Jon Bon Jovi performed for Joe Biden
Inauguration from ‘Miami’, social media was skeptical
Jon Bon Jovi performed The Beatles’ hit “Here Comes the Sun” as part of President Joe Biden’s inauguration celebration Wednesday night. “From Miami,” the announcer said.
But was he in Miami? Depending on your musical, political or geographic leanings, your excitement for the performance may have been overtaken by skepticism.
That’s exactly what happened on social media after Bon Jovi’s pre-recorded performance — and it turned out the skeptics were right.
Katia Bordy, Dania Beach’s public information officer, confirmed at least part of the video was shot at the Dania Beach Pier, as some social media users suspected. She said it was shot last Friday beginning at 5 a.m.
“We’re happy to be included in the video,” she said.
Dania Beach mayor Tamara James said it’s “awesome” their city was selected because a lot of great things are happening there right now and it provides great exposure.
“He was smart,” she said with a smile. “No shade to West Palm Beach, but Dania Beach right now is where it’s at.”
The permit for the performance was approved by Broward County and Dania Beach. Marina manager Frank Arcuri, whose company oversees the pier, was finishing his dock report around 8 a.m. and saw the performance being filmed. He even got a picture with Jon Bon Jovi.
“He was cool, he was a good guy, nice guy, friendly,” Arcuri said. “He’s always been that type of person. You can see his personality.”
Toward the end of the video, while Bon Jovi is singing, the sun peaks through the clouds.
However, there was this nugget about the performance from Arcuri: “The sun didn’t come up.”
Of course, you must remember Arcuri only saw the last part of the session and sunrises in Miami are usually around 7 a.m. at this time of year so he might have missed a brief appearance by the sun while Bon Jovi was singing.
But there’s also a chance the sunrise was edited into the performance from a different day or a different location.
Interestingly, Arcuri didn’t even know why Bon Jovi was performing on the pier until he was informed Thursday afternoon. He was surprised there was so much conversation about the video.
“They’re giving the poor guy grief,” Arcuri
said with a laugh.
Yes, the video drew online criticism. There was Bon Jovi, standing on a pier in front of his four-member band with the ocean behind them. Initially, the sky was dark and cloudy.
“No, he wasn’t in Miami,” tweeted one skeptic who, by the way, also opined that Bon Jovi was lip syncing his song.
The band was wearing long pants and jackets, suggesting cool weather during the three-and-a-half-minute performance. But that isn’t exactly unimpeachable proof — we’ve had some abnormally cold winter days down here lately.
And why was the sun peaking out of the clouds over the ocean during an evening performance when — it doesn’t take an astronomer to know — the sun should have
been behind the camera? Well, social-media skeptics, how are you even sure the performance was recorded in the evening?
One more thing: If Bon Jovi’s pier-turnedstage was in Miami, why was the New Jersey native even performing from here?
For the record, @wadinginsubtext, Bon Jovi has had a residence in Palm Beach since at least 2018.
If Bon Jovi indeed wasn’t crooning from a pier in Miami or New Jersey, just where did these social-media sleuths think he was?
Some correctly speculated he was singing from many miles north, over the county line, on the Dania Beach Pier.
There are other piers up and down South Florida including Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
But sure enough, the Dania Beach voters
won. The city, on its Facebook page and via a link on its website, announced that the song was performed on the their pier.
Despite the tweet storm around the location, many viewers cared only about their excitement for the inauguration event, Celebrating America, which was televised nationally at 8:30 p.m.
It was hosted by actor Tom Hanks and featured artists Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Bruce Springsteen, a New Jersey native who performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Many praised Bon Jovi’s performance, no matter where it was recorded.
And then there were politics.
It just goes to show, once again, you can’t make everyone happy, especially everyone on social media.