Looking back on shows 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the Forever tour

Back to my official unofficial catch-up of Bon Jovi's Madison Square Garden residency, and we're looking at shows 4 to 7 -- leading up to the infamous shortened show 8, for which ticket-holders have reportedly started receiving refunds for.

New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #4 - 14 July 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. Who Says You Can't Go Home
6. You Give Love a Bad Name
7. Born to Be My Baby
8. Legendary
9. Whole Lot of Leavin'
10. Bed of Roses
11. Have a Nice Day
12. It's My Life
13. Livin' on a Prayer
14. Lay Your Hands on Me
15. Living Proof
16. This House Is Not for Sale
17. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
18. I'll Be There for You
19. Red, White and Jersey
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Bad Medicine
22. Always

Literally the same set from the previous show, lol. But he probably sounded better on those songs overall.

Videos from #4:

Shout out to Tully Blanchard who recorded the whole show. Legend!

New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #5 - 16 July 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. Who Says You Can't Go Home
6. You Give Love a Bad Name
7. Born to Be My Baby
8. Legendary
9. Let it Rain
10. Whole Lot of Leavin'
11. Bed of Roses
12. Have a Nice Day
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. Limitless
17. This House Is Not for Sale
18. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
19. I'll Be There for You
20. Red, White and Jersey
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Bad Medicine
23. Always

A couple of changes, with "Let It Rain" and "Limitless" make their Forever Tour debuts. 

Selected videos from #5:

Let It Rain - One of my favourites from 2020, an album I genuinely still rate today. The acoustic intro/harmonica outro is kinda cool.

Limitless - One of my not-so-favourites from the aforementioned 2020, lol. But it's okay. Has its moments and probably works better in a stadium than most of the better songs from that album. At least they didn't decide to do "Unbroken" or something. 😜

 

New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #6 - 19 July 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. Who Says You Can't Go Home
6. You Give Love a Bad Name
7. Born to Be My Baby
8. Legendary
9. Let it Rain
10. Whole Lot of Leavin'
11. Bed of Roses
12. Have a Nice Day
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. Limitless
17. This House Is Not for Sale
18. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
19. I'll Be There for You
20. Bad Medicine

Show was shortened, with "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Always", and "Red, White and Jersey" cut from the planned set list.

Selected videos from #6:

Bad Medicine - Look, let's be real here. Jon sounds rough. I mean, the fans he high-fived and fist-bumped probably didn't notice or care in the moment, but I'd guess his voice on the night is why the show was cut.

New York City, NY, USA - Madison Square Garden #7 - 21 July 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. Who Says You Can't Go Home
6. You Give Love a Bad Name
7. Born to Be My Baby
8. Legendary
9. Let it Rain
10. Whole Lot of Leavin'
11. Bed of Roses
12. Have a Nice Day
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Raise Your Hands
16. Limitless
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
19. I'll Be There for You
20. Red, White and Jersey
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Bad Medicine
23. Always

Selected videos from #7:

Raise Your Hands - First time since before COVID. Apart from that voice crack at the end, it was a decent-sounding performance.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - This used to feel a teensy bit overdone on earlier tours, but I'm enjoying it here. Works fairly well live and this is its Forever Tour debut.

Thinkin' on a prayer

Bit up and down, with sets being pretty stagnant bar one or two swaps here and there, but I suspect that's par for the course going forward.

 

With this post, I've now caught up on all the MSG shows and you can see the others at the links below: 

• Show #1 (7 July)
• Shows #2 & 3 (9 & 12 July) 
• Show #8 (23 July)
• Show #9 (26 July)

After a month's break, the tour resumes in the UK this week. I hope the fans there get some consistently quality shows, no matter which one(s) they're attending, but we'll soon see if the rest has done Jon some good.

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Feel free to share your thoughts below. 😊

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Bon Jovi in Chicago 26/04/18

Here's what Bon Jovi played in Chicago:

Chicago, IL, USA - United Center - April 26, 2018

1. This House Is Not For Sale
2. Raise Your Hands
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. Runaway
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. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
19. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore:
20. (You Want To) Make a Memory
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Livin' on a Prayer

I'm happy to see "Knockout" gone again despite my affection for This House Is Not For Sale overall, and I think "Raise Your Hands" is a stronger choice for that second spot. "When We Were Us" was also back in the set, having not been performed since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Videos from Chicago

"Wanted Dead or Alive":

"Runaway":

"Raise Your Hands":

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

A few days ago, Anthony Kuzminski sparked some debate by ranking each song in the Bon Jovi and Jon Bon Jovi back catalogue for Ultimate Classic Rock. He was also at this show and live tweeted from behind the stage. Here are a few of those tweets:

The ticket Gods work in mysterious ways and someone offered me a ticket to the show tonight. Tepid opening, quickly reversed by “Raise Your Hands” pic.twitter.com/tviiPqS68q

— The Screen Door (@thescreendoor) April 27, 2018

Ok, after a lot of blank stares from a good performance of “When We Were Us”, crowd wakes from their nap for “Born To Be My Baby”

— The Screen Door (@thescreendoor) April 27, 2018

I’m behind the stage as a gift from someone, so aside from a perfect view of their asses, I can see the entire crowd. It’s very rough going so far aside from the SWW and NJ numbers.

— The Screen Door (@thescreendoor) April 27, 2018

“It’s My Life” plays like the mega hit it is. Now it’s “We Weren’t Born To Follow”. People back in their seats and on their phones.

— The Screen Door (@thescreendoor) April 27, 2018

Not going to lie, there’s a huge gap on that stage without @TheRealSambora , that being said Phil X is damn good and a lot of fun to watch. If Richie ever came back I’d like to see Phil take on some mean rhythm guitar. @BonJovi #KeepTheFaith #BonJovi

— The Screen Door (@thescreendoor) April 27, 2018

I adore “Make a Memory” but it’s not a great encore song. “Wanted” without Richie’s harmonies is blasphemous. In the end, most people formed over $100 to hear “Livin’ on a Prayer” which has the place on their feet.

— The Screen Door (@thescreendoor) April 27, 2018

Bon Jovi in Charlotte 21/04/18

Bon Jovi's Charlotte show brought a couple more surprises. "Living with the Ghost" was played for only the second time on the This House Is Not For Sale Tour, and the first time this year. "Raise Your Hands" also made its 2018 debut, while "Make a Memory" was back in the set. Here's what was played:

Charlotte, NC, USA - Spectrum Center - April 21, 2018

1. This House Is Not For Sale
2. Raise Your Hands
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Whole Lot of Leavin'
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. Runaway
11. We Got It Goin' On
12. Keep the Faith
13. Amen
14. Bed of Roses
15. Lay Your Hands on Me
16. Living with the Ghost
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Bad Medicine
    
    Encore:
19. (You Want To) Make a Memory
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Charlotte

"Raise Your Hands":

"Living with the Ghost", following an introduction in which Jon kind of alluded to what the song is about:

"Make a Memory":

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

Bon Jovi in Toronto 10/04/17 (night 1)

After a few days off due to bronchitis, Bon Jovi resumed their This House Is Not For Sale Tour with the first of two consecutive nights in Toronto, the only Canadian (and indeed non-US) shows of this leg. Here's what was played:

Set list: Toronto, ON, Canada - Air Canada Centre - 10 April 2017

1. This House Is Not For Sale
2. Knockout
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Lost Highway
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. Roller Coaster
7. We Weren't Born to Follow
8. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
9. We Got It Goin' On
10. Who Says You Can't Go Home
11. It's My Life
12. We Don't Run
13. God Bless This Mess
14. Scars on This Guitar
15. New Year's Day
16. Lay Your Hands on Me
17. Born to Be My Baby
18. Have a Nice Day
19. Bad Medicine
20. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
21. Raise Your Hands
22. Wanted Dead or Alive [Phil X vox on 2nd verse]
23. Livin' on a Prayer

Videos from Toronto, Night #1

Here's "Raise Your Hands" and "Wanted Dead or Alive", with Phil singing the second verse of "Wanted":

If you'd like to share any videos from the first night in Toronto, feel free to link to them in the comments.

Were you at this show?

Bon Jovi in Columbus 18/03/17

Shortly after the news broke that rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry had died at the age of 90, Bon Jovi hit the stage in Columbus, Ohio on their This House Is Not For Sale Tour. Here's what was played:

Set list: Columbus, OH, USA - Nationwide Arena - 18 March 2017

1. This House Is Not For Sale
2. Knockout
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. Lost Highway
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. Roller Coaster
7. We Weren't Born to Follow
8. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Johnny B. Goode [Chuck Berry cover]
9. We Got It Going On
10. Who Says You Can't Go Home
11. It's My Life
12. We Don't Run
13. God Bless This Mess
14. Scars on This Guitar
15. The Devil's in the Temple
16. Lay Your Hands on Me
17. Born to Be My Baby
18. Have a Nice Day
19. Bad Medicine
20. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
21. Raise Your Hands
22. Wanted Dead or Alive
23. Livin' on a Prayer

One of Chuck Berry's best known songs, the semi-autobiographical "Johnny B. Goode" was performed in tribute. "Raise Your Hands" was also played for only the second time this tour despite being listed as an audible at every show.

Videos from Columbus

"Johnny B. Goode":

 

UPDATE 20/03/17: "Raise Your Hands":

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

Were you at this show?

