It isn't very often when a small town comes together to celebrate music without having to drive hours into the big city. Crush: The Bon Jovi Concert Experience brought the big city and love of rock n' roll to French Lick Indiana this eclipse weekend.
Front man Doug Sheppard encapsulates the hard rock energy with fun and familiar vocals and an eye-catching stage presence. Accompanied by lead guitarist Andrew "Drew" Goodpaster, drummer Brian Barchman, Robin Altmeyer on bass, and Anna Martinez Shepard on backing vocals, the group comes together to create an incredible performance that pays homage to the band that brought life to the music of the legendary artist Bon Jovi.
The setlist includes many of the classic rock band's hits, such as "You Gave Love a Bad Name" and "Bad Medicine". These songs got the mostly seated venue up on their feet and dancing around. In between these upbeat songs were a healthy mix of relaxing ballads.
The turnout of the concert truly showed that this genre of music has no age barrier. There were people in the seats as young as seven or eight years old. These kids, accompanied by their grandparents, sang their heart out to every word that was sang. Even for a tribute band, this fact goes to show how timeless music can be, and how art can be passed on to each new generation.
After the show, I got the chance to speak with the band and I have a quick interview here to share.
Josie: "What inspired you to create this Bon Jovi tribute band?"
Crush: "The love for the music of Bon Jovi."
J: "What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in regard to emulating that Bon Jovi sound and hard rock stage persona?"
C: "Our biggest challenge was finding the right line up of musicians. Especially, the person who would play guitar and sing like Richie Sambora. Once we found him, our current guitar player Andrew Goodpaster, things started to fall into place."
J: "What is your all’s favorite Bon Jovi song to perform live? Why?"
C: "That’s a hard one to answer. We love them all. Probably, It’s My Life and Living on a Prayer because of the reactions we get from our audiences."
J: "What are your thoughts when seeing so many diverse fans come out to these shows. I saw kids as young as probably eight singing along to all of the songs?"
C: "It is surreal the fan base Bon Jovi has. It really is a testament to their 40 years of writing music and their ability to stay relevant to such a diverse fan base."
J: "Do you have any favorite fan moments that stick out to you? If so, would you mind sharing?"
C: "Yeah. We have one fan, a little girl by the name of Rosie—I think she is around 5 or 6—and she has been to several shows. She loves our band and has her grandma post videos of her singing Bon Jovi songs and our picture is her wall paper for her tablet."
J: "What is something you’d like to share or say to any new listeners or readers here who may have never listened to Bon Jovi’s music? Why should they the music of Bon Jovi?"
C: "I would say that the music of Bon Jovi offers something for just about everyone. Their songs are extremely well crafted with catchy choruses, melodic guitar riffs and solos and lyrics that just about anyone can relate too."
Overall, the show was great and energetic. Crush's stage presence and visual elements brought back a wave of nostalgia for many audience members. Crush: Bon Jovi Concert Experience is currently on their "It's My Life" North American tour, with multiple dates 2024 dates from now until November.
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