Phil X thanks Bon Jovi fans

As Bon Jovi prepares to take a break during August, Phil X has thanked fans for their support. The past tense of this tweet has naturally led to speculation that he won't be playing on the rest of the tour. It's also possible he just doesn't know at this stage whether he'll be tapped for the next leg, which doesn't start until September, and the six-week break is a good time to say thanks if MetLife Stadium ends up being his last Bon Jovi gig. Throughout the tour, he has avoided answering questions about any future Bon Jovi shows (i.e. beyond the current leg) that he may or may not be at.

a HUGE thanks to everyone for the awesome tweets, pic/vid posts, comments & so forth. you made my @BonJovi experience even more KICK ASS!

— Phil X (@TheRealPhilX) July 30, 2013

To add further fuel to the fire, September is the tentative return date Richie Sambora offered RumorFix (although he later tweeted that those were just his "hopes" and nothing was happening yet), while Phil's wife is due to give birth to their first child in October.

Any tips on who might be on lead guitar for the rest of the tour if Phil and Richie are unavailable?

Come Back As Me: New Richie Sambora song

Just as Bon Jovi takes a six-week touring break, Richie Sambora unleashes a previously-unreleased track on the world called Come Back As Me, via his fashion partner-in-crime Nikki Lund:

Listen up! Check out this brand new yet to be released song by @therealsambora "Come Back As Me" http://t.co/KaFzyq6aeu ~ It rocks!

— Nikki Lund (@1NikkiLund) July 28, 2013

Listen to COME BACK AS ME - by Richie Sambora

Here are the lyrics that I could make out... Corrections welcome:

What do you want me to say?
I'll tell you anything you wanna know
You wanna know about disappointment
Baby, I haven't watched that show
I been up, I been down
You seen me crawl with my face on the ground
All this pain, this pride
I carry around like a knife in my side

In spite of it all, for all that you see
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me
Rewind and press play, I'll burn up the screen
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me

Hey, what do you want me to say?
I gave you everything I could give
But everything just wasn't enough
So I just let live and let live
I got lost, I got found
Break my heart but it don't make a sound
Hard times, bad luck
I've had my share but it's turnin' around
Grateful for the burden even before it felt good
So here's my revelation, won't be misunderstood

In spite of it all, I'm comic relief
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me
Rewind and press play, I'll burn up the screen
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me

(Turn it up, baby)

Grateful for the burden, even before it felt good
So here's my revelation, I won't be misunderstood

In spite of it all, for all that you see
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me
Not Elvis or God
Not Frankie, not Dean
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me
In spite of it all, for all that you see
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me
Not Elvis or God
Not Frankie, not Dean
If I died tomorrow, I'd come back as me

I think the song is an outtake from the Aftermath of the Lowdown sessions. It was written before all this drama surrounding Bon Jovi and Richie's departure from the tour began. But given the timing of its release, the reference to Jon's idol Frank Sinatra, and tweets like this...

Since everybody was diggin stuff figured I'd lay something new on ya. And the lyric is pretty timely....

— Richie Sambora (@TheRealSambora) July 28, 2013

...it's a little hard not to read it as a dig at Jon.

What do you think of the track (and everything else)?

Bon Jovi East Rutherford set list 29/7/13

Bon Jovi wrapped up this leg of the Because We Can Tour at MetLife Stadium with virtually the same set as the previous show at the same venue two nights earlier. Well, These Days was swapped out for I Love This Town, and Dry County was added to the encore, but those are pretty much the only differences. To be honest, I'm a little flabbergasted that they were so stagnant between consecutive shows at a stadium in New Jersey -- even more so given it was the final show of a leg, with the next concert over six weeks away.

Were you at the show?

East Rutherford, NJ, US - MetLife Stadium - July 27, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Goin' On
11. Keep the Faith
12. You Want to Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones cover
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
18. Bad Medicine
    / Old Time Rock 'n' Roll - Bob Seger cover

Encore 1:
19. Dry County
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Runaway
22. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
23. Have a Nice Day
24. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 2:
25. Always
26. I Love This Town

Bon Jovi East Rutherford set list 25/7/13

Bon Jovi returned home to New Jersey for the first of two shows at MetLife Stadium before the August break in the tour. Despite some rumours swirling before the show, Richie Sambora did not make an appearance.

Were you at this show?

East Rutherford, NJ, US - MetLife Stadium - July 25, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Born To Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. (You Want to) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
    / Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison cover
18. Bad Medicine
Encore 1:
19. Runaway
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
22. Have a Nice Day
23. Livin' on a Prayer
Encore 2:
24. Always
25. These Days

Richie Sambora's Every Road contest winners

Richie Sambora has finally revealed the winners of his Every Road Leads Home to You cover contest.

The winner was of the signed guitar is Valentin with his ukulele/accordion/percussion/vocal cover:


There were also four runners-up.

Kowy (acoustic guitars)


violemunram (vocal/acoustic guitar)


Ben Jonathan (vocals/guitar/bass/drums)


John 'the Stickman' Muggianu (drums)


Congratulations to the winners! Which cover was your favourite?

You can also check out other entries at this link.

Bon Jovi Darien set list 23/7/13

After their controversial show with the Kings of Suburbia in Saratoga, Bon Jovi reverted to something closer to a typical band set. What's Left of Me from What About Now also got a run, as did The Radio Saved My Life Tonight from the box set. There were reportedly issues with the sound and screen, compounding a rain delay and early curfew, but only Love's the Only Rule (which was meant to open the encore) was omitted from the printed set list.

Were you at the show?

Darien, NY, US - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center - July 23, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
4. Runaway
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. What's Left of Me
11. We Got It Goin' On
12. Keep the Faith
13. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
14. We Weren't Born to Follow
15. Who Says You Can't Go Home
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Bad Medicine
18. Wanted Dead or Alive
19. Have a Nice Day
20. Livin' on a Prayer

Bon Jovi / Kings of Suburbia Saratoga set list 22/7/13

Bon Jovi was joined by the Kings of Suburbia (Jon's backup band for his solo/benefit gigs) at this show in Saratoga Springs. The set ended up being what you would typically get at one of those solo gigs. Some fans loved the surprise, while others were fuming.

Were you at this concert? What did you think of it?

Saratoga Springs, NY, US - Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) - July 22, 2013

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Beatles cover (Bobby Bandiera on lead vocals)
2. Ain't Nothin' But a House Party - The Showstoppers cover
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. Under Pressure - Queen/David Bowie cover
9. I'm Your Man - Leonard Cohen cover
10. Amen
11. Not Running Anymore
12. The Fighter
13. Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison cover (Bobby Bandiera on lead vocals)
14. The Letter - The Box Tops cover
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. Baba O'Riley - The Who cover (Bobby Bandiera on lead vocals)
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
19. Bad Medicine
Encore:
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Livin' on a Prayer
22. 634-5789 - Wilson Pickett cover
23. Old Time Rock 'n' Roll - Bob Seger cover

Jon's brother Matt tweeted about the show:

Great fun for all the guys doing something different and out of he box. Reminds me of the old days. Back to the roots of the jersey shore

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) July 23, 2013

@unicornyankee sometimes you just need to have some fun and the boys had some fun.

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) July 23, 2013

@CoryKarma were you there? I have 30 tweets saying how fun and different it was and 2 not happy. No need for people to get shitty with me

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) July 23, 2013

@Ra_nae @unicornyankee @CoryKarma only for 2 shows. Not the new norm

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) July 23, 2013

Bon Jovi Foxboro set list 20/7/13

Bon Jovi's Because We Can Tour continued in Foxborough. Were you at the show?

Foxborough, MA, US - Gillette Stadium - July 20, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. We Got it Going On
10. Keep the Faith
11. (You Want to) Make a Memory
12. Bed of Roses
13. Runaway
14. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
18. Bad Medicine
Encore:
19. Wanted Dead or Alive
20. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
21. Have a Nice Day
22. Livin' on a Prayer
Encore 2:
23. Always
24. Old Time Rock 'n' Roll - Bob Seger cover
25. I love This Town

I try not to dwell too much on Jon being a good looking guy, since that's not a factor in why I like the band and I don't really think it should be for anyone else either. But this video of Jon changing shirts to put on a Boston Strong tee that had been thrown on stage during Bad Medicine was doing the rounds when I logged on this morning.

Bon Jovi Detroit set list 18/7/13

Bon Jovi's North American tour continued in Detroit. Were you at the show?

Detroit, MI, US - Ford Field - July 18, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. We Got It Goin' On
10. Keep the Faith
11. (You Want to) Make a Memory
12. Bed of Roses
13. Runaway
14. Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Dancing in the Street - Martha and the Vandellas/Bowie & Jagger cover
18. Bad Medicine
    / Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison cover

Encore:
19. Wanted Dead or Alive
20. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
21. Have a Nice Day
22. Livin' on a Prayer

Tico Torres interview with Modern Drummer (Part 3)

The third and final instalment of Modern Drummer's interview with Tico Torres is now up.

Part 1 and Part 2 were posted earlier.

In Part 3, Tico talks about his musical influences, his work with the Amazon Conservation Team, and "playing for the song".

Bon Jovi's Tico Torres Visits Modern Drummer Online (Interview Part 3)

Bon Jovi Chicago set list 12/7/13

Bon Jovi's tour resumed in Chicago. Unlike the previous two legs, there was no official announcement ahead of this leg about the unavailability of Richie Sambora. Were you at the show?

Chicago, IL, US - Soldier Field - July 12, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Lost Highway
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. We Got It Going On
10. Keep the Faith
11. (You Want To) Make a Memory
12. Bed of Roses
13. In These Arms
14. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Dancing in the Street - Martha & the Vandellas/Jagger & Bowie cover
18. Bad Medicine
    / Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison cover

Encore:
19. Runaway
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
22. Have a Nice Day
23. Livin' on a Prayer
24. Always
25. I Love This Town

Sambora tweets and JBJ mentors on X Factor

Well, it's Richie Sambora's 54th birthday so... Happy birthday, Rich. He's been sending more cryptic tweets lately.

Sorry I haven't tweeted much lately. Been really treasuring my time with my daughter. And I feel funny cause I got no new news to report...

— Richie Sambora (@TheRealSambora) July 9, 2013

For those of you who need my artistic vision and soul.. Aftermath is a pretty accurate depiction of who I am..best work I'm my life..

— Richie Sambora (@TheRealSambora) July 9, 2013

Music is a relationship. I've tried my heart out to give you all that is inside me. All I can say is Aftermath is the path to know who I am.

— Richie Sambora (@TheRealSambora) July 10, 2013

Meanwhile, Jon Bon Jovi will be a mentor on the upcoming series of The X Factor Australia alongside new judge Redfoo of LMFAO fame.


Host Luke Jacobz tweeted this photo of himself and Jon.

Bon Jovi to tour Japan

Bon Jovi will be in Japan in December just ahead of their Australian leg, which is set to mark the end of the Because We Can Tour. Two dates have been announced:

• Dec 3 - Osaka, JP - Osaka Dome
• Dec 4 - Tokyo, JP - Tokyo Dome

Bon Jovi BST Hyde Park set list 5/7/13

Bon Jovi wrapped up the European leg of their tour at the British Summer Time Hyde Park Festival. It was a pretty solid festival set with a good encore, but apparently Phil X copped the infamous stinkeye from Jon at the start of Born to Be My Baby. Were you at the show?

EDIT: Phil has since accepted responsibility for the Born to Be My Baby incident.

I've been reading some tweets regarding the BTBMB video from Hyde Park. people gotta lay off JBJ. i was completely at fault.

— Phil X (@TheRealPhilX) July 7, 2013

London, UK - Hyde Park - July 5, 2013

1. Rockin' All Over The World - John Fogerty/Status Quo cover
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. That's What The Water Made Me
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Born To Be My Baby
6. Lost Highway
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep The Faith
12. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
13. In These Arms
14. Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars
15. We Weren't Born To Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Bad Medicine
    / Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison cover
    / Roadhouse Blues - The Doors cover
Encore:
19. Dry County
20. Wanted Dead Or Alive
21. Love's The Only Rule
22. Have A Nice Day
23. Livin' On A Prayer
24. Always
25. These Days
26. Blood on Blood

Richie Sambora was officially ruled out of the South Africa and Europe shows at the end of April, so we might get another announcement about his availability (of lack thereof) ahead of the next run of North American shows, which begin in just a few days (July 12). Or maybe Richie himself will weigh in, now that he's talking a little.

Bon Jovi Glasgow set list 3/7/13

Short Bon Jovi show in Glasgow. Were you there?

Glasgow, Scotland - Hampden Park - July 3, 2013

1. That's What The Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Runaway
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot Of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep The Faith
12. Superman Tonight
13. In These Arms - David Bryan vox (2nd verse)
14. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
15. We Weren't Born To Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Bad Medicine
    / Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison cover
    / Roadhouse Blues - The Doors cover

Encore:
19. Wanted Dead Or Alive
20. Have A Nice Day
21. Livin' On A Prayer

Bon Jovi Berne set list 30/6/13

Possibly the most interesting main set of the Bon Jovi tour so far (Recent shows have been pretty static until the encore). This show in Switzerland also included the tour premiere of Jon's Golden Globe-nominated song "Not Running Anymore". Were you at the concert?

Berne, Switzerland - Stade de Suisse Wankdorf - June 30, 2013

1. Rockin' All Over The World - John Fogerty/Status Quo cover
2. That's What The Water Made Me
3. You Give Love A Bad Name
4. Raise Your Hands
5. I'd Die For You
6. Lost Highway
7. Army Of One
8. It's My Life
9. Because We Can
10. What About Now
11. The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
12. Undivided
13. Not Running Anymore
14. What's Left Of Me
15. In These Arms
16. Captain Crash And The Beauty Queen From Mars
17. We Weren't Born To Follow
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
19. Keep The Faith
20. Bad Medicine

encore:
21. Diamond Ring
22. I'll Be There For You
23. Wanted Dead Or Alive
24. Blood On Blood
25. Have A Nice Day
26. Livin' On A Prayer
27. These Days

Tico Torres interview with Modern Drummer (Part 2)

Part 2 of Modern Drummer Online's interview with Tico Torres is now up.

Tico talks about learning from jazz drummers Joe Morello and Elvin Jones, the creative process in the recording studio, using Ahead drumsticks and avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome.

Bon Jovi's Tico Torres Visits Modern Drummer Online (Interview Part 2)


If you missed Part 1, you can watch it at this link.

Italian Bon Jovi fans rock (Because We Can)

Check out this impressively choreographed tribute from the fans at Bon Jovi's Milan concert on June 29, 2013. Jon's attempts to get a significant proportion of the crowd singing "Because We Can" finally worked, too... although he managed to forget the lyrics himself and had to start the song again.


Jon was, in his own words, "crying like a little girl" afterwards.


Tour photographer David Bergman captured this panorama from the rafters.