18-year-old Nathan Brake sings "Livin' on a Prayer" on Australian Idol's 80s night.
He's been described by one of the judges as being rather camp, but he's a pretty strong vocalist, especially when you consider that Jon Bon Jovi himself hasn't really sung the whole chorus to "Prayer" since the 80s.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Jon Bon Jovi - Japanese interview
I believe this is the interview referred to in the tweets I posted earlier. Jon talks about the documentary When We Were Beautiful and new album The Circle. I think the interviewer is Masa Ito but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Jon's comments about "Work for the Working Man" and the album cover are probably the most interesting. The cover sounds awesome apart from the glaring omission of Hugh McDonald within "the circle" -- yes I am aware that I probably sound like a broken record when it comes to Huey, and no of course I'm not surprised -- but that doesn't mean I can't lament his continued exclusion from the band.
Jon's comments about "Work for the Working Man" and the album cover are probably the most interesting. The cover sounds awesome apart from the glaring omission of Hugh McDonald within "the circle" -- yes I am aware that I probably sound like a broken record when it comes to Huey, and no of course I'm not surprised -- but that doesn't mean I can't lament his continued exclusion from the band.
Friday, September 25, 2009
When We Were Beautiful premiering on Showtime
Media release as seen on the new-look BonJovi.com:
THERE’S NO HIDING IN THE SPOTLIGHT; SHOWTIME® TO PREMIERE BON JOVI: WHEN WE WERE BEAUTIFUL
September 24, 2009
First-Ever Bon Jovi Documentary Explores a Band’s Journey through 25 Years of Brotherhood
Premieres Saturday, October 24th at 9 PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME
LOS ANGELES, CA – (September xx, 2009) – Bon Jovi has built one of the biggest success stories in rock music history – now that story will be told by the band themselves. The documentary, WHEN WE WERE BEAUTIFUL, premiering Saturday October 24th at 9 PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME offers an intimate glimpse at these globally celebrated icons who remain, at their core, a band of brothers from New Jersey.
Directed by filmmaker and photographer Phil Griffin and produced by Academy Award®-and Emmy-winning producers @radical.media, the documentary was filmed on the road and behind the scenes with the band during their 2008 Lost Highway World Tour, which famously came to a close with a historic concert in New York City’s Central Park. At the height of their success—with another number one album and the number one grossing tour of 2008 in Billboard magazine-- Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful reveals the secrets behind this legendary band’s determined and charismatic leader Jon Bon Jovi, and band members Richie Sambora, David Bryan, and Tico Torres.
Threading intimate band-member interviews with scenes of life on the road, WHEN WE WERE BEAUTIFUL vividly portrays how the band made it through the rough patches, how they reach consensus on their priorities, and how Jon leads them with strength and compassion. Avid Bon Jovi fans will find plenty of new reasons to be so devoted, but anyone can revel in this exploration of the work that goes into the success and longevity of this band’s magnitude.
“Throughout the process of working with Bon Jovi, I was amazed at the candor and humility Jon and his band showed me,” said director Phil Griffin. “The result is not a neatly wrapped up bundle of staged interviews and musical interludes, but rather a series of open and sometimes difficult conversations, explored against a backdrop of music spanning 25 years. It is a film about the peace of Tico, the complexity of Richie, the drive of Jon and the brutal honesty of Dave. It is their willingness to share their stories that gives us what I hope is a very human story—that humanity is what I believe has seen this band stand the test of time.”
Bon Jovi has set the bar for more than two decades as one of the most successful rock bands in the world, and was 2008's top touring act in the world, coming in at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Tour chart. Globally, they have sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. A new studio album, The Circle will be released on November 10th and the new single “We Weren’t Born to Follow” is climbing the radio charts at record speed.. In addition to the documentary, Harper Collins will release a 192-page companion book on Oct 27th also titled When We Were Beautiful.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNELTM and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2TM, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNELTM ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
Hopefully this gets released internationally. (And hopefully it's good!). Apparently Showtime Australia simply licenses the logo from the American Showtime and has no other relationship with them, so I don't know when, where, or how it would be released here. (And I could have heard incorrectly about the non-relationship because I know both networks screen Dexter, for instance.)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New Bon Jovi website + 2DayFM interview
First of all, the official Bon Jovi website has undergone a bit of a makeover. I haven't had a chance to explore it properly but it looks a lot cleaner now and there is no video/audio autoplay anymore, which is a definite win for web design. I think you may need to re-register on the site but there also seems to be a forum/messageboard on there again, outside of the exclusive Backstage one.
Secondly, Jon was on the line this morning on 2DayFM's Kyle and Jackie O Show. Kyle & Jackie O interviewed Jon in January 2008 in Sydney, but this interview was actually conducted by Andrew G and Jackie O -- Australians will probably be aware that Kyle Sandilands is currently on suspension. Anyway, the whole segment was pretty lightweight as is 2DayFM generally, and they didn't even talk about The Circle, but it was quite relaxed and fun I suppose. Topics included writing hits, growing up in New Jersey, and life on the road and in the spotlight. Jon said, in response to a listener's question that he hoped to do a "big tour in Australia" which would be excellent news for me. He also said he wasn't sure he would see himself still doing what he's doing 15 years from now because he didn't want to be the "fat Elvis". The podcast is available for streaming or download at this link.
Secondly, Jon was on the line this morning on 2DayFM's Kyle and Jackie O Show. Kyle & Jackie O interviewed Jon in January 2008 in Sydney, but this interview was actually conducted by Andrew G and Jackie O -- Australians will probably be aware that Kyle Sandilands is currently on suspension. Anyway, the whole segment was pretty lightweight as is 2DayFM generally, and they didn't even talk about The Circle, but it was quite relaxed and fun I suppose. Topics included writing hits, growing up in New Jersey, and life on the road and in the spotlight. Jon said, in response to a listener's question that he hoped to do a "big tour in Australia" which would be excellent news for me. He also said he wasn't sure he would see himself still doing what he's doing 15 years from now because he didn't want to be the "fat Elvis". The podcast is available for streaming or download at this link.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
JBJ on When We Were Beautiful documentary
More from an interview with Jon Bon Jovi on Tokyo Radio, this time about the upcoming documentary When We Were Beautiful, as tweeted by the wonderful TokyoRockChick.
These 17 posts are from Jon Bon Jovi's interview, its about their documentary movie. #BonJovi
Thursday, September 17, 2009
More album and tour info from Tokyo
Here are some additional details to the earlier post about the new album and tour as announced on Tokyo radio. (You may need to read the earlier post to understand what some of this is referring to.) Thanks again to TokyoRockChick for the tweets.
I have to admit, the 2nd and 3rd points are causing me a bit of apprehension. But I am getting excited about The Circle's release. Hope the tour comes to Australia!
1 : 8 songs that DJ listened were all fantastic. The Circle will be a really GREAT album, back to ROCK & VERY Bon jovi in a word. as per DJ
2 : Seems it has one big theme, BJ wants to give the world strength, positive energy in such a bad times we've been through since last year.
3 : The song w/o title which will be on the best CD was Extremely Awesome. Its DJ's favorite.The song has similar guitar to It's My Life.4: As for Hawai 14th/Feb/2010, its only 1 show there.
5 : London O2 Arena, 20 shows, Promoter AEG. This info will be announced officially.6 : DJ mentioned Berlin O2 Arena as well. But its not confirmed by Jon.7 : As of 5th/Sep, Jon himself told there was no live in 2009. But record company side told DJ they were planning something secretly.8 : Record company side had their plan of Bon Jovi live around the release date for the promotion and wanted Jon to say Yes.
I have to admit, the 2nd and 3rd points are causing me a bit of apprehension. But I am getting excited about The Circle's release. Hope the tour comes to Australia!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Fan backlash rocks Bon Jovi
Obie recently confirmed there would be a guitar solo on the album version of "We Weren't Born to Follow". It followed some rather lively discussion among fans about the lack of a solo after Jon's shout of "Guitar!". Rafael, teenage fan in Brazil even came up with his own pretty cool solo.
So I found this article on MusicRadar rather interesting. It's an interview with Richie about the new album.
So in case they (or their people) happen to be reading this blog right now, and haven't visited www.bonjovi-live.com since the tour dates posted up there were revealed as a hoax, Seb has posted some tour requests and a promise there.
Seb has pledged to donate $100 to Habitat for Humanity if Bon Jovi plays "In & Out of Love" in Holland on the upcoming tour and an extra $5 if it's played anywhere else. He also says he will donate $10 for every These Days song played at a show he attends. You can read his open letter in its entirety here.
So I found this article on MusicRadar rather interesting. It's an interview with Richie about the new album.
