Four years after seeing Bon Jovi for the first time (GIG 025) I was back at Milton Keynes Bowl again to see them for a second time. This time on their “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” Tour. A few of us travelled up to Milton Keynes for this one. Gates opened at 2pm, the Manic Street Preachers came on at 4pm, we got in at about 4.45 so missed them completely. I have never been much of a Manics fan, although did catch them a number of times in following years as they seemed to be support for a number of bands I saw and then ended up on festival line-ups in later years. But today was not my turn to see them.

Instead the first band we caught were rockers Little Angels (whom I’d seen supporting Marillion back in 1990 (GIG 057) . They were perfectly fine, although not really my cup of tea. My taste in ‘rock’ had certainly moved away from the more traditional style of heavy metal/classic rock, but most of the crowd enjoyed them.

Billy Idol, on the other hand, was someone I was very pleased to see live – and he didn’t disappoint. Sneering and posing across the stage like he was the main attraction he belted out hit after hit, sprinkled with a few tracks I didn’t know (I think I only ever owned one of his albums – and that might have been a ‘Greatest Hits’ type affair, so whilst a number of his songs I know pretty much off by heart – Rebel Yell, White Wedding, etc, there’s a lot of his music that is still unknown to me). Great live.

Bon Jovi could pretty much play – and please – a stadium blind-folded. Even by 1993 they were grand masters of the craft and old-hands. They put on a great show and, whilst I preferred them when I saw them back in 1989, were great to see live again.