Bon Jovi took to the stage at Wembley for the second of three London shows. I was expecting, or at least hoping, for a couple of switch-ups after three identical set lists in a row on the Forever tour, but here's what was played.
London, England - Wembley Stadium #2 - 6 September 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary - featuring James Bay
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
These Days
This House Is Not For Sale
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Raise Your Hands
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Hey God
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Always
Not identical, but very, very close. Though I guess doing a duet with James Bay is technically a switch-up. And I'm glad "Hey God" and "These Days" have survived.
Videos from Wembley #2
Legendary - I sometimes sound like I dissing this song because I think "Living Proof" should have been the lead single... but "Legendary" is perfectly fine on the album, and it's fun live. James Bay does have a better voice and tone than Jon though, especially now, but it was still an enjoyable performance.
I don't know if everyone is thinking this is the end of the road, or if it's just the vlogger/content creator world we live in, but people keep recording full shows for the 'tube:
Thinkin' on a prayer
There's still one more London show to go so I'll share more thoughts then.
Maybe more tour dates to come in the new year, maybe not. But night 3 in Wembley is, at the very least, the final show of this leg, so let's go out with a metaphorical bang.
Bon Jovi headed back to London for the first of three shows at Wembley Stadium to finish this leg of the Forever tour. And possibly the whole tour since no other shows have been announced?
London, England - Wembley Stadium #1 - 4 September 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
In These Arms
These Days
This House Is Not For Sale
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Raise Your Hands
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Hey God
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine - featuring Everett Bradley
Always
If you're thinking "that's the exact same set list as Edinburgh and Dublin" you'd be right, haha. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Unless you're going to drastically play a different set every night a la Bruce Springsteen, I'd much rather they tighten up the "standard" core set list, even if that means playing basically the same thing, with maybe one or two changes if you're playing multiple nights in the same city.
I'm also happy that no one who's attended this leg so far has missed out on "Hey God" and "These Days" yet!
Videos from London #1
Not all heroes wear capes, some of them just record the whole show and put it on YouTube:
Thinkin' on a prayer
I'd be surprised if they didn't change a song or two for the next show, but hopefully it's not dropping a great song for something blah.
As for what happens after the Wembley run... It's hard to imagine they wouldn't be billing these shows as your last
chance to see Bon Jovi if this really is it. So in that regard, I'd expect something else to be announced, but I also don't think
large-scale world tours are realistic anymore... so we'll
see.
Fresh from their European return in Edinburgh, Bon Jovi headed to Dublin for the next stop of the Forever tour.
Dublin, Ireland - Croke Park - 30 August 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
In These Arms
These Days
This House Is Not For Sale
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Raise Your Hands
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Hey God
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine - featuring Everett Bradley
Always
If you're thinking that looks familiar, you'd be right -- same set list as Edinburgh. But that's alright, at least the Irish crowd didn't get stiffed on "Hey God" or "These Days".
Video from Dublin
Some legend recorded the whole show so rather than handpicking personal highlights, I'll just share that. 😉
Thinkin' on a prayer
Joe Elliott was at this show, which would have been a
nice opportunity to get him on stage for a "Walls of Jericho" duet, but nope.
And sorry to harp on about it again but they really should do something that first half. Maybe open with "Living Proof" since it's the effing Forever tour, and drop stuff like "Lost Highway", "We Weren't Born to Follow", "Whole Lot of Leavin'" -- songs I actually like on the record, but they add nothing worthwhile in a live setting. Not to mention, the so-called easy songs often make Jon sound more vulnerable... whether it's because he's so nervous, or there's no crowd involvement to feed off, or they sit in an awkward vocal bridge or whatever.
Of course, a big part of this tour (and probably any shows Bon Jovi does ever again) are about the emotion behind it after everything Jon in particular has been through. No one's realistically expecting vocal perfection. But that doesn't mean you can't tweak things better and make the most of an imperfect situation.
Anyway, I personally know a few people attending one or more of the upcoming Wembley shows so I'm keen to get their impressions afterwards!
After a month off, Bon Jovi headed to Scotland to kick off the next leg of the Forever Tour. (I say next leg, but it could well be the final leg, given no further shows have been confirmed after Wembley in September.) There were plenty of questions, like:
did the break do Jon's voice any good? (Hopefully, yes.)
will Europe get better sets than the US? (Reasonably likely and I'd love to see it, but that also sucks for American fans who were paying a pretty penny for these concerts.)
will they do something crappy like "save themselves" for Wembley? (Hopefully not.)
Anyway, the first show of this leg was in Edinburgh, and here's what unfolded.
Edinburgh, Scotland - Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium - 28 August 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
In These Arms
These Days
This House Is Not For Sale
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Raise Your Hands
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Hey God
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine - featuring Everett Bradley
Always
Legit couldn't believe we got freaking "Hey God" and "These Days" for the first time since 2013 and 2019, respectively. Phil X rocking the kilt was a fun touch, too.
Selected videos from Edinburgh
These Days - Let's not pretend this is the greatest performance ever, but vocally, I'd say Jon's roughly on par with when I saw them do this song live in Melbourne in 2013.
