Richie Sambora answers fan questions

Richie answers questions about solo projects*, touring South America, guitars, amps, playing, recording, and Jon's guitar playing.

Watch the interview on MusicRadar.

*Possible album/release with Nikki Lund by the end of the year!

Support acts for Meadowlands

While earlier rumours had suggested Kid Rock, the opening acts for Bon Jovi when they open the new Meadowlands Stadium will be:

• Train on May 26
• Gavin DeGraw on May  27
• OneRepublic on May 28

Thoughts?

I actually used to be a big fan of Train's My Private Nation album (the follow-up to Drops of Jupiter) when I was in high school. I think I'll give it another whirl and check out some of their work since then.

Washington, DC set list

The set list from Bon Jovi's gig in DC. Thanks to bigapplejovi for the PBP.

WASHINGTON DC, USA - VERIZON CENTER - MARCH 29, 2010
Happy Now
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover]
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

The tour resumes on April 7 in Minnesota.

Last Man Standing, Working Man, Have a Nice Day in Uncasville

Three more videos from Bon Jovi's second night (March 27) at Mohegan Sun Arena.

A few other videos from Uncasville, namely "Never Say Goodbye", "Miss Fourth of July", "Radio Saved My Life Tonight", "Hot Legs" and "Squeeze Box" were posted earlier.

LAST MAN STANDING - I think I'd prefer this a bit further down the set (I really love "Happy Now" as an opener), but it's still cool to see it played.


WORK FOR THE WORKING MAN - I know Jon's a hypocrite to sing about the "working man" while pricing him out of concerts. But I've still liked this song since I first heard it at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. And that Jon/Richie/Hugh/Bobby walk during the bridge (from about 2:07 in the video) is pretty damn cool.


HAVE A NICE DAY - I wouldn't yet call this a "rarity" but this is the first tour since Have a Nice Day came out where this song hasn't been staple. It's actually my personal favourite out of the so-called "It's My Life"-esque lead singles, although I've seen better performances of it. :P

Some videos + a review from Uncasville

Selected videos from Bon Jovi's two nights at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 26 and March 27. Nice to see some box set representation and some mixing up of the covers.

"Never Say Goodbye" from March 26 was posted earlier.

Complete set lists here and here.

MISS FOURTH OF JULY


RADIO SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT


HOT LEGS


SQUEEZE BOX


And here's a review by Kristina Dorsey for The Day:

Oh, it's so quaint, all those stories about the music industry being in trouble. Because here's Bon Jovi - dismissed as a disposable hair band, lo, those 25-some years ago when they began - hitting No. 1 with their latest album and still working it as one of the top concerts acts out there.

Full review at this link.

Uncasville 2nd night set list

"Last Man Standing" made its tour debut in the opening slot and "Miss Fourth of July" also got its first outing of the Circle tour at Bon Jovi's second show in Connecticut.

Cheers to bigapplejovi for the PBP.

UNCASVILLE, USA - MOHEGAN SUN ARENA - MARCH 27, 2010
Last Man Standing
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Runaway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Hot Legs [Rod Stewart cover]
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]
Miss Fourth of July
Squeeze Box [The Who cover]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have a Nice Day
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

The JoviTalk Livin' on a Prayer video

This video was a project involving members of the JoviTalk community at drycounty.com. It was inspired by Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer contest this tour. 18 of us sung or mimed "Livin' on a Prayer". Seb aka Supersonic, who runs www.bonjovi-archives.com edited it all together along with our song requests.

This is the hilarious result. Hope you enjoy it.

Never Say Goodbye in Uncasville

Jon Bon Jovi. Richie Sambora. On the circle. Acoustic guitars. Singing "Never Say Goodbye" at Bon Jovi's March 26 Uncasville show. Magic.



And this time, Jon didn't leave the "Remember when we lost the keys and you lost more than that in my backseat" line out!

Uncasville 1st night set list

Here's the set from Bon Jovi's first show in Connecticut. "Radio Saved My Life Tonight" made its tour debut, as did The Who's "Squeeze Box" technically (They did play it at the WMMR pre-show gig in Philadelphia). "Never Say Goodbye" got an outing and interestingly, "Love's the Only Rule" was omitted for the first time this tour. Jeff Kazee of the Asbury Jukes, who toured with Bon Jovi on the Have a Nice Day tour and has played with Jon's solo band, also joined Bon Jovi on stage.

Thanks to bigapplejovi for the PBP.

UNCASVILLE, USA - MOHEGAN SUN ARENA - MARCH 26, 2010
Happy Now
We Weren't Born to Follow
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
In These Arms
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars
Radio Saved My Life Tonight
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want to) Make a Memory
Never Say Goodbye [acoustic]
Squeeze Box [The Who cover]
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Runaway
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Philadelphia Soul WMMR show

This video was from Bon Jovi's short Philly Soul gig before the March 24 concert.

ALWAYS - All I've got is... wow. Jon sounds incredible.


Pro shot from the show:


Set list as follows:

Happy Now
We Weren't Born To Follow
Lost Highway
Superman Tonight
It's My Life
Always
When We Were Beautiful
Work For The Working Man
Squeeze Box [The Who cover]
I Love This Town

You can listen to the show on the WMMR website.

Audio recording available here.

Livin' on a Prayer: the TV series?

According to Gather.com, a new CBS show starring Kyle Bornheimer and Lindsay Sloane is based on one of Bon Jovi's signature hits.

In the series, the couple will be in love, but Tommy isn't able to commit. Gina is the one with dreams of making it big and getting out of her dead end waitress job. The series will be a comedy for CBS.

The rest of the post is here.

Hollywood Reporter also mentioned the as-yet-unnamed show, from the creators of How I Met Your Mother, in these two articles: Worst Week star joins CBS comedy pilot and Two CBS comedy pilots cast female leads.

Interesting. It's only at the pilot stage so I don't know if it will actually be picked up as a series but I'm curious to see how they'd approach the show if it gets the green light.

EDIT: Spoilers for the pilot here.

Review of Philadelphia + JBJ's request request

Here's a review of Bon Jovi at the Wachovia Center by Sam Adams (great name, BTW) for the Philadelphia Inquirer:

At the height of his hair-metal fame, you'd hardly have pegged Jon Bon Jovi as the type to get nostalgic for simpler times. But age - his and, more to the point, his audience's - has a way of shifting perspective.

Read the full review here.

Jon Bon Jovi has also made a plea to fans via Facebook and Twitter:

need a favor folks... call your radio stations and ask them to play superman . they just aren't committed to it either way. if they don't play it no one else will hear it. if you don't like it they should stop all together. we can move onto the next track...jbj

Videos from Philadelphia

Here are some awesome videos from Bon Jovi's March 24 show in Philadelphia.

LOVE FOR SALE


KEEP THE FAITH


ONLY LONELY


And from the previous night, March 23, same city and venue...

LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME - Richie Sambora vocals. I do prefer him doing "Homebound Train" but the King of Swing still rocks the church here.

Philadelphia 2nd night set list

Bon Jovi's second show in Philly, which came after their WMMR/Philadelphia Soul show earlier in the evening, was a definite improvement from last night, set list wise, from a diehard perspective... for starters, "Only Lonely" and "Love for Sale" got another run!

Thanks to everyone who provided the PBP, even though I couldn't follow it because I was in class.

PHILADELPHIA, USA - WACHOVIA CENTER - MARCH 24, 2010
Happy Now
We Weren't Born To Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Thorn In My Side
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine w/ Bad Case Of Loving You [Robert Palmer cover] / Shout [The Isley Brothers cover]
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want To) Make A Memory
Bed Of Roses
Love For Sale
Something For The Pain [acoustic]
Keep The Faith
Work For The Working Man
Who Says You Cant Go Home
Love's The Only Rule

ENCORE:
Only Lonely
Wanted Dead Or Alive
Livin' On A Prayer

Philadelphia 1st night set list

I guess Philly was always going to have a lot to live up to, especially after Montreal. But Bon Jovi is playing Philadelphia again tomorrow night and hopefully there'll be a bone or two for those attending both shows.

Thanks to bigapplejovi and DanielaZavolta for the PBP.

PHILADELPHIA, USA - WACHOVIA CENTER - MARCH 23, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to be my Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover]
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
I Love This Town
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Bon Jovi vs Miley Cyrus: Baby picks Jovi

This kid is just too cute.

More videos from Montreal

Some more sweet videos from Bon Jovi's March 20 show in Montreal.

HAPPY NOW - An impassioned performance of this made it a surprisingly good opener. Besides, I love this song.


CAPTAIN CRASH & THE BEAUTY QUEEN FROM MARS


BED OF ROSES - Jon goes for the actual notes (and literally sweeps an audience member off her feet) for the first time this tour as he serenades Montreal with one of my personal favourites.

Seems like Jon's voice is starting to really pick up...

Love for Sale + Something for the Pain in Montreal

Here's a slice of acoustic heaven from Bon Jovi's March 20 concert in Montreal.

LOVE FOR SALE - This is such a cool little song. Should be a regular for every acoustic set/show.


SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN


I LOVE acoustic Bon Jovi (not This Left Feels Right, but that's another story). I probably won't get an acoustic set by the time I see them so I'm lapping this up now.

I've also got videos of "Always" and "Lay Your Hands on Me" from this show up. You can also find an extensive media guide at Hath's Circle Tour Blog.

Always in Montreal

"Always" made its Circle tour debut in Montreal on March 20. It was the 28th song played that night, but cripes, Jon sounds great!





I don't suppose you could sing it more often, Mr Bon Jovi, sir? Obviously I don't want Jon to kill his voice but if he is able, we're ready and willing.

Which segues nicely into Richie Sambora singing "Lay Your Hands on Me" at this show. Check it out.

You can read the full epic Bon Jovi-on-fire set list at this link.

Lay Your Hands on Me in Montreal

Bon Jovi played an awesome set for their March 20 show in Montreal. Mr Bluesman himself, Richie Sambora lent his voice to the first (hopefully not only) "Lay Your Hands on Me" of the Circle Tour. Here are a couple of early video of it.


This one's closer but obviously filmed by a David Bryan fan because Richie is barely in the video.

Montreal 2nd night set list

Two encores again, a new opening song, new Richie song, and the tour debuts of "Lay Your Hands on Me", "Love for Sale", and "Always"! I think it's official: Bon Jovi loves Montreal and Montreal loves Bon Jovi.

Thanks again to AdamJovigirl for the PBP.

MONTREAL, CANADA - BELL CENTRE - MARCH 20, 2010
Happy Now
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
In These Arms
Born to be my Baby
Lost Highway
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Bed of Roses
Love for Sale
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Just Older
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

ENCORE:
Always
Treat Her Right

Some Montreal videos

Some videos from Bon Jovi's March 19 show in Montreal, Quebec.

SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT; partial - The first part of the song is missing but this video is a bit of a treat for David Bryan fans. He tends to be overlooked a bit so I figured he deserved some love. ;)


I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - Audience sounds great!


LIVIN' ON A PRAYER - The stage set-up looks pretty cool from this angle and how electric is that crowd?!

3 new Bon Jovi related articles

Here's a review of Bon Jovi's first night in Montreal, by T'Cha Dunlevy for The Gazette:

There are certain things you can count on. Bon Jovi in Montreal is one of them. The New Jersey rock act was in town last night for the first of two shows at the Bell Centre, and the party was on from the opening song.

Read the full review here.

An interview with Nikki Lund, whom our guitar god Richie Sambora collaborated with on new women's clothing line White Trash Beautiful:

It was a title to a song that Richie and Jon [Bon Jovi] had done, but they felt it was a little misogynistic. At some point Richie said to me, "That sounds like a clothing line" and it just went from there. And that's also what we're calling our musical collaboration right now too.

Ava Sambora also made her modelling debut as White Trash Beautiful was unveiled at LA Fashion Week last night. Check out the full interview here and some photos from the event here.

Bon Jovi are headed back to Philadelphia after their Montreal. Here's an article by Gary R. Blockus for The Morning Call:

When Bon Jovi takes to the stage at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia next week, fans will find something familiar and reassuring in a band that is entering its fourth decade of performing.

Full article at this link.

Montreal 1st night set list

Two encores (second one unplanned), a new medley song with "Bad Medicine", and the tour debut of "Captain Crash" (which will be good news for some and horrendous for others :P ) marked Bon Jovi's first of two nights in Montreal.

Thanks to AdamJovigirl and Jovination for the PBP and set info.

MONTREAL, CANADA - BELL CENTRE - MARCH 19, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Have a Nice Day
Thorn In My Side
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Hot Legs [Rod Stewart cover]
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
I'll Be There For You
Diamond Ring
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
I Love This Town
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

ENCORE:
Twist and Shout
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars

Philadelphia Soul free concert

Jon promised this after the Philly Soul won Arena Bowl so it's been a long time coming but here are the details from the 93.3 WMMR website.

a FREE Bon Jovi Show - as promised to Philadelphia Soul fans and WMMR listeners on the Preston and Steve Show!

Tune in Wednesday (3/24) at 5pm for an exclusive, plugged–in, free concert performance from Bon Jovi! - presented live, as it happens and without commercial interruption!

Listen to win a very select number passes to be at the Wac for this private concert broadcast or enter to win HERE

And, this Saturday and Sunday, WMMR presents a Bon Jovi Block party of music and FREE passes to the concert broadcast!

Five questions for David Bryan

David talks to the Forward about his musical Memphis and his Jewish roots.

I’m a white Jewish kid from Edison [N.J.], and I know racism and hatred. When you see that in the show onstage, you see how ugly that looks. Hopefully that will teach you a little bit that that’s not the way people should be treating each other.

Check out the full article here.

Detroit videos and review

A few videos from Bon Jovi's March 17 show at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE - The "Prince of Detroit", Kid Rock joins Bon Jovi on stage for the "national anthem. Kid Rock gets a little creative with the words but it's good fun to watch.

Pro shot:


Fan video:


HALLELUJAH - Jon forgets the lyrics but pushes on.


LOVE'S THE ONLY RULE - This has become one of my favourite songs from The Circle based almost entirely on live performances, but I haven't showcased it on the blog since the tour started. Jon causes quite a stir when he goes into the crowd. ;)


Read the full Detroit set list here.

Here's a review by Adam Graham for The Detroit News:

Having outlived several major sea changes in music over the last few decades, the New Jersey four-piece has proved its durability and lasting power to several generations of fans. So "Blood on Blood" -- a song about brotherhood, loyalty and the endurance of friendship -- made perfect sense, and the more than 18,000 fans greeted it with open arms.

Read the full review here.

Bon Jovi heading to Australia in 2010?

Australian radio station Triple M reckons Bon Jovi could be heading down under earlier than expected.

A source very close to the band has let slip to us that the Jov might be here as soon as – are you ready? – November, this year!!!! That’s only eight months away!!!

Read the rest of the post here and listen to Byron Cooke's interview with Jon Bon Jovi at this link.

Something to get excited about but please take this with a pinch of salt, as I don't know how reliable the source is and nothing's been confirmed.

Detroit set list

Bon Jovi headed to Michigan and the Palace for St Patrick's Day. Nice to see the return of "Bullet", "Thorn", and "Diamond Ring". And I'm intrigued by the Kid Rock duet on "Wanted"... 'cause you know it's SO HOTT (Sorry, I couldn't resist :P ).

