Friday, August 29, 2008

LH Magic Memory #14: Randers

Barack Obama formally accepted his party's nomination for the US Presidency at the Democratic National Convention overnight, which also happened to be the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. The times they are a-changin'... We'll find out in a little over two months just how much they've changed.

In Jovi Land, let's take a little trip back to June 19, 2008 when Bon Jovi played a very memorable show in Randers, Denmark...

UNDIVIDED - Jon endorses Obama before the band launches into the opening track from Bounce, which was played for the first time this tour. Given Jon's voice hadn't been all that great in the preceding five years, this could well be the best live vocal performance ever of this song.


THIS AIN'T A LOVE SONG - Played for the first time since 1996! Cool song from an excellent album... Jon might need to have the lyrics taped to the stage but he sounds great. Now if he'd thrown down the mic stand and crashed to his knees like in Wembley '95, it would have been perfect. :P


I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - Richie Sambora on lead vocals, as he is for this song most nights, but I thought this was an incredible performance from Richie and the rest of the band.


ALWAYS - One of the best performances of "Always" on the Lost Highway tour. Just compare it to Des Moines... Jon seems so confident singing it now, and Richie's solos take your breath away.


FEVER - Jon had to teach Hugh McDonald the song right there on stage, but he learned pretty quickly. After two decades, surely he deserves to be considered an actual part of the band...


On top of all that, "Back in the USSR" was sung for the first time since the New Jersey tour!

Randers, Denmark - Messepladsen v/ Gl. Estrup (19/6/08)
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
CAPTAIN CRASH & THE BEAUTY QUEEN FROM MARKS
RUNAWAY
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD w/ Jumpin' Jack Flash, Start Me Up, Back In The USSR
BLAZE OF GLORY
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
THIS AIN'T A LOVE SONG
IN THESE ARMS
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
IT'S MY LIFE
KEEP THE FAITH
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (Richie)
UNDIVIDED
HAVE A NICE DAY
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER

ENCORE:
ALWAYS
BLOOD ON BLOOD
FEVER (Peggy Lee cover)
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout

Sunday, August 24, 2008

LH Magic Memory #13: Rock in Rio

Bon Jovi headlined the Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal (not Rio de Janeiro as the name might suggest) on May 31, 2008. It was shorter than a regular gig and contained a pretty ordinary set but the energy levels for the first Portuguese Bon Jovi show since 1995 more than made up for that. The concert was also broadcast live on TV, radio and the internet, giving fans around the world a chance to experience this truly amazing performance. To be honest, I was expecting this show to be on auto-pilot. After all, it was "just a festival" and was taking place a mere 16 hours before the band's Barcelona show. History shows I should have given our boys a bit more credit!

Note: The network that broadcasted this show has been pretty strict with its copyright, so if you have trouble watching these videos, they've probably been removed from YouTube. (I only wish the same would happen to that horrendous Tokyo pro shot from January!) Moreover, this is just a selection of videos so do yourself a favour by going to YouTube and searching for Bon Jovi Rock in Rio if you haven't seen this show.

RAISE YOUR HANDS - From New York to Lisbon, Portugal!


ALWAYS - Nice tight performance. Pretty good singing from the crowd.


WE GOT IT GOIN' ON - Jon gets "patriotic" with the crowd. This is probably my least favourite song from the Lost Highway album but it rocked here.


BAD MEDICINE / SHOUT - This medley is overplayed but this video shows why the band keeps playing it. Wow.


LISBON, PORTUGAL - Parque da Bela Vista (31/5/08)
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
RAISE YOUR HANDS
RUNAWAY
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD w/ Mercy & Start Me Up
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
IN THESE ARMS
ALWAYS
WE GOT IT GOING ON
IT'S MY LIFE
KEEP THE FAITH
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (Richie Sambora lead vocals)
BLAZE OF GLORY
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
HAVE A NICE DAY
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER

Encore:
SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Richie and LL Cool J


Richie Sambora appears on the rock remix of LL Cool J's song "Baby". You can listen to it here. And here's what LL had to say about it:
"We creatively put our heads together. I told him I wanted that talk box. Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi's is one of my favorite albums. I thought the talk box on a couple of the songs was incredible, 'Livin' on a Prayer' especially. So, I got Richie to do it on the 'Baby' remix. It sounds crazy. Then he did some vocals, and he did some guitar solos ... so it's good. I'mma drop it out there, shoot it out there and give people a chance to feel it. We been talking about it, having some good conversations."
Richie + talkbox = awesome but the song is probably not going to be well-liked by many Bon Jovi fans. I'm not adverse to a bit of hip-hop personally (old school stuff is better though) so I'd rate this song as ok without being great. What do you think?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

LH Magic Memory #12: Can't Help Falling In Love / Bed of Roses in Barcelona

The King, Elvis Aaron Presley died 31 years ago last week (August 16, 1977) at the age of 42. And Bon Jovi, being the Elvis fans they are, posed in gold suits for the cover of the 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong box set in 2004, as a homage to Elvis' 1959 compilation album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong. With these two things in mind, I thought it would be a good time for this magic memory from Barcelona's Olympic Stadium on June 1, 2008. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora shared the mic for a riveting acoustic cover of "Can't Help Falling In Love" before launching into a heartfelt performance of "Bed of Roses" (the original and the best). "Can't Help Falling in Love" is one of my favourite Elvis songs, while I could never ever get sick of the electric "Bed of Roses", and I think the two songs complement each other well. "Roses" is quite vocally challenging so kudos again to Jon for bringing it back this tour.



For the record, the Barcelona set also included eight songs from my favourite-but-often-ignored Jovi decade, the 90s; including "Hey God", "Always" (both also tough to sing), and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night".

Sunday, August 17, 2008

LH Magic Memory #11: Dry County in Brussels

Well, I did promise something special... though it was Bon Jovi that did all the delivering at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium on June 14, 2008. They produced an amazing set list for this show but the crowning moment was the epic "Dry County" which was played for the first time on the tour. The song had returned on the Have a Nice Day tour after a 10-year absence but Jon's voice was usually too thin to really do it justice. Enter the Lost Highway tour, Belgium. There seems to be something weird going on with Jon's microphone at times but his vocals are much stronger and he's singing it with more feeling.



This is my favourite Bon Jovi song. Lyrically, it's socially aware and full of pain and passion. Musically, the other band members get to showcase their talents with deeply expressive, almost haunting instrumental parts (most notably Richie Sambora's killer guitar solos). All these parts come together to rattle your bones, and I don't mean like "We Got It Going On" which I just realised wasn't played at this show. Put simply, there are songs and then there are masterpieces; and "Dry County" belongs in the second category.

I did mention that that the band delivered an amazing set, so here's the full set list with gems and/or rarities in bold:

Brussels, Belgium - Koning Boudewijn Stadion (14/6/08)
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
RAISE YOUR HANDS
ONE WILD NIGHT
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD w/ Rockin' All Over The World & Start Me Up
STORY OF MY LIFE
ANY OTHER DAY
IN THESE ARMS
CAPTAIN CRASH
HAVE A NICE DAY
IT'S MY LIFE
KEEP THE FAITH
BLAZE OF GLORY
BLOOD ON BLOOD
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (Richie)
DRY COUNTY
LAST MAN STANDING
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER

ENCORE:
LIVIN' IN SIN
WANTED
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout

JAG - Always Run To You

I used to be the biggest JAG fanatic when I was a kid. I was about 7 when David James Elliott as then-Lieutenant Harmon Rabb and Tracey Needham as Lieutenant J.G. Meg Austin exploded onto my screen in "Top Gun meets A Few Good Men". But then JAG was canned in the US and picked up by another network. Suddenly Meg had disappeared, Harm wasn't charged with murder anymore, and the woman he was alleged to have killed had been resurrected as Harm's new partner (Catherine Bell played both characters). The show looked sleeker from then on but in terms of raw entertainment, it was never as good as the first season. And after a few years, it just got plain awful as the Harm/Mac storyline increasingly detracted from any real action, and I eventually stopped watching. However, I recently made this video based on an episode called "Webb of Lies" from Season 4 (not long before JAG "jumped the shark"). It's set to Bon Jovi's "Always Run To You" from the much-maligned 7800° Fahrenheit album. The video quality isn't fantastic and I'm no film editor but it was fun to do and this was a thriller episode.



When I give her the gun
You know she feels so right...


Bon Jovi themselves don't really like Fahrenheit as an album and I too found it very bland initially, but I must say it's grown on me. It does sound a bit dated but there's a sort of rawer, "dirtier" feel to it which is in sharp contrast to the overproduced records you often get these days.

Friday, August 15, 2008

LH Magic Memory #10: JBJ and the Boss

Technically this magic memory wasn't even part of Bon Jovi's Lost Highway tour and it wasn't even Bon Jovi. WTF?!, I hear you say. But it did take place during the LH tour, and involved Jon Bon Jovi... and this is my blog so I will write, review and gush over whatever I like. ;)

The date was April 13, 2008. The location was the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event was Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Magic tour. Jon Bon Jovi made a special appearance, and together the two New Jersey natives performed a rousing rendition of Bruce's classic "Glory Days". Like Jon, who is a youthful 46, Bruce seems to have defied the aging process and is still one cool rockin' daddy at the age of 58. The video begins at the second verse...



Think I'm goin' down to the well tonight
And I'm gonna drink 'til I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinkin' about it
But I probably will


Nice vocal crowd too. :)

For those unfamiliar with the E Street Band; that is Max Weinberg from Late Night With Conan O'Brien on drums, and Steven Van Zandt (with the bandanna) from The Sopranos on guitar. ;)

I love Bruce. But if you don't, I promise the next magic memory will genuinely be Bon Jovi the band from the Lost Highway tour. And it will be an effing awesome one. Watch this space.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

In defense of Anthony Kuzminski and antiMusic

This is sort of a follow-up to my previous post about Bon Jovi being accused of plagiarism. Well, it seems Anthony Kuzminski from The Screen Door was flamed because antiMUSIC, a website he happens to write for, picked up on those stories. This is an extract from his blog on the matter:
antiMusic is not anti-Bon Jovi, in fact, we report all aspects of all genres of music. There is a reason RollingStone.com likes to steal stories from us, because my editor puts together the most comprehensive music news found anywhere on the net. He gathers stories, posts links to them and ultimately it’s why the site has huge traction and a few million visitors every month. What really amazes me is that if you added up all of the emails I got combined for my reviews of their shows from last summer (link here), Chicago this past February (links here and here) and recently about “Whole Lot of Leavin'” (link here) it would still be less than the hate mail I received today for an article I did not write or have any part of.
Click here to read his full post.

Now I don't know who specifically decided to flame Tony over this, and I don't wish to offend any of my readers (most of whom are here because I keep spamming the blog on the Bon Jovi website with my shameless advertising). And perhaps being a media student makes me more inclined to defend my fellow journalists and industry. But remember: Just because you don't like the news, doesn't mean it's not the news. The news was that some people ACCUSED Bon Jovi of plagiarism. antiMusic didn't say that Bon Jovi HAD plagiarised anything. As for Tony Kuzminski, he's a rare breed: a music writer who's also a Bon Jovi fan. He will criticise the band when it is justified and praise them when they deserve it, and that's what makes him good. Don't make people like him suffer just because you're angry at Bart Steele or Joel Ellis or all those other critics and hard rock fans who refuse to afford Bon Jovi any music cred.

Anyway, stay tuned for more of my Lost Highway Tour Magic Memories, coming soon. ;)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Another musician seeks 15 more minutes

Here's the background: A few days ago, various sites latched onto Bart Steele's claim in Boston Magazine that Bon Jovi's song "I Love This Town" is a rip-off of his song "Man, I Really Love This Team". I don't know why the sudden publicity now, because it was old news (IIRC the story broke around May or June). But anyway, you can listen to Bart's song in the music player here and Bon Jovi's song here. Apart from the twang, they don't sound alike to me but Jovi haters have been quick to pounce on anything. ;)

Now for the new news. Apparently Sleaze Roxx received an e-mail yesterday from former Cats in Boots singer Joel Ellis claiming that Jon had stolen "I'll Be There For You" from him. To summarise, the e-mail says that after hearing the demo, Jon convinced Joel to give him the tape to give to his record company. Then when Joel heard Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You", he refused to sue because he didn't want to be compared to "a self righteous frosted hair perm boy" and "didn't care about that song". Later on, Joel says "I've always felt that people should know about this". Wonder why it took him some 19 years? The e-mail reads like your typical cliched Jovi bash... Not to mention the "bluesy" feel would suggest Richie Sambora might have had more to do with the song than Jon.

Click here to read the full e-mail.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Vote #1 Bon Jovi

As expected, Slippery When Wet came 2nd to Appetite For Destruction in VoteNumber1.com's best 80s rock album poll.

Voting for best 90s album begins on August 11.

The nominees are:

Nevermind - Nirvana
OK Computer - Radiohead
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - Van Halen
Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette
Metallica (The Black Album) - Metallica
Use Your Illusion I & II - Guns N' Roses
Get a Grip - Aerosmith
Keep the Faith - Bon Jovi
Innuendo - Queen
Ten - Pearl Jam

LH Magic Memory #9: Who Says in Coventry

"Who Says You Can't Go Home" was the song that built the bridge between rock and country pop for Bon Jovi back in 2005. In my native Australia, only the rock version was released and from memory it didn't even chart... But the duet with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles was huge in North America and it's likely there would have been no Lost Highway album without it. "Who Says" has been played at every show since the Have a Nice Day tour and I personally don't think it needs to be played as often as it is outside the US and Canada; There are rarer tracks that are much more popular over there than "Who Says".

However, I think "Who Says" packed a pretty good punch at Ricoh Arena in Coventry on June 24, 2008, when an 8-year-old kid named Jack wandered onto the stage in the middle of the performance! Jon played daddy for awhile in this very cute exchange, before getting Jack to sing with him for the rest of the song. Check out the rock star with the young gun on this AEG Live pro shot.



Props also to David Bryan for not messing up the (extended) keyboard riff in the middle like I would have. :P

Monday, August 4, 2008

LH Magic Memory #8: These Days in Punchestown

My 8th Magic Memory (noting that they're not being reviewed in any particular order) took place at Punchestown Racecourse in Kildare, Ireland on June 7, 2008. For the record, this was the show in which that crazy fan jumped Jon during "In These Arms". You can watch that here but, while entertaining, I don't want it to detract too much from another, more special moment in the show. Or "This ain't scratch 'n' sniff, baby!" as Jon puts it. :P

Now onto THE magic memory. It was the final song of the night. Bon Jovi had planned to wrap up the show with "Hallelujah", "Always", "Wanted Dead or Alive", and "Bad Medicine", when they decided to give the Irish fans a second encore. After performing a cover of "Rockin' All Over The World", Jon pulled out the title track from what I personally consider to be the band's best album. Richie Sambora had sung his bluesy rendition of "These Days" on most occasions that it was performed on the Lost Highway tour. The reason being, Jon couldn't sing it anymore. Until the Leipzig show when he showed us diehards (again) that he had his confidence back. Well, Jon went one better in Ireland. IMO he sounded stronger when going for the high notes this time around, despite reportedly suffering from hay fever. And it was such a great song for the band to finish on.



