It only takes the opening few notes of Livin’ on a Prayer to send all the hard core Bon Jovi fans in a wild singing and screaming frenzy.

It was show eighty nine for the rockers on their Lost Highway tour when they rolled into the City of Manchester Stadium to play to the thousands who had braved the clouds that were threatening rain.

And although Livin’ on a Prayer was a surprise opener, despite it’s popularity, the throngs of fans did what they do best as they sung back every word to frontman Jon Bon Jovi.

Despite Lost Highway being the focal point of the tour only four songs were lifted from the band’s latest release and, same as always, it was the classic songs that got the biggest reaction.

A career that has spanned over twenty years has given them plenty of material to play with on a live show as they performed hit after hit including Blaze of Glory, Bad Medicine, It’s My Life and Keep the Faith.

And even songs from their last album Have a Nice Day got a better reaction than they did two years ago when they toured with the record. Songs Last Cigarette and Who Said You Can’t Go Home were treated like the new classics that fans will scream out in tours to come.

Just to mix things up they also performed songs such as Blood on Blood, from New Jersey, Diamond Ring, from These Days and Captain Crash from Crush that don’t often make it onto the tour play list.

Despite the light dimming and the odd sprinkle of rain the audience’s enthusiasm didn’t wane as Bon Jovi played two encores as I Love this Town from Lost Highway got a major cheer as they paid homage to the fans that had turned out, not only in Manchester, but their whole tour.

After a long and successful career the guys show no sign of throwing in the towel as they show the new pretenders just what playing live is all about.

And as they crowds flooded out the stadium with tour t-shirts on, programmes tucked under their arms and Bon Jovi classics ringing in their ears everyone was just looking forward to coming back next time around to do it all again.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw