Facebook banned us!

Update (25/02/2021): We're back online! 🥳

Update (23/02/2021): I can no longer view any of the Facebook page content despite being an admin. 🙁 Asked a friend in the US to check and they could still see it all -- so it looks like it's still fine internationally but not in Australia. However, the news ban is set to be lifted in the coming days, so fingers crossed that all the banned pages (including ours) are back up soon.

Original Post:

I'll try to keep this short and sweet because we're a Bon Jovi blog, not a media blog. But long story short, Blame It On The Love's Facebook page has been blocked in Australia.

Basically, Facebook has reacted to the Australian Government's proposed News Media Bargaining Code by imposing a blanket ban on news content in Australia. That includes blocking news links from being shared and the removal of all content on Australian news pages.

Unfortunately, many non-news pages have been incorrectly taken down as well, including charities, community groups, health and emergency services, and small businesses. The disability organisation I work for has had its page wiped and is waiting to hopefully be restored. They're not alone.

And as I mentioned at the top of this post, Blame It On The Love got caught up in it too.

As far as I can tell, everything on our page shows up normally for the rest of the world, and I can still post to the page as an Australian-based admin. I've put in a support request so hopefully it will be sorted out soon.

But in the meantime, I wanted to fill people in on what was happening. Our Instagram appears to be unaffected, despite Instagram being owned by Facebook, so that's good.

Anyway, I suppose it's a good reminder of the pitfalls of being too reliant on a social media platform. "I Believe" might have alluded to that if it were released now... 

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Feel free to share your thoughts below. 😊

Want to stay connected? You can find us on Facebook @blameitonthelove, Instagram @blameitonthelove and Twitter @bonjoviblog.

Jon Bon Jovi interview with The Project

Jon Bon Jovi recently spoke with Peter Helliar from The Project. The segment -- which included bits from a February interview that didn't go to air, as well as this more recent interview from about a week ago -- was broadcast tonight in Australia:

Pete is a Bon Jovi fan and reckons 2020 could be their best album ever, which is a huge call. He might just be getting caught up in the moment. But I am getting pretty excited about it myself, so fingers crossed for something awesome.

Here's the full interview Pete alluded to. Among other things, Jon talks about the new album (obviously), the current sociopolitical state of the world, and his attitudes towards touring:

And let me just say, if Bon Jovi were to do an acoustic show at the Sydney Opera House I would lose my mind in the best possible way.

Are you looking forward to the 2020 album?

I guess, from my perspective at least, it's been such a crazy year and Bon Jovi music has often been like a warm hug. Obviously the music has changed over the years. But that's okay. My attachment to Bon Jovi has largely been about them having the right songs at the right time for me, regardless of whether they're the greatest songs ever. And this album might be one I kind of need. I have high hopes anyway, so hopefully my next blog post won't be about how disappointed I am. 😜

You can now preview all the tracks on iTunes ahead of the album's release this week.

Edit: I wasn't disappointed! Read my early impressions of 2020. Meanwhile, Pete Helliar's earlier interview with Jon (conducted back in February, which never went to air) has now been uploaded to The Project's YouTube channel:

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Want to stay connected? You can find us on Facebook @blameitonthelove, Instagram @blameitonthelove and Twitter @bonjoviblog.

Me watching a Bon Jovi tribute...

I'm a little biased since they're from my hometown but I'm a big fan of West Aussie Bon Jovi tribute band Slippery When Wet (not to be confused with their namesake in the US). I saw them for the umpteenth time here in Perth over the weekend. Here's a little snippet of the crowd at that gig during "Always", as filmed by their guitarist.

Slippery When Wet at the Camfield


If you know what I look like, you can see me in the front row. Thought I'd share for a bit of fun between tour legs. 😄

Bon Jovi in Sydney 8/12/18

Bon Jovi ended the Australian leg of the This House Is Not For Sale Tour in Sydney. I'd spent the week in Sydney catching up with family and friends before going to the concert on Saturday night so it's been a busy few days, but I'm finally home in Perth and writing this blog post.

Here's what was played in Sydney:

Sydney, NSW, Australia - ANZ Stadium - December 8, 2018 set list

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Lost Highway
4. Who Says You Can't Go Home
5. This House is Not For Sale
6. Roller Coaster
7. We Weren't Born to Follow
8. We Don't Run
9. It's My Life
10. God Bless This Mess
11. Born to Be My Baby
12. Have a Nice Day
13. Keep the Faith
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
18. Livin' on a Prayer
    
    Encore #1: 
19. Bad Medicine
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. I'll Be There For You
    
    Encore #2: 
22. Blood on Blood
23. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

Videos from Sydney

"Blood on Blood":

"Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" plus the final bows:

"Born to Be My Baby". Jon goes into the crowd and sings in front of the person filming:

"Livin' on a Prayer". Jon dips into the crowd for this one too:

If you have any videos from Sydney you'd like to share, feel free to link to them in the comments.

My thoughts

Jon's vocal issues have been pretty well documented by fans over the last few years. But he sounded good by current standards, even if he was kind of running out of steam in the second encore (I'm still glad he did the second encore though). There are concerts where he's been pretty much rooted to the spot and clinging to the mic stand while sounding average, and that obviously doesn't make for a good show. In Sydney, however, he was moving around, working the crowd, and being a front man worth seeing. I had the best time, and I'm really glad I made the trip.

Plus, as I briefly mentioned in my belated Brisbane post, I got to meet Phil X in Sydney... I might do a separate blog post about that?

I'm also quite proud of the fact that the lead singer of my favourite band is one of the few Americans who can pronounce "Melbourne" and "Brisbane" correctly. 😛

Birds of Tokyo were great as the support act too. They're from Perth, by the way. Hopefully Bon Jovi can make it there next time. 😉

Were you at the show?

Where to next?

Bon Jovi have announced tour dates for Europe in May, June, and July 2019. The Sydney concert also coincided with a Runaway Tours trip, so there was a Q&A with Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, Tico Torres, where it was reportedly revealed a new album is slated for release in 2019.

Bon Jovi in Brisbane 6/12/18

I know this post is much later than usual, but on the day that I would've posted it (December 7), I caught up with some friends who were doing the whole Bon Jovi Australian tour and met Phil X. And then the day after (December 8) was the day of the Sydney concert, which I was attending (and yes, that post is late as well). And the day after that (December 9) I was flying home to Perth.

Anyway, Bon Jovi's Brisbane show brought some more surprises with it, including the tour debut of "Last Man Standing".

Brisbane, Qld, Australia - Suncorp Stadium - December 6, 2018 set list

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Lost Highway
4. Who Says You Can't Go Home
5. This House is Not For Sale
6. Roller Coaster
7. Runaway
8. We Weren't Born to Follow
9. It's My Life
10. New Year's Day
11. Born to Be My Baby
12. Have a Nice Day
13. Keep the Faith
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. We Got it Going On
17. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
18. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore:
19. Last Man Standing
20. Blood on Blood
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Brisbane

"Bad Medicine":

"New Year's Day":

"Last Man Standing" and part of "Blood on Blood":

If you have any videos you'd like to share from Brisbane, feel free to link to them in the comments.

Were you at this show?

Bon Jovi in Adelaide 4/12/18

Bon Jovi's This House Is Not For Sale Tour rolled into Adelaide and brought with it a few somewhat unexpected changes...

Adelaide, SA, Australia - Botanic Park - December 4, 2012 set list

1. Lost Highway
2. Who Says You Can't Go Home
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Raise Your Hands
5. This House is Not For Sale
6. Living With the Ghost
7. Runaway
8. We Weren't Born to Follow
9. It's My Life
10. God Bless This Mess
11. Born to Be My Baby
12. We Don't Run
13. Keep the Faith
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
17. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore: 
18. When We Were Us
19. Blood on Blood
20. I'll Be There For You
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Adelaide

There's been a marked lack of good videos from this show at the time of typing, but I'll check again later. If you'd like to share any videos from Adelaide, feel free to link to them in the comments.

Edit 6/12/18: Videos have arrived!

"Living with the Ghost". This is probably my favourite song from the album, and it's good to see Jon start to move around and perform this instead of being glued to his mic stand the entire time:

"When We Were Us":

"Keep the Faith":

Other notes

Jon dedicated "It's My Life" to  two brothers who were victims of a convicted Adelaide paedophile:

"These two brothers they put on masks and they fought a childhood abuser," Jon Bon Jovi said to the crowd.
"They met him in court today and he was sentenced to jail.
"We have to protect our children, it's not easy when you have to stand up in court and face your devil.
"So for those two brave brothers, my heart, my respect, this is for you guys."

Read the full story on the ABC News website.

You can also watch this report on 9 News Adelaide, which includes Jon's words at the concert and an interview with one of the brothers:


Were you at this show?

