A look back at Wembley #3, a glance forward to Bon Jovi's future

A little over three weeks ago, Bon Jovi played their last of three shows at London's Wembley Stadium to close out the Forever Tour so far. And if that was going to be their final show, they did swap in a couple of little surprises, while keeping the same structure they've been using since the tour began.

London, England - Wembley Stadium #3 - 9 September 2026

1. With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
2. Beautiful Drug
3. We Weren't Born to Follow
4. Lost Highway
5. You Give Love a Bad Name
6. Born to Be My Baby
7. Legendary
8. Who Says You Can't Go Home
9. Bed of Roses
10. Have a Nice Day
11. These Days
12. This House Is Not For Sale
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Raise Your Hands
16. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
17. Hey God
18. Love's the Only Rule
19. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
20. I'll Be There for You
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Bad Medicine
23. Always

"Love's the Only Rule" and "Captain Crash" made their tour debuts. 

Selected videos from Wembley #3

Love's the Only Rule - a little tepid but if they played it more, it would probably be better as Jon's confidence often plays a key role in how a performance comes across. Still one of my favourite songs from The Circle:

 

Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars - This song has always been cheesy, poppy fun that made me smile on Crush, although I don't know if Jon was concentrating too hard on his vocals to really enjoy it until the end.

 

Always - Jon giving early leavers a bit of stick before ending the tour for the known future (as no other shows have been announced at this stage:

 

Thinkin' on a prayer

Part of me had wondered if this was it for Bon Jovi as a live act, even as another part of me thought, "surely they're not going to give up the likely ticket sales boost of billing something as a farewell tour!"

 

But Jon said during the show that they were indeed planning to tour again in about five months' time, which would be around February 2027. I rate him as a songwriter and would have been fine with the rest of his music career being based in the studio, but presumably he thinks he can handle touring again after this test run, so good for him.

 

Jon has effectively had to relearn how to use his voice. I'm proud of him for the work he's done. As a front man and entertainer, he's getting his mojo back and not clinging to his mic stand all the time, and that's awesome to see. But I'm also acutely aware that for all the fan and marketing hype, he's still nowhere near the top of his game vocally and... I don't think he ever will be again. He's made me eat my words before though. Please can he do it again? 🙏

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Take 2 for Bon Jovi in London

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

1. With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
2. Beautiful Drug
3. We Weren't Born to Follow
4. Lost Highway
5. You Give Love a Bad Name
6. Born to Be My Baby
7. Legendary - featuring James Bay
8. Whole Lot of Leavin'
9. Bed of Roses
10. Have a Nice Day
11. These Days
12. This House Is Not For Sale
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Raise Your Hands
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Hey God
18. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
19. I'll Be There for You
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Bad Medicine
22. 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.

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Feel free to share your thoughts below. 😊

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Bon Jovi live in London again

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

1. With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
2. Beautiful Drug
3. We Weren't Born to Follow
4. Lost Highway
5. You Give Love a Bad Name
6. Born to Be My Baby
7. Legendary
8. Whole Lot of Leavin'
9. Bed of Roses
10. In These Arms
11. These Days
12. This House Is Not For Sale
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Raise Your Hands
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Hey God
18. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
19. I'll Be There for You
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Bad Medicine - featuring Everett Bradley
22. 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. 

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Bon Jovi in Coventry 23/06/19

Bon Jovi wrapped up its UK tour in Coventry. It was a short set, but here's what was played:

Coventry, England, UK - Ricoh Arena - June 23, 2019 set list

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. This House Is Not For Sale
5. Roller Coaster
6. Lost Highway
7. We Weren't Born to Follow
8. We Got It Goin' On
9. Have a Nice Day
10. Keep the Faith
11. I'll Be There For You
12. It's My Life
13. God Bless This Mess
14. Wanted Dead or Alive
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore: 
19. Runaway
20. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Coventry

"You Give Love a Bad Name" - Got a fresh opener! We get the intro first, and then the song starts at about the one-minute mark:

"Roller Coaster":

"Keep the Faith":

Feel free to share your thoughts, other videos, links, etc. 🙂

Were you at the Coventry show?

Bon Jovi now has a bit of a break before resuming the European leg of the tour in Germany in early July.

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

Bon Jovi in London 21/06/19

The old Wembley Stadium held plenty of great Bon Jovi memories, including the three shows in 1995 that culminated in the Live from London VHS/DVD. Bon Jovi was also the last band to play there in 2000 before it was closed for demolition, and were supposed to open the new Wembley in 2006 but had to change venues due to construction delays. They finally returned to the famous site on their This House Is Not For Sale Tour, where the new Wembley Stadium now stands. Here's what was played:

London, England, UK - Wembley Stadium - June 21, 2019 set list

1. This House is Not For Sale
2. Raise Your Hands
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. Lost Highway
7. Runaway
8. We Weren't Born to Follow
9. Have a Nice Day
10. Keep the Faith
11. Amen
12. Bed of Roses
13. Blood on Blood
14. It's My Life
15. We Don't Run
16. Wanted Dead or Alive
17. Lay Your Hands on Me
18. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
19. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
20. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore: 
21. Always
22. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from London

Here's the full show:

"Always":

"Bed of Roses":

Feel free to share your thoughts, links, videos, etc. 🙂

Were you at the show?

Extras

Continuing on from the Beatles theme in Liverpool, here's a picture Phil X posted of himself standing outside the famous Abbey Road Studios:

View this post on Instagram

in Abbey Road today. #abbeyroadstudios #iconicstudio #beatlesmagic #feelthevibe

A post shared by Phil X (@philx1111) on Jun 22, 2019 at 7:43am PDT

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Bon Jovi in Liverpool 19/06/19

After a couple of nights in Dublin, Bon Jovi took their This House Is Not For Sale Tour to Liverpool, the birthplace of the Beatles, performing at the home of Liverpool FC. Here's what was played:

Liverpool, England, UK - Anfield - June 19, 2019 set list

1. This House is Not For Sale
2. Raise Your Hands
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Born to Be My Baby
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. Lost Highway
7. Runaway
8. We Weren't Born to Follow
9. Have a Nice Day
10. Keep the Faith
11. Amen
12. I'll Be There For You
13. Blood on Blood
14. It's My Life
15. We Don't Run
16. Wanted Dead or Alive
17. Lay Your Hands on Me
18. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
19. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
20. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore #1: 
21. These Days
22. Livin' on a Prayer
    
    Encore #2: 
23. Birthday [The Beatles cover]
24. Twist and Shout [The Top Notes/The Isley Brothers/The Beatles cover]

Videos from Liverpool

"Birthday" in honour of Sir Paul McCartney's birthday the day before:

"Lay Your Hands on Me":

"Blood on Blood"

"Twist and Shout":

Feel free to share your thoughts, video links, etc. 🙂

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Richie Sambora set lists June 26-July 3

Richie Sambora wrapped up the European leg of his tour earlier this month. Here's what was played:

Paris, France - Le Bataclan - June 26, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Weathering the Storm
6. Burn the Candle Down
7. Stranger in This Town
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
10. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
11. I'll Be There for You
12. Learning How to Fly With a Broken Wing
13. Seven Years Gone
14. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore:
15. The Answer
16. Taking a Chance on the Wind
17. Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley cover
18. These Days
19. Rosie
20. Stick to Your Guns
21. Wanted Dead or Alive

London, England - Clapham Common - June 28, 2014 (Calling Festival)

1. Lay Your Hands on Me
2. Nowadays
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Stranger in this Town
5. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
6. Burn the Candle Down
7. Wanted Dead or Alive

Dublin, Ireland - Olympia Theatre - June 30, 2014

1. A Song For You - Leon Russell cover
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Lay Your Hands on Me
4. Stranger in this Town
5. Burn that Candle Down
6. Weathering the Storm
7. Sugar Daddy
8. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
9. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
10. Seven Years Gone
11. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
12. I'll Be There For You
13. Wanted Dead or Alive

encore:
14. Livin' on a Prayer - ft Niamh Crowther, Josh Dunford, Brian McGovern, Tania Notara McNamara, Susan Bluechild (opening act contest finalists)
15. Taking a Chance on the Wind
16. These Days

Belfast, Northern Ireland - Ulster Hall - July 1, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Nowadays
7. Weathering the Storm
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
10. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
11. Seven Years Gone
12. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
13. I'll Be There For You

encore:
14. Lean On Me (Bill Withers cover) - ft. Peter McVeigh, Matthew Duly, Ryan McMullan, Johnny Reid, David Brown Murray (opening act contest finalists)
15. Wanted Dead or Alive / Midnight Rider (Allman Brothers cover)
16. These Days
17. Livin' on a Prayer

Glasgow, Scotland - O2 ABC - July 3, 2014

1. A Song for You (Leon Russell cover)
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Nowadays
7. Weathering the Storm
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
10. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing / Crossroads (Eric Clapton cover, originally by Robert Johnson)
11. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel cover) / Seven Years Gone
12. Storybook Love (Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover)
13. I'll Be There For You

encore:
14. The Answer
15. Bad Company (Bad Company cover) / Wanted Dead or Alive
16. These Days

Were you at these shows?

Richie Sambora UK, Netherlands, Stuttgart set lists (June 13-19, 2014)

Richie Sambora kicked off his latest solo tour last week, performing shows in England, the Netherlands, and Germany. His sets have included a couple of unexpected Bon Jovi songs -- i.e. The Distance and Stick to Your Guns, as well as an impromptu rendition of Rosie in Stuttgart.

Were you at any of these shows?

London, England - O2 Academy Islington - June 13, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix cover
7. Taking a Chance on the Wind
8. Livin' on a Prayer
9. Burn that Candle Down
10. Seven Years Gone
11. Who Says You Can't Go Home
12. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
13. I'll Be There For You

encore:
14. Stick to Your Guns - intro
15. Wanted Dead or Alive
16. These Days

Download Festival - Leicestershire, UK - Donington Park - June 15, 2014

1. Burn That Candle Down
2. Lay Your Hands On Me
3. Every Road Leads Home To You
4. Stranger In This Town
5. Nowadays
6. Wanted Dead Or Alive

Tilburg, Netherlands - 013 - June 17, 2014

1. A Song For You - Leon Russell cover
2. Nowadays
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Burn that Candle Down
7. The Distance
8. Seven Years Gone
9. Taking a Chance on the Wind
10. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi song
11. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
12. I'll Be There For You
13. Stick to Your Guns - intro
14. Wanted Dead or Alive

encore:
15. The Answer - solo acoustic
16. Livin' on a Prayer
17. These Days
18. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix cover

Stuttgart, Germany - Beethovensaal - June 19, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in This Town
6. Burn the Candle Down
7. Seven Years Gone
8. The Distance
9. Rosie
10. Taking a Chance on the Wind
11. Weathering the Storm
12. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi song
13. Storybook Love Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
14. I'll Be There for You

encore:
15. Lean On Me - ft. Katja Juraska, Toby Breitenbach, Daniel Berger, Michael Eb, Christoph Brubeck (winner & 4 finalists for Opening Act contest)
16. Livin' on a Prayer
17. These Days - with Bob Marley intro
18. Bridge Over Troubled Water - intro
19. Wanted Dead or Alive

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 Isle of Wight Festival set list

Bon Jovi headlined the Isle of Wight Festival, which was streamed live online thanks to Festivo TV and Absolute Radio. There were supposedly 27 songs in what was meant to be a three-hour set, but after hitting the stage late, the band ended up playing for a little over two hours. Were you at the concert or watching from home? What did you think of the show?

Newport, Isle of Wight, England - Seaclose Park - June 15, 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. In These Arms
12. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
13. Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
14. We Weren't Born to Follow
15. Who Says You Can't Go Home
16. Rockin' All Over the World - John Fogerty/Status Quo cover
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
18. Bad Medicine
Encore:
19. Wanted Dead or Alive
20. Have a Nice Day
21. Livin' on a Prayer

(It's Hard) Letting You Go in Bristol

This rarely-played These Days track was the biggest surprise of Bon Jovi's June 27, 2011 concert in Bristol. This video popped up shortly afterwards... the start of the song is missing but most of it is here. And it sounds fantastic.



EDIT: Here's another video. :)

Bristol set list

Bon Jovi dropped into the home of Bristol City FC and slipped some nice inclusions into the set, particularly Happy Now, Just Older, Living in Sin... and Letting You Go!

Bristol, England, UK - Ashton Gate Stadium - June 27, 2011
Happy Now
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
Just Older
It's My Life
We Got It Goin' On
Raise Your Hands
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover] / Treat Her Right [Roy Head & The Traits cover]
Blaze of Glory
Living In Sin
In These Arms
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Runaway
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith

encore:
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
(It's Hard) Letting You Go
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' On A Prayer

Visit Hath's Circle Tour Blog for all the videos.

Hard Rock Calling audio and video

Bon Jovi blew us away at Hard Rock Calling in London on June 25. I don't know if there's any chance of an official live release, but it'd sure be nice.

Absolute Radio has a photo gallery from the show. They are also streaming Blaze of Glory, Born to Be My Baby, It's My Life, Livin' on a Prayer and Always until July 26, 2011.

There's also a fan recording of the full audio stream here. Various other fan recordings are floating around for download.

And finally, here are some fan videos. :)

Hey God

Considering this is the opening track of my favourite album, I recognised the intro of the song when I heard it coming through my headphones during the live stream, but I don't think I really believed what I was hearing until Jon started singing.

Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman

Jon squeezing Richie Sambora's butt at about 3:27.

Hallelujah

Some people bag it for being too slow or over-emoted but I don't care; I love Bon Jovi's version of Hallelujah. I never really appreciated the song until Bon Jovi started doing this in 2007... now I love the original as well as many of the cover versions. Though I have to admit, Jon looks rather pained here.

Dry County

If you follow the blog, you'll probably already know I'm a sucker for this song.

Livin' on a Prayer / Always


For more videos, check out Hath's Circle Tour Blog.

Hard Rock Calling set list

Wow! Bon Jovi played for about three hours at Hard Rock Calling. The live audio stream on Absolute Radio sounded fantastic, and they pulled out some surprises that I certainly was not expecting at a festival. So much so that I'm more than happy to forgive Jon (who was reportedly limping in his leg brace) for finishing the show on that song I despise. :P

London, England, UK - Hyde Park - June 25, 2011
Raise Your Hands
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
It's My Life
In These Arms
Blaze of Glory
Lay Your Hands on Me
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
Bad Medicine / Oh, Pretty Woman [Roy Orbison cover]
Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]
When We Were Beautiful
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Hey God
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith

encore #1:
Dry County
Wanted Dead or Alive
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Livin' on a Prayer

encore #2:
Always
These Days
Blood on Blood

encore #3:
I Love This Town

Check out Hath's Circle Tour Blog for all the HRC videos and media links.

Manchester set list

Bon Jovi played at the famous Old Trafford ahead of their headlining show at Hard Rock Calling (which you should hopefully be able to listen to via the Absolute Radio website).

Manchester, England, UK - Old Trafford Cricket Ground - June 24, 2011
Blood On Blood
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
In These Arms
Lost Highway
It's My Life
Runaway
Raise Your Hands
We Got It Goin' On
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
Bad Medicine / Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
When We Were Beautiful
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Work For The Working Man
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith

encore:
Dry County
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Check Hath's Circle Tour Blog for all the videos.