Hey God - Now this sounded better than I was expecting... and it's a killer track. But perhaps more to the point, Jon was using the stage, getting into the song, showing some passion... and that can make the world of difference to a performance when your vocals aren't the best, because being rooted to the spot and clinging to the microphone only highlights any weaknesses. So yeah, good on you, JBJ.
In These Arms - Arguably the best performance of this song on the tour so far. But why can't Phil X play the solo instead of John Shanks? Like c'mon, dude.
Thinkin' on a prayer
The first half of the main set, as it was in New York, seems to be mostly "get
Jon settled in with something that's not too challenging" time... but there are better songs you could use for
that. Hell, maybe even something from the album you're meant to be promoting, like "Waves", "Walls of Jericho", "Seeds", or that neglected single "Living Proof"?
But overall, a decent start to the UK/European leg. Dublin's up next, and hopefully they get a good show.
Back to my official unofficial catch-up of Bon Jovi's Madison Square Garden residency, and we're looking at shows 4 to 7 -- leading up to the infamous shortened show 8, for which ticket-holders have reportedly started receiving refunds for.
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #4 - 14 July 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Lay Your Hands on Me
Living Proof
This House Is Not for Sale
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Red, White and Jersey
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Always
Literally the same set from the previous show, lol. But he probably sounded better on those songs overall.
Videos from #4:
Shout out to Tully Blanchard who recorded the whole show. Legend!
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #5 - 16 July 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Let it Rain
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Lay Your Hands on Me
Limitless
This House Is Not for Sale
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Red, White and Jersey
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Always
A couple of changes, with "Let It Rain" and "Limitless" make their Forever Tour debuts.
Selected videos from #5:
Let It Rain - One of my favourites from 2020, an album I genuinely still rate today. The acoustic intro/harmonica outro is kinda cool.
Limitless - One of my not-so-favourites from the aforementioned 2020, lol. But it's okay. Has its moments and probably works better in a stadium than most of the better songs from that album. At least they didn't decide to do "Unbroken" or something. 😜
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #6 - 19 July 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Let it Rain
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Lay Your Hands on Me
Limitless
This House Is Not for Sale
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Bad Medicine
Show was shortened, with "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Always", and "Red, White and Jersey" cut from the planned set list.
Selected videos from #6:
Bad Medicine - Look, let's be real here. Jon sounds rough. I mean, the fans he high-fived and fist-bumped probably didn't notice or care in the moment, but I'd guess his voice on the night is why the show was cut.
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #7 - 21 July 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Let it Rain
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Raise Your Hands
Limitless
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Red, White and Jersey
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Always
Selected videos from #7:
Raise Your Hands - First time since before COVID. Apart from that voice crack at the end, it was a decent-sounding performance.
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - This used to feel a teensy bit overdone on earlier tours, but I'm enjoying it here. Works fairly well live and this is its Forever Tour debut.
Thinkin' on a prayer
Bit up and down, with sets being pretty stagnant bar one or two swaps here and there, but I suspect that's par for the course going forward.
With this post, I've now caught up on all the MSG shows and you can see the others at the links below:
After a month's break, the tour resumes in the UK this week. I hope the fans there get some consistently quality shows, no matter which one(s) they're attending, but we'll soon see if the rest has done Jon some good.
As previously mentioned, Bon Jovi's Madison Square Garden shows coincided with my overseas training camp, so I wasn't blogging in real time. And I'm going to share a few retrospective thoughts in the next few posts, before shows resume in the UK.
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #2 - 9 July 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
In These Arms
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Lay Your Hands on Me
Blood on Blood
Living Proof
This House Is Not for Sale
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Red, White and Jersey
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Selected videos from #2
I'll Be There For You - generally a communal singalong moment, and the piano-only accompaniment for the first verse and chorus was quite nice.
Red, White and Jersey - technically the live debut of the song, though it was part of a rather tepid performance for the Tony Robbins special. I think this one turned out a bit better.
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #3 - 12 July 2026
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Lay Your Hands on Me
Living Proof
This House Is Not for Sale
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Red, White and Jersey
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Always
Selected videos from #3
Bed of Roses - We've had a global pandemic since this song was last played, so it was good to get it back in the set. Is it perfect? No, but funnily enough, the big ballads Jon seems to want
to avoid when he's lacking confidence in his voice, are probably more
forgiving of some imperfections (they can sound more emotional if you sell the performance).
Always - Honestly, even if you have to noticeably drop the key, this should be a set list staple for Bon Jovi; it's their biggest worldwide hit. And if they ever had to lower it so much that it fell off the bottom of Jon's vocal range, they obviously shouldn't even entertain performing anymore. TLDR: Play the songs people go to your concert to hear.
Thinkin' on a prayer
A solid couple of gigs within the nine-show MSG residency. Pretty samey sets, but with a couple of good inclusions as I alluded to above.
with 4 to 7 on the way before the resumption of the tour at the end of the month. The order got all topsy-turvy due to my schedule, but I fully intend for the shows in Scotland, Ireland, and England to be blogged about chronologically. 😉
With show 8's early end making the news, there was plenty of attention on show 9... which did in fact go ahead without a hitch. Or even really any mention of what happened, so no idea if the promised redo of show 8 will actually go ahead at any point... especially since it's something Jon just brought up without running it by anyone else. I suspect it will get put in the "we're not obligated/too hard" basket and forgotten, but I hope I'm wrong.
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #9 - 26 July 2026
There were at couple of (actually planned) collaborations, but "Wanted Dead or Alive" was notably dropped again (it happened on a couple of the other shows on this run).
Set list #9:
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
In These Arms
The People's House - featuring The War and Treaty
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Raise Your Hands
This House Is Not for Sale
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Keep the Faith
Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Bad Medicine - featuring Everett Bradley
Who Says You Can't Go Home - featuring Bruce Springsteen
The Promised Land - Bruce Springsteen cover featuring Bruce Springsteen
Selected videos from #9:
Who Says You Can't Go Home / The Promised Land - Jon had some technical difficulties with his harmonica on the Bruce song, but I love that song and it was great to see two Jersey boys perform it together:
Shout out to Harry Ward who has blessed us with videos from all the shows on this MSG residency, including the full show 9 with timestamps. I'm forever grateful to people like Harry:
Thinkin' on a prayer
Jon said before the encore that this isn't the end, and I hope the month-long rest before he heads over to the UK does him some good. Shania Twain had similar surgery on her vocal cords and seems pretty at peace with the fact that her voice will never be the same but she's able to work with what she now has. I don't know where Jon's head is at, but his voice is... okay. Maybe it gets better, maybe this is as good as it can be now, but I never stop hoping for the best.
The next show is scheduled for 28 August in Scotland, so I'd better catch up on blogging about shows 2 to 7 before then, haha.
We're going to try something a little different starting today... and start from the 8th show of this Bon Jovi tour. Assuming the 9th show goes ahead as scheduled, I'll post about that, then start working my way back to the second - I already blogged about the first Forever Tour show.
In case you missed it, I've been away on a Muay Thai camp. I did watch some videos and read comments about the shows as they happened, but I didn't have time to sit down and gather my thoughts in any coherent fashion in between training for up to four hours a day in Thailand. But I'm back in Perth now, and... yeah, shit got real with show 8 ending abruptly, and Jon telling fans to hold onto their tickets for a rescheduled date.
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #8 - 23 July 2026
The official line was sinus infection, but I spoke to some long-time fans who were there, and they're of the view that Jon's voice just gave out. Either way, I hope he's okay. I have genuinely worried about this tour and its impact on his health, especially after they announced nine shows at MSG alone, with a short turnaround.
Set list #8:
With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Let It Rain
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Bed of Roses
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer - featuring Pat Monahan
Selected videos from #8:
Livin' on a Prayer - This ended up being the final song of the night, with Train front man Pat Monahan getting the call-up from backstage to take on unplanned lead vocals. I actually used to be a big Train fan back in the day, right up until 2014 (just could not connect with anything on the Bulletproof Picasso album, and then they fell off my radar... sorry Pat). From what I recall from my fangirl days, Pat's actually got a hell of a voice and is a great performer, and that didn't come through at all here -- but to be fair, he rocked up to the gig thinking he was going to be watching it, not performing.
Bed of Roses - Jon started sounding really stuffed from about 4:00 onwards, or basically the second chorus. He turns around to look at his bandmates, and later needs the crowd to finish the song for him.
Later, he joked about how he was proving he wasn't lip syncing. But... ouch. 😟
Thinkin' on a prayer
Look, for any critiques and grievances I may have had over the years... I love Jon. Fingers crossed he hasn't done any further damage to his vocal cords. It was a heartbreaking end to the show, and... hopefully, just this show. I hope he hasn't pushed himself too far.
The fact that Jon kept saying he "felt great" sounds more like he was confused about why his voice was misbehaving like that, rather than battling an illness. Personally, when I have a sinus infection, I most certainly do not feel great, but your mileage may vary.
Anyway, get well soon, Jon. I'm in your corner on the other side of the globe.
And we're back! We as in this blog, but also we as in Bon Jovi the band.
I'm actually away on a Muay Thai camp at the moment, doing two two-hour sessions a day in the heat, which is why my published thoughts on the comeback shows are delayed by several days. Training like this, plus showering and doing laundry ASAP after each session, is tiring and time-consuming, y'all!
Anyway. Jon Bon Jovi's vocal issues, and his subsequent vocal cord surgery in 2022 have been fairly well documented at this point. There was a certain buzz and trepidation about their closest thing to a tour since then.
Jon has performed live here and there over the last few years... but to be perfectly honest, it's been a bit heartbreaking and underwhelming most of the time. So while I'm sure I would have bought tickets if they'd announced a show in Australia, I can't say I've been expecting much from this run of shows.
But here's what they played:
New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden - 7 July 2026 setlist
With a Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles cover
Beautiful Drug
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Who Says You Can't Go Home
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Legendary
Whole Lot of Leavin'
In These Arms
Have a Nice Day
It's My Life
Livin' on a Prayer
Lay Your Hands on Me
Blood on Blood
Living Proof
This House Is Not for Sale
Keep the Faith Encore:
I'll Be There for You
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bad Medicine
Selected videos from MSG
With a Little Help from My Friends - including the video intro. With lines like "What would you do if I sang out of tune?" and "I'll try not to sing out of key", it may seem a little on the nose to open with it. And it's not exactly a high energy rocker. But in this case, it felt fitting somehow, especially with everyone coming together to sing the chorus.
Living Proof - finally, the neglected single! Actually sounds pretty decent, if I do say so myself. I can't turn back time but I so wish this had been the song that got any promotion from Forever, rather than "Legendary". In These Arms - Jon honestly sounded way better than I was expecting here and I'm so weirdly proud of this man who doesn't know me from a bar of soap and whose achievements I have absolutely nothing to do with.
Blood on Blood - Hmm he's trying, but this sounds pretty fragile. I
don't know if we can maybe bump Everett Bradley up in the mix? I know Everett's
not Richie Sambora, but Richie left of his own accord and Everett does make the current lineup sound better vocally than they otherwise would.
Livin' on a Prayer - between the click track and the entire venue always singing along, "Prayer" has arguably been spared to a large extent as Jon's vocals declined, despite being a painfully difficult song to sing. But I do think he sounds a bit better here than he has in recent times?
Final thoughts
It was a solid return, not perfect but I don't think anyone's expecting that anymore. Though I do really hope Jon gives me the finger and surprises us all. The set list could be stronger but I guess it's okay. Hopefully we get some deep cuts during this short run of shows.
I honestly don't know how much of a future my beloved band has. Or how I feel about it all. A lot has been made of Jon's voice but I'm also considering the band as a whole -- no one's getting any younger, and it's probably Phil X and Everett bringing the bulk of the animation and energy on stage. I still rate Jon as a songwriter but people don't buy music the way they used to.
Anyway, what did you think of the comeback show? Were you there, or watching from somewhere in the world?
And which Bon Jovi song should be my walkout song if I could pick one for a hypothetical fight? 😉
So the Legendary edition of Bon Jovi's Forever came out on October 24 but I wanted to let my thoughts marinate for a while before I posted about them. Obviously this is a re-release, so apart from a couple of new tracks, my thoughts will be about the duets, rather than the songs themselves. If you're interested in what I thought of the songs when the first Forever came out, check out my blog post from then: Track by track thoughts on Bon Jovi's Forever.
The Legendary edition featured duets with James Bay, Robbie Williams, Jelly Roll, Jason Isbell, Ryan Tedder, Billy Falcon, The War and Treaty, Joe Elliott, Lainey Wilson, Avril Lavigne, Marcus King, Bruce Springsteen, and Carin Leon. It also opens with new track "Red, White and Jersey", which I wrote about back in August, and the Japanese edition contains "Fight Somebody" which I'll mention in a bit.
But first the main album. Overall? I like it enough, but while there are some great duets on the album, there are quite a few that made me think "why did they bother?". Mostly the ones with other male vocalists where they've basically just swapped verses. Yawn. The best, or at least most interesting, ones have been where the other vocalist has a vastly different voice to Jon and they changed or added something instrumentally. Everything else is okay but a bit meh.
With that in mind, my top 3 are:
1. Hollow Man featuring Bruce Springsteen -- I already wrote about "Hollow Man" when it came out but goddamn Bruce's harmonies and that harmonica just elevates that track so far beyond what it was originally.
2. I Wrote You a Song featuring Lainey Wilson -- I basically dismissed this track as a poor man's "Thinking Out Loud" on the original album, but holy heck... Jon and Lainey sound really good together. Their voices blend so well, and I don't get my hackles up about the country flavour so the instrumentation was cool too. Actually worth the duet, unlike some of the phoned-in ones on the rest of the album.
3. The People's House featuring The War and Treaty -- When "The People's House" duet originally came out more than a year ago, I was still trying to decide if I liked it more than the version on the original album. I'm now very confident I do -- it's more invigorating and inspiring than the original, which I have no problem with, but this one's just better IMO.
Side note: "Walls of Jericho" is probably my favourite track from Forever, and I like me some Def Leppard, so I do enjoy the duet with Joe Elliott... but I don't think it's anything special as far as collaborations go.
Bon Jovi also performed "Legendary", "Red White and Jersey" in a livestream on October 22, in which they announced a baby, four-city tour (New York City, Edinburgh, Dublin, London). Since the original announcement, they've added more shows in NYC (now a total of 9) and London (now 2). Still hardly what I'd call a world tour, but to be honest, Jon still sounds pretty fragile on the stream. I'm guessing the tour is testing the waters a little to see if they're capable of handling any more. The thinness in his voice could be physical, psychological, or a combination of both but hopefully he pulls through these shows well. He may never get back to his best, but I'm rooting for something like 2010/11 era vocals.
Anyway, I said I'd circle back to "Fight Somebody" didn't I? Check it out if you haven't already:
I think it's awesome. I'm currently in a good enough position that I don't mind shipping stuff over from Japan (plus I've never been the smartest maker of financial decisions when it comes to Bon Jovi, lol) but come on. This should've been on the version that everyone gets, right? Not the first time I've felt that way about a bonus track and I'm sure it won't be the last.
I'm about a week late posting this, as I've been busy and in a different time zone, though I did listen to it when it came out... "it" being "Living Proof" by Bon Jovi featuring Jelly Roll.
Check out the new "Living Proof" lyric video:
The original "Living Proof" was released as a single with very little fanfare in May 2024 and never got a music video. Maybe this version could have served as a hard relaunch that attracted Jelly Roll's fans, except... the dude's barely on it, lol.
Bruce Springsteen and The War and Treaty added something interesting to their versions of "Hollow Man" and "The People's House" respectively. Jelly Roll's inclusion on "Living Proof" seems pointless, like he was some rando who got handed a mic at a karaoke night and sang a verse then left. I'm not particularly well versed on Jelly Roll's music, but I'm sure he could have contributed something more than that.
Anyway, I have no real problems with the track, but I can't hear any good reason to listen to this one instead of the original (or neither if you didn't care for "Living Proof" in the first place)... your mileage may vary, of course.
Bon Jovi released Forever a little over a year ago -- and on October 24, they'll be releasing it again, this time as a collection of duets with one brand new song.
Here's the official music video for that new track -- "Red, White and Jersey":
I like it... it's nothing groundbreaking, just catchy and inoffensive, and feels similar to "Legendary" really... except for this line that made my ears perk up:
"It ain't no surprise that your blue eyes still feel like home to me / we'll always be red, white and Jersey"
If I'm not mistaken, Dorothea, aka Jon's high school sweetheart and wife of over three decades, has brown/hazel eyes. You know who else Jon has known and chased dreams with since they were teenagers... and has blue eyes? David Bryan.
"Red, White and Jersey" is a love letter to our favourite keyboard player and you will not convince me otherwise.
(Yes, I realise the lyrics could also just be a work of fiction, but don't ruin my dreams, okay? 🤣 )
The other song that has dropped is "Hollow Man", now featuring Bruce Springsteen. Here's the official lyric video:
Plenty of folks didn't really care for the original, but I don't mind these sorts of songs, and they suit current day Jon. Plus, I love me some Springsteen... I've had the privilege of seeing him live nine times and they've all been brilliant shows.
Maybe it's because I was revisiting Bruce's Nebraska album recently, but as soon as the harmonica kicked in on "Hollow Man", I knew this track would be elevated by his contribution. Bruce's harmonies blend beautifully with Jon's vocals, and the song just feels deeper with the two of them on it together. Though I do note with amusement that the Boss left the "masturbate" line solely to Jon.
The track list for Forever (Legendary Edition) is:
Red, White and Jersey
Legendary - with James Bay
We Made It Look Easy - with Robbie Williams
Living Proof - with Jelly Roll
Waves - with Jason Isbell
Seeds - with Ryan Tedder
Kiss the Bride - with Billy Falcon
The People's House - with The War & Treaty
Walls of Jericho - with Joe Elliott
I Wrote You a Song - with Lainey Wilson
Living in Paradise - with Avril Lavigne
My First Guitar - with Marcus King
Hollow Man - with Bruce Springsteen
We Made It Look Easy / Hicimos Que Pareciera Facil - with Carin Leon
Look, let's be real... no one was really begging for another edition of Forever. But I enjoyed the original album, and some of the collaborators did (and do) intrigue me.
Can't believe they're going to make me listen to Avril Lavigne though, lol... nothing against her personally, but unfortunately, I still have some lingering damage from when "Sk8er Boi" came out and all the other girls in school suddenly rocked up wearing ties and 50 layers of black eyeliner, thinking they were punks. Also, given Jason Isbell, Ryan Tedder, and Billy Falcon are duetting on the songs they co-wrote, I'm a little surprised Ed Sheeran isn't the one on "Living in Paradise", but hey.
Jon admits this release is "an album borne out of necessity" since they obviously couldn't do a Forever tour. (Check out Rolling Stone: Bon Jovi Revisit ‘Forever’ LP With Bruce Springsteen, Jelly Roll, and More.) As much as I'd still go see Bon Jovi if they toured, I don't think I really want them to unless Jon can get his live vocals back to where they were circa 2010. If he can't and we instead get more studio work, I'm okay with that.
What do you think of the new tracks? Or the upcoming album release?
On the back of last year's somewhat unexpected Pitbull-Bon Jovi collaboration comes Armin Van Buuren's remix of "Keep the Faith", which was officially released on 28 February.
The track had made its debut at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, when Armin brought Jon on stage as a surprise guest and Jon got to jump around in his Hampton Water trucker cap without having to sing anything. (Not trying to be snarky, just making an observation, lol.)
And here's the extended mix:
It's not really my jam, to be honest... but Bon Jovi's had some awesome songs (including "Keep the Faith") and if stuff like this compels someone new to give them a shot, I'm all for that. Spread Bon Jovi like a beautiful musical disease, I say! Or a social disease. 'Cause a deluxe version of Slippery When Wet featuring 7 additional tracks (live or alternate versions) is available now. See what I did there? 😉
Anyway. The day before Armin's "Keep the Faith" came out, the Rock for Responders benefit concert for Los Angeles’ firefighters and first responders was held. Richie Sambora joined Phil X and Orianthi -- who were part of Matt Sorum's Kings of Chaos supergroup for the event -- on stage to perform lead vocals and guitar on "Livin' on a Prayer". Check it out:
Look, it's kinda messy, I won't lie. And I'm no body language expert but I'm pretty sure Phil had no idea what Richie was doing on the night and was just going along with whatever. But I don't think Richie has anything coming up that he would have been rehearsing for so some rustiness is to be expected as well, especially as he was a late addition to the lineup. It's still a cool moment to have on tape.
They were also all together for the final jam of the night, a performance of blues-rock standard "Going Down":
I've always referred to this song as "Run Run Rudolph" but it's actually called "Run Rudolph Run". Whoops.
Anyway, Jon Bon Jovi joined The Philly Specials (a group of Philadelphia Eagles football players who also sing, something I did not know about until recently, being from Australia) for a cover of the Chuck Berry classic. Phil X played the guitar solo.
Check it out!
But if you're after something a little heavier to get you through the holidays, Phil X and the Drills released "Don't Wake Up Dead" with Ray Luzier from Korn earlier this month:
Regardless of your tastes, hope everyone has a wonderful festive season, a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah if you celebrate it, and a happy new year! It's always a bit crazy to think about literally anyone on the planet reading my little blog about a band from a country on the other side of the world, so thank you. 🥰
A Bon Jovi and Pitbull single was definitely not on my bingo card this year.
But Pitbull sampled "It's My Life" for his new song, "Now or Never" and here's the official video featuring Jon:
And the lyric video if you want to sing or rap along:
This unlikely collaboration (as opposed to just the sampling of a certifiable banger) was hinted at in a show Pitbull did at Jones Beach in Long Island, New York back in September of this year. Jon was a surprise guest on stage for this song, in what was a pretty cool moment even though I don't think his mic was turned on at any point:
Arguably a cooler performance by Jon and Pitbull is this one of Pitbull's song "Thank God & Jimmy Buffett" from the Jimmy Buffett tribute show at the Hollywood Bowl back in April:
The official music video for "The People's House" by Bon Jovi featuring The War and Treaty is out now. Since this version came out, I've been trying to decide if I prefer the album version or this duet version and... I think I actually like the duet more. Just feels more rousing, anthemic and soulful.
Somewhat ironically, news of Jon and his production assistant's heroics broke on R U OK? Day in Australia -- an initiative that aims to prevent suicide by encouraging people to have check-in conversations with each other... and frankly, an initiative that I (as a mental health survivor) have always found pretty naff. Well-meaning, but ends up being silly in practice. But I guess this event proved that conversations can save lives, which is sort of the point, even if the day itself has become an excuse for companies to host morning teas and pretend they give a crap about their workers.
Sorry, I digress.
Jon also officially endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz while promoting "The People's House". Naturally, the endorsement has upset some folks, but shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the last two decades.
It hasn't escaped my attention that this is technically the third single from Forever
(even though this particular version of the track isn't on the album)
-- yet the second single, "Living Proof" still has no music video...
Bon Jovi's latest album Forever dropped on June 7 and I've listened to it quite a few times in the last two days. My pre-ordered CD from Japan also arrived this weekend so it was great timing.
Obviously the album is still a shiny new toy, but here's my initial take on each track (with lyric videos where available). Feel free to add your own thoughts, including completely disagreeing with me
Legendary - written by Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon & John Shanks
"Legendary" was the lead single so I've written about it already, but I didn't post the lyric video at the time. My thoughts haven't changed too much -- I like the song without being blown away by it, and it does still make me happy to see Jon looking happy. (The demo version actually sounds better though, but more on that further down.)
We Made It Look Easy - written by Jon Bon Jovi, Ryan Tedder, Andrew DeRoberts & Nick Long
A look back at the early days of the band. I really like those high backing vocals in the chorus -- is that Everett Bradley? There are no personnel credits listed in the liner notes as far as I can see, so I'm just going by the sound of the voice. Glad Shanks didn't write this, lol... oops, am I letting my snark out?
Living Proof - written by Jon Bon Jovi & John Shanks
Already wrote about "Living Proof" as well, and I'm still digging it. Wish it'd been the first single now, since "Legendary" seems to be the one that's getting played whenever Jon does promo for the album -- and I think it would've been more interesting for casuals and randos to hear this instead. And yes, Shanks co-wrote the song... but I'm not that perturbed about his songwriting, really. It's his influence over the Bon Jovi brand that's the issue; his writing is fine in itself.
Waves - written by Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks & Jason Isbell
My ears really perked up when I first heard this. Cool sound, great lyrics. I'm not overly familiar with Jason Isbell's body of work, but if that's his contribution, they should write with him more.
Actually, this would also be a more interesting single choice than what they usually go for, but it won't happen because no one in the Bon Jovi camp cares for my brilliant ideas, lol.
Seeds - written by Jon Bon Jovi, Ryan Tedder, Sean Douglas & Michael Pollack
Jon said "Seeds" is probably his favourite song on the album. I like this one too, it's got a catchy little poetry to it.
Kiss the Bride - written by Jon Bon Jovi & Billy Falcon
This one is pretty gooey. But most wedding songs are written from the point of view of the couple, so it's sweet that Jon wrote one from the father of the bride's perspective for Stephanie. Just not really something I'm likely to gravitate to ordinarily. I do prefer "I Got the Girl", which was written for a then-five-year-old Stephanie... speaking of which, do Jesse, Jake and Romeo have songs written about them?
