Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Richie Sambora to play MDA Telethon

UPDATE: Lorenza Ponce blogged that she and Hugh McDonald would also be playing at this event.

Looks like Richie's going to be at this fundraiser. :)
TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association today announced an outstanding and diverse talent roster is being finalized for its 2011 MDA Labor Day Telethon, with still more top acts expected to confirm their performances between now and the show's primetime broadcast on Sunday, Sept. 4.

Entertainment icons including Celine Dion, Lady Antebellum, Jennifer Lopez, Darius Rucker, Martina McBride, Steven Tyler, Jon Secada, Randy Jackson, Richie Sambora, and Jimmy Webb, as well as Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and Ellen DeGeneres protege Greyson Chance, plus the inter-galactic music phenomenon Voca People, are making special appearances on the MDA Labor Day Telethon.

"Songs and appeals by these outstanding artists, as well as extraordinary Penn & Teller magic and so much more, undoubtedly will captivate tens of millions of viewers," said long-time Telethon Producer Lee Miller.

"Then, when America sees and hears from remarkable families served by MDA, people once again will find it near impossible to not respond generously."Joining these music artists in encouraging even greater public support to help MDA speed treatments and cures for progressive muscle diseases are JabbaWockeeZ, winners of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew; The View's Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck; plus NFL legend Kurt Warner and NBA great Dwight Howard.

The original reality television show, getting its start in 1966, the MDA Labor Day Telethon also will feature three national winners of the ultimate music talent show – the second annual iHeartRadio.com "Get Discovered!" competition that this summer attracted more than 4,000 entrants and was judged first by Internet response popularity and now by a distinguished group of radio industry leaders.

MDA 2011 national Telethon co-hosts are Nigel Lythgoe (executive producer of American Idol plus judge and executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance); Nancy O'Dell (Entertainment Tonight anchor); Alison Sweeney (host of NBC's The Biggest Loser and author of The Mommy Diet); and Jann Carl (Emmy-winning journalist and executive producer of SOLD – Ozark Auction on the History Channel).

"Thanks to generous public support and the truly unrivaled year-round involvement of thousands of local, regional and national sponsors," underscored MDA President and CEO Gerald C. Weinberg, "MDA-funded research is making rapid progress toward treatments and cures.

Equally important, our 200 hospital-affiliated clinic network has already achieved significant quality of life and longevity gains for people living with progressive muscle diseases."

MDA national sponsors appearing on the 2011 Telethon to thank their employees, members and/or customers for helping advance MDA's lifesaving mission include: A&P, Acosta Sales & Marketing, Augie's Quest, Bally Total Fitness, Beta Club, Burger King, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Clear Channel Radio, ClubCorp, DECA, ERA Franchise Systems, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Jiffy Lube, Kappa Alpha Order, Lowe's Home Improvement, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), National Coalition of Association of 7-Eleven Franchisees, Safeway, Seven Up, SuperValu, Tall Cedars of Lebanon of North America, Universal Cheerleaders Association, Valero Energy Corporation, and Walgreens.

Grammy-nominated singer songwriter and Broadway star Ace Young will host the Telethon's New York City telecast. Olympic Gold medalists Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci will reprise their roles as the Telethon's Chicago telecast co-hosts.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Richie Sambora rocks the troops

Richie was at Endless Summer at San Onofre Beach on August 19. He performed for Marines at Camp Pendleton and gave away some folding Voyage-Air guitars.

Check out Richie's interview with Extra's Mario Lopez ahead of the show:

Haha, they actually didn't do 50 countries on this tour, but over the course of their career they would have so it was a good enough guess. :P

And this news report on the event:

"Rock legend Richie Sambora"? I like the sound of that! ;)

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Vote for Bon Jovi: Most iconic VMA performance

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora's iconic acoustic performance of Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards led to the creation of the MTV Unplugged series.


Now you can vote for that moment in the Most Iconic VMA Performance poll. You have until August 24 and I think you can cast a vote every few hours.

