RIP Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen died this week at the age of 82. Jon Bon Jovi, like many other artists, was a great admirer of Leonard's work. In honour of a legend, here's one of my idols paying tribute to one of his.

Bon Jovi performed "Hallelujah" quite frequently on the Lost Highway and Circle tours. It appeared on the Live at Madison Square Garden DVD:

JBJ has also covered "I'm Your Man" (not to be confused with the song on Burning Bridges) with the Kings of Suburbia:

Rest in peace, Leonard Cohen.

David Bryan & Friends at Carrara Idol 2014

David Bryan performed in Milan, Italy for Carrara Idol on April 8, 2014, backed by the Matt O'Ree Band. He reportedly played the following songs (not sure on the set order):

• Underground - from "Memphis" the musical
• The Music Of My Soul - from "Memphis" the musical
• Who Says You Can't Go Home
• In These Arms
• Wanted Dead or Alive
• Bed of Roses
• Memphis Lives in Me - from "Memphis" the musical
• Livin' On a Prayer
• Bad Medicine
• When Love Comes to Town - U2 & BB King cover
• Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen cover
• Senza Una Donna / Without A Woman - Zucchero & Paul Young cover
• Great Balls Of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis cover
• Twist and Shout - The Top Notes/Isley Brothers/Beatles cover

Here's a selection of videos from the show:

David Bryan Carrara Idol 2014 Hallelujah + Senza Una Donna


David Bryan Carrara Idol 2014 Music Of My Soul


David Bryan - Who Says You can't go Home Live at Carrara Idol


David Bryan Carrara Idol 2014 Bed Of Roses


David Bryan "Livin' on a Prayer" Carrara Idol 2014


David Bryan Carrara Idol 2014 When Love comes to town

Videos from Sydney Entertainment Centre

The set list raised a few eyebrows, but love it or hate it, Bon Jovi's December 15 concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre produced more surprises than any other show on the Australian leg. Here are a few videos from that night. (Check out the full set list and a pro shot of Happy Xmas here).

Hallelujah


The Fighter


Thick As Thieves


When We Were Beautiful

EDIT: The audio track for When We Were Beautiful has been muted due to a copyright claim. Other live performances of the same song have also been muted... In fact, the only versions of When We Were Beautiful that seem to be available for listening on YouTube are the official video and Live on Letterman performance -- both on the VEVO channel.

These Days


Always


Love's the Only Rule


Blood on Blood

Should Bon Jovi release Amen as a single?

Amen is one of the ballads from Bon Jovi's upcoming album What About Now, and according to reports from their Ottawa show, is set to be the follow-up single to Because We Can.

Jon has said he wishes he'd written Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah so I guess this is his attempt at his own Hallelujah.

What do you think of Amen as a single?

I've included a couple of live videos of Amen from Toronto and the pre-tour promotional show in Stuttgart, as well as lyrics (Corrections welcome).





Last night I had a dream
The dream I had was true
I fell through the stars
We were walking on the moon
Burned like a thousand candles in her arms
The skin under my fingertips
Honeysuckle on her lips
Sweeter than a man deserves to taste
Mercy, mercy, what else can I say?
But Amen
Amen
Amen

Last night we were born together
It was like we'd always been
She'll be with me forever
If I don't see her again
We poured the wine until the cup ran over
Unfolding like a mystery
Inside of her like poetry
A thousand horses running through my veins
Mercy, mercy, what else can I say?
But Amen
Amen

I lay down in the garden
Naked on her floor
Windows up, the curtains blowing
She'd unlock the door
Amen
Amen

At the banquet table
A beggar at a feast
I felt her tongue between my lips
And I forgot to breathe
We stayed there til the candles burned the carpet
Last night I had a dream
The dream I had was true
Mercy, mercy, what else can I say?
Mercy, mercy, I'll kneel down and pray
Amen
Amen
Amen

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.

Videos: Unplugged gems in Sydney

Part two of the bumper Sydney videos showcase features songs from the acoustic section of the shows.

Make a Memory (Night #1: December 17, 2010)


Living in Sin / Chapel of Love (Night #2: December 18, 2010) - My favourite New Jersey song, even sans screams. But I'd like to see them use "Diamond Ring" for the outtro. I first suggested this back in 2008 and it's never happened, but you never know, one day Jon might read my pleas and give a damn. :P


Never Say Goodbye (Night #2: December 18, 2010)


Hallelujah (Night #3: December 19, 2010) - An special moment for Sydney in the summer rain.


What Do You Got (partial) + Squeeze Box (Night #3: December 19, 2010)


Part one is at this link, with plenty more videos to come. Remember, you can also check out Hath's Circle Tour blog to stay up to date with vids.

Videos from Rock in Rio Madrid

My favourite videos from Bon Jovi's Rock in Rio Madrid show (higher quality captures than the webcast).

BAD MEDICINE / ROADHOUSE BLUES - A really fun performance, with Jon even showing off a little Shakira hip action. "Bad Medicine" has really freshened up this tour.


WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE - Video and audio are slightly out of sync but it's still a magical performance, and not just from the band either. The strong crowd sang the first verse and chorus as a "solo".


LIVIN' ON A PRAYER - Simply awesome. I thought Jon's vocals held up very well too!


HALLELUJAH


KEEP THE FAITH


You can check out more videos from this show at Hath & Co's BJCT blog.

Videos from Charlotte

Some videos from Bon Jovi's April 22 concert in Charlotte.

I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU - I was watching this with the silliest lovestruck grin on my face... Jon's voice might be the strongest it's been all tour here. So, what do you say, boys... time to try some tracks from the first two albums again? ;)


DIAMOND RING - There's always something magical about Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, one mic stand and this song.


BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU (DOCTOR, DOCTOR) / BAD MEDICINE reprisal


HALLELUJAH - I really enjoyed David Bryan's keys from about 3:45 to 4:02. I don't think this song needs to be played every night, but I do really like seeing Bon Jovi covering it.


LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME - I miss "Homebound Train" but Richie does rock on this too.


SUPERMAN TONIGHT - I figured I'd include this one since I think we're all supposed to be voting for it on VH1. :P


Bon Jovi's next show is May 19 in Pennsylvania.

Detroit videos and review

A few videos from Bon Jovi's March 17 show at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE - The "Prince of Detroit", Kid Rock joins Bon Jovi on stage for the "national anthem. Kid Rock gets a little creative with the words but it's good fun to watch.

Pro shot:


Fan video:


HALLELUJAH - Jon forgets the lyrics but pushes on.


LOVE'S THE ONLY RULE - This has become one of my favourite songs from The Circle based almost entirely on live performances, but I haven't showcased it on the blog since the tour started. Jon causes quite a stir when he goes into the crowd. ;)


Read the full Detroit set list here.

Here's a review by Adam Graham for The Detroit News:

Having outlived several major sea changes in music over the last few decades, the New Jersey four-piece has proved its durability and lasting power to several generations of fans. So "Blood on Blood" -- a song about brotherhood, loyalty and the endurance of friendship -- made perfect sense, and the more than 18,000 fans greeted it with open arms.

Read the full review here.

Rare Magnetic Hill videos

The two genuine rarities Bon Jovi played at Magnetic Hill were "Last Man Standing" and "Takin' Care of Business" (in the "Sleep When I'm Dead" medley). I'm hoping for complete videos of both, but here are a couple of snippets to pass time with.

LAST MAN STANDING (42 seconds)


TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS (53 seconds)


HALLELUJAH (complete). I'll be honest; I really hate hearing out of key/out of tune crowd singing on videos. But I included this because it's a clear shot of a beautiful song that is still reasonably rare, as evidenced by Jon constantly looking down at what I suspect are lyric sheets. ;)

First Magnetic Hill videos

I still don't have a confirmed set list but a few early videos of Bon Jovi's gig at the Magnetic Hill Music Festival in Moncton have popped up.

I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (Richie Sambora lead vocals)


MAKE A MEMORY; partial


HALLELUJAH; partial


There's also video here of an incident between security staff and a member of the crowd during "Raise Your Hands".

LH Magic Memory #17: Hallelujah in Hamburg

A couple of days ago Bon Jovi's recording engineer Obie O'Brien confirmed that "Hallelujah" would appear on the Lost Highway Tour DVD. The Leonard Cohen classic, famously covered by the late Jeff Buckley and several others, was first performed by Bon Jovi in 2007. It's proven to be one of their more popular live covers, albeit sometimes a bit polarising because it doesn't showcase the "rock" side of things too much. But if you put that aside and appreciate the universal language of music for what it is, you'll find a beautiful, mature rendition of a very poetic song. For Magic Memory #17, I tried to find the "best" version of "Hallelujah" from the Lost Highway tour, but the truth is I haven't heard a bad version. So here's "Hallelujah" from HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg, Germany on May 28, 2008. Enjoy! (The video is very Jon-centric though so be aware of that).



Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah