I Play My Part And You Play Your Game

It wouldn’t be a Times article if it weren’t dripping with condescension, so slippery when wet:

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Central Park on Saturday to cheer on not only their favorite, oft-ridiculed rock band, but their favorite, oft-ridiculed state: New Jersey.

They crossed the Hudson River from Jersey City, Franklin Township and other parts of New Jersey to attend a free concert by Bon Jovi, the rock group from the Garden State that once released an album titled, simply, “New Jersey.”

“I would say 98 percent of the state loves Bon Jovi,” said Cheryl Vergara, 33, an administrative assistant from Clifton, N.J., one of thousands of people in a line that stretched for about 15 blocks on Fifth Avenue alongside the park on Saturday afternoon as they waited for the entrance at East 72nd Street to open.

. . .

On Saturday, about two hours before the concert began, Mr. Bon Jovi, wearing sunglasses, and three of his bandmates sat on a bench outside their dressing room trailer and answered questions from reporters about scalpers (“We did what we could for our fans,” he said), their set list (“Nothing but hits, baby”) and the experience of playing Central Park.

“It feels fantastic,” Mr. Bon Jovi said. “It’s pretty rarefied air to play the Great Lawn.”