Remember the days of acid-washed jeans, baggy sweatshirts falling off one shoulder, tight leather pants, and long hair teased to oblivion? If you do, then you are a child of the ’80s and were influenced by much more than clothes and hair. You were also influenced by the music.
Slippery When Wet, a group of five Bon Jovi fans, have taken their ’80s obsession to a whole new level in forming a Bon Jovi tribute band that sounds remarkably similar to the idols they imitate. Taking the stage at The Arena at George’s at 245 Avenue E in Bayonne on June 20, Slippery time-warped the large audience back into a decade of fashion faux pas, big hair, and big production arena rock.
Dressed in leather pants and tight jeans with matching jean jackets, complimented by long, teased hair, the band opened with a newer Bon Jovi hit, "One Wild Night" off the 2000 Crush album. With lights flashing and a heavy bass and drum intro, the band made a big entrance, prompting the audience to raise their drinks in the air, screaming and singing lyrics along with the band.
The first of their three set performance was slightly longer than 45 minutes. The band played a wide array of songs from each of the Bon Jovi albums including "Bed of Roses," "Blaze of Glory," and "Born to Be My Baby." The set was long enough to get the audience into the groove, and ended just in time to leave them wanting more.
Slippery finished the night with two more sets of about the same length, playing Bon Jovi’s better known hits like "Livin’ on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," and "Bad Medicine."
Slippery has prepared a 38-song repertoire scanning Bon Jovi’s musical history from the group’s 1984 self-titled album through 2002’s Bounce. Surprisingly, each song played by Slippery sounds exactly like the song on each of the albums.
"We believe it’s more important to sound like the albums," said lead vocalist Mike Parkes. "Otherwise, it’s not the same as what people are used to hearing."
Slippery was formed more than three years ago and take their name from a Bon Jovi album. While they continue to pursue individual careers in music, creating and playing original songs, they find time to come together four or five times a month to pay tribute to their idol band.
For information on Slippery When Wet visit www.jovitribute.com. q