Saturday, October 30, 2010

Is a Jon Bon Jovi solo album on the cards?

This Billboard article sees Jon considering his post-tour activities:
"I'm going to sit on a beach for August, which is usually what I do, and come September figure out what's next," Bon Jovi tells Billboard.com. Some possibilities? "A smaller-sounding solo record and/or focus more on the philanthropy and sports ownerships," he says. "I don't see any acting in the immediate future. It'll be out of the political cycles, and there's nothing else I wish I could do. I'm not a coulda, shoulda, woulda kind of guy. If I wanted to do it, I tried it, so it's not like I have any hidden desire to become a chef or anything."

If he does take the solo album route, Bon Jovi -- who went it alone on the 1990 soundtrack for "Blaze of Glory -- Young Guns II" and on 1997's "Destination Anywhere" -- predicts he'll go for "a lyric-driven, acoustic-sounding kind of thing with piano, a couple guitars, a B3 (organ) and a violin. I do these solo things oftentimes for charity, and I enjoy the atmosphere because it really gives the singer a chance to sing. You're not competing with the loud amps. So I could see myself doing a singer's type of a record. We'll see."
Sounds cool. And if one Richie Sambora finally gets to finish and release his own North Korean Democracy, that would be pretty sweet too. ;)

Jon also talked about the shift from The Circle Tour to what is essentially the Greatest Hits Tour...
"While we're in the midst of 'The Circle' tour, this 'Greatest Hits' made the most sense," Bon Jovi explains, "because the tour's going to continue through the summer of next year. For those who have just found the band in this rather prolific decade, this is a great introduction, and for the fan who's been there the last three decades, this is everything you've ever known and then five new songs. So I feel like they're getting value added, too."

(Sure thing, mate, but will I get to hear of the best Circle songs in Australia?)

And the new songs...
Bon Jovi says two of the new songs, the single "What Do You Got?" and "This Is Love, This Is Life," were started during "The Circle" sessions but didn't fit the album and were finished for "Greatest Hits," along with "This Our House," an MP3 download premium for those pre-ordering the album. The other two, "No Apologies" and "The More Things Change," were written specifically for the compilation.

He says he was surprised that "What Do You Got?" got the nod to be the first single. "I said, 'If anyone wants to pick a single, you tell me. What do I know?' " recalls Bon Jovi, who favored "No Apologies." "That was the one that floated to the top, and I was taken aback because it was the (last) of the five I would've picked. But people have really been relating to the lyric, and seemingly for...radio, it's a hit."
For what it's worth, I would have gone with "This Is Love". It's got a catchy singalong hook and experiments with some different sounds but is still unmistakably Bon Jovi. The chorus of "No Apologies" is a little uninspiring for me personally, and I think it would remind people too much of songs like "It's My Life", "Have a Nice Day", "Everyday" and "We Weren't Born to Follow".

Thursday, October 28, 2010

2011 tour dates, X Factor, EMAs!

I'm a little restricted in my home Internet use until next week which has affected my ability to blog among other things, but of course the big news in Bon Jovi land is the release of 2011 tour dates:
Hey Bon Jovi Fans,

We're all excited to announce the 2011 tour to all of you! We'll be starting in the US and Canada, and then will make our way to Europe to wrap it up. We've got some surprises in store for you for this tour and can't wait to share them with you. We thank you all for your continued support and are excited to see you soon.

Jon, Richie, David, & Tico

North America:
  • Feb 9 - University Park, PA, USA - Bryce Jordan Center
  • Feb 11 - Pittsburgh, PA, USA - Consol Energy Center
  • Feb 14 - Toronto, ON, CA - Air Canada Centre
  • Feb 18 - Montreal, Quebec, CA - Bell Centre
  • Feb 21 - Raleigh, NC, USA - RBC Center
  • Feb 24 - New York, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden
  • Feb 25 - New York, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden
  • Feb 27 - Washington, DC, USA - Verizon Center
  • Mar 1 - Boston, MA, USA - TD Garden
  • Mar 2 - Philadelphia, PA, USA - Wells Fargo Center
  • Mar 4 - Uncasville, CT, USA - Mohegan Sun Arena
  • Mar 8 - Chicago, IL, USA - United Center
  • Mar 17 - San Antonio, TX, USA - AT&T Center
  • Mar 19 - Las Vegas, NV, USA - MGM Grand - Garden Arena
  • Mar 22 - Salt Lake City, UT, USA - Energy Solutions Arena
  • Mar 25 - Vancouver, British Columbia, CA - Rogers Arena

Europe:
  • Jun 8 - Zagreb, HR - Maximir Stadium
  • Jun 10 - Dresden, DE - Ostragehege
  • Jun 12 - Munich, DE - Olympic Stadium
  • Jun 15 - Oslo, NO - Ullevaal Stadium
  • Jun 17 - Helsinki, FI - Olympic Stadium
  • Jun 19 - Horsens, DK - Horsens Stadium
  • Jun 22 - Edinburgh, GB - Murrayfield Stadium
  • Jun 24 - Manchester, GB - Old Trafford Cricket Ground
  • Jun 25 - London, GB - Hard Rock Calling
  • Jun 29 - Dublin, IE - RDS Arena
  • Jul 8 - Istanbul, TR - Kazlicesme Festival Site
  • Jul 10 - Bucharest, RO - Piata Constitutiei
  • Jul 13 - Dusseldorf, DE - Esprit Arena
  • Jul 14 - Zurich, CH - Letzigrund Stadium
  • Jul 16 - Mannheim, DE - Maimarktgelande
  • Jul 17 - Udine, IT - Stadio Frilui
  • Jul 20 - Athens, GR - Olympic Stadium
  • Jul 22 - Vienna, AT - Ernst Happel Stadium
  • Jul 24 - Bruges, BE - Zeebrugge Beach
  • Jul 27 - Barcelona, ES - Estadio Olympico
  • Jul 29 - San Sebastian, ES - Estadio Anoeta
  • Jul 31 - Lisbon, PT - Parque De Belavista
For more details, check out this page.

Meanwhile Bob Lefsetz, who has had a bit to say about Bon Jovi in the past, has weighed in on the ticket price controversy again:
Last time around Bon Jovi didn’t sell out, and blew out and gave away tickets. What in hell makes the band think business will be better next year?

What are the indicators? When a product fades in the marketplace, the only way to juice sales is to reboot, refresh…

Instead, we get Bon Jovi doing "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and "Livin’ On A Prayer" one more time.

I guess they could always do albums. Then again, after "Slippery When Wet", then..?

If you’re a major act going out next year for a big ticket price, you’d better reevaluate. First you can drop the price. Dylan doesn’t charge much. If it’s about your greed, needing to make money to keep up your payments, you’re in trouble. It’s got to be about the music. And since you are a musician, you’ve got to do a different show.

What if Bon Jovi went out acoustic. Every number with wooden instruments as CSN&Y used to say. Maybe the venues would be smaller, but people would overpay for this, it’d be a special event.
Read the full article on the Lefsetz Letter.

In other news, Bon Jovi will be on The X Factor in the UK this Sunday, October 31 (Halloween). Rihanna and Jamiroquai will also perform. I'd love Bon Jovi to appear on the Australian X Factor but I don't think they'd be able to fit it into their schedule... not to mention, they'd probably do "What Do You Got?". I actually enjoy the song, but I'm not too keen on having it represent my favourite band to the masses, if you get what I mean.

And finally, I mentioned this a while ago but Bon Jovi are nominated for Best Live Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, so vote vote vote!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The More Things Change (with lyrics)

I mentioned in my previous post that "The More Things Change" was accidentally leaked on BonJovi.com momentarily. No surprises that it's since been shared, but if that link gets pulled you only have to wait a couple of days to hear it "officially" released on BonJovi.com.

Anyway the lyrics according to my ears:
The more things change the more the stay the same
The more things change the more the stay the same

Ah, is it just me or does anybody see
The new improved tomorrow isn't what it used to be
Yesterday keeps comin' 'round, it's just reality
It's the same damn song with a different melody
The market keeps on crashin'
Tattered jeans are back in fashion
'Stead of records, now it's MP3s
I tell you one more time with feeling
Even though this world is reeling
You're still you and I'm still me
I didn't mean to cause a scene
But I guess it's time to roll up our sleeves

The more things change the more they stay the same
The same sunrise, it's just another day
If you hang in long enough they say you're comin' back
Just take a look, we're living proof and baby that's a fact
You know the more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same

You're either runnin' round in circles or you're runnin' out of time
Everybody somewhere either 12, 3, 6 or 9
The times they are a-changin'
We're here to turn the page
It's the same old story but it's told a different way

The more things change the more they stay the same
The same sunrise, it's just another day
If you hang in long enough they say you're comin' back
Just take a look, we're living proof and baby that's a fact
You know the more things change the more they stay the same
Never and forever just keep comin' back again
Don't hold out for tomorrow or hold onto yesterday
The more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same

Here comes the na na na na na na nas
These days it's the raise the roof instead of sha la la
Here come the rappers, the dancers and the remixed drum machine
This one is for the CEOs and record companies
And if you're waitin' on a happy ending
We're gonna hit the hook one more time

The more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same

You know the more things change the more they stay the same
The same sunrise, it's just another day
If you hang in long enough they say you're comin' back
Just take a look, we're living proof and baby that's a fact
You know the more things change the more they stay the same
Never and forever just keep comin' back again
Don't hold out for tomorrow or hold onto yesterday
The more things change the more they stay the same
Whoa oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh

See what I mean about the ironic, almost self-deprecating lyrics? Or is it just me? ;)

EDIT: You can now listen to "The More Things Change" on BonJovi.com!

This Is Love, This Is Life (full song with lyrics)

After "No Apologies" was released a couple of days ago, "This Is Love, This Is Life" is now streaming on BonJovi.com.

Lyrics according to my ears:
These days what's left of me ain't no Prince Charming
And my Cinderella feels like she stayed at the dance too long
We ain't got much but what we got is all that matters
We're pickin' up the pieces, tryin' to put 'em back where they belong

Ohh, it's gonna be alright
This is love, this is life
When times get tough we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the brokenhearted
We gotta finish what we started
Ohhh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life

These days it seems like there's three sides to every story
There's yours, mine, lately there's the cold hard truth
Who cares who's wrong or right when we turn out the lights?
We'll find forgiveness when we're in each other's arms tonight
It ain't pretty but somehow we always make it through

Ohh, it's gonna be alright
This is love, this is life
When times get tough we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the brokenhearted
We gotta finish what we started
Ohhh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life

Ohh, it's gonna be alright
This is love, this is life
When times get tough we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the brokenhearted
We gotta finish what we started
Ohhh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life
This is love, this is life
This is love, this is life

If BonJovi.com doesn't work, try listening to it here.

So what do you think? I like it but they seem to be stacking on the effects on these new songs, so I'm not sure how it's all going to come across live.

"The More Things Change" was accidentally released earlier tonight; I heard it once before it was taken down, and the effects are all over that song too. I will also say that it cracked me up in the way a Meat Loaf song typically might (which is not necessarily a bad thing, given Bat Out of Hell is actually one of my favourite albums). I did like "The More Things Change" based on that solitary listen, but the lyrics seemed rather ironic or self-deprecating. So I'm hoping Jon and whoever else wrote the song were consciously taking the mickey out of themselves. ;)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Jon Bon Jovi in his own words and Baron Capital

Jon on Jon. This appeared in the Herald Sun's Sunday Magazine today:
A band is like a marriage or a family.
It was hard for us early on because, like in a new relationship, we were trying to figure each other out. You had to be careful about what you said or did, because sometimes people interpret things incorrectly. Everybody has their idiosyncrasies, but when you’ve been around each other for nearly three decades, as we have, you know what they are, so you don’t misinterpret them.

Richie [Sambora, Bon Jovi’s guitarist] and I are closer than brothers.
There have been periods of love and less than love between us, but I don’t think there was ever a period
of disrespect. He’s had a few setbacks. He’s been through a difficult divorce [from Heather Locklear], he’s had other personal problems [with substance abuse], but he got through it. I’ve spent more of my life with him than I have without him. That’s a statement.
Read the rest of it here.

Bon Jovi also played at an investment conference for Baron Capital Management on October 22. Apparently its founder Ron Baron gets a big name performer to each conference:
Suspense built when Baron, who grew up in Asbury Park, NJ, and spent summers working odd jobs on the Jersey Shore, said he had picked a fellow Jersey man.

Could it truly be? Could we be lucky enough to see Bruce Springsteen in concert while covering an investment conference? Sensing our excitement, Baron quickly quashed our hopes explaining it would not be the Boss.

Instead the 4,000 guests crowded into the opera house were serenaded by “the more handsome guy from New Jersey” as Jon Bon Jovi introduced himself. He performed such favorites as “You Give Love a Bad Name” and also gave his rendition of “Hallelujah.”
You can read the full story here.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

No Apologies (full song with lyrics)

"No Apologies" is now streaming on BonJovi.com. They've taken measures to prevent us from ripping the audio, which makes sense from a commercial perspective, but it means I have to keep refreshing the page to listen to the song because the Listen/Stop button doesn't seem to work a second time. You'd think Bon Jovi could afford to have a website that looked good, worked, and didn't take forever to load, but apparently not... and I will not be apologising for that snipe. :P

Lyrics according to my ears:
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt

Let's start this from the happy ending
Just another white trash train track kid
Fightin' for survival
Tryin' not to do like his daddy did

Double down the devil at Three-Card Monte
No apology, he just knew when to quit
Push your luck, say your prayers
Make believe you don't care
Take a chance, sometimes it's all you need

No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies
No apologies

You wanna start a personal revolution
I think you're livin' somebody else's life
You can lie about retribution
But there ain't no fire in your lover's eyes
Seems like everybody's sellin' their dreams 'round here
But no one's buyin' and it's closing time
Light the fuse, make your breaks
There's no time left to waste
Baby, just like freedom, nothing's free

No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies

You wanna start a personal revolution
What else you gotta do tonight?

No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies (no apologies)
No apologies
(no apologies)
No apologies
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out
No apologies

Corrections welcome. I'm particularly unsure about the "Three-card Monte" line, as I know absolutely nothing about card games.

If anyone has trouble getting BonJovi.com to work, listen to "No Apologies" here.

"This is Love, This is Life" will debut on BonJovi.com on October 25, and "The More Things Change" on October 27.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

November is Greatest Hits month...

Media release from BonJovi.com:

(October 20, 2010 – New York, NY) Over 1 billion consumer impressions worldwide – encompassing social networks and traditional media – will support the November 9th release of Bon Jovi’s brand new GREATEST HITS compilation on Island Records, featuring new single, “What Do You Got?” - the fastest growing Hot AC single in Bon Jovi’s history!

The project is topped by several high-profile campaigns – ranging from the ongoing “It’s My Life Animoto Video Contest” at BonJovi.com/ItsMyLife; to the two-month Comcast takeover (reaching 26 million households); and the unprecedented 45 minute “Live on Letterman” webcast concert performance (presented by AT&T) on the release date, November 9th, in conjunction with the band’s two-song broadcast appearance on the show that same night.

Prior to Bon Jovi’s Letterman date on November 9th, the band will perform live at the MTV EMAs in Madrid on November 7th, where they will be presented with the first-ever Global Icon Award. The next night, November 8th marks the premiere of the Bon Jovi movie One Night Only, documenting their historic concerts at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey in May 2010. One Night Only will premiere on over 750 movie screens worldwide.

In addition to the Letterman date on November 9th, Clear Channel Stripped/iheartradio will also air a 5-song performance broadcast on over 450 radio station websites. November 9th also marks the launch of the new RockBand 3 video game, featuring Bon Jovi. Another historic event will take place on November 10th, when New York’s WPLJ radio presents Bon Jovi Live from the Best Buy Theater in Times Square, at which the band will give fans an intimate sneak preview of their upcoming 2011 world tour.

Bon Jovi’s November 9th Letterman webcast concert performance, which will stream live on www.cbs.com/late_night/liveonletterman and VEVO.com, and will be broadcast on CBS radio stations nationwide, kicks off nearly a month of live tv performances in support of the album. These continue with NBC’s The Today Show (Nov. 12th); A&E’s Private Sessions (Nov. 14th); ABC’s American Music Awards (Nov. 21st); the syndicated Ellen (Nov. 23rd); CNN’s Heroes (Nov. 25th); and CNN’s Larry King Live (interview only, Nov. 29th).

Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS will transport listeners back in time through the band’s worldwide monster hits of the past and offer a bridge to the future with the debut of four brand new tracks. The single-CD 16-song program will be chock full of their biggest chart-toppers including “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Always,” “It’s My Life,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” to name a few. Two new songs round out the tracklisting, including the new single “What Do You Got?” whose video was shot in stunning stereoscopic 3D with noted director Wayne Isham.

A second configuration, GREATEST HITS - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION will be a 28-song double-CD package. Disc one will contain the 16-song standard edition CD, and disc two will feature beloved fan favorites including “Bed of Roses,” “Blood on Blood,” “These Days,” and “Keep The Faith,” to name a few. Disc two will also contain the third and fourth new tracks. All four new tracks – “What Do You Got?,” “The More Things Change,” “No Apologies,” and “This Is Love, This Is Life” – were written and recorded specifically for inclusion in this compilation.

The complete tracklistings for Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS and Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION is available at BonJovi.com. THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION will also be available on vinyl as a limited edition 4-LP box set, and also as a Bon Jovi logo-shaped USB flash drive.

For more information on all things Bon Jovi, please visit BonJovi.com.

Jon Bon Jovi and Sugarland

Jon joined Sugarland on October 18, 2010 in New York City for the American Express Unstaged event. With a bit of luck, "Who Says You Can't Go Home" will be uploaded to the Amex YouTube channel (Some of the other Sugarland songs are up). For now, the best I can do is this 1:48 snippet with dodgy sound:


Hath has, however, posted a cool picspam of the performance on her blog.

White Trash Beautiful interviews

At the White Trash Beautiful Spring 2011 fashion show, our favourite guitar god turned fashion designer Richie Sambora spoke exclusively to Hollyscoop about Ava:
“It’s so much fun,” Sambora said of working with Ava, who is one of WTB’s models. “I did a photo shoot with her a few years ago. I just said to the photographer, “Can you take some pictures for me, for my house of my daughter?’ And she went ‘Dad can I model?’

“The only modeling she has really done has been at my shows. That is where we are right now--her priorities are schoolwork and also I believe in maintaining the innocence of children. Before that when she is 18 or 19 she is going to do what she wants to do and I’m going to support her and help her through it.”
Read the full article here and/or watch this video:


Extra also caught up with Richie and Nikki Lund... check it out at this link if you have trouble with the embedded video.

So there's a WTB men's line a-coming...

There's also an interview with Ava on the PEOPLE website:
“I’m still nervous I just know how to hide it,” she admitted. “It’s like I really hope I’m not gonna trip, but now I’m a little more comfortable with it.”
Read the full article here.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Thank yous, EMAs and Greatest Hits news

Hi Joviacs,

Let me first extend my apologies for not being as "on the ball" with this blog as I'd like to be. I'm in my final month of the semester so with assignments, as well as my other (paid) writing commitments, I haven't had as much time to scour videos and news as I'd like. But after this month, I'll be free to feed the blog with all the Jersey boy nutrition it deserves. ;)

Thanks for the continued readership, support, comments, tweets, likes, etc. They do not go unappreciated! I blog as much for you guys as I do for my own crazy love. ;)

Secondly, Bon Jovi will be presented with the Global Icon award at MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid on November 7, 2010:
"There's no question that Bon Jovi has achieved iconic status across the globe and is widely recognized as one of the most beloved and influential rock bands of all time," said Bruce Gillmer, Executive Vice President, Music and Talent, Programming/Events, MTV Networks International.

"Over the years, MTV and Bon Jovi have given fans an incredible array of amazing and unique experiences and we are thrilled to honour such a seminal act as Bon Jovi with the first-ever MTV EMA Global Icon award."
Read the full article here.

Thirdly, Australian fans can pre-order the Greatest Hits from JB Hi-Fi for the chance to win 2 VIP packages to the third Sydney show on December 19. You can listen to some more clips of the new songs on Amazon.

Based on these, the previews on iTunes, and previously released snippets -- which Savvi has kindly edited together -- here are the lyrics (I think) for each song so far:

"No Apologies" --
Double down the devil at Three-Card Monte
No apology, he just knew when to quit
Push your luck, say your prayers
Make believe you don't care
Take a chance, sometimes it's all you need
No apologies
No apologies (no apologies)
We will not back down (no apologies)
We are not afraid (no apologies)
Not a drop of doubt (no apologies)
Hand in hand across this land
Our voices shouting out...

"This Is Love, This Is Life" --
We ain't got much but what we got is all that matters
We're pickin' up the pieces, tryin' to put 'em back where they belong
Ohh, it's gonna be alright
This is love, this is life
When times get tough we're still worth the fight
This is love, this is life
The road here's paved with the brokenhearted
We gotta finish what we started
Ohhh, better hold on tight
This is love, this is life
These days it seems like there's...

"The More Things Change" --
I tell you one more time with feeling
Even though this world is reeling
You're still you and I'm still me
I didn't mean to cause a scene
But I guess it's time to roll up our sleeves
The more things change the more they stay the same
The same sunrise, it's just another day
If you hang in long enough they say you're coming back
Just take a look, we're living proof and baby that's a fact
You know the more things change the more they stay the same
The more things change the more they stay the same
You're either runnin' round in circles or you're runnin' out of time
Everybody somewhere either...

Based on these previews, which songs do you like/dislike?

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Auckland show moved to Vector Arena

From BonJovi.com:
Rock’s global icons, Bon Jovi, return to New Zealand in December as part of The Circle world tour.

Bon Jovi will play Westpac Stadium in Wellington on December 4 as originally scheduled, however the Auckland show on December 5 has been moved indoors to Vector Arena.

Said Promoter Paul Dainty “When we planned the tour we believed we could move the huge Wellington outdoor show to Auckland overnight but with the sheer scale of their show this has proved unachievable. We have been forced to move the 5th December show indoors to Vector Arena.”

Ticketholders for the Auckland show will be contacted by Ticketek to arrange replacement tickets for the new venue OR a refund. 0800 Ticketek (0800 842 538) or www.ticketek.co.nz.

Replacement tickets will be issued by Ticketmaster from the 1st November at which time all enquiries should be directed to 09 970 9700 (0800 111 999) or www.ticketmaster.co.nz for further details.

Gulf Shores set list

Bon Jovi headed to Alabama for a free concert.

Gulf Shores, USA - Gulf Shores Public Beach - October 15, 2010

Blood On Blood
We Weren't Born To Follow
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lot Of Leavin'
Runaway
We Got It Goin' On
It's My Life
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
Lay Your Hands On Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Jumpin' Jack Flash [Rolling Stones cover]
Work For The Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Livin' On A Prayer

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead Or Alive

White Trash Beautiful song? + Billboard tour awards

Cheers to Hath and samboragirl for the heads-up.

A video has been posted on the White Trash Beautiful blog in the lead-up to LA Fashion Week. Check it out. You can hear what Nikki Lund has confirmed is their fashion show theme song entitled "White Trash Beautiful".

We know the WTB clothing line was born after a song Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora abandoned, called "White Trash Beautiful". And Richie has said he and Nikki are working on some music together. Is this a rejigged version of that original song?

Oh, and Bon Jovi are among the finalists for the 2010 Billboard Top Touring Awards:
Bon Jovi, U2, AC/DC, Lady GaGa, Brad Paisley, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are among the top finalists for the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards, which will be handed out in New York on Nov. 4. The awards - which honor artists, tours, venues, and live entertainment firms - are primarily based on global box office numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore from Oct. 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2010.
Bon Jovi is competing with U2 and AC/DC for the Top Tour and Top Draw awards. Read the full article here.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

It's My Life Animoto video contest

Bon Jovi has teamed up with video creation platform Animoto for the "It's My Life" Contest, where fans can win two concert tickets or a signed gold record.

Share why your life rocks through images and video clips of yourself, your friends, and family. Every two weeks a new song will become available for you to show just how amazing your life is.
First song available for use is "Livin' on a Prayer". It will be followed by "It's My Life", "Blaze of Glory" and "We Weren’t Born to Follow". Each song is only live for two weeks.

The contest is being run as part of a promotion for the Greatest Hits, so the goal is also to have you share your video with as many people as possible.
Every other week Bon Jovi will pick a winning video. To qualify, your video must have:
  • At least 100+ views
  • 10 Facebook likes
  • Greatest Hits Titlecard Animoto will place in your video
The selected winner will win a pair of tickets to see Bon Jovi live in concert to a tour date of their choice. The selected Grand Prize winner will win a signed Gold record of their favorite Bon Jovi album.

Contest runs from October 12 – December 8th.

Click here for more details and to enter. Unfortunately it's only open to legal residents of the US and Canada (excluding Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Quebec).

New York City fan club gig

I'm not a member of the Backstage JBJ fan club, but they're having an exclusive show at New York City's Best Buy Theater on November 10, 2010. Cheers to Hath for these details:

WPLJ Presents Bon Jovi Live from the Best Buy Theater
Wednesday November 10th
Doors: 7PM EST
Show: 8PM EST

Backstage JBJ will be offering exclusive access to purchase tickets for this show starting Monday, October 18th at 8PM EST. Only current Backstage JBJ Members will be eligible to purchase tickets for this show and tickets are limited so be sure to get your tickets starting at 8PM (Eastern) on Monday 10/18.

Backstage JBJ Ticketing Terms:
  • Tickets are non-transferable. 
  • There is a maximum limit of two (2) tickets per Backstage member. 
  • Tickets either being shipped or held at Backstage JBJ Fan Club will call, depending on seat location. 
  • Purchase your tickets as soon as possible because quantities are limited. 
  • Pre-sale will end when allotment is exhausted or at the pre-sale End Time determined by management 
  • Pre-sale end Time subject to change.

Ray Davies and Bon Jovi - Celluloid Heroes

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are among the star-studded lineup on The Kinks front man Ray Davies' new album See My Friends. Here's a snippet of Jon and Ray singing "Celluloid Heroes".



And here is Bon Jovi performing the song live with Ray Davies at Shepherds Bush Empire in London in 2002.


The full tracklist for the See My Friends, out November 1 is:
1. Better Things (feat. Bruce Springsteen)
2. Celluloid Heroes (feat. Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora)
3. Days/This Time Tomorrow (feat. Mumford & Sons)
4. A Long Way From Home (feat. Lucinda Williams & The 88)
5. You Really Got Me (feat. Metallica)
6. Lola (feat. Paloma Faith)
7. Waterloo Sunset (feat. Jackson Browne)
8. 'Til The End Of The Day (feat. Alex Chilton & The 88)
9. Dead End Street (feat. Amy Macdonald)
10. See My Friends (feat. Spoon)
11. This Is Where I Belong (feat. Black Francis)
12. David Watts (feat. The 88)
13. Tired Of Waiting (feat. Gary Lightbody)
14. All Day And All Of The Night/Destroyer (feat. Billy Corgan)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Altiyan Childs sings Livin' on a Prayer

My Twitter followers might have noticed in the past few weeks that I'm a huge fan of Altiyan Childs, The X Factor Australia's resident eccentric rocker. Now, this guy has polarised people from Day 1 when he botched his audition and was allowed to return, but there was just something about him that piqued my interest, and he does have a lot of fans to balance his vocal haters. In fact, Altiyan was in the top 10 trending topics worldwide on Twitter earlier tonight.

Anyway, this is a Bon Jovi blog and Altiyan took on a song that's tough at the best of times and probably a lot tougher when you've been battling tonsillitis all week. Apparently his mentor, Ronan Keating even rang Jon to ask permission to tackle "Livin' on a Prayer", lol. Here is Altiyan's intro package, performance and the judges' comments.

Tico Torres interview

Tico talks to Jamie Stangroom about golf and drumming.

Ultimate Video Collection, Rock Band, Soul Foundation, Facebook, Bridge Over Troubled Water

This is a bit of a "catch-up" post... a few days is a loooong time in Jovi Land. ;)

First of all, there'll be a deluxe edition of the upcoming Greatest Hits featuring The Ultimate Video Collection: a DVD featuring 16 of the band's music videos (presumably the singles on the Greatest Hits standard edition or first disc), plus 17 live tracks including "We Weren't Born to Follow" from the roof of the O2 arena. I don't yet know if this is getting a worldwide release but if worse comes to worst, you should be able to buy it online:
If anyone finds any more links or information about this, leave a comment or let me know.

Secondly, Bon Jovi has partnered up with the makers of Rock Band 3 as part of the Greatest Hits promotion:
The band’s entire Greatest Hits collection, which hits shelves on November 9th, will be available as DLC for Rock Band. And the publisher has partnered with the group for promotional activity.

“Bon Jovi is undergoing all manner of promotional activities, including a tour. And we are partnering with them to help bring that to the masses,” MTV’s SVP of electronic games and music, Paul DeGooyer, told MCV.
Read the rest of the article on MCV. By the way: DLC = downloadable content and SVP = senior vice president.

I might actually have to start playing games again. ;)

Thirdly, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation (formerly Philadelphia Soul Foundation) celebrated its fourth anniversary on October 5. Here's what Jon had to say on their Facebook page:
it's been 5 years since President Bill Clinton came to Philadelphia to launch the JBJ SOUL FOUNDATION. time flies when your having fun. thanks to so many for so much. our work is helping families all over the country get a much needed hand up. check out our website to see what we've done and how you can help out... jbj

Fourthly, Bon Jovi hit five million Facebook fans on October 7 (Tico's birthday). Jon posted a thank you video which you can view at this link.

And finally, in the wake of Mercedes' (Amber Riley) rendition of the Simon and Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on Glee, Vulture is running a poll YouTubed performance of the song. The options are:
  • The Keytones
  • Radojka Å verko
  • Bobby Darin
  • Clay Aiken
  • Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
  • Mercedes
Click here to watch all the versions and vote. Despite its High School Musical-esque reputation, I personally love Glee (although I haven't seen this episode yet because the show is on hiatus in Australia during the Commonwealth Games) but Jon and Richie take the prize for me.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Rio de Janeiro set list

Pretty short... but sweet set for the last show of Bon Jovi's Latin/South American leg of the tour. Looks like Jon and the band remembered The Circle still exists, too.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Apoteose Stadium - October 8, 2010
Lost Highway
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Superman Tonight
Radio Saved My Life Tonight
Just Older
Runaway
It's My Life
Bad Medicine / Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover]
Homebound Train [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
What Do You Got?
Always
Happy Now
Thorn In My Side
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule
Keep the Faith

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

The BJCT blog will have all the video links in due course, and I'm sure I'll showcase some on here too.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Happy birthday Tico

Born October 7, 1953: Hector Samuel Juan "Tico" Torres. Happy birthday Hitman! ;)

Here he is singing "Crazy" (written by Willie Nelson and originally recorded by Patsy Cline) in Helsinki on the These Days Tour.

Sao Paulo set list

It was always going to be tough to top Bueno Aires, and this set isn't quite as inherently awesome, but it's still good. ;)

São Paulo, Brazil - Estádio do Morumbi - October 6, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Superman Tonight
In These Arms
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
When We Were Beautiful
Runaway
We Got It Goin' On
It's My Life
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Always
Blaze of Glory
I'll Be There For You
Have a Nice Day
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith

ENCORE:
These Days
Wanted Dead or Alive
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Livin' on a Prayer
Bed of Roses

BJCT will have all the video links in due course.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

These Days, Sat Night, Always, Dry County, Roses in Bueno Aires

I don't know if I can say "Bon Jovi loves Argentina" given they kind of ignored the country for 15 years, but I think I can quite safely say the band put on a hell of a show in Bueno Aires on October 3, 2010.

THESE DAYS - Maybe it's just shock from the killer set, but I think this could well be the best performance of "These Days" that has occurred since I became a diehard fan. And by the sounds of it, one of the best crowd performances too! Jon also changed the lyric from "I guess she's trying to be James Dean" to "She was trying to be like me".


SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT - I love those "ad libs".


ALWAYS


DRY COUNTY


BED OF ROSES


Check out Hath's Circle Tour Blog for more awesome videos.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Bueno Aires set list

I just about fell over when I saw this. "Always", "Blaze", "Dry County", "Superman" (which seemed to have fallen off the radar), "Raise Your Hands", "These Days", "Saturday Night", "Roses" and a superencore. I haven't forgotten the way they gave up on The Circle but still, this set goes to show that when Bon Jovi want to turn it on, they really can. ;)

BUENO AIRES, ARGENTINA - RIVER PLATE STADIUM - OCTOBER 3, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
In These Arms
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Superman Tonight
We Got It Goin' On
It's My Life
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover]
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Always
Blaze of Glory
I'll Be There For You
Raise Your Hands
Runaway
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Keep the Faith
Dry County

ENCORE:
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

ENCORE #2:
These Days

ENCORE #3:
Have a Nice Day
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

ENCORE #4:
Bed of Roses

Head to BJCT for videos as they come. I'll certainly be showcasing some too. ;)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Santiago set list

Bon Jovi returned to Chile for the first time in about 18 years and after a couple of pretty vanilla sets, produced probably the best set list of the "Latin American leg". No massive shock inclusions, but a pretty solid set.

SANTIAGO, CHILE - ESTADIO NACIONAL - OCTOBER 1, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
When We Were Beautiful
Have a Nice Day
Work for the Working Man
We Got It Goin' On
It's My Life
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
Always
I'll Be There For You
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Runaway
Keep the Faith

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

ENCORE #2:
Bed of Roses

Head to BJCT for videos as they come.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Bon Jovi app - available in the iTunes store now

Daniele Fruzzetti has developed the Bon Jovi Tour Guide app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad:
With Bon Jovi Tour Guide you can get all the info about the Bon Jovi Circle Tour 2010 with DAILY UPDATES of CONCERTS SETLIST! Search within the App for YOUTUBE VIDEOS of concerts, just tap on a song title in the setlist! Search within the App for PHOTOS of concerts on Flickr! Bon Jovi Tour Guide provides also info about tickets availability and links to buy them.
Check out the app here.
I only have an iPod nano so I haven't tried this app myself, but if anyone else does, feel free to post a review. :)