Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Bon Jovi headlining Isle of Wight Festival

Bon Jovi has been announced as the headlining act for the third day of the Isle of Wight Festival Here's the press release:
It's My Wight - Bon Jovi to Headline Sunday

27/11/2012


Following yesterday's announcement of Friday headliners The Stone Roses the Isle of Wight Festival just got hotter with the addition of Grammy Award winning Bon Jovi to its 2013 line up. Closing the Main Stage with a UK festival exclusive on Sunday 16th June the rock superstars will top off another ultimate weekend of world-class music. Tickets for what will be an unbelievable experience go on sale on Wednesday 28th November.

For almost three decades, Bon Jovi have earned their reputation on the road as the essential live rock band - having performing for more than 35 million fans at more than 2,700 concerts is over 50 countries. Along the way, the New Jersey-based band - lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres - have sold 130 million albums and have released a raft of awe-inspiring hit singles. Now they bring their anthemic live show to the Isle of Wight Festival, so make sure you don't miss out on this unforgettable and historic performance. Now Bon Jovi join Friday's Main Stage headliners The Stone Roses, as the Isle of Wight Festival 2013 shapes up to be another astounding year.

Jon Bon Jovi, says:
"The Isle of Wight Festival is legendary and we're excited to join in the long tradition of Rock 'n' Roll history. We are honoured to be the headliners on the Main Stage Sunday night. This will mark our first visit to the island and I expect it will prove to be a highlight of our tour and of 2013."

John Giddings, the Festival's promoter, says:
"I can't imagine a better rock band with more hits to close our Sunday night. The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen are hard acts to follow – but I think they'll do it!"
For more info check out the Isle of Wight Festival website.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bon Jovi Inside Out: What would you ask them?



Bon Jovi Inside Out will be screening in the US on November 27 and Canada on November 28... and on Twitter, they've invited fans to submit questions for the live Q&A by hashtagging #AskBonJovi. There are a lot of stupid ones being asked to be honest (I won't give examples) and I don't know what sort of questions will get answered, but it is cool to see the band and its "people" actually start to embrace the social side of social media in more recent times instead of only using it to hard sell merchandise and expensive packages.



Meanwhile, Inside Out executive producer John Rubey gave an interview with AL.com:
John, what does a major rock band like Bon Jovi hope to achieve with a one-night-only cinema event like "Inside Out"?

I think it's a moment for them to let their fans know what they're doing and what's next. Tell them about the new tour in 2013. Bon Jovi doesn't do a lot of interviews, and they're going to take the fans questions from the theaters. It gives you an opportunity to see the band's performance on movie theater screens that are so massive in scale – it's a really awesome experience with all the big pictures and big sound.

Tell me about the process of selecting performances, which were culled from shows at the O2 Arena, Meadowlands Stadium and Madison Square Garden, for "Inside Out"?

Well, you've got three epic performances recorded over three years. What's pretty amazing about it is how consistently the band performs from year to year, and yet at the same time every one of them is so different. MSG was on the 25th anniversary of the band, and Madison Square Garden has been such an iconic venue for so many years. Meadowlands Stadium, that was the opening of the stadium in the band's home state of New Jersey, so that's pretty special. Then the O2 in London is probably the busiest music venue at the arena level, and that was about a 15-show run there. They all sort of have their stories to them.

Which performance are you most fond of?

I love them all and it's hard to call one out. I think we open with "Blood on Blood," and that's an awesome song. So I really like that one. We close with "Who Says You Can't Go Home."
Check out the rest of the article here.

Here's a video of Livin' on a Prayer from Inside Out. Looks like this is how they're tackling the 2/3 shows in one movie thing. Hmmm.


Anyway who's going to see this?

Thursday, November 22, 2012

#BecauseWeCan - Bon Jovi US tour dates

Because We Can

US dates have been announced for Bon Jovi's 2013 Because We Can Tour, with more to come this week. Obviously from a personal perspective I'm still waiting for Aussie tour dates but the way I see it, it's almost the end of this year, which means it's almost next year, which means it's almost close enough to taste... right? ;)

Anyway, here are the new dates:
  • February 9 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
  • February 10 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
  • February 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - CONSOL Energy Center
  • February 27 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
  • March 1 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Times Forum
  • March 2 - Sunrise, FL - BB&T Center
  • March 5 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
  • March 6 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
  • March 9 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
  • March 10 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
  • March 13 - St Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
  • March 14 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
  • March 16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake Energy Arena
  • April 7 - St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
  • April 10 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
  • April 11 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
  • April 13 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
  • April 14 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
  • April 16 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
  • April 17 - Salt Lake City, UT - EnergySolutions Arena
  • April 19 - Los Angeles, C - STAPLES Center
  • April 20 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
  • April 23 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
  • April 25 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion at San Jose
  • July 12 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field
  • July 24 - E Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium
  • July 25 - E Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium

The following cities have also been announced but no dates/venues confirmed yet:
  • Detroit, MI
  • Foxboro, MA
  • Memphis, TN
  • Milwaukee, WI
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Portland, OR
  • Raleigh, NC
  • San Antonio, TX
  • Seattle, WA
  • State College, PA
  • Vancouver, BC

Visit the Bon Jovi website for all the tour dates and info so far.

There's also a sweepstakes giving away Ultimate VIP Packages to the North American shows so if you'd like to enter that, mosey on over to Bon Jovi's Facebook page.

Which shows are you looking forward to?

Jon Bon Jovi talks about daughter's OD

I'm reluctant to say too much about Stephanie Bongiovi's recent stint in the headlines given she didn't choose to be a celebrity's child (the only reason her reported heroin overdose made international news), but Jon has commented on it for the first time:

Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

Sunday, November 18, 2012

JBJ Soul Foundation - Hurricane Sandy Relief videos

Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has released seven videos interspersing a live JBJ performance from November 9, 2012 with images of the Hurricane Sandy disaster to encourage donations in support of relief efforts.

Here are two brand new songs Jon wrote for the Stand Up Guys soundtrack (He performed them at a fan club gig in August but they have not been officially released yet).

Old Habits Die Hard


Not Running Anymore


You can watch and share the other videos at the JBJ Soul Foundation website.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Jon Bon Jovi (THR) & Hugh McDonald (iBass) interviews

A couple of interviews I thought were worth watching.

Scott Feinberg interviewed Jon Bon Jovi for The Hollywood Reporter a while ago. In it, Jon talks about his career from its early beginnings right through to the passion he found working on the Stand Up Guys soundtrack. Probably one of the better interviews with JBJ in a long time.


Hugh McDonald is rarely seen speaking so I love it when he does. This is an interview earlier in the year with iBass Magazine. He talks about how the Beatles changed his life, playing with Bon Jovi, and being a bass player.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Richie Sambora - Seven Years Gone in LA

It took until the only American show of the abbreviated Aftermath of the Lowdown Tour, but at last Richie Sambora played Seven Years Gone for the first time ever at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.


What do you think?

Check out the full set list from LA here.

12.12.12 Concert for Sandy Relief

Jon Bon Jovi will join a super lineup at the 12.12.12 Concert for Sandy Relief -- Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2012. Here's the media release:
NEW YORK, NY, November 15, 2012 –Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company and The Weinstein Company announced today that the “12-12-12” concert on December 12, 2012 at Madison Square Garden will feature Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Roger Waters, Kanye West, and The Who, with other top artists to be announced.

Event producers, James Dolan, John Sykes and Harvey Weinstein issued the following joint statement: “12-12-12‟ is shaping up to be a showcase of music royalty. The response from the entertainment community to help those most affected by Hurricane Sandy has been nothing short of astounding. We expect to announce additional legendary performers in the near future and we are confident that the event will ensure those in need will not be forgotten, and vital aid will be directed to rebuilding our communities along the East Coast.”

The “12-12-12” line-up was announced earlier today with a simultaneous roadblock announcement across all 850 Clear Channel radio stations nationwide, as well as on their websites and iHeartRadio, and on Fuse, the national music television network owned by The Madison Square Garden Company. The special one night only live music event will help provide assistance to the millions of people throughout the tri-state area who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy.

More information will be released in the coming days related to tickets and VIP ticket packages; on-sale information; partners and sponsors; as well as telecast information. The most up to date information on “12-12-12” can be found by visiting www.121212concert.org.

As the tri-state region begins to recover from Sandy's stunning and acute devastation along the coastal areas of Long Island, Queens, Staten Island and New Jersey, there remains an enormous task of rebuilding both the infrastructure and thousands of shattered lives. “12-12-12” presents an important opportunity for the community and nation to come together to provide significant support to these communities as they confront staggering short- and long-term issues.

Clear Channel will promote the concert on-air and online, and will also run a “text-to-give” campaign in the weeks leading up to the event across its stations as well as iHeartRadio.com. The proceeds from the concert will go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund which is providing money, material and know-how to local organizations that are serving families and individuals in the regions hardest hit by the storm.

The concert is being produced by James Dolan, Executive Chairman of The Madison Square Garden Company; John Sykes, President of Clear Channel Entertainment Enterprises; and Harvey Weinstein, Co-Founder and Chairman of The Weinstein Company.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Richie Sambora to rock Late Late Show

Richie Sambora and his band will be the house band on CBS' Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson from December 3rd to 7th! Here's a sneak peak:




Jon Bon Jovi's daughter arrested

Reports of Stephanie Bongiovi's arrest for drug possession after a suspected heroin overdose has been the big news in Jovi Land today:
Jon Bon Jovi's 19-year-old daughter Stephanie Rose Bongiovi was arrested at her college in Upstate New York early this morning after allegedly overdosing on heroin ... TMZ has learned.

According to the Town of Kirkland Police Department, cops responded to a dorm room at Hamilton College after someone reported that Stephanie had allegedly overdosed on heroin and was unresponsive.

Along with police, emergency medical personnel also responded to the scene and found Stephanie alive.

Cops say a drug task force searched the scene and found a "small quantity" of heroin ... along with marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
You can read more at TMZ (and pretty much every other news/gossip site).

In my opinion, the news has brought out an ugly side of the Bon Jovi fan base. While I don't think the all-gushing "JBJ and family can do no wrong", "Please pray for this poor angel" types are particularly helpful, the more sinister judgmental reactions I've seen are worse. People are so often quick to judge without knowing the whole story. Even more so when it's someone like Stephanie, whom we actually know very little about except that she's the only daughter of a very wealthy rock star -- an easy person to stereotype.

Secondly, people supposedly much older and wiser make silly mistakes every day. Many are also quite open about dabbling in drugs. There is a distinction to be made between, say, smoking pot on occasion and getting into something as hard as heroin. But I still don't understand people justifying their own drug use in the same breath as they condemn Stephanie or revel in what has happened to her with holier-than-thou condescension, e.g. "Yeah I've done XYZ drugs and it was cool but I would never touch heroin because I'm not retarded". Huh?!

Then again, perhaps I'd be less confused if I wasn't a non-drinker and non-smoker who's never so much as touched a Panadol in her life. :P

ADDENDUM: Charges against Stephanie and the guy who was arrested with her have reportedly been dropped thanks to New York's 911 Good Samaritan laws which are designed to allow overdose victims to get emergency help without fear of criminal charges.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Bon Jovi Inside Out trailer

Bon Jovi's Because We Can Tour is taking on the world in 2013 but before that, Bon Jovi Inside Out is hitting the big screen for one night only... November 27 in the US, November 28 in Canada. (I don't know about other countries yet).

Check out the trailer!



You can find out more at the Fathom Events website.

Richie Sambora - Los Angeles set list 13/11/12

It was a bittersweet event when the only North American show Richie Sambora didn't cancel went ahead, with all profits being donated to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Fund. Fan favourite Seven Years Gone FINALLY made an appearance and a snippet of Rosie was reportedly played before the Beatles medley.

Los Angeles, US - Fonda Theatre - November 13, 2012
  1. Burn The Candle Down
  2. Every Road Leads Home to You
  3. Nowadays
  4. Stranger in this Town
  5. Taking a Chance on the Wind
  6. Weathering the Storm
  7. Hungry Heart [Bruce Springsteen cover] / I'll Be There For You
  8. Hard Times Come Easy
  9. Seven Years Gone
  10. You Can Only Get So High
  11. Who Says You Can't Go Home / Wild Night [Van Morrison cover]
  12. Encore:
  13. Wanted Dead or Alive
  14. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End [Beatles medley]
  15. Livin' on a Prayer [acoustic]
  16. These Days

Was anyone in LA for this show?

Monday, November 5, 2012

JBJ on new album What About Now (out March 2013)

Jon Bon Jovi talks about the new album:

  • Jon mentioned it on Skavlan but as well as being the name of the upcoming tour, Because We Can is the lead single. Hope the song is not another It's My Life / Everyday / Have a Nice Day / We Weren't Born to Follow rewrite.
  • Matt Bongiovi said last month that the album title What About Now wasn't confirmed yet but presumably it is now. Four months to go!
  • The album is "socially conscious", contains "big anthems" and is a "smart record for us" -- that last one is an intriguing comment. Might mean another The Circle though, which I still love but lots of people either felt alienated by it or got sick of it very quickly.
Are you looking forward to a new album next year or do you think the band should have taken an even longer break?

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Jon Bon Jovi - Skavlan interview + Hurricane Sandy benefit

While in London recently, Jon Bon Jovi guested on Norwegian talk show Skavlan and talked about Hurricane Sandy, the political climate in America and his career trajectory. He also shared a bit of a bromance with Robbie Williams who was one of the other guests.


Jon cut short his planned European promotional tour in the wake of the devastation caused by the superstorm.

Backed by Lorenza Ponce and Bobby Bandiera, he performed a beautiful acoustic rendition of Who Says You Can't Go Home and Livin' on a Prayer for the Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together appeal on November 2.



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Richie Sambora cancels San Francisco gig

There are a lot of angry Richie Sambora fans, especially in North America tonight after his San Francisco show joined New York City, Philadelphia and Toronto on the Cancelled Gig List. Illness was given as the reason for the three cancelled shows in October, but San Fran just got this email from the venue:
We really wish we didn't have to send this email but we regret to inform you that Richie Sambora, on Friday, November 16, 2012, at The Regency Ballroom has been cancelled.

If you purchased your tickets via credit card for this event, a refund will automatically be issued to your credit card within 7-10 days in most cases. Otherwise, refunds are available at point of purchase.
On Twitter, Richie offered little explanation other than to claim San Francisco was beyond his control but Los Angeles would go ahead as planned:




Given that the LA show is November 13 -- three days BEFORE San Francisco would have been -- and Richie has been doing other promotional and fan club meets and greets in the meantime, it seems pretty apparent now that the shows weren't really cancelled because he was ordered on "full vocal rest." Most likely it was slow ticket sales as had been speculated.

Now if sales were so poor that they were going to lose money by going ahead with the shows, I can understand why a decision might be made to cancel... Not to mention how much that would wound an artist's ego; Richie was obviously very proud of this record. Aftermath of the Lowdown wasn't expected to set the world on fire but I do wish more people had really got behind it. And maybe it wasn't Richie's decision to maintain the laryngitis/sinusitis/cold/flu ruse.

But the people who had planned to go to those shows are real diehard fans who have invested not only their wallets but their hearts and souls in him. People who may not have been able to afford expensive meet-and-greet packages but had nevertheless taken time off work, made arrangements for their families and booked flights and accommodation that they can't necessarily get refunded. Surely those fans deserve a show, even if it's a small crowd. Surely the shows could have been moved to a more intimate venue if needed. And if not, surely those fans deserved the truth? :(

The flipside is, of course, fans who adore everything about their idols no matter what -- who have begun raging against Richie's "haters" on various social media platforms. I think I saw a couple of tweets from people who said that "real fans" would just go to LA instead of bitching about cancellations. Now I know money talks and makes the world go around, but money doesn't equal love, not in my book.

And I don't think the fandom "hates" Richie. But they are certainly bitterly disappointed and it will take a long time for the hurt to subside.

ADDENDUM:
Richie has just tweeted that he'll try to reschedule some shows for January. I sure hope it happens...