Kings of Suburbia's Hampton Water happy hour

In today's episode of Things I Never Thought I'd See, Jon Bon Jovi covered The Killers and Black Eyed Peas. It was part of Hampton Water Cares -- a virtual concert featuring Jon's other band, the Kings of Suburbia, and lots of bottles of Hampton Water rosé. The show was streamed on Facebook and raised money for World Central Kitchen's COVID-19 relief efforts.

Jon was joined at his studio (with plenty of social distancing) by Everett Bradley on percussion, Lorenza Ponce on violin, Greg Mayo on guitar and Carl Gentry on keyboards. Jon's son and Hampton Water Wine co-founder, Jesse Bongiovi, hosted the broadcast.

You can watch/re-watch the full broadcast of Hampton Water Cares on the Hampton Water Facebook page. The performances are also up on YouTube.

I really like Jon in acoustic mode these days. He sounds pretty good and it's the only time we can realistically expect him to pull out bonus tracks like "I Will Drive You Home". Plus, it was unexpectedly cool to see him having a bit of fun with "Mr Brightside" and "I Gotta Feeling", even if he flubbed the lyrics. I've affectionately renamed the latter song "I Gotta Feeling (Oh No, Somebody Sing the Chorus)". 

Jon also indicated during the after party on Instagram that there are plans to broadcast the 2020 album being performed live, in lieu of a tour.

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David Bergman interview on Silverman: On Sports

Bon Jovi tour photographer David Bergman was interviewed on Silverman: On Sports recently. He talked about Tico Torres's recent medical scares; rumours in the media (touching on the Richie Sambora saga and Jon's hoax death); Branka and Gonzo's wedding; Jon's love of football; and why photographing Bon Jovi is his dream gig despite his sports background.

You can listen to the interview here.

Bon Jovi's son gives Poly lacrosse a good name

Nice little article about Jon's eldest son Jesse Bongiovi's efforts in lacrosse:

“He has an unbelievable commitment that I look up to,” Bongiovi said of his father. “He’ll come home Saturday mornings, I’ll sleep in and he’ll be like, ‘I just ran five miles. What did you do today?’ … He’s always working hard at musical stuff. It inspires me to come out here and work hard.”

Bongiovi’s own efforts have paid off on the lacrosse field. He is the starting faceoff specialist for Poly Prep, the defending NYSAISAA champion. Bongiovi, who admits to playing a little guitar, has won more than 50 percent of draws to start the year. He scored his first career varsity goal for Poly (1-2) in a 12-6 loss to Fieldston on Friday. Bongiovi hopes to lead the team to another state crown.

Read the full article here.

Hangin' with the Bongiovi kids

A couple of stories on Jon Bon Jovi's two eldest children.

Hamptons Magazine did a little interview with Stephanie, who's now 17 and working at the Blue Parrot.

Does dad have an influence on your music tastes?
I’ve always loved The Beatles; my dad had me singing to their music when I was a little kid. I even have their old vinyl records, which I still play.

What do the Bongiovi’s do together as a family activity?
Every Tuesday night, we watch Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel.

Read the full article here.

Meanwhile, Page Six (New York Post) reports that Jesse James got to meet NBA basketballer Dwyane Wade:

Bon Jovi drove his 15-year-old son to Southampton restaurant Madame Tong's Redeux to meet Wade at a dinner hosted by Hamptons media mogul Jason Binn. A source told us: "Jesse is a big Wade fan. He and Jon spent a lot of time talking to Wade and his girlfriend Gabrielle Union."