The fiddle during the solo is not everyone's cup of tea, but I don't actually mind it since Lorenza Ponce is a talented violinist. And oddly enough, I think it adds an interesting dimension to this song (whereas it was too overbearing in Newark during some of the other classic Bon Jovi songs). That said, my musical background isn't grounded in rock and I can understand purists hating the violin. ;)

Sunday, August 3, 2008

LH Magic Memory #7: I Believe in London

June 28, 2008 at Twickenham Stadium in London marked the final show of the European leg of the Lost Highway tour. People expected this show to go off with a bang and for a lot of them, ending with "I Love This Town" and "Twist & Shout" was probably not quite what they had in mind. There were some real gems in this set though, including "Blood Money" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" but the one that stands out comes from a killer album called Keep the Faith. "I Believe" hadn't been played in about five years. The video below opens with a speech from Jon before the band crescendos into that cool rocking intro. It's a tough one to sing, and it's a song with plenty of passion but I think Bon Jovi managed to do it justice after all this time.

Friday, August 1, 2008

It's the final countdown!

Ok, wrong 80s band. ;)

But anyway, it's down to the FINAL TWO on VoteNumber1.com's best 80s rock album:

Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses
Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi

It looks as though Guns will win but click here to vote.
http://votenumber1.com/votebestalbumsever.html

You can vote once a day. Winner announced on August 8th, 2008 (first day of the Beijing Olympics).

LH Magic Memory #6: Welcome to Abu Dhabi

On paper, the Abu Dhabi show wasn't overly special (20 songs and "Capt. Crash" in the freaking encore?!) but the significance of the gig went beyond the set. For starters, it was the first time Bon Jovi had ever played in the Middle East. I won't pretend that money wasn't a factor in picking Abu Dhabi and there's no need for anyone else to pretend either (I mean, China has a communist government and a capitalist economy; money talks. I sure don't begrudge my favourite band for getting paid to do something they love!). But it would be interesting to find out how many of us in the Western world -- when we hear the words "Middle East" -- automatically think of terrorists, planes crashing into buildings, and bombs going off? And how many of us come to those conclusions without actually knowing anything about Islam OR the Middle East (they are different things!) outside of what the media and politicians tell us? So it's a fluffy romantic ideal but I guess I'm a true believer in the power of music to transcend real or perceived borders between cultures.

But if you think everything I just wrote is crap, then here's another reason why this show was special: "Bed of Roses". The This Left Feels Right version had already been played during the Lost Highway and Have a Nice Day tours, usually on a platform out in the crowd. Great for the girl who gets to dance with Jon, and great for the casual fans who can't tell the difference between the two versions, but not so for those of us who missed the original.

But on May 20, 2008, the electric version as it appears on Keep the Faith was performed for the first time in five years. I have a real soft spot for this song as it was the first Bon Jovi song I ever fell in love with. The keys are great; that wailing guitar gives you goosebumps that TLFR can't even begin to reach; and I was just so proud of Jon for bringing "the real Bed of Roses" back! Check out the video.



Now back to earlier point about music transcending cultural barriers... This is by no means the best performance of "Livin' on a Prayer" of the tour, but Jon for one looks pretty impressed by the crowd's reaction to his a'cappella intro. Not bad for a "corporate" gig! Who knows, the band might even return to the Middle East someday.



Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Emirates Palace (20/5/08)
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
SUMMERTIME
SLEEP w/ Rockin' All Over The World & Start Me Up
RUNAWAY
(YOU WANT TO) MAKE A MEMORY
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
IN THESE ARMS
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
IT'S MY LIFE
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - RICHIE VOX
BED OF ROSES
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
HAVE A NICE DAY
KEEP THE FAITH
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER

ENCORE:
CAPTAIN CRASH & THE BEAUTY QUEEN FROM MARS
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE