Bon Jovi Concert

“OHHHHH WE’RE HALFWAY THERE OHHHHH LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER!” Oh yes I was at the Bon Jovi concert. I am a huge fan and lucked into getting pretty cheap tickets at the last minute. It was my first concert at the Bryce Jordan Center and in all honesty it was amazing.

Now you might be wondering how does a Bon Jovi concert might relate to rhetoric? Well, Jon Bon Jovi’s appearance and his speeches were rhetoric all the way.

First of all, Jon Bon Jovi had several outfit changes during the show. And when I say outfits, I mean shirts. He started out in a leather-like button shirt, then changed to a button dress shirt, then finished in a leather vest.  What these three “shirts” had in common were that they all showed a fair amount of skin for they were buttoned just one button too far. (yes even for Jon Bon Jovi the unspoken button rule exists) When his shirts kept gaping further open he began to look more and more messy (not rock-star) and he began to look his age.  In contrast when he emerged after a quick break when guitarist Richie Sambora sang a song, he had re-buttoned some of his shirt and looked more put together.

Secondly, the speeches and just the way Jon Bon Jovi talked between songs were pure rhetoric. He knew how and when to excite and to pump up the crowd. He also knew what to say when introducing a slower calmer song.  During the encore he gave a motivational speech that touched every audience members and made them feel like he was talking to them personally. He concluded his motivational speech by continually repeating “I can I will, I can I will, I can I will, I can I will…” So, not were the audience members blown away by the sheer awesomeness of the concert they had witnessed, but they were touched that he had taken the time to inspire them.