Bon Jovi Tribute Band Rocks Pawcatuck

Bad Medicine did a lot of good in downtown Pawcatuck Friday night. Just ask the 300-plus people in attendance.

“They’re really good," said Ken Smith of Stonington. "Love Bon Jovi and this was a good choice for the first show. Now, I can’t wait until the next [concert].”  Smith whistled, clapped and then shouted out his request: “‘Livin’ On  A Prayer, Livin’ On A Prayer.’”  

The first ever Donahue Park Summer Concert Series saw crowds of Bon Jovi and rock fans, as well as the curious and plenty of downtown pre-concert traffic, a good thing if you ask First Selectman Edward Haberek Jr., now a concert impresario.

“It’s exciting because I think a lot of people ate out in downtown restaurants—, the new place, Donna's Cucina, The Bridge—and now are arriving, trickling in, to the show. It’s exactly the philosophy of the downtown revitalization initiative,” Haberek said as he excused himself, quick-stepping it over to the stage.

“Let’s give it a few more minutes. There’s traffic and people are trying to get in.” By 6:45 p.m. more and more people, many were families, had filed into the Pawcatuck River-front park.

“It is exciting,” Haberek said as he greeted and thanked residents and visitors for turning out.

“It’s a new thing. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out. But this looks great,” he said pointing to the crowd. estimated that nearly 300 people had filled the park, and perhaps more.  

The free concert series—two shows this summer and perhaps more next year—is a production and collaboration of the office of the First Selectman and the town’s human services and recreation departments—Beth Ann Stewart and Joe Mendonca Jr., respectively.

Ten-month-old redhead Emma LaFazia and her parents came from Pawtucket, RI to visit family in Pawcatuck and to enjoy a night of music.

Sue Casey and her son Mike drove 2 1/2 hours from Clinton to make the show: “I saw it in the paper and we love to go to concerts, so here we are.”

“I’m a Bon Jovi fan and Mike just loves the music,” she said. “It’s a great show and it’s really nice here,” Sue said of Pawcatuck and the riverfront park in particular.

Victoria Debrie, 19, of Mystic came to the show to “check it out—they’re good, actually” and meet up with friends.

“I’ll come to the next one, too,” she said.

Bad Medicine front man Steve Sage told the crowd that the band was “happy to be in Connecticut playing for you.”

“And we had some really great food at s,” Sage said, a nice plug for the sports bar.

Bad Medicine played a two-hour Bon Jovi set with a brief intermission. Haberek said the band let him know that “no other town has ever
treated us so nice.”

The concert series continues on August 5 with the band Sugar slated to perform.

"A success? Yes, I think so," Haberek said.