Italian Roses (Apocalypse Sound AS 131)
Forum d’Assago, Milan, Italy – April 6th, 1993
You Give Love A Bad Name, Can’t Help Falling In Love, Bed Of Roses, Keep The Faith, Blaze Of Glory, Dry County, Wanted Dead Or Alive, In These Arms, With A Little Help From My Friends, Livin’ On A Prayer, Bad Medicine, Shout
Bonus feature: My Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – July 2nd, 1987: Raise Your Hands, I’d Die For You, Twist And Shout, Never Say Goodbye, Runaway
Italian Roses on Apocalypse Sound contains the entire Milan show from 1993 and a five song excerpt from a show five years previous in Vancouver. The Milan show was taped off of the television with the Video Music logo in the lower right hand corner. It is very good to excellent quality. The audio first surfaced on Live In Europe (On Stage), and the video was released before on DVDR on In Europe (Lost And Found LAF-492), but this is the first silver DVD title. The audio track on this disc is likewise excellent stereo and aids in the enjoyment of this title.
Milan occurs during the European leg of Bon Jovi’s Keep The Faith tour, their big comeback after taking a break for several years. With more mature songwriting and a more “grungy” look, they presented a more studied stance in these shows. The earlier hits are here, but the weight of the performance lie in the newer material with “Dry County” being a particular standout in this show. They also include three cover tunes in the set “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You,” “With A Little Help From My Friends,” and “Shout.”
The bonus feature provides an interesting contrast. Also in very good quality, this pro-shot footage from Vancouver shows the band in their late eighties hair metal glory. Apocalypse Sound package this in a cardboard case with several photos from the 1993 tour on the inside. It is in NTSC format region zero to be compatible with all DVD players. The menu is basic making navigation easy. This is a good release for the Bon Jovi fan since it is a good document of an important transition period for the band.
