BON JOVI
Wembley Stadium (London)
06 September 2026
Tonight, Bon Jovi were glorious and I am glad they delivered such a great reminder of why they sell out multiple nights almost everywhere they go.
It had been a while since I last saw Bon Jovi live, with the increasing cost of seeing London shows and my ever-expanding musical tastes as responsible as anything. When it was announced that the band were finally returning to the road, with a massive nine dates at Madison Square Garden and a further five in the UK and Ireland, I knew I needed to rectify that. We arrived at the stadium just after the doors opened to find Wembley Way packed and merch stands with queues that stretched round the corner. There was a festive atmosphere, born, I suspect, as much from relief that Jovi had returned as from the palpable excitement of fans seeing them again. It was noticeable that people regarded this as a true “event”, rather than your run-of-the-mill concert.
Saving the best for last, Bay closed with the catchy ‘Best Fake Smile’ and his biggest hit, ‘Hold Back The River’
Opener James Bay was already on stage by the time we took our seats. I’d previously seen the English singer-songwriter when he shared the bill with Bruce Springsteen at BST back in 2023. He was in the middle of the enjoyable ‘If You Ever Want To Be In Love’, a Country-leaning number with slide guitar. The stands were fairly empty, but the floor was busy, and both continued to fill as the set wore on. The slower ‘Us’ and ‘Let It Go’ followed, his high-pitched vocals and shimmering guitar rang around the iconic venue. The head-nodder ‘You And Me Time’ then pressed the accelerator and lifted the Rock quota, while ‘Wanderlust’ added a chart-friendly Rock flavour. Saving the best for last, Bay closed with the catchy ‘Best Fake Smile’ and his biggest hit, ‘Hold Back The River’. It was during the latter that Bay spotted what he thought was someone in trouble and paused mid-song. It turned out that all was well, but bringing such a significant moment in a career-highlight show to a halt speaks volumes about Bay. Many on the floor joined in with the clapping and singing once the song resumed. He warmed up those watching, and it was another excellent performance from the man in the black hat.
The stadium filled rapidly and, as seven o’clock came and went, the stage lit up in red and the place was ready to erupt. As on previous tours, the band had an introductory build-up to their arrival on stage. A video monologue began, with Jon saying, “It’s been a long time… so much has happened”. Members of the band appeared left and right before entering a lift. With a ping, the doors opened at the centre rear and, to an absolute cacophony of noise, Bon Jovi appeared before the faithful. It had been a long time since I’d heard a roar that loud!
The stadium filled rapidly and, as seven o’clock came and went, the stage lit up in red and the place was ready to erupt.
What followed was something of a surprise to me. With tinkling keys, a soft beat and sparkling lights, Jovi kicked off proceedings with a cover of the Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment and with putting the band’s thanks to friends, family and fans front-and-centre on their return. Yet I can’t help feeling it was a missed opportunity to deliver an explosion that would have blown the roofs off Wembley Town, let alone the stadium. What an entry ‘Lay Your Hands On Me’ could have been or keeping the spirit/sentiment intact by giving ‘…Friends’ a standalone spot mid-set and furthered it with the alternative livewire that is ‘I Believe’? A song for both the band and the crowd when thinking about the last few years. It’s a genuinely minor quibble, with my reviewer’s hat slipping on after previously deciding to approach tonight’s review from more of a fan viewpoint. They quickly moved into the “whoo-oos” of ‘Beautiful Drug’ from the ‘2020’ record, then jumped back further to 2009’s ‘The Circle’ with the splendid ‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’, the crowd in fine voice for the extended “yeah, yeah” chants. It wasn’t long before we went from “yeah” to “hey, hey” with an outing for the infectious ‘Lost Highway’.
With tinkling keys, a soft beat and sparkling lights, Jovi kicked off proceedings with a cover of the Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’.
In terms of presentation, the stage and light show were eye-catching, but shining even brighter was the sense of joy among the band themselves. Everyone seemed genuinely to be having a ball and relaxed while doing so; in one sense, you could almost see the weight of recent years had lifted from the group. The only blemish was that one or more speakers from the stack in the centre of the stadium had blown or weren’t working, as there was audible crackling, but hats off to the techies because it was soon remedied.
With everyone in full flow, the classics were ready to be deployed to bunker-busting effect, starting with ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’. The already ecstatic crowd went into overdrive, the “woo-oos” clearing the London skyline, and it was awesome to hear the less frequently played, memory-filled ‘Born To Be My Baby’, with a similar reaction to the “na-na” ending. Moving from the all-time classics to the here and now, the brilliant ‘Legendary’ appeared with the stage bathed in beautiful blue as the daylight began to fade. The vocals were enhanced by an additional appearance from Bay, who returned to lend a hand. The Country-tinged ‘Whole Lot Of Leavin’’ was perfectly timed for mid-evening as the night arrived, and it was followed by a stunning performance of ‘Bed Of Roses’. Almost everyone must have had their phone lights aloft, creating a breathtaking sight for a personally special song. The twinkling stars were replaced by fiery red to greet the riotous ‘Have A Nice Day’. As someone who went to one of those epic first Wembley shows in 1995, I found the inclusion of ‘These Days’ one of the night’s highlights and, judging by the crowd, I clearly wasn’t alone. The Jovi musical time machine wound forward twenty years for a lively ‘This House Is Not For Sale’, complete with a clap-along, and then the place absolutely lost its mind when the New Jersey masters unleashed a nuclear one-two salvo of ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’. Just the sudden appearance of the talk box elicited rapture, and the crowd noise accompanying the choruses of both songs was something to behold; the latter’s extended, crowd-filled ending remains as massive as ever. I’d be surprised if this pairing wasn’t the highlight of most people’s night, but they still had a few surprises lined up to close out the main set.
I found the inclusion of ‘These Days’ one of the night’s highlights and, judging by the crowd, I clearly wasn’t alone.
The occasional ‘Raise Your Hands’ was a delight and the crowd reacted with full gusto, while my sentimental favourite, ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’, with its groovy riff, bouncing keys and solid rhythm, added some tongue-in-cheek fun that took me back decades. Perhaps the rarest song of the night was the guitar-fest that is ‘Hey God’, one I’ve always loved but have rarely heard since the millennium, and both Phil X and John Shanks let rip on guitar. Closing out the main set was ‘Keep The Faith’, where Tico Torres, Everett Bradley and Hugh McDonald provided that unmistakable rhythm. Now, with two guitarists, Jovi can deliver both the riff and some fine, funky playing at the same time.
The encore began with a gorgeous ‘I’ll Be There For You’, the stadium bathed in purple and lit up again like the night sky by all the phone lights; as the “ooohs” broke out, the colour changed back to the earlier blue. With Wild West imagery appearing on the screens, the colossal ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ was greeted by virtually every voice in the stadium and, with the end time approaching, ‘Bad Medicine’ then tore from the speakers to widespread joy. Unfortunately, having encountered Tube issues on the way up and with train times still tight, we sadly had to leave as ‘Always’ arrived to close out the show.
With Wild West imagery appearing on the screens, the colossal ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive’ was greeted by virtually every voice in the stadium
As mentioned right at the start, it has been a long road for Bon Jovi recently, but tonight this legendary band proved they can still put on the biggest, most entertaining show at one of the most prestigious venues in the world. Jon Bon Jovi delivered a masterclass in how to connect with the audience and ensure everyone had maximum enjoyment, while the band played a blinder and the visual show was fabulous. Most importantly, they all looked like they were having a blast, the shows clearly meaning as much to them as to the masses in front of them. As for Jon’s voice, it’s been fun to rewatch some of the videos I took that night as I wrote this review and be reminded how good he sounded across various points of the set. It’s been too long since I last heard some of these songs live, and I am thrilled to say that tonight lived up to expectations. We’ll all have tracks we wish they’d played (no ‘Runaway’, ‘Living In Sin’ or ‘In These Arms’ for me), but I didn’t see a single down face or hear any complaints my whole way home. I also want to add a quick thanks to the team at Outside Org. for arranging this and making the whole evening an experience. Tonight, Bon Jovi were glorious and I am glad they delivered such a great reminder of why they sell out multiple nights almost everywhere they go. I sure most people now hope that this run of shows are a case of just warming up again and not saying farewell in style.
tonight this legendary band proved they can still put on the biggest, most entertaining show at one of the most prestigious venues in the world.
Photo Gallery (courtesy of Cherie Hansson)
© Cherie Hansson © Cherie Hansson © Cherie Hansson © Cherie Hansson © Cherie Hansson © Cherie Hansson © Cherie Hansson
Photo Gallery (courtesy of David Bergman)
© David Bergman © David Bergman © David Bergman © David Bergman © David Bergman © David Bergman
Review: Dave Scott
Photos: Cherie Hansson / David Bergman (used with kind permission)
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