Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora issued a warning to all of us on Twitter this Saturday morning, saying; “We’re coming up to Penn State to kick some ass!”

And kick ass is exactly what they did later that night, as Sambora and the rest of the band came to the appropriately named and sold-out Bon Jovi Center as part of their “Because We Can” tour.

Jon Bon Jovi and his band came out swinging from the start, with a rockin’ version of their hit “You Give Love a Bad Name.” After the opening song, and their hit “Lost Highway,” the band played new songs from their upcoming album What About Now.

The energy in the room seemed to die down during the unfamiliar songs, until the well-know riffs of “It’s My Life” pumped through the speakers.

It was just a barrage of hits after that, as Jon Bon Jovi told the crowd “If you play your cards right Penn State, your Saturday night might just turn into Sunday morning!” The band blasted through “We Got It Going On” and the classic “Keep the Faith” before JBJ journeyed to the middle of the crowd to slow it down with “Memory,” “Bed of Roses,” and “I’ll Be There For You.”

They turned the pace around yet again, but this time they didn’t look back, pounding through classics such as “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and a blistering version of “Bad Medicine.” The band left the stage for a few minutes before coming back out for a 7-song encore, including “Born to Be My Baby,” “Runaway,” and the crowd favorite “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

After hearing 15,000 screaming fans singing “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and then cheering for minutes after the band had left the stage, I would bet most agree that Sambora succeeded in his goal of kicking Penn State’s ass, yet again.