Bon Jovi in Melbourne 1/12/18

Bon Jovi kicked off their Aussie tour at the MCG, where my football team, the West Coast Eagles, won this year's AFL Grand Final. (Sorry, I had to throw that in. 😛)

I wasn't at this show, but I did attend both Melbourne shows (at a different venue) in 2013 (the last time Bon Jovi toured Australia) and have fond memories of freaking out because I finally got to hear "Dry County" and "These Days" live. That didn't happen this time around, but here's what did get played:

Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Melbourne Cricket Ground - December 1, 2018 set list

1. This House is Not For Sale
2. Knockout
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Whole Lot of Leavin'
5. Lost Highway
6. We Weren't Born to Follow
7. Roller Coaster
8. Who Says You Can't Go Home
9. Born to Be My Baby
10. It's My Life
11. God Bless This Mess
12. We Don't Run
13. Keep the Faith
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore: 
18. Blood on Blood
19. I'll Be There For You
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Melbourne

"I'll Be There For You":

"It's My Life":

If you have any Melbourne videos you'd like to share, feel free to link to them in the comments.

Were you at the show?

Jon Bon Jovi interview on The Project + Tico Torres' Modern Drummer interview

Lisa Wilkinson & Jon Bon Jovi.
(Photo: lisa_wilkinson/Instagram.)

Ahead of Bon Jovi's upcoming Australian tour, Jon sat down for an interview with The Project's Lisa Wilkinson. Among other things, Jon discussed Richie Sambora, the band's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, marriage, and the cult of celebrity.

Watch the full JBJ interview on Ten Daily.

If that video doesn't work for you, the interview is also on YouTube:

Bon Jovi will be back on the road very soon, with two late November dates in Japan, followed by four stadium shows in Australia in December. Unfortunately, they're not visiting my hometown of Perth, so I'll be heading over to Sydney to see them. That'll be the last show of the Aussie tour so I'm hoping it's a good one. 😉

And because I haven't blogged since the end of the last leg of the tour 😳 ... Tico Torres did an interview with Modern Drummer not too long ago:

MD: What’s your typical day on the road like?

Tico: We usually fly after the show to the next city. Most days I go to the gym to run and stretch to keep my muscles in shape. For indoor shows we go to the venue at 5 p.m. to do soundcheck, and then we have dinner. And then we do a session with our sports guy to stretch and get our heads on track. The set changes every day, so it keeps it moving and fresh. I keep a small pad in my road case, and I run through patterns to warm up my arms and hands before the show.

MD: What kind of warm-ups do you do?

Tico: First I use a portable massager called the Thumper; it loosens up the fascia [connective muscular tissue] from the night before. Then, on a practice pad, I start out with very slow and deliberate motions to stretch the wrists and forearms, the slower the better, until I feel I have full motion and I’m warmed up enough to do singles, paradiddles, triplets, press rolls, etc. If there’s no pad, I like to use a cushion to do slow single-stroke rolls—again, very calculated.

Read Tico's full interview on the Modern Drummer website.

Are you going to any of the shows in Japan or Australia?

Richie Sambora doesn't want to play Runaway again

Richie Sambora sat down for an interview with The Sun-Herald during his recent visit to Australia. Much of what he said has been mentioned in some form or another in previous interviews, but what stuck out for me was when Kate Waterhouse asked Richie if there were any songs he never wanted to play again and he said he didn't think he'd ever perform Runaway again:

The early Bon Jovi stuff I can't stand. I just think we didn't have our stylistic voice. But some people love some of that stuff. Like people are going "[play] Run Away" and I'm going "I hate that song! I'll never play it again!"

I know it's the only song from the first two albums that Bon Jovi plays these days and that neither he nor Jon are too fond of those albums. But given Runaway was written by Jon and George Karak before Richie was ever in the picture, and there may never have been a Bon Jovi band without it, I thought it was a strange example to use. And possibly one that signals Richie's intentions going forward.

Anyway, here's a video of Richie talking to Kate about the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, writing hit songs, and his feelings about Runaway.

Date with Kate: Richie Sambora


You can also read other extracts from the interview here.

Richie Sambora Soundwave Perth 3/3/14 & Melbourne 28/2/14 set lists

Richie Sambora finished his Australian tour by playing at Perth's Soundwave Festival, with he and his band dishing up a few surprises.

Perth, WA, Australia - Arena Joondalup - March 3, 2014

1. Paranoid [Black Sabbath cover]
2. Nowadays
3. Burn that Candle Down
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover]
6. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
7. Don't Change [INXS cover]
8. No Surrender [acoustic/Bruce Springsteen cover] / Wanted Dead or Alive
9. Livin' on a Prayer

Being my hometown, not to mention the final Soundwave to be held in Perth (It'll be an "east coast only" festival from 2015) and possibly the only chance I'll ever get to see Richie do a solo gig, I decided to head up to Joondalup. Unfortunately I didn't get the video everyone wants (i.e. Paranoid) -- I think I was too stunned! Plus I was staying for the whole day/night so I needed my phone battery to last.

I had an awesome time and really enjoyed Richie's set, which was like a big jam session, but I've heard mixed reviews from various people that I can certainly understand. I don't think No Surrender was rehearsed -- Richie was mumbling his way through all the words -- and it's only because it's one of my favourite Springsteen songs that I recognised it when it started.

Two friends of mine also saw Richie's set. One thought he was "shit" and "off his f***ing tree". The other described the show as "passionate dirty blues guitar sex" and reckons it was the best version ever of Lay Your Hands on Me and Wanted. All agreed that Orianthi was brilliant. I'd give the performance a 7/10 but I would love to see Richie at one of his own headlining gigs, rather than the lunchtime slot at a festival that's not really his genre.

Meanwhile, this is the set list for Richie's Soundwave gig in Melbourne on February 28, which I'd been looking for:

Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Flemington Racecourse - February 28, 2014

1. Burn That Candle Down
2. Nowadays
3. Lay Your Hands On Me
4. Every Road Leads Home to You
5. Don't Change [INXS cover]
6. Wanted Dead or Alive
7. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover]
8. Livin' on a Prayer

Did you catch Richie at any of the Soundwaves in Australia? What did you think of his performance?

Richie Sambora Soundwave Adelaide set list 1/3/14

Richie Sambora and Orianthi returned to Ori's hometown of Adelaide to perform at Soundwave. Here's what they played:

Adelaide, SA, Australia - Bonython Park - March 1, 2014

1. Nowadays
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Lay Your Hands on Me
4. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix cover]
5. My Hometown - Orianthi
6. Wanted Dead or Alive
7. Don't Change [INXS cover]
8. Livin' on a Prayer

Were you at the show?

Richie finishes his Aussie tour tomorrow, March 3, at what will be the final ever Soundwave Festival in Perth.

Richie Sambora Melbourne set list 27/2/14 + Purple Rain ft Corey Glover & Orianthi

Richie Sambora played a sold-out charity show for the Starlight Foundation at The Espy in Melbourne on February 27. Corey Glover from Living Colour, who's also on the bill for the Soundwave festivals, joined the band on stage for Purple Rain.

Were you at the show?

Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Esplanade Hotel - February 27, 2014

1. Burn that Candle Down
   
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
   
3. Taking a Chance on the Wind
   
4. I'll Be There For You
   
5. Nowadays
   
6. You Don't Wanna Know [Orianthi song] - Ori vox
   
7. Wanted Dead or Alive
   
8. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover]
   
9. Stranger In This Town
   
10. Sugar Daddy
    
11. Lay Your Hands On Me
    
12. Seven Years Gone
    
13. Livin' on a Prayer
    
    
    
    encore:
    
14. Don't Change [INXS cover]
    
15. It's My Life
    
16. These Days
    
17. Purple Rain [Prince cover] - Corey Glover vox
    

Richie Sambora & Corey Glover - Purple Rain (Melbourne) - amazing pipes!
I'm still waiting for Richie's set list for Soundwave in Melbourne on February 28. Anyone got a copy of it?

Richie Sambora Sydney set list 26/2/14 + Purple Rain & Don't Change videos

Richie Sambora's headlining solo gig in Sydney last night brought some nice surprises. INXS drummer Jon Farriss joined him and the band on stage for "Don't Change", Orianthi sang "You Don't Wanna Know" from her latest album Heaven In This Hell, and the show finished with a huge cover of "Purple Rain".

Were you at the show?

Sydney, NSW, Australia - Enmore Theatre - February 26, 2014

1. Burn That Candle Down
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Taking a Chance on the Wind
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water [Simon & Garfunkel cover] / I'll Be There For You
5. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
6. Wanted Dead or Alive
7. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover]
8. Stranger In This Town
9. Lay Your Hands On Me
10. Seven Years Gone
11. Livin' on a Prayer

encore:
12. Don't Change [INXS cover] - ft Jon Farriss
13. It's My Life
14. These Days
15. Purple Rain [Prince cover]

Richie Sambora - INXS Jon Farriss - Orianthi - Don't Change (with a drum cameo from Today entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins before Jon enters the stage)


Richie Sambora and Orianthi - Purple Rain - Enmore Theatre Sydney 26-2-14

Music Feeds LIVE: Richie Sambora + Orianthi

After a delayed start, Richie Sambora and Orianthi, with Luke Ebbin on percussion, had a jam in the studio for Music Feeds Live today. You can watch the stream in full via YouTube.

Music Feeds LIVE: Richie Sambora + Orianthi


Here's what they played:

• Norwegian Wood [The Beatles cover]
• You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi
• Seven Years Gone

Richie Sambora adds Melbourne sidewave + interviews

A last-minute show has been added to Richie Sambora's Australian tour. He and his band, including Orianthi, will perform at The Espy in Melbourne this Thursday, February 27. All profits will be donated to the Starlight Children's Foundation. Tickets are on sale now from Oztix.

Richie's other previously-announced sidewave is tomorrow, February 26 at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. Tickets are available from Ticketek.

Richie and Orianthi began this morning on TODAY, before crossing over to The Morning Show.

Richie Sambora Orianthi Interview Today Show Australia


TODAY: Richie Sambora performs 'Seven Years Gone'


Richie Sambora Interview on The Morning Show


They'll be streaming live from Music Feeds today at 5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

Richie Sambora / Orianthi: Don't Change + Voodoo Child at Sydney Soundwave

Richie Sambora and special guest Orianthi covered "Don't Change" by INXS and "Voodoo Child" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience at Soundwave in Sydney on February 23. Check out the videos.

Richie Sambora - Don't Change Sydney 23.02.2014


Richie Sambora - Voodoo Child Sydney 23.02.2014


Richie and Ori also sat down for an interview with the AU Review.

Interview: Richie Sambora and Orianthi at Soundwave Festival 2014 (Sydney)

Richie Sambora Soundwave Sydney set list 23/2/14

Richie Sambora performed at Sydney Olympic Park for the Soundwave Festival. Here's what was played:

Sydney, NSW, Australia - Olympic Park - February 23, 2014

1. Burn That Candle Down
2. Nowadays
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Don't Change [INXS cover]
5. Wanted Dead or Alive
6. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover]
7. Livin' on a Prayer

Were you at Soundwave in Sydney?

Richie will play at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on February 26 before more Soundwave dates in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to finish his Australian tour. Music Feeds will also be broadcasting a live set by Richie and Orianthi on February 25 at 5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

Richie Sambora Soundwave Brisbane set list 22/2/14

Richie Sambora kicked off his first Soundwave Festival in Brisbane. Here's what was played:

Brisbane, QLD, Australia - RNA Showgrounds - February 22, 2014

1. Burn that Candle Down
2. Nowadays
3. Lay Your Hands On Me
4. Every Road Leads Home to You
5. Learning How To Fly With A Broken Wing
6. Wanted Dead or Alive
7. Beds Are Burning [Midnight Oil cover] / Livin' on a Prayer

Were you at Soundwave in Brisbane?

Music Feeds will also be streaming a set from Richie and Orianthi on Tuesday, February 25.

Richie Sambora - Beds are Burning / Livin' on a Prayer & The Answer live in Brisbane

A couple of videos from Richie Sambora's show at the Tivoli in Brisbane on February 20.

Richie Sambora and Orianthi - Beds are Burning (Midnight Oil Cover) / Livin' on a Prayer Mash-up


Richie Sambora - The Answer [Encore] - The Tivoli, Brisbane - 20th Feb 2014


Richie Sambora / Orianthi - Sugar Daddy - The Tivoli, Brisbane Australia - 20th Feb 2014

Richie Sambora Brisbane set list 20/2/14

Richie Sambora kicked off his Australian tour at The Tivoli in Brisbane last night. Aussie guitarist Orianthi, who has played with Michael Jackson and Alice Cooper in addition to her own solo material, joined Richie's band and sang lead vocals on part of Livin' on a Prayer.

Were you at the show?

Brisbane, QLD, Australia - The Tivoli - February 20, 2014

1. Burn that Candle Down
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Taking a Chance on the Wind
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water [Simon & Garfunkel cover] / I'll Be There For You
5. Nowadays
6. Don't Change [INXS cover]
7. Who Says You Can't Go Home
8. Sugar Daddy
9. Weathering the Storm
10. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
11. These Days
12. Beds are Burning [Midnight Oil] / Livin' on a Prayer - Orianthi vox
encore:
13. The Answer
14. Seven Years Gone
15. Voodoo Child [Jimi Hendrix Experience cover]
16. Wanted Dead or Alive
17. Stranger in this Town

Richie's next intimate "sidewave" show is at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Wednesday, February 26. Soundwave Festival begins this weekend:

• Saturday, February 22 - Brisbane - RNA Showgrounds
• Sunday, February 23 - Sydney - Olympic Park
• Friday, March 1 - Melbourne - Flemington Racecourse
• Saturday, March 2 - Adelaide - Bonython Park
• Monday, March 4 - Perth - Arena Joondalup