Thursday, February 9, 2017

Bon Jovi in Greenville 8/2/17

Bon Jovi kicked off their This House Is Not For Sale Tour in Greenville, South Carolina. In case you missed the promo shows, the new look touring lineup is as follows:

  • Jon Bon Jovi on lead vocals (obviously)
  • David Bryan on keyboards
  • Tico Torres on drums
  • Hugh McDonald on bass (finally "official" after more than two decades)
  • Phil X on guitar (also elevated to "official" member
  • John Shanks on guitar (a somewhat controversial move after a decade of mixed feelings from fans about his producing skills)
  • Everett Bradley on percussion
Tour photographer David Bergman shot this video as the band was heading to South Carolina. (It was also Dave Bryan's birthday).



Here's what was played at the concert:

Set list: Greenville, SC, USA - Bon Secours Wellness Arena - 8 February 2017

  1. This House is Not for Sale
  2. Knockout
  3. You Give Love a Bad Name
  4. Born To Be My Baby
  5. We Weren't Born To Follow
  6. Lost Highway
  7. Roller Coaster
  8. Working Man for the Working Man
  9. Because We Can
  10. We Got It Goin' On
  11. Who Says You Can't Go Home
  12. It's My Life
  13. God Bless This Mess
  14. Scars on This Guitar
  15. The Devil's In the Temple
  16. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
  17. Blood on Blood
  18. Lay Your Hands on Me
  19. Have a Nice Day
  20. Bad Medicine
  21. Keep the Faith
    Encore:
  22. Always
  23. Wanted Dead or Alive
  24. Livin' on a Prayer
A few comments on the set list:
  • I love This House Is Not For Sale (the album) so I hope they keep playing lots of tracks from it. But it'd be better to spread them throughout the set instead of putting them in blocks (or as casual fans might call them, "bathroom/drinks breaks").
  • Speaking of new tracks, play "Living with the Ghost"!
  • I was hoping "We Weren't Born to Follow" would be dropped by now. And surely putting it next to "Born to be My Baby" only highlights the fact that they have the same chorus. "Love's the Only Rule" would be a better song to play from The Circle.
  • Why is "Because We Can" still being played? That singalong didn't work on the Because We Can Tour and it sure isn't going to work now.
Some people in attendance live streamed part or all of the show online, but I was at work and couldn't watch. There don't seem to be any videos on YouTube yet, but you can watch/listen to this Periscope stream (from "Roller Coaster" to part of "Have a Nice Day"). I'll update this post with a selection of videos if they pop up. Apparently Jon acknowledged his vocal troubles during the encore, saying he'd been working hard on it and his goal was to sing "Always" on the first night of the tour.

Were you at this show? Or are you going to any of the other dates that have been announced of this tour?

UPDATE 11/2/17: I've been surprised by the lack of quality videos from this show, but some soundboard recordings (audio only) have been uploaded on YouTube.

"Always" -- I think Jon sounds decent in parts... not anywhere near his best obviously, and not at Lost Highway Tour level... but better than he's sounded in the last three or four years. I hope he's got a vocal coach because I don't believe it's too late to get his voice back, but it'll take time and work.


"Lay Your Hands on Me" -- This made a return after not been performed at all on the Because We Can or Burning Bridges Tours, and I'm glad it did.

2 comments:

  1. I have been very unhappy with the set lists from the past few tours in the way of song selection, repetition and short set lists. Coming into this tour I am really hoping these guys start switching things up and play a solid 25 song set every night. For who they are, what they have out there and what they are charging to see a show I feel a 25 song set is do-able and fair. We shouldn't expect much less. The biggest thing is please change the set up. Play some rare songs that see no love and keep people on their feet.

    So, in taking that into consideration my thoughts on this set list are as follows:

    Opening night 24 songs.....I will take it. I am happy with that to open the tour and I am hopeful that they build on that and move things around.

    Lay Your Hands on Me ....... finally!

    Always on an opening night......wow! Now let's make this song a staple!

    Living With a Ghost.......where are you at? Best song on the album and not in the set? I hope this one doesn't fall through the cracks.

    Work for the Working Man.....can think of better songs than this one that could fill this spot. Time to put this one away.

    Because We Can.....I hate this song, so for me, I'd love to see this one go away and never return.

    We Got it Goin On.........really? Why? Great song to go and take a leak. I don't know why this song keeps being played. I do like the Lost Highway album but it seems that for what the album was, at the time, it filled the need and keeps being way over played and beat to death.

    I really hope that the These Days and Bounce albums start getting some songs played.

    All in all I am happy with the first night set. Now time will tell where it goes from here.

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  2. Good to finally see "Lay Your Hands on Me" in a set list again after not having been played since 2011

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Thanks for giving me your time.