Jon Bon Jovi and Tiger Woods team for their third Tiger Jam concert together

By Josh Bell

Mandalay Bay 7:30 p.m. doors, April 28, $40-$150 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster

Golfer Tiger Woods probably didn’t realize he was launching a Las Vegas institution when he hosted the very first Tiger Jam concert in 1998, and that’s only partly because that concert took place in Los Angeles. But the annual charity benefit, which moved to Vegas in its second year, has become one of the most high-profile celebrity and entertainment events of the year, alongside other big-time charity concerts hosted by the likes of Justin Timberlake and fellow sports star Andre Agassi. Usually anchored by one headlining act, Tiger Jam shows are complete concert experiences. Woods hosts, and the proceeds go to a number of charities (including his own Tiger Woods Foundation), but this isn’t some stuffy awards show-style affair. The Jam is a real jam, with an arena full of fans rocking out to the headlining act.

This year that act is Jon Bon Jovi, who has played Tiger Jam twice before with his band Bon Jovi, in 2003 and 2007. That makes him the event’s most frequently featured performer, and it’s not hard to see why. A music show looking to raise money by selling the most tickets possible needs to book an act with broad, long-lasting appeal, and that’s exactly what Bon Jovi has. His band has been going strong since 1983, racking up hits in the ’80s (“You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Wanted Dead or Alive”), the ’90s (“Always,” “Bed of Roses”), the ’00s (“It’s My Life,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”) and even the ’10s, thanks to 2010 single “What Do You Got?,” from the band’s Greatest Hits compilation, which made it to the top 10 on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart.

On his own, Jon Bon Jovi has released two solo albums, with one massive hit single, 1990’s “Blaze of Glory.” He’s likely to play a whole lot of Bon Jovi songs, and since the evening is billed as “Jon Bon Jovi and Friends,” there’s a good chance of hearing some cover songs that may just include the original artists performing along with him. One other artist definitely scheduled for the show is American Idol season seven winner David Cook, who opens the show with his own brand of hard-driving, radio-friendly rock. Cook is a big-voiced mainstream rocker very much in the tradition of Jon Bon Jovi, and he even performed Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” as his Idol audition song, so he should fit the bill perfectly.

The night is sure to rock, and, more importantly, benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, which promotes college access for underserved youth, through programs including learning centers in Southern California and Washington, D.C., and a scholarship named after Woods’ father Earl. Jon Bon Jovi has teamed with Woods before to benefit his own charity, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which targets poverty and homelessness. These two guys understand the importance of making a difference and giving back, and they also know how great that can be when it goes along with a night of spectacular entertainment