Richie Sambora live in Paris 26/6/14

Here is Richie Sambora's full concert at Le Bataclan in Paris on June 26, 2014.

Richie Sambora - Live in Paris 2014 [FULL]


PS - I know I haven't been posting Richie's set lists. They don't always get confirmed, and I've been super busy, but I will try to catch up on them.

Jon Bon Jovi NYC fan club show 20/7/14

Jon Bon Jovi recently performed an acoustic show for the Backstage JBJ fan club in New York City. He was accompanied by Lorenza Ponce and Bobby Bandiera, and here's what was reportedly played:

New York City, USA - BB King Blues Club & Grill - July 20, 2014

1. Every Word Was a Piece of My Heart
2. With These Two Hands
3. Welcome To Wherever You Are
4. Not Running Anymore
5. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen cover
6. Destination Anywhere
7. The Fighter
8. Open All Night
9. (You Want to) Make a Memory
10. Thick As Thieves
11. Who Says You Can't Go Home
12. We Weren't Born To Follow
13. Livin' on a Prayer

Here's a video of one of my favourite Destination Anywhere songs, and a partial video of one I thought should have been on What About Now (not just as a bonus track):
Jon Bon Jovi - Every Word was a Piece of my Heart/With These Two Hands 07-20-14


Jon's next gig is with the Kings of Suburbia on July 30. It's a fundraiser for the Parker Family Health Center, so you can watch it for a fee.

Avicii collaborating with Jon Bon Jovi

There are few details at this stage, but Jon Bon Jovi will appear on Avicii's upcoming album:

Avicii (a.k.a. 24-year-old Tim Bergling) has commandeered a small room as his home studio. He sits surrounded by computer screens and six synthesizers, working on the follow-up to his hit 2013 album, True. Collaborators this time include Jon Bon Jovi, Serj Tankian of System of a Down and Chris Martin of Coldplay. There's a song with Billie Joe Armstrong called "No Pleasing a Woman," and a reggae duet between Wyclef Jean and Matis­yahu. "I love it," Bergling says of the song, "but I don't know what to do with it yet."

Bergling cues up a dozen tracks from the 70 or so he's been working on. From the sound of them, the as-yet-untitled album (due out late this year) takes True's EDM-gets-rootsy vibe and broadens it further. "It's going to be a lot more song-oriented," Bergling declares of the album. "True was an attempt at that, getting electronic music in a song format."

Read more at Rolling Stone.

I'm interested to see how this turns out... Jon has been trying to "modernise" for years, and Avicii is a pretty hot EDM producer right now.

Avicii - Wake Me Up ft. Aloe Blacc

Controversial Richie Sambora interview with Gitarre & Bass

Richie Sambora recently gave an interview to German magazine Gitarre & Bass Magazine. An English translation of the print interview has been circulating online and raised a lot of eyebrows. Here's the part of the interview that's got people talking:

Q: How did your style of playing evolve in the last three decades?
RS: (makes a long pause) …when you’re a sideman in a band that has a certain style that you’re not allowed to change, then solo albums and soundchecks are the only ways to break free and cross boundaries. As a songwriter, I know how important lyrics are. They open the door. In Bon Jovi, I played and sang the melodic parts. But how creative can you be when your boss only gives you four bars to move the song along? How creative can you be if your boss keeps limiting you? I’m the type of person who is open to all styles and genres. I even went to a Kanye West concert with my daughter Ava. And I discovered a musical quality that I never really realized hip hop had. It was the first time I truly understood hip hop. Today when I’m evolving my style, I focus on two things: songwriting and emotions. Goosebumps, sex, grief, love, anger. Expressing emotions through music is what’s fun for me.

Q: You and Orianthi are working on an album at the moment.
RS: Yes. We’ll be exploring different genres: from acoustic ballads to hard rock. No compromises, no marketing bullshit, none of that! What I love about Orianthi so much is how versatile she already is at such a young age. I’m 25 years older, I’ve been on the road for 30 years and experienced anything you can imagine. I’ve been through a lot of difficult times. It’s great to finally be able to just make music for the joy of it. Everybody knows what a fantastic musician Orianthi is. We have duets that are just insane. When we’re playing together, there is magic in the room. That’s never happened to me before. In fucking Bon Jovi, it took me and Jon three albums to finally develop chemistry.

Q: Your ex-boss stated that you won’t be playing with the band anytime soon. Is there even still a future with Bon Jovi?
RS: I don’t think so. I was in that band for 30 years. That’s a damn long time. I missed most of my life. I worked myself to death in that band. The last tour alone was 18 months. I was always there for them. I wrote almost all of the songs and produced the records. And guess how many of my guitar parts finally made it on the records? Be honest, how many guitar solos are on the recent albums? Not many. I didn’t have much of a family life either. There comes a time when you ask yourself: Is it even worth it? Who am I? I was like a robot; everyday I did everything for that band. And I kept having to put up with the same old shit…

Q: You sound angry…
RS: As a musician it wasn’t fun anymore. I wasn’t happy. When I had the choice between happiness and money, I chose happiness. I already have enough money.