Michael Jackson's 1995 medley is currently leading the way by a healthy margin, though I'm not really sure if that was an iconic performance in itself or if it just looked cool and happened to be the King of Pop. (Someone who was old enough to remember, or has a better grasp of music history might be able to tell me.)

Anyway, vote for Bon Jovi. (But please don't be rude to MJ fans in the comments, it's a bit distasteful.)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

JBJ and Friends benefit concert

JBJ and Friends are playing a fundraiser in October.

Join us for Jon Bon Jovi & Friends in concert
to launch Poly Prep's new initiative
for Learning Support & Enrichment.

Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Time: Pre-Concert VIP Reception & Dinner
General Admission: 6:30 PM

Location: Best Buy Theater, 1515 Broadway, NYC

More details at this link.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

JBJ / Lea Michele duet + Ava's movie debut

Jon Bon Jovi and Lea Michele both star in New Year's Eve, which is due for release in December. Director Garry Marshall has previously said that New Year's Eve will feature a duet between Jon and Lea, and the first pictures of said duet have now been released.

Jensen and Elise

Any guesses on what they might be singing?

Meanwhile, the now-13-year-old daughter of Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear is making her acting debut. Ava Sambora will have a role in a new Judd Apatow comedy.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Winding back the clock in Lisbon (last tour video post!)

Bon Jovi wrapped up their year-and-a-half-long tour in Lisbon on July 31, 2011... Here's a selection of videos, as promised. :)

Get Ready

I don't know how hard I was listening but back when I was a high school kid who couldn't wait to grow up (Ah, the naivety of youth!) I used to blast this song in my room a lot. Probably why it's one of my favourites from Bon Jovi's eponymous first album. It's not exactly a deep thinking song... but it is fun. And it was really great to see something/anything (other than Runaway) from those early albums pop up again, even if it was on the last show of the tour.

(It's Hard) Letting You Go

Perfect song? Yes. (Well... in my opinion, of course.)

Any Other Day

One of the best songs on Lost Highway was played for the first (and obviously last) time on the tour in Lisbon. Jon seemed pretty relaxed performing it (especially given he's apparently not a fan of it) and I enjoyed the jam at the end too.

I Believe

Passionate performance. And it might be the post-tour high talking, but if I close my eyes I'd almost swear it was the 90s.

This Ain't a Love Song

If Jon had just whacked that microphone stand out of the way and dropped to his knees a la Wembley '95, it would have been perfect... although given the recent knee injury, that probably wouldn't have been advisable. :P

More videos from every show of The Circle/Greatest Hits/Open Air Tour are on Hath's Circle Tour Blog.

***

It's with a tinge of sadness that I hit 'Publish' on this video post. I started Blame It On The Love back in 2008 -- at the end of the Lost Highway Tour -- and it's strange to think that another tour has come and gone. We don't know when the next album or tour (either band or solo) will be. We don't know what the future holds. But we will probably be on the ride anyway.

I want to thank each and every one of you who has read this blog... whether you've followed it or just popped in once or twice. And for everyone who's commented or emailed me, I do read what you write and I appreciate that you took the time to leave your thoughts.

And finally... the tour may be over but I ain't going anywhere. ;) There's always something happening in Jovi Land, and Bon Jovi's never far from my mind anyway.

Until next time... keep the faith and never say goodbye!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

This Ain't a Love Song, Romeo and Juliet + more from San Sebastian

Bon Jovi's San Sebastián show (July 29, 2011) brought some nice inclusions... the most notable/anticipated being This Ain't a Love Song!

This Ain't a Love Song

These Days' biggest hit finally made its tour debut on the second last show of the tour. There were fans holding up signs for it in Barcelona but it wasn't played. Hope at least some of those fans got to experience it here. Jon's not moving around much but he sounds great.

Romeo and Juliet / Always

Romeo and Juliet is probably my favourite Dire Straits song so that was a cool surprise. It also segues nicely into Always.

Summertime

Jon seems to have fun with this song. It's not all that well liked, but I actually enjoy it.

Wild in the Streets (partial)

This was as much of the song as I could find but it deserved a showcasing.