"When I recorded the solo to that song, I played a very melodic, kind of Beatles-esque break. That was the mood I was in. As soon as the song got leaked to radio, people went crazy, sending e-mails and Twittering and everything: 'We love the song, but what's with that solo? We want a rippin', burnin' Richie Sambora solo.
"So I said to Jon, 'Hey, do you want me to change it? We got time. And John was like, 'Sure. Go lay down another solo and we'll drop it in the song on the album.' So that's what I did - I cut it yesterday, in fact. It's a monster."
But does the guitarist mind having fans, in effect, 'produce' part of a song? "Nah!" he says, with a laugh. "When I played sessions, it was all about serving the song. Sometimes you have to test things out and see what works. I'm totally cool about the whole thing. And I guarantee that when people hear the new solo, they'll be stoked. Ask and you shall receive."
Wow. Maybe the band does take a break from the ivory towers to listen to fans once in a while. :P
So in case they (or their people) happen to be reading this blog right now, and haven't visited www.bonjovi-live.com since the tour dates posted up there were revealed as a hoax, Seb has posted some tour requests and a promise there.
Seb has pledged to donate $100 to Habitat for Humanity if Bon Jovi plays "In & Out of Love" in Holland on the upcoming tour and an extra $5 if it's played anywhere else. He also says he will donate $10 for every These Days song played at a show he attends. You can read his open letter in its entirety here.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Circle tracklist
Finally! The complete track list for The Circle, not including bonus tracks. Order hasn't been confirmed.
question
Hi Obie!
When are you going to publish Circle setlist and more info?
When are you going to publish Circle setlist and more info?
answer
OK, here goes........
We Weren't Born To follow
When We Were Beautiful
Work For The Working Man
Superman Tonight
Bullet
Thorn In My Side
Live Before You Die
BrokenPromiseland
Love's the Only Rule
Fast Cars
Happy Now
Learn To Love
We Weren't Born To follow
When We Were Beautiful
Work For The Working Man
Superman Tonight
Bullet
Thorn In My Side
Live Before You Die
BrokenPromiseland
Love's the Only Rule
Fast Cars
Happy Now
Learn To Love
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Album and tour info from Tokyo
As tweeted by TokyoRockChick...
I just heard so many Bon Jovi info on radio!!! He interviewed Jon on 5th/Sep. I will post everything later!!! My heart beats fast now!!!1 : First of all, Bon Jovi has trusted this DJ since 84. BJ became famous due to his support. He has huge power in Japanese music industry.
2 : The DJ met Jon for the world premiere interview on 5th/Sep at a hotel in front of Jon's house.
3 : Jon specified the hotel to have the interview, and came there by walk.
4 : The DJ watched BJ documentary movie & listened 9 new songs. 8 songs will be on The Circle.
5 : As of Sep 5th, the order of the tracks had not been decided. Titles are When We Were Beautiful, WWBTF, Work For The Working Man, &..
6 : Superman Tonight, Broken Promise Land, Fast Cars, Thorn In My Side, Happy Now.
7 : The one more new song will be on the best album. No info for the title but it was so cool as per DJ.
8 : The Circle "might" be mixed by Bob Clearmountain in London. (Only this info was not confirmed by Jon.)
9 : About tour, they will play on 14th/Feb/2010 in Hawai. After that North American tour, & then European tour in summer.10 : Bon Jovi will play at indoor venue in Europe after almost 20 years interval.
11 : The DJ asked Jon about London O2 Arena, Jon replied "We're planning 20 times there."
12 : In 2009 there wont be tour, but they will do some promotion activities.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Undivided
In memory of the September 11, 2001 attacks here is "Undivided" as performed in Randers on the Lost Highway tour.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Circle rumours
Over on JoviTalk, a long time member is claiming to have heard the new album and has written a short review.
Please take this with a pinch of salt. Seb is the guy responsible for www.bonjovi-archives.com which contains the most comprehensive library of Bon Jovi set lists on the net; he knows most of what there is to know about the band, and is generally a valued member of the fan community. He's also a serial trickster who dupes people time and time again with various hoaxes, whether it's fake "play by play" set lists during a concert or fake tour dates. So there's a chance he might be telling the truth but there's every chance he's not. It's an interesting read nonetheless though. :P
Please take this with a pinch of salt. Seb is the guy responsible for www.bonjovi-archives.com which contains the most comprehensive library of Bon Jovi set lists on the net; he knows most of what there is to know about the band, and is generally a valued member of the fan community. He's also a serial trickster who dupes people time and time again with various hoaxes, whether it's fake "play by play" set lists during a concert or fake tour dates. So there's a chance he might be telling the truth but there's every chance he's not. It's an interesting read nonetheless though. :P
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
We Weren't Born to Follow guitar solo?
The lack of a solo after Jon's yell of "Guitar!" in "We Weren't Born to Follow" has created a few rumblings in Jovi Land since the song was first played. Rafael came up with a pretty neat one himself but according to Obie...
question
Hi Obie... Well I'm wondering why I can't feel Richie on WWBTF because I hear no solo
:-(
Asked by sambora3d on September 7, 2009 at 11:20am
answer
Well,feel away....there is a Richie solo on the album version.......no kidding.
Answered by Obie on September 7, 2009 at 11:37am
Hope so! Although it does beg the question; if you've cut the solo out of the single edit, then why would you leave "Guitar!" in there and make Jon and Richie sound like tools on the radio. :P
question
Hi Obie... Well I'm wondering why I can't feel Richie on WWBTF because I hear no solo
:-(
Asked by sambora3d on September 7, 2009 at 11:20am
answer
Well,feel away....there is a Richie solo on the album version.......no kidding.
Answered by Obie on September 7, 2009 at 11:37am
Hope so! Although it does beg the question; if you've cut the solo out of the single edit, then why would you leave "Guitar!" in there and make Jon and Richie sound like tools on the radio. :P
Monday, September 7, 2009
The helpful side of Obie O'Brien
Wow, Obie actually gave a whole string of useful and/or informative answers overnight. I've reproduced them here because I can't be the only person who hates the autoplay of video on the Bon Jovi site; it's an old gimmick that probably looked impressive back when the internet was a shiny new toy but is now just amateurish and annoying. I want to choose what I spend my data allowance on and when, thanks.
Okay, rant over. Back to Obie. In summary, a new Bon Jovi song was indeed played at an NFL game recently, there may be a Bon Jovi Twitter on the way, the new album will have some ballads (as if that was a surprise, given it's Bon Jovi!), and Richie Sambora is involved in a new clothing line.
question
hey, i have been looking endless for we weren't born to follow on itunes and rhapsody.I was wondering when they get it ?
Asked by mrrvasquez on September 6, 2009 at 10:53pm
answer
I checked and it has not gone to the digital outlets yet but I will have a date next week when you will be able to purchase it.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 11:24pm
question
obie, since you guys don't twitter can you tell me what Jon is doing right now? thankyou
Asked by joveyeee on September 6, 2009 at 8:27pm
answer
Funny you should ask. I spoke to him 5 minutes ago and he is hanging with his wife and kids enjoying the last days of summer vacation at the beach. AND, there is talk of a Bon Jovi twitter coming.....oh yeah dudes and dudesses. Rocketh upward
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 8:37pm
question
Obie,,my Obie please answer my question,,,is there any ballads on the new cd?
Plus we love you and you should have your own section on this site. Did I suck up enough,,lol???
Asked by fdny82 on September 6, 2009 at 8:00pm
answer
Yes there is , and yes you did.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 8:13pm
question
Hey Obie! I was just wondering if there was any filming going on during the Fan Club show and if so will we ever see a DVD of it?
Thanks! Jenny
Asked by Jenny18k on September 6, 2009 at 4:17pm
answer
I only did audio recording at the show so there isn't any video footage.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 7:54pm
question
Obie,
I think I saw something a few months ago about Richie being involved in the design of a casual clothing line.
What's the name of it again?
Thx!
KP
Asked by jovifan67kp on September 6, 2009 at 7:02pm
answer
It's called "White Trash Beautiful" and the line will be available in 2010.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 7:50pm
question
Wats goin on Obiee :)
Someone told me there was a new Bon Jovi song that was played during a Patriots Vs.Giants game called This is Our house.
Is this true?and if it is will it be on the new album??
Thanks Obieeee
Rocketh On Till November 10!
Asked by Raki91 on September 5, 2009 at 8:29pm
answer
Oh yeah it was played at the game. As for it being on the new album............................ you'll have to wait a litttttttle longer to know.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 6:32pm
Okay, rant over. Back to Obie. In summary, a new Bon Jovi song was indeed played at an NFL game recently, there may be a Bon Jovi Twitter on the way, the new album will have some ballads (as if that was a surprise, given it's Bon Jovi!), and Richie Sambora is involved in a new clothing line.
question
hey, i have been looking endless for we weren't born to follow on itunes and rhapsody.I was wondering when they get it ?
Asked by mrrvasquez on September 6, 2009 at 10:53pm
answer
I checked and it has not gone to the digital outlets yet but I will have a date next week when you will be able to purchase it.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 11:24pm
question
obie, since you guys don't twitter can you tell me what Jon is doing right now? thankyou
Asked by joveyeee on September 6, 2009 at 8:27pm
answer
Funny you should ask. I spoke to him 5 minutes ago and he is hanging with his wife and kids enjoying the last days of summer vacation at the beach. AND, there is talk of a Bon Jovi twitter coming.....oh yeah dudes and dudesses. Rocketh upward
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 8:37pm
question
Obie,,my Obie please answer my question,,,is there any ballads on the new cd?
Plus we love you and you should have your own section on this site. Did I suck up enough,,lol???
Asked by fdny82 on September 6, 2009 at 8:00pm
answer
Yes there is , and yes you did.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 8:13pm
question
Hey Obie! I was just wondering if there was any filming going on during the Fan Club show and if so will we ever see a DVD of it?
Thanks! Jenny
Asked by Jenny18k on September 6, 2009 at 4:17pm
answer
I only did audio recording at the show so there isn't any video footage.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 7:54pm
question
Obie,
I think I saw something a few months ago about Richie being involved in the design of a casual clothing line.
What's the name of it again?
Thx!
KP
Asked by jovifan67kp on September 6, 2009 at 7:02pm
answer
It's called "White Trash Beautiful" and the line will be available in 2010.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 7:50pm
question
Wats goin on Obiee :)
Someone told me there was a new Bon Jovi song that was played during a Patriots Vs.Giants game called This is Our house.
Is this true?and if it is will it be on the new album??
Thanks Obieeee
Rocketh On Till November 10!
Asked by Raki91 on September 5, 2009 at 8:29pm
answer
Oh yeah it was played at the game. As for it being on the new album............................ you'll have to wait a litttttttle longer to know.
Answered by Obie on September 6, 2009 at 6:32pm
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Blame Drew's cancer
Head over to The Goddess Hathor's blog for alerting me to the Blame Drew's Cancer initiative.
Our very own Jon Bon Jovi joined in, blaming Drew's cancer for the indefinite suspension of the Arena Football League.
Our very own Jon Bon Jovi joined in, blaming Drew's cancer for the indefinite suspension of the Arena Football League.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Single review: We Weren't Born to Follow
Yesterday I heard "We Weren't Born to Follow" on Perth radio for the first time, while listening to 96fm. I always get excited the first few of times I hear a Bon Jovi song on the radio, and then kind of warm and happy thereafter -- even if I don't like the song that much, which is odd. I think it's because it's so rare to hear a Bon Jovi song other than "Livin' on a Prayer" or "You Give Love a Bad Name". I can't vouch for anywhere else but it seems a Bon Jovi song has to fit a certain mould to get airplay here. For example, "It's My Life" and "Have a Nice Day" got lots of airplay when they came out, and "Lost Highway" in the lead-up to the Australian tour, but I didn't hear "Make a Memory" on the radio once. (That said, Mix 94.5 is the only other commercial station I listen to, so for all I know, I could switch on another station and suddenly hear "This Ain't a Love Song" -- I highly doubt it though :P ).
But despite the flutter of excitement I felt yesterday, I think Tony Kuzminski has summed up my basic feelings about "We Weren't Born to Follow" in his review on The Screen Door.
I like the song, I really do, it's just... lacking something. It's so sweet and safe. Sometimes I feel like Bon Jovi realised they stumbled upon a formula for commercial success in their native market at the start of this decade and have been too busy trying to follow it ever since. They're still making a lot of music I enjoy but I know they can do better.
"We Weren't Born to Follow" also seems to be the latest Bon Jovi song being used to promote Major League Baseball. Well, I reckon it's a step up from "I Love This Town". :P
But despite the flutter of excitement I felt yesterday, I think Tony Kuzminski has summed up my basic feelings about "We Weren't Born to Follow" in his review on The Screen Door.
I like the song, I really do, it's just... lacking something. It's so sweet and safe. Sometimes I feel like Bon Jovi realised they stumbled upon a formula for commercial success in their native market at the start of this decade and have been too busy trying to follow it ever since. They're still making a lot of music I enjoy but I know they can do better.
"We Weren't Born to Follow" also seems to be the latest Bon Jovi song being used to promote Major League Baseball. Well, I reckon it's a step up from "I Love This Town". :P