Bon Jovi rocks Philips Arena

ATLANTA — If Wednesday night's show was any indication, there's no slowing down Bon Jovi.

The band that was formed 30 years ago and is responsible for hits like "Livin on a Prayer," "Wanted (Dead of Alive)" and "Bad Medicine" brought the "Because We Can" tour to Philips Arena. The tour supports the band's 12th studio album, "What About Now." It's due out on March 12.

"If you put the four of us in a room, it's going to sound like us, because it's us," pianist David Bryan told the website NJ.com. "You try to make it sonically up-to-date."

"It's not a bummer record," guitarist Richie Sambora told the website. "It was born out of things that people were going through. Our last tour was 52 countries, we had seen what was happening to Spain, Italy, Greece, as well as the United States, and we were just picking up on that.

"It's about how the economy was affecting people's psyches. The lyrics are a snapshot of that time."

The tour stop in Atlanta was not a bummer, judging by the crowd's reaction. Bon Jovi fans from years ago and today remained standing for the more than two-hour show, singing the hits right along with the band.

The band opened with "Bad Name" before playing "Raise Your Hands," "Lost Highway" and "Because We Can." Bon Jovi played 26 songs at Philips Arena including "It's My Life," "I'll Be There For You" and "Have a Nice Day."

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The tour will take the band around the United States over the next two months before it heads overseas for several more months of concert dates. The tour is expected to stretch into 2014. The next stop is in Tampa on Friday night. Fans can catch the first 30 minutes of that show live on their computers by logging on to BonJovi.com.

WSBTV