I'd Die For You


Hath's Circle Tour Blog has a complete video guide to this show. I'll be posting videos from Lisbon tomorrow. :)

Thank you from JBJ

I still have a couple of video posts to compile from the last shows of the tour, but in the meantime, a video message from has been uploaded to Bon Jovi's Facebook page.

It's also on YouTube now if you can't get FB video to work.


Progress on the new record? Does this mean no extended break? Or solo stuff?

Thursday, August 4, 2011

I Believe, Roses, Santa Fe + more from Barcelona

As promised... Bon Jovi videos from Barcelona (July 27, 2011).

I Believe

Love this song! Looks like it's fun to play too. And Jon sounds awesome here.

Bed of Roses / Cama de Rosas

Bed of Roses with the Spanish chorus... a treat for the local crowd. I'm willing to bet Jon's Spanish pronunciation isn't exactly perfect, but sometimes it's more about the effort and heart than the polish. Case in point: Stick to Your Guns in Amsterdam 2008.

Santa Fe

This has only been played one other time (during Bon Jovi's residency at London's O2 arena). Just to give you fair warning, the Barcelona rendition also features an audible female voice from the crowd. ;)

Something to Believe In

Still one of my faves. I don't know what it is but the "hey hey hey heys" give me goosebumps.

Hey God

Energetic performance.

Always


There are more awesome videos over at Hath's Circle Tour Blog.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

JBJ on Nightline

This interview with Jon aired on Nightline in the US last night. Here's the video if you missed it, or if you don't live in America (like me and more than half my audience).


Okay, I have to admit. I probably wouldn't turn down the opportunity to run my fingers through Jon's hair either. But I really cringed at the interviewer's comment that the hair was the most important thing for female Bon Jovi fans.

Jon seems fairly chilled for the most part though. And it's not bad an interview/feature really, albeit one that uncovers nothing new for the diehard.

Garageland, Wild is the Wind, Never Say Goodbye from Belgium

Now that Bon Jovi's Circle/Greatest Hits/Open Air Tour is done and dusted, it's time to catch up on those last few video posts. ;) Starting with Belgium.

By all reports, Bruges (July 24, 2011) was a funny old show but the band did play some cool stuff. Here's a sample.

Garageland

What I love about this video is that each band member gets some air time. Wish this song had been on Crush.

Wild is the Wind

Um, Tico... what was that (at about 2:14)? :P

Never Say Goodbye

The forgotten Slippery When Wet single, but it's always appreciated when it pops up.

More videos over at Hath's Circle Tour Blog. And more to be posted here at Blame It On The Love, too.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Lisbon set list

This is it, folks... the final show of Bon Jovi's Circle/Greatest Hits tour that began a year and a half ago. And boy, did they go out with a bang! Were you in Lisbon? How are we feeling now that it's all over?

Lisbon, Portugal - Bela Vista Park - July 31, 2011
  1. Raise Your Hands
  2. You Give Love A Bad Name
  3. Born To Be My Baby
  4. We Weren't Born To Follow
  5. Lost Highway
  6. It's My Life
  7. Get Ready
  8. In These Arms
  9. We Got It Going On
  10. Captain Crash And The Beauty Queen From Mars
  11. Bad Medicine / Gloria [Van Morrison cover] / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
  12. (It's Hard) Letting You Go
  13. When We Were Beautiful
  14. I'll Be There For You
  15. Who Says You Can't Go Home
  16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
  17. Any Other Day
  18. Have A Nice Day
  19. Keep the Faith


    encore #1:
  20. These Days
  21. Wanted Dead or Alive [ft Richie Sambora]
  22. I Believe
  23. This Ain't a Love Song
  24. Livin' on a Prayer


    encore #2:
  25. Always
  26. I Love This Town
  27. Twist and Shout

Hath's Circle Tour Blog will have all the videos from this show in due course. I'll also be doing video posts for the last couple of shows that I haven't covered yet.

Audio from the first half hour of the Lisbon concert (up to Get Ready) was streamed live on the radio. If you missed it, you can (hopefully) listen to it here.