The People's House - written by Jon Bon Jovi
This song wouldn't sound out of place on a much earlier album. Like, say, something from the 90s? A tick from me.
Walls of Jericho - written by Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks & Philip Lawrence
This was the other track (after "Waves") that I immediately wanted to play again when I heard it. I also totally want this to be a single, and know it almost certainly won't happen. But the song rocks, it's rousing, it's anthemic, Jon sounds great, and the only thing that would make it better is a guitar solo.
I Wrote You a Song - written by Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon & John Shanks
It's a good thing that Ed Sheeran is probably the least likely artist to go around suing people at the moment, because this song has "Thinking Out Loud" all over it. I'm going to assume it was accidental, lol.
Living in Paradise - written by Jon Bon Jovi & Ed Sheeran
But befriending and collaborating with someone is also a good way to avoid getting sued by them, haha.
Funnily enough, I've seen every Ed Sheeran concert in Perth so far, including a gig at the Riverside Theatre, where he was literally tuning his own guitar between songs. (Less than a year later, he played two sold out gigs at Challenge Stadium and has just gone upwards from there.) I don't know if my Ed attendance record will continue, but I'm a big fan of his acoustic songs and what he does with the loop station, while not being as keen on some of his big poppier stuff. I like "Living in Paradise" though -- it's good, solid power pop.
My First Guitar - written by Jon Bon Jovi
Jon wrote this about buying back his childhood guitar. I like the verses more than the chorus, which feels a bit melodramatic somehow, but it's alright.
Hollow Man - written by Jon Bon Jovi
Jon's always sounded good on these pensive acoustic songs. Some fans hate them, and you obviously don't want the whole album full of them, but they suit where he's at in his life right now and feel genuine. The masturbate line made me laugh (or smile), which I guess was the point, ha.
That Was Then, This Is Now (Japanese bonus track)
My Japanese is very rusty but I don't think the Japan CD listed the songwriter(s) for "That Was Then, This Is Now". It contained the same album booklet as the Australian CD (and I'm assuming other markets), but included an additional insert in Japanese. This insert had what appears to be an introduction of the band's history by music writer Masa Ito, and the Japanese translation of the lyrics.
Anyway, really cool sounding, wistful rock song that coulda/shoulda made the album proper, but whatever. I've felt that way about other outtakes before. Jon clearly ain't gonna listen to my awesome advice, as we've established. 😉
Legendary demo (Japanese bonus track)
Not drastically different from the version that made the cut, but I just like it a lot better. It sounds less polished, but in a good way. It feels more real, not so much like Jon sitting in a studio with John Shanks, crafting what they think a Bon Jovi single in the 21st century is "supposed" to sound like.
Conclusion
Very early days, but I love the album overall. Yes, Shanks' fingerprints are on it (I should probably make peace with that) but Jon can still write a great song. He sounds pretty good if not amazing, though obviously he's not going for crazy high notes.
But I'd love the rest of the band to have more direct input. My main gripe with current Bon Jovi is that it seems to be the JBJ + Shanks show, when you have these other awesome musicians at your disposal. Give them the freedom to be as brilliant as they can be, and I have every faith they will be.
Maybe on the road or on the next album. But for now, we've got Forever and I'm happy with it.
"Living Proof", the second single from Bon Jovi's upcoming album Forever, dropped on Friday.
My verdict? This song is pure flipping joy and I will be taking no questions at this time. (Just kidding. Questions are always welcome, as are comments and messages, even if you disagree with me.)
Here's the official lyric video:
The talkbox sounds sooooo damn good and it's nice to hear Phil X actually getting to do something interesting. It doesn't happen nearly enough, and that's probably my biggest gripe with "new Bon Jovi" -- because I do still rate Jon as a songwriter, but Phil's talents have been seriously wasted over the last decade. Especially in the studio. John Shanks, for whatever reason, has a massive hold and influence on Jon (and I acknowledge he co-wrote "Living Proof") but the dude is already producing everything... so he can take a back seat on the guitar and let Phil cut loose like the rock star we know he can be. Just sayin'.
Sound-wise, "Living Proof" is reminiscent of parts of the Have a Nice Day and Bounce albums, plus "This Is Love, This Is Life" (which deserved a little more than being a throwaway track on the deluxe edition of the Greatest Hits).
"Living Proof" doesn't break any new ground but I don't need it to, nor do I think anyone has ever considered Bon Jovi the world's most original band. I just dig the song. It pumps me up, it makes me happy.
What do you think of "Living Proof"? Good, bad, meh? Let me know!
PS. Richie stans, I haven't forgotten about his new songs. I'm just super busy with work, plus I wanted to talk about all four together since the cover art and press release suggested they're meant to be part of a set. I'll post after I'm finished with a conference this week.
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story dropped a little over a week ago -- it was waiting for me on Disney+ in Australia when I got home on a Friday night.
Now, I didn't try to rush out and be the first to write about it because:
a) "breaking news" isn't my vision for the blog -- and there are plenty of other fans, podcasters, etc. covering that ground;
b) I didn't want to just binge all four episodes right away at the expense of being able to process what I was watching;
c) I do have other things in my life, including needing to be awake and alert for Saturday morning commitments, instead of being tired and distracted by thoughts of Bon Jovi.
So I watched it over a few days, chatted to some people about it, and then came back here.
What do I think?
Honestly, I love it. Is it perfect? No, but it was enough for me. Is it very Jon-centric? Sure, but the elephant of the decade (Jon's voice) was a key factor in Bon Jovi's success during their prime, and is integral to any future they may have.
At times it was quite heartbreaking to see his struggles with his voice laid bare. I mean, we've all heard it. I've blogged about it. Other fans have talked about it. News articles were written about it on that rough 2022 tour. But we also saw him being aware of it and trying to do something. We saw the other guys on stage trying to pull him through and support him.
As for Richie Sambora... well, I'm really glad he's in the documentary. I think he still has a massive chip on his shoulder, but I also completely understand him feeling pushed aside by John Shanks during the What About Now sessions. An album which, given what transpired afterwards, I don't think I've listened to since 2013.
Speaking of which, Shanks comes across kind of badly in his interview -- his little smirk and chuckle about being the guy between Jon and Richie made me uncomfortable. It could've just been nervous laughter, of course. I giggle when I'm nervous, and since I don't know Shanks at all, I can't possibly say he had any malicious intent. But yeah, it just didn't look that great.
There are plenty of fans who simp for Jon or Richie, think the other is the devil, and had already made up their minds long before this documentary aired. Nothing about it would've changed their thinking. But most of the criticisms levelled at one man could easily apply to the other. They both have rock star egos, they both twist or embellish details to make themselves look better, they're both stubborn AF. Like seriously, bros, you were both in your goddamn 50s when all this went down... be better!
But I'd love to see Richie back in the band, Phil X as the "other guitarist" and Shanks just... not? I don't hate the guy. I mean, he came on board to produce Have a Nice Day, an album that probably saved my life when I was a teenager. But it seems weird for him to have had this much influence over the band -- and particularly Jon -- for such a long period of time.
Speaking of guitarists, Bobby Bandiera should've been interviewed. He was around for almost a decade, from the Have a Nice Day tour until the end of Because We Can tour... and I think he'd have had some interesting things to say about that time, if he was willing to share.
Before anyone else brings it up, long-time manager Paul Korzilius wrongly claimed the 1995 "Live in London" shows were the last shows at Wembley Stadium, but I'm very confident he just misremembered, and there was no deliberate lie there. (Probs could've been fact-checked in post-production though.)
Super cool to hear a decent sounding recording of "Cadillac Man" from the archives. Here's a performance of this underrated song, from Osaka in 1991 -- how freaking good:
So yes... in summary, I enjoyed the documentary. Wouldn't have hurt to hear a little more from the rest of the band, past and present (though Alec John Such passed away before he could be interviewed). And it might have been a bit tighter with less previous footage woven in (e.g. from Access All Areas and When We Were Beautiful). But all in all, it was worth watching. For me, at least.
I know there are a lot of folks for whom Bon Jovi ended when Richie left, or when they "went country", or "got too commercial" or whatever.
There's an Australian band that I used to absolutely love, and a big part of that was their long-term lineup (which wasn't the original lineup, but the one I got to know on tour over about 10 years). Now that lineup is no more and I find myself just not being able to get excited about them, not going to their live shows anymore, etc. There were many times I thought that could be happening with me and Bon Jovi, but... no, not yet anyway. They're my band. They're still my band. Even as they are now, not quite where I want them to be. I guess that's the realisation I got from Thank You, Goodnight. The heart and dagger tattoo on my back is forever -- literally, but also figuratively.
Have you watched Thank You, Goodnight yet? What do you think?
PS. I have not forgotten about Richie's new music. It's cool that he (or his new marketing/PR person?) realised that there's a lot of renewed interest in him thanks to the documentary, and he should totally take advantage of it. I'll make a separate post for the new tunes.
Bon Jovi dropped a new single, "Legendary" on March 14 and... it was unexpectedly emotional for me. The song isn't going to change the world, but I didn't know if we'd ever hear new Bon Jovi music again, given Jon's vocal situation and jadedness with everything. So seeing the joy on his face just made me smile. And I like the song, although a ripping guitar solo would've Phil'd the track out more. (See what I did there? Your girl's got dad jokes.)
The full official trailer for Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story has also been released. Interesting to hear Richie Sambora say he regrets the way he left the band, though not the actual leaving:
Thank You, Goodnight had its first screening at the SXSW in Austin on March 14. The rest of us will have to wait until April 26 when it drops on Hulu, Disney+ or Star+ (depending on where you are in the world)... but here are some of the SXSW red carpet interviews and the Q&A with the band members and filmmakers:
The video above features red carpet interviews with producer Alex Trudeau Viriato and director Gotham Chopra, as well as Jon Bon Jovi, Phil X, Everett Bradley, Hugh McDonald, Tico Torres (in order of appearance). The Q&A was moderated by Deepak Chopra and features the remaining founding members of Bon Jovi (Jon, Tico, and David Bryan) and Gotham Chopra.
I'm pretty keen for the documentary; it looks like it'll be gritty enough to be worth our while, but obviously I'll have to wait and see!
