Bon Jovi still rocks in What About Now

After nearly 30 years in the music business, Bon Jovi has now reached the age of the Internet. And the American band seems to be thoroughly enjoying the experience of being part of this all the time exciting development. In fact, they are using the power of advanced technology to great advantage to please their followers and to promote their latest, What About Now. 

Now I was about to say CD release in that last sentence but it did not seem right. Given the new technology, you can just download the album and keep it in your mobile, laptop or in a cloud from which it can be summoned anytime you wish to listen to it. And all this is in keeping with Bon Jovi’s arrival into the present digital era.

What About Now is the band’s 12th studio album and it comes with a free app that is downloadable at http://smarturl.itBonJoviApp. The blurb says that this “ties together the latest content and cutting edge technologies, “ particularly the Augmented Reality. This is an interactive image-recognition experience with several Bon Jovi artworks in animated 3D imagery plus other related visuals. Users will also gain exclusive access to the latest news, exclusive photos, tour dates, fan wall and other goodies about this great rock band.

But no matter how digitally savvy Bon Jovi is and how it is able to harness the power of technology to sell its products, the bottomline to whatever success it will continue to gain is still the music. Remember this is a band that created some of the most infectious rock anthems of these past decades. You may say you do not like Bon Jovi but I am sure there have been lots of times when you caught yourself playing Bon Jovi songs in your head.

You cannot help it. “I’m gonna lay you down in a bed of roses…, ” “wo wo, living on a prayer…” “It’s my life, and it’s now or never, cause I ain’t gonna live forever….” “And I will love you always, and I’ll be there forever and a day….” Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora have created some of the most commercial rock tunes ever heard. And they are still at it. Along with bassist Hugh McDonald, drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan, they have put more of these songs in What About Now.

There is a lighter touch. Is it a mellowing or simply a way of keeping up with the times? You know rock music from the younger bands is more pop nowadays while the heavies have been relegated to their own niche. The heavy metal shelves. I do not really know but Bon Jovi still does the rah, rah, rah, America will overcome everything bit very well. Check out Because We Can, I’m With You and What About Now. Very good. But it is still the slow ballads that get me, the songs about love and friendship now presented in softer tones, Pictures Of You, Thick As Thieves, Room At The End Of The World and Amen.

Also included are That’s What The Water Made Me, What’s Left Of Me, Army Of One, Beautiful World, The Fighter, With These Two Hands, Not Running Anymore, Old Habits Die Hard and Every Road Leads Home To You.

Still on enduring music from a past era and it is just too bad that this group did not last as long as Bon Jovi. But their music lives forever and this week we were treated to a new dose of songs by the greatest Scandinavian pop group of all time through Abbamania. It is a group that performs the songs of Abba and sounds almost like the real thing. And us Abba-loving Pinoys wholeheartedly agreed and packed their shows around the country.

Proof of this is that promoters Viva Live and Redstone Media, have asked Abbamania to stay and do another show at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila. The first show will be held tomorrow, April 25. Now those who were unable to get tickets to that one or who wants to see this enjoyable show again can come and watch on April 29.

Abbamania has already performed at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City last April 20, in Puerto Princesa on April 21 and will be at the La Proa Ballroom of L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod tonight. These will be followed by RWM tomorrow night, the SMX Convention Center in Lanang, Davao on April 27, the Limketkai Atrium in Cagayan de Oro City on April 28 and back to RWM on April 29.

Tickets are available at Ticketworld Manila and at the RWM box office. Treat yourselves to this show and relive those heady days of Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All, Waterloo, Money Money, Super Trooper I Do I Do, Mamma Mia and lots of other hits by Abba.