Bon Jovi in KL 2015

On September 19th 2015, my sister, my parents and their friends and I all pushed our way onto a two-carriage train to get to Stadium Merdeka, where the legendary Bon Jovi would be performing. Let's be honest, not everyone in this generation knows who Bon Jovi is. My parents and their friends though, were very much excited about watching a band they grew up with perform live.

I've never been to a rock concert with my parents before. Ballets, symphonies, and plays don't count. I didn't know what to expect from my folks.

We parked in Pavilion and walked to the Bukit Bintang monorail station (I was already tired from all the laziness I had achieved that day) and got off three stops later, right outside Stadium Merdeka. I'd done a case study about this stadium but nobody around me really cared about the architecture and history of the building so I told myself all the interesting things and quietly followed the folks into the stadium.

It was already filling up fast and the good seats were all taken. We groaned and glared but moved on to find another place for all eight of us to sit. My sister and I were seated together, while the older ladies were in another row--front row.

My sister and I know a handful of Bon Jovi's songs. The important ones anyway. Even if we didn't know any of the songs, the concert was good. There was just a good vibe in the stadium. The drums were relatable and the music was good. If it was my first time listening to Bon Jovi play, I'd probably be pretty stoked just being in that environment. Lots of people from many different places, local and foreign, all gathered, clapped, danced, screamed and sang together in a shared love for rock music.



Of course performing the classics like "It's My Life", "Livin' On A Prayer", "You Give Love A Bad Name", and "Wanted Dead or Alive", Bon Jovi also honored us with their newest single, "We Don't Run". It's quite catchy, and it's already on Spotify, so do check it out if you have the chance.

My mum was dancing with her pals like it was her first night out in forever (which it probably was) and I'm so glad my parents had fun. Watching a lot of my parents generation sing and dance their hearts out was almost as entertaining as Bon Jovi's performance.

What made everyone feel good was also how much fun the band seemed to have on stage performing for KL. Their energy was truly contagious and their passion was visible in their performance. They even heard our cries and came back in the end for two extra songs! I can't imagine how much energy they had for us. I would have passed out in a pool of my own sweat after the 4th or 5th song with all the jumping around they were doing on stage.

10/10 would definitely go again. Humidity, sweat and all.