Bon Jovi headlining Bamboozle

Bon Jovi will headline the Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey next year:

ASBURY PARK — The Bamboozle Festival, which has grown into a music institution since its inception in 2003, will return to its birth city here in May with rocker Jon Bon Jovi headlining the three-day event.

John D’Esposito, Live Nation talent buyer and founder of the Bamboozle Festival, said Monday that it was time to return here, and the City Council last Friday agreed to sign an agreement for the 10th annual festival to be held on the city’s waterfront May 18, 19 and 20.

The event began in Asbury Park, but by 2006 moved to the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.

So far, Bon Jovi, one of the top-touring acts in the music business, and the festival’s other headliners, California pop-punkers Blink-182 and the Foo Fighters, a top-selling rock band formed in 1994 by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, have been announced as performing.

Read the full Asbury Park Press article here.

Pre-sale tickets also go on sale today, check out BonJovi.com for details.

FYI the rumours about Bon Jovi playing a show in Russia next year are NOT true. There have been scammers about trying to sell tickets to this non-existent show so be very wary.

Jon Bon Jovi + Richie Sambora host MTV Australia 1987

Here's an amusing blast from the past... Jon and Richie as Guest VJs on MTV Australia back in 1987. You just don't get TV appearances like this anymore.

I've never been to the US but I'm sure I'll say the word "Americaaaa" a lot when I finally get there. ;)



As a side note, people go on about Bon Jovi's 80s hair but the mullet of Richard Wilkins -- who's now entertainment editor for the Today show in Australia -- deserves an honourable mention.

Thanks to Hath for the heads-up on this.

Take Advil, Jon Bon Jovi does!

Jon is the latest celebrity ambassador for Advil:

If the name Jon Bon Jovi still brings to mind big hair, leather pants, and "Livin' on a Prayer," well it's time to fast forward about 25 years. The lead singer of the legendary Jersey pop metal band Bon Jovi is now nearly 50 years old and has just taken on a new gig … as an Advil spokesperson. (Hey, ever meet someone approaching the big 5-0 who doesn't have a few aches and pains?)

The makers of Advil hooked up with Jon after he injured his calf muscle while performing on stage last year and he later revealed in an interview that he relies on the pain reliever to get through the inevitable discomfort that comes with a job that frequently involves singing and dancing at stadium-sized performances.

"I'm sort of an athlete, up on stage," Jon said during a behind-the-scenes interview for the 30-second TV ad, which was shot at the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, a community kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey, which provides meals to those in need.

You can read the rest of the article here and check out Jon's ad on the Advil website.

New Year's Eve B-roll

Jon Bon Jovi's first movie in five or so years, New Year's Eve opens this week. Some of his scenes feature in the following B-roll videos.





And here's an interview with Jon about his character Jensen, director Garry Marshall, and his idea of new year's eve.


This isn't normally the kind of movie I'd pay to see, but I'll check it out this month. I enjoyed Love Actually, maybe I'll like this too. :)

JBJ at Heart of Camden Gala

Jon's philanthropic endeavours were honoured at the Heart of Camden Gala this week:

CHERRY HILL — Rocker Jon Bon Jovi came to town Friday night to accept the “Small Things, Great Love” Award at the second annual Heart of Camden Gala. And during his remarks — contrary to the egotistical image one might conjure of an international superstar — the New Jersey native barely used the pronoun “I.”

“We are big believers in the power of we,” said the singer, founder of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. “Tonight we’re here to shine a light. We’re coming together to take control and make a difference.

“Government can’t do it alone. Residents or rock stars can’t do it alone. This award is not about me, it’s about us.”

Read the full article here.

And here's a nice ABC Action News video about the cause:

Bon Jovi's David Bryan still riding high with smash musical 'Memphis'

Nice interview with Dave about Memphis in the Winnipeg Free Press:

TORONTO - As a kid growing up in Jersey, about the only piece of musical theatre Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan remembers seeing is "Fiddler on the Roof."

"I'm a good Jewish boy from Edison, New Jersey so I went and saw 'Fiddler on the Roof' because you have to, that's part of your bar mitzvah experience," Bryan said in a recent telephone interview from New York City.

"I just didn't see that many shows, it was more about the rock concerts."

Read the full article here.