work in progress, his opening is not.

"We're taking a very different approach to opening a show," Bon Jovi said. "And unless you guys correct me in the paper the next day [after the opening night performance], I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. So it's very dramatic."

And while he called his band "guinea pigs" for this Newark arena, he dismissed the notion of pressure. The group also opened the Nokia Theatre Times Square and the O2 Arena in London.

"We've opened quite a few," Bon Jovi said. "So I'm not at all thrown by the 150 union guys in the hallways. At least this one's opening, or so we think. I'll believe it Friday morning."

And when the doors swing open, Bon Jovi hopes the doors to Newark swing open along with it.

"I love to see the revitalization," Bon Jovi said. "I'd like to see it in Asbury [Park]. I'd like to see it happen here in Newark. Eventually someday we'll all think about Camden and stop looking away from it."

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E-mail: kerwick@northjersey.com

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