Q: How do you feel about Phil X playing your songs?
RS: Honestly, I have no clue about what’s going on in Bon Jovi these days. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, no doubt. And as far as I know, he’s a decent studio musician in L.A. Bu can a session musician replace Keith Richards in The Rolling Stones?
Q: Absolutely not! Unthinkable!
RS: Exactly! (laughs)

Read the full translated interview here.

Richie has since tweeted that something got lost in translation. We can't know for sure what was really said because Richie spoke in English, which would have been translated into German for the magazine, and has now been translated from the translation back into English.

Hey guys... Just sayin there was a language barrior... That article was not what I was saying.. And if you compare all the others..

— RICHIE SAMBORA (@TheRealSambora) July 20, 2014

My words and feelings are consistent..I've spent 30 years in the band.. Nothing but gratitude, reverence and love...

— RICHIE SAMBORA (@TheRealSambora) July 20, 2014

I do hope what has been written isn't what he really said. Although Richie has claimed credit for the Bon Jovi stuff that was popular while wiping his hands clean of anything that bombed, this interview (if accurate) is a more aggressive turn. And one that shuts the door on a band reunion where all parties had previously been open to one.

Richie Sambora set lists June 26-July 3

Richie Sambora wrapped up the European leg of his tour earlier this month. Here's what was played:

Paris, France - Le Bataclan - June 26, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Weathering the Storm
6. Burn the Candle Down
7. Stranger in This Town
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
10. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
11. I'll Be There for You
12. Learning How to Fly With a Broken Wing
13. Seven Years Gone
14. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore:
15. The Answer
16. Taking a Chance on the Wind
17. Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley cover
18. These Days
19. Rosie
20. Stick to Your Guns
21. Wanted Dead or Alive

London, England - Clapham Common - June 28, 2014 (Calling Festival)

1. Lay Your Hands on Me
2. Nowadays
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Stranger in this Town
5. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
6. Burn the Candle Down
7. Wanted Dead or Alive

Dublin, Ireland - Olympia Theatre - June 30, 2014

1. A Song For You - Leon Russell cover
2. Every Road Leads Home to You
3. Lay Your Hands on Me
4. Stranger in this Town
5. Burn that Candle Down
6. Weathering the Storm
7. Sugar Daddy
8. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
9. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
10. Seven Years Gone
11. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
12. I'll Be There For You
13. Wanted Dead or Alive

encore:
14. Livin' on a Prayer - ft Niamh Crowther, Josh Dunford, Brian McGovern, Tania Notara McNamara, Susan Bluechild (opening act contest finalists)
15. Taking a Chance on the Wind
16. These Days

Belfast, Northern Ireland - Ulster Hall - July 1, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Nowadays
7. Weathering the Storm
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
10. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
11. Seven Years Gone
12. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
13. I'll Be There For You

encore:
14. Lean On Me (Bill Withers cover) - ft. Peter McVeigh, Matthew Duly, Ryan McMullan, Johnny Reid, David Brown Murray (opening act contest finalists)
15. Wanted Dead or Alive / Midnight Rider (Allman Brothers cover)
16. These Days
17. Livin' on a Prayer

Glasgow, Scotland - O2 ABC - July 3, 2014

1. A Song for You (Leon Russell cover)
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Every Road Leads Home to You
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Nowadays
7. Weathering the Storm
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi vox
10. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing / Crossroads (Eric Clapton cover, originally by Robert Johnson)
11. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel cover) / Seven Years Gone
12. Storybook Love (Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover)
13. I'll Be There For You

encore:
14. The Answer
15. Bad Company (Bad Company cover) / Wanted Dead or Alive
16. These Days

Were you at these shows?

Livin' on a Prayer instrumental guitar cover

16-year-old instrumentalist Matt Wong recently uploaded this fingerstyle guitar cover of Bon Jovi's signature song Livin' on a Prayer. You can check it out below.

Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi) Acoustic Guitar Cover - Matt Wong


What do you think?

Richie Sambora Munich, Berlin, Cologne set lists June 20-24

Richie Sambora performed in Munich, Berlin and Cologne in the last few days. Here's what he played:

Munich, Germany - Kesselhaus - June 20, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. All That Really Matters (intro)
7. Every Road Leads Home to You
8. Sugar Daddy
9. Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton cover
10. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi song
11. I'll Be There For You
12. Seven Years Gone
13. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
14. Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley cover (intro)
15. These Days

encore:
16. Lean on Me - Bill Withers cover ft. opening act finalists
17. Livin' on a Prayer
18. Midnight Rