The opening night of Bon Jovi's 'This House Is Not For Sale Tour' at the Xcel Energy Center was an impressive start to the run for the '80s survivors. The band sounded tight, especially guitarist Phil X who has been filling in for Richie Sambora since last year and is doing an outstanding job. Bassist Hugh McDonald was also a great presence onstage and drummer Tico Torres rocked the kit.
Opening the show was Texas band Anything But Human and they were an excellent choice for openers. Their 20 minute set was perfect for warming up the crowd and they delivered a solid performance with some great musicianship. The lighting display changed with each changeover and it was a very cool effect.
After a short video intro the band hit the stage and opened with their title track from the 2020 album and throughout the night dished out hits that built this band's legend as well as some of their new material. Jon Bon Jovi has always been an expert showman and he kept the crowd engaged through his entire performance.
While the band played a lot of fan favorites there were some notable omissions including "Livin' On A Prayer" (which they did play during their encore) and the country crossover smash "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" that Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles sings so well. Jon Bon Jovi also missed a few notes here and there and he definitely was not singing his best. But it's not like he was butchering the classics, just missing some higher notes that he's never had trouble with in the past.
