It’s 1993. I’m seven years old and I’m jumping on my bed, banging my head and screaming along to a tape which I found in my sister’s bedroom. No wait - it’s 2008, I’m a tad older and I’m in Punchestown. But that song sounds exactly the same now as it did then.
A drum solo rings out for what seems an age, teasing the audience. Then the synths swoop in and we begin to get excited. Finally, that distinctive talk box sound – it’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’!
Yes, Bon Jovi have a way of transporting you back in time and yet somehow remaining current. With a crowd made up of young kids, couples, veteran rockers and everything in between, it is clear that the band, who epitomise the era of hard rock and pop metal, still have a mass appeal that spans generations.
From the cheesy flashing lights, to the twin-necked guitars, to the pelvic thrusts, to that hair, I felt like I was in a music video from a time when MTV still played music videos.
They romp effortlessly through their back catalogue. ‘Have A Nice Day’ and ‘Always’ fuse seamlessly with new material from Lost Highway, while we also get covers of Duffy’s ‘Mercy’ and Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’.
Then there are the encores. Yes, we do mean encores – the running time of the show is of Bruce Springsteen proportions. Friends before bandmates, these rockers are on stage, in front of tens of thousands of people, just having fun, and that sense of joy infects the crowd.
I went to this gig liking a few songs. I left loving a band.