Bon Jovi's halfway there in Tampa (but Wanted Dead or Alive isn't?)

We're at the halfway mark of Bon Jovi's 2022 Tour since no further dates have been announced after April as yet.

Since it was back to back shows again this weekend, I was going to combine the two consecutive Florida shows into one post like I did with Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina.

And then Bon Jovi went and skipped their national anthem "Wanted Dead or Alive" and I just had to put down my hot cross buns and chocolate eggs (Happy Easter, by the way) and say something. Anyway, let's breathe first, and look at what was played.

Tampa, Florida, USA - April 15, 2022

Amalie Arena

1. Limitless
2. The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
3. You Give Love a Bad Name
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. It's My Life
6. Beautiful Drug
7. Born to Be My Baby
8. This House Is Not For Sale
9. Just Older
10. Let It Rain
11. Keep the Faith
12. American Reckoning
13. Whole Lot of Leavin'
14. I'll Be There For You
15. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
16. Lost Highway
17. Roller Coaster
18. Have a Nice Day
19. Livin' on a Prayer
    
    encore:
20. Who Says You Can't Go Home
21. Bad Medicine

 

"Wanted Dead or Alive" was actually in the printed set list -- it was supposed to open the encore but they just straight up didn't play it. I guess this scenario was flagged in Savannah, when "Wanted" was listed as an audible (but did end up getting played). Still, it's a Bon Jovi show. You can't not play "Wanted"! Jon, my love, if you need to preserve your voice then please drop some of the other songs that literally no one goes to a Bon Jovi show to hear.

In other news, percussionist and king of cool Everett Bradley didn't take to the stage after testing positive to COVID, along with some 15 crew members. Everett's backing vocals have actually become really important to the current Bon Jovi live setup so I don't know if that played a part. But seriously, no "Wanted" is a no-no and I cannot stop thinking about this.

Selected videos from Tampa

"The Radio Saved My Life Tonight". This is one of my favourite songs from 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong so a legit joy of this tour has been seeing it in the set:

"Just Older". Been good to see this one in the set too. David Bryan's vocals seem so much higher in the mix here but that's maybe not a bad thing:

"Livin' on a Prayer". This is another song that you can't just not freaking do at a Bon Jovi concert, even if you have to lower the key:

"I'll Be There For You". I don't think it's a secret that I'd prefer Phil X to be taking all the solos:

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Feel free to share your thoughts below. 😊

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Bon Jovi in Tampa 14/2/17

Bon Jovi headed to Tampa, Florida for Valentine's Day on their This House Is Not For Sale Tour. I'm a bit disappointed there was no love song for the occasion -- like "Always" or "Bed of Roses"... or even "Real Love", which is easier on Jon's voice and has the benefit of promoting the current album. I don't expect Bon Jovi to be Bruce Springsteen, but the Tampa set list is exactly the same as what was played in Atlanta a few days ago...

Set list: Tampa, FL, USA - Amalie Arena - 14 February 2017

1. This House Is Not For Sale
2. Knockout
3. You Give Love A Bad Name
4. Born To Be My Baby
5. We Weren't Born To Follow
6. Lost Highway
7. Roller Coaster
8. Work For The Working Man
9. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
10. We Got It Goin' On
11. Who Says You Can't Go Home
12. It's My Life
13. We Don't Run
14. God Bless This Mess
15. Scars on This Guitar
16. The Devil's in the Temple
17. Lay Your Hands On Me
18. Blood on Blood
19. Have a Nice Day
20. Bad Medicine
21. Keep the Faith
    Encore:
22. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
23. Wanted Dead or Alive
24. Livin' on a Prayer

Here's Jon talking about old radio stations before kissing a woman in the crowd:

 

And a video of "Scars on this Guitar", which I guess is technically a love song, albeit to a guitar. While I like the song, I think my favourite part of the video was watching Everett Bradley in the background 😜:

"Roller Coaster" from behind the stage:

Were you at this concert?

Bon Jovi Tampa set list 1/3/13

Bon Jovi headed to Florida to kick off Spring and streamed the first 10 songs online. If you missed the webcast, you can watch it here or catch the re-broadcast on Radio.com on March 9.

After the official broadcast ended, a Bon Jovi diehard named Ridge Collins picked up the slack with a highly entertaining Ustream from his phone. Between knowing every word (and identifying each song within a couple of seconds), counting the "alrights" in Who Says You Can't Go Home (there were 50, by the way) and narrating all the action ("air clap, air clap"), he showed us all exactly how to enjoy a Bon Jovi concert even when the set list isn't as mindblowing as we wished it could be.

Were you at this show?

Tampa, FL, US - Tampa Bay Times Forum - March 1, 2013

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Lost Highway
4. Because We Can
5. That's What the Water Made Me
6. It's My Life
7. Runaway
8. What About Now
9. We Got It Going On
10. Keep The Faith
11. Amen
12. Bed of Roses
13. I'll Be There For You
14. Captain Crash
15. We Weren't Born To Follow
16. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Wanted Dead or Alive
19. Who Says You Can't Go Home
20. Bad Medicine

Encore:
21. (You Want To) Make a Memory
22. In These Arms
23. Born To Be My Baby

Encore 2:
24. Have a Nice Day
25. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 3:
26. Blood on Blood
27. I Love This Town

Bon Jovi heads to Fort Lauderdale for Jon's 51st birthday tonight, and our man Ridge will be there too.

Jon Bon Jovi visits Nasvhille homeless centre + Blog from the Tampa protest

Here's an article about Jon's visit to the Oasis Center for homeless teens in Nashville:

Rock star Jon Bon Jovi traded thousands of cheering fans Wednesday night for a quiet circle with a few kids Thursday afternoon.

The singer visited the Oasis Center, Nashville's only shelter for homeless teens, as part of his effort to understand what he calls "the new face of homelessness in America."

"The Oasis Center is really a beacon to youth," Bon Jovi said. "Having service providers at the same place that they can get a hot meal, a nap and a shower, it's a very welcoming place."

Bon Jovi spent about an hour with some of the Oasis kids. He sat in a circle with them, did yoga just as they do to start off a session, then listened to kids talk about what made them homeless and what could help them escape their condition.

Read the full article here.

I also came across the blog of a student journalist who covered the Westboro Baptist Church's protest at Bon Jovi's Tampa concert. You can read about it at this link.

Tampa set list

Given this was the concert that the misguided Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest at, I was kind of hoping for a "Hey God" / "Happy Now" / "Have a Nice Day" triple shot but it wasn't to be. Nevertheless, it seems Westboro's anti-gay, anti-Semitic message was drowned out by a counter-protest which brings me great satisfaction.

But amidst all that, there was actually a Bon Jovi concert tonight and here is the set list:

TAMPA, USA - ST. PETE TIMES FORUM - APRIL 17, 2010
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover]
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals]
(You Want To) Make a Memory
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Love's the Only Rule

ENCORE:
Have a Nice Day
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer