Bon Jovi in Newark 8/04/18 + Richie Sambora on Rock Hall rehearsals

Bon Jovi's second of two consecutive nights in Newark brought with it a couple of nice surprises, namely "Runaway" in the main set (replacing "Have a Nice Day") and "These Days" and "Blood on Blood" in the encore. "These Days" was played for the first time this year.

Here's the full set list:

Newark, NJ, USA - Prudential Center - April 7, 2018

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

Videos from Newark (night #2)

"These Days":

"Blood on Blood":

"Runaway":

If you'd like to share any videos from the second Newark show, feel free to link to them in the comments. 🙂

Richie Sambora was evidently at the Prudential Center but didn't make an appearance on stage.

98% sure this was Richie Sambora stage right tonight #BonJovi pic.twitter.com/4BiX4Li2g7

— George Miller (@gmiller311) 9 April 2018

Richie was recently interviewed by Billboard ahead of Bon Jovi's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, among other things, he talked about rehearsing with the original lineup:

What has it been like rehearsing with the rest of Bon Jovi? It must bring back memories.

RS: We played live to millions of people over 31 years. Do I miss it? No -- but the memories are good. It feels great to see everybody. We already rehearsed and it was wonderful, it wasn't awkward. The chemistry came back very quickly; it’s matrixed into our muscle memory at this point. If you’re on the road performing and touring for 30 years, [the Rock Hall ceremony] is just another cycle -- and it’s a good one, so here we go.

You can read the full interview with Richie and Orianthi (The interview also covers RSO's upcoming album) here.

Bon Jovi in Newark 7/04/18

After the postponement of two scheduled Montreal shows due to illness, Bon Jovi resumed their tour in their home state of New Jersey. Here's what was played:

Newark, NJ, USA - Prudential Center - April 7, 2018

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. When We Were Us
7. Born To Be My Baby
8. Who Says You Can't Go Home
9. It's My Life
10. We Weren't Born To Follow
11. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
12. We Got It Goin' On
13. Keep The Faith
14. Amen
15. Bed Of Roses
16. Lay Your Hands On Me
17. God Bless This Mess
18. Have A Nice Day
19. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore:
20. Runaway
21. Wanted Dead Or Alive
22. Livin' On A Prayer

"Runaway" was performed for the first time this year. The band has another gig at the same venue coming up tomorrow, before the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland this Saturday, April 14.

Videos from Newark (night #1)

"Runaway":

"Lost Highway". Jon also mentions the 10 shows Bon Jovi played to open the Prudential Center at the start of the Lost Highway Tour and thanks fans for their support ahead of the upcoming Rock Hall induction:

"Bed of Roses":

"Amen":

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

LH Magic Memory #22: Stranger In This Town in Newark

The Lost Highway Tour kicked off with 10 very hyped-up shows at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. For the mostpart, what fans got were some rather expensive okay shows. From a diehard's perspective, the biggest single gem popped up during the 7th show: November 4, 2007. As Jon Bon Jovi slipped backstage to cool off, Richie Sambora stepped up to the mic, having sung "These Days" on the previous six nights. But not tonight. Instead, Richie performed one of his solo songs, "Stranger in this Town" for the first time in six years.

At this early stage of the tour, Richie was a better singer than Jon and I think Jon knew it too. It was also quite a fitting song, given Richie had spent the past year being tabloid fodder. I love the bluesy tones in his voice and the guitar solos in this song... not to mention the way he plays them like a man possessed (I was going to say something more risque but I don't know how young my readers are :P ).


Everybody loves a winner 'til the winners lose
And then it's front page news
Nobody loves a loser
When you're down and out, you know there ain't no doubt

Just three more magic memories to go! And then you can all flame me for not including x, y, and z. :P

Politics

I've tried not to get overly political in this blog, preferring to focus on the music that I presume most Bon Jovi fans are here for. On the other hand, it's been no secret that politics plays a big part in the life of Jon Bon Jovi these days, and I think it would a bit narrow to ignore that entirely.

Last week, Jon highlighted his philanthropic credentials by donating $1 million towards the construction of some apartments in Newark, New Jersey for people with special needs. :)



Then it was onto the hosting of a campaign fundraiser for Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama, and I think this might have tickled a few feathers. Bon Jovi is a band that, despite never being particularly fashionable, appeals to a wide audience. So it's inevitable that such an audience is going to include some conservatives and Republicans. (If I'm not mistaken, former bassist Alec John Such is a conservative). Jon also attracts criticism from people who point out that he never used to be a political activist, or that he used to say things like "I'm normal, I'm Republican". Well, all I can say to that is that people's views change over time. My own political views have certainly evolved in the last few years as I grew up, encountered different people, and began to observe the world around me. So there's no reason why the same can't happen to Jon Bon Jovi. As for him supporting the Democrats (He also campaigned for John Kerry in 2004), he's entitled to hold and voice his political opinions like anyone else in a free country, and you are entitled to agree or disagree with them. No one is actually tying you up and forcing you to vote for Obama just because JBJ does... Hell, America doesn't even have compulsory voting. ;) I'm a bit of a so-called "loony lefty" myself but if I believe in democracy, then I must respect the rights of others to be right-wing, apathetic, or whatever they choose.

Jon also tends to keep his politics and music separate. I think this is partly because the rest of the band may not be as politically minded as he is, but mostly for fear of isolating large sections of his fans. "Have a Nice Day" is as close as Jon is likely to get to a protest song. As much as I love that song, it does sound a bit like "It's My Life Part 3" and I'd like him to write something a little ballsier. Be bold and angry! The downside to that would be the inevitable comparisons to Bruce Springsteen...

Too lightweight one minute, too political the next... but constantly criticised all the same... Bon Jovi must be used to it after 25 years! I've just voted in an election that resulted in a hung parliament, so there are plenty of thoughts running through my head, but these were just a few that related to Bon Jovi. I hope it was reasonably coherent and diplomatic. ;)

My next magic memory will be posted in the next couple of days... Stay tuned!