Thanks to girlthatlooksso for the PBP.

DETROIT, USA - THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS - MARCH 17, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Thorn In My Side
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Bullet
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
I Love This Town
Wanted Dead or Alive [featuring Kid Rock]
Livin' on a Prayer

Bad Medicine / Born to Be Wild in Kansas City

Bon Jovi live from Kansas City, March 15... "Bad Medicine" with the jukebox routine and Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". Seems like they're having fun.


Full Kansas City set list here.

Ask Richie Sambora

MusicRadar is giving fans the chance to ask Richie Sambora a (music related) question. For more details, including how to submit your question, click here.

Kansas City set list

Finally got online to post the set list (I do have a life and commitments outside of blogging about Bon Jovi, believe it or not :P). God I hope "I Love This Town" hasn't snaked its way back as a "regular". Actually, Bon Jovi seems to be averaging about four Lost Highway songs a night; is this the Circle tour? Jon, if I tell you you're an amazing guitarist, will you at least bring back "Thorn In My Side" with the twin solo/jam?

We did kind of get a new song, "Born To Be Wild" (Steppenwolf cover), in the "Bad Medicine" medley.

Thanks to Big Apple Jovi Girl for the PBP.

KANSAS CITY, USA - SPRINT CENTER - MARCH 15, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to be my Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Born to Be Wild
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
I Love This Town
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Livin' on a Prayer

Happy Now in Fargo

Here's a pro shot video from Bon Jovi's March 13 show in Fargo: the live debut of "Happy Now"!

Review: Bon Jovi delights at dome

Here's a review of Bon Jovi's March 13 show in Fargo, by John Lamb for INFORUM.

Nobody tells Jon Bon Jovi he can’t go home, but the 23,000-some fans at the Fargodome will welcome him back here any time.

You can read the full review at this link.

Bullet and Only Lonely in Wichita

Videos of the two rarest songs from Bon Jovi's March 12 Wichita show.

BULLET - One of my personal favourites from The Circle, probably because "Hey God" would be in my top 10 songs and "Bullet" is in that vein. It's a tough song to sing but I like that it doesn't sound so overproduced live.

Fan video:


Pro shot:


ONLY LONELY - As I've mentioned before, this song is my equal favourite from 7800° Fahrenheit. I'm very happy to see it get another chance.

Fan video:


Pro shot (Don't roll your eyes at me, Jon! :P ):


Full set list from Wichita at this link.

Fargo set list

This show featured the live debut of "Happy Now" and a very bizarre seven-song encore. Apparently it was two encores. The first featured "Sleep", the tour debuts of "I Love This Town" and "Twist and Shout", followed by "Runaway" and "Faith". The second encore was just "Wanted" and "Prayer" (Where oh where did "Thorn" go?).

I definitely could have done without "I Love This Town" personally but at least it didn't close the show (as it did on several occasions last tour), and you can't accuse Bon Jovi of being predictable tonight.

Nevertheless, as surprising as it was, the only gem of that encore IMO was "Faith" so I'm not really sure what to make of all this. Ah screw it, I'm just going to wait for a "Happy Now" video...

I got my PBP via JoviTalk, so thanks to everyone supplying the info.

FARGO, USA - FARGODOME - MARCH 13, 2010
Blood On Blood
We Weren't Born To Follow
You Give Love A Bad Name
Whole Lot Of Leavin'
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
Something For The Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Happy Now
Work For The Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's The Only Rule

ENCORE:
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
I Love This Town
Twist & Shout
Runaway
Keep The Faith

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead Or Alive
Livin' On A Prayer

Wichita set list

Bon Jovi's first Wichita show, I believe. "Only Lonely" finally got another outing and "Bullet" made its live debut!

WICHITA, USA - INTRUST BANK ARENA - MARCH 11, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Only Lonely
Born to be my Baby
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Bad Case of Loving You
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Bullet
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Another Never Say Goodbye video from Omaha

I posted a close-up partial video of "Never Say Goodbye"'s tour debut last night. This one's from further away but has the full song. What can I say... Jon Bon Jovi + Richie Sambora + acoustic guitars = magic.

Yeah, I miss the "Remember when we lost the keys and you lost more than that in my backseat" line too. :P

Full Omaha set list here.

Holding out for a set list...

Bon Jovi just played at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas for the first time (March 11, 2010). There didn't seem to be a complete PBP so we're still waiting for the full set to be posted. But apparently "Only Lonely" and "Bullet" were played!

EDIT: The full set list is now here.

Never Say Goodbye clip from Omaha

A partial video of "Never Say Goodbye" from Omaha, which was apparently an audible too. Well colour me impressed, Mr Bon Jovi.

Please, sir, I want some more.


The full Omaha set list is here.

Review: Bon Jovi rocks the Qwest

Here is a review of the Omaha show by Kevin Coffey for the Omaha World Herald.

Omaha fans sure do like their Bon Jovi.

Before the band took the stage, you could hardly move through Qwest Center Omaha’s hallways. Once they started, you could practically hear crickets.

Check out the full review here.

Bad Medicine, Keep the Faith, Runaway in Denver

Some videos from Bon Jovi's show in Denver a couple of nights ago. Read the full set list for that show here.

BAD MEDICINE - I love seeing the "bar band/jukebox" routine that used to be with "Sleep When I'm Dead" in "Bad Medicine"; I think it really freshens up a song that had become stale after being performed the same way for two decades. Here Jon tries to sing Free in the medley but doesn't seem to know it well enough, so they move onto The Doors ("Roadhouse Blues"). Very cool.


KEEP THE FAITH


RUNAWAY - "Uh-oh, it's 1984 again".

Omaha set list

After several anaemic sets, we finally got a rarity: "Never Say Goodbye"! A step in the right direction for Bon Jovi. "In These Arms" also replaced "Whole Lot of Leavin'" and "Sleep" made its tour debut in a somewhat unusual spot.

As an aside, "Runaway" seems to have replaced "Thorn In My Side" as the encore opener...

I missed the PBP but thanks to everyone who tweeted the set. :)

OMAHA, USA - QWEST CENTER - MARCH 9, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
In These Arms
Born To Be My Baby
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Never Say Goodbye [acoustic]
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Denver set list

I'm on a break between classes at the moment so I'll just quickly post the set list from the Bon Jovi show in Denver before embarking on some reading. Doesn't seem like there was anything remarkable to comment on anyway...

DENVER, USA - PEPSI CENTER - MARCH 8, 2010
Blood On Blood
We Weren't Born To Follow
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine w/ All Right Now / Roadhouse Blues
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
I'll Be There For You
Something For The Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep The Faith
Work For The Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's The Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Wanted Dead Or Alive
Livin' On A Prayer

Las Vegas videos

A few selected videos from the Bon Jovi show in Vegas, the full set of which you can read at this link.

LIVING IN SIN with CHAPEL OF LOVE outtro- I have to admit, this song lacks a certain punch these days without the powerful high notes and screams of the studio version but it's still one of my favourites and I'd love to experience it live someday.


SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN & SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT - This acoustic twoshot is probably my favourite part of the set. Jon also makes an amusing remark about waiting 27 years to see Tico Torres stand up. And if you love Tico and Richie, you'll probably appreciate this video. ;)


HOMEBOUND TRAIN - Richie Sambora is a bona fide rock god. Jon Bon Jovi wishes he could play guitar a quarter as well as him. That's not meant to be a knock on Jon, whom I love and who has plenty of other qualities that make him a great frontman, but he knows it's true. ;)


DIAMOND RING - with electric guitar!


I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU

Las Vegas set list

A few welcome changes tonight... "Diamond Ring", The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" during "Bad Medicine", and the tour debut of "Living in Sin"! There was more variation in this set than I was expecting but fans of Bon Jovi and 7800° Fahrenheit would be rightfully disappointed that those early songs Jon promised a few shows ago haven't popped up yet.

Thanks to DanielaZavolta for the PBP.

LAS VEGAS, USA - MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA - MARCH 6, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to be my Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover]
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Living in Sin w/ Chapel of Love
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

In These Arms & partial Just Older in Sacramento

Videos of a couple of songs made their tour debut in Sacramento on March 2, 2010.

IN THESE ARMS - Cue screaming girls. ;) Someone also throws a vintage T-shirt onto the stage.


JUST OLDER - It was, of course, Jon Bon Jovi's 48th birthday and the band opened with the most appropriate song in their discography.

Jon Bon Jovi: United We Serve

I think this video, part of President Obama's call on Americans to volunteer and get involved in the community, debuted at the March 4 show in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles set list

A pretty predictable set, although we did get a four-song encore.

Thanks to blushingbrunett and JoviBecky for the PBP.

LOS ANGELES, USA - STAPLES CENTER - MARCH 4, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Bad Case of Loving You
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Hallelujah
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Runaway
Thorn In My Side
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Bad Case of Loving You + Can't Help Falling in Love in Sacramento

Here are some videos from the March 2 Sacramento show for your viewing/listening pleasure. You can read the full set here.

BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU - Jon sings this as a duet with Bob Bandiera, with a little backing from Richie, as part of "Bad Medicine". It's pretty cool.


CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE - Jon and Richie croon a snippet of probably my favourite Elvis song before "I'll Be There For You".

Sacramento set list

Well, this was Jon's "birthday gig" and Bon Jovi opened it with "Just Older". There was no birthday song or cake though.

This show did include a slight encore change, with "In These Arms" making its tour debut and replacing "Thorn In My Side".

Thanks to Sambora_Wanted for the PBP.

SACRAMENTO, USA - ARCO ARENA - MARCH 2, 2010
Just Older
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to be my Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
It's My Life
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want to) Make a Memory
Can't Help Falling In Love
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic]
Have a Nice Day
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
In These Arms
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

EDIT: This photo of Jon with a birthday cake from the crew was just posted on Facebook.

Happy birthday Jon!

It's already March 2 in several parts of the world, including mine, so I'd like to wish a happy 48th birthday to Mr Jon Bon Jovi. And as they say, he's not old, just older (I'm predicting "Just Older" will be played in Sacramento).

The Wachovia Center sings "happy birthday" to Jon on the Lost Highway tour two years ago...

Hey God in Anaheim

The jaw-dropping magic moment from the second Anaheim show on February 27, 2010.

HEY GOD - Great to see this one. I hope it gets more outings during the tour because I expect Jon's voice to get stronger (It takes him a little while to "warm up") and it fits with the working class theme they're trying to portray. And it's just a great rockin' song.

Apparently Jon told the crowd that Bon Jovi hadn't played "Hey God" in 12 years. He is mistaken; it was played a few times on the Lost Highway Tour, the last time being in Barcelona on June 1, 2008. But prior to that it was played in 2001, which is still a pretty long time between drinks (not quite 12 years, but Jon's a singer, not a mathematician).

Also here's a review of the first night in Anaheim by George A. Paul for the Orange County Register.

Modern technology sure is a wonderful thing. Bon Jovi played on a round stage with a small semi-circular catwalk, within which was filled with rows of people who paid a pretty penny for VIP packages. But my eyes were often glued overhead: I’d never seen anyone utilize screens in a similar way before. They came together, multiplied and changed shape. Additional panels morphed into makeshift stairs when Jon briefly gave fans behind the stage his undivided attention.

Yet the music is still what matters most, and this veteran New Jersey group turned in a mostly satisfying two hour, 15-minute performance that sounded great at the Honda. The still boyish-looking frontman (who turns 48 on Tuesday) was happy-go-lucky during a smattering of big ’80s hits and appropriately serious amid selections from latest studio album.

Read the full review here.