More Sydney 3rd night videos

Here are some more cool videos from Bon Jovi's third Sydney show (December 19, 2010) and the final show of 2010.

Raise Your Hands - A high-energy opener that set the pace for the rest of the show.


I Believe - The first of several shocks of the night. Maybe it's my Oz bias, but Jon sounds much better than he did the last time they performed this, London/Twickenham 2008.


Something to Believe In - Jon made a better fist of the screaming "somethiiiiiiing" than I thought he ever could again. Incredible performance.


These Days - An unexpectedly awesome way to end the show and a passionate performance.


My other Sydney video posts:

1. Reclaiming The Circle in Sydney
2. Unplugged gems in Sydney
3. More Sydney 2nd night videos

Visit Hath's Circle Tour blog for more goodies... not just from Sydney, but the entire tour (so far).

Videos from US/Canada: Blood on Blood, Treat Her Right, Raise Your Hands, Bed of Roses, Always, Blaze of Glory

I haven't really showcased any Bon Jovi videos on this blog since Jon tore his calf, so here we go!

BLOOD ON BLOOD (Calgary: July 14, 2010) - Jon singing "I'm a one-legged singer in a long haired rock 'n' roll band".


TREAT HER RIGHT feat. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (Cuyahoga Falls: July 12, 2010) - Master and apprentice; very cool.


RAISE YOUR HANDS (Edmonton: July 15, 2010) - Jon's noticeably hopping around on one leg. I would probably look ridiculous (i.e. lose balance and fall over, haha) doing it but he manages to pull it off.


BED OF ROSES (Edmonton: July 15, 2010) - The first Bon Jovi song I remember hearing and still one of my favourites today.


ALWAYS (Edmonton: July 15, 2010) - Although I prefer "Bed of Roses", "Always" deserves to be in the set virtually every night. It's the biggest hit ever around the world, and Jon's improved vocals can do the song justice. Besides, Richie's extended solo on it is awesome.


BLAZE OF GLORY (Calgary: July 14, 2010) - Only the second time this tour.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU - Richie Sambora's birthday (Saratoga Springs: July 11, 2010)

Even more Meadowlands videos

A selection of videos from the third night (May 29, 2010)...

DRY COUNTY - Sounds stronger than it did the first night. Amazing song.


I'D DIE FOR YOU


JUST OLDER


JUMPIN' JACK FLASH / I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD


SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT (electric) - Cool jam near the end.


DIAMOND RING


IN THESE ARMS


And a couple of earlier videos that I didn't post here or here...

RAISE YOUR HANDS from the first night (tour debut)


BED OF ROSES from the second night - This isn't the first time they've played "Roses" this tour but this is probably the best performance of it, vocally at least. Jon's going for (and hitting) the original notes as opposed to singing the This Left Feels Right melody over electric instruments.

LH Magic Memory #13: Rock in Rio

Bon Jovi headlined the Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal (not Rio de Janeiro as the name might suggest) on May 31, 2008. It was shorter than a regular gig and contained a pretty ordinary set but the energy levels for the first Portuguese Bon Jovi show since 1995 more than made up for that. The concert was also broadcast live on TV, radio and the internet, giving fans around the world a chance to experience this truly amazing performance. To be honest, I was expecting this show to be on auto-pilot. After all, it was "just a festival" and was taking place a mere 16 hours before the band's Barcelona show. History shows I should have given our boys a bit more credit!

Note: The network that broadcasted this show has been pretty strict with its copyright, so if you have trouble watching these videos, they've probably been removed from YouTube. (I only wish the same would happen to that horrendous Tokyo pro shot from January!) Moreover, this is just a selection of videos so do yourself a favour by going to YouTube and searching for Bon Jovi Rock in Rio if you haven't seen this show.

RAISE YOUR HANDS - From New York to Lisbon, Portugal!


ALWAYS - Nice tight performance. Pretty good singing from the crowd.


WE GOT IT GOIN' ON - Jon gets "patriotic" with the crowd. This is probably my least favourite song from the Lost Highway album but it rocked here.


BAD MEDICINE / SHOUT - This medley is overplayed but this video shows why the band keeps playing it. Wow.


LISBON, PORTUGAL - Parque da Bela Vista (31/5/08)
LOST HIGHWAY
BORN TO BE MY BABY
YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME
RAISE YOUR HANDS
RUNAWAY
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD w/ Mercy & Start Me Up
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
IN THESE ARMS
ALWAYS
WE GOT IT GOING ON
IT'S MY LIFE
KEEP THE FAITH
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU (Richie Sambora lead vocals)
BLAZE OF GLORY
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME
HAVE A NICE DAY
BAD MEDICINE w/ Shout
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER

Encore:
SOMEDAY I'LL BE SATURDAY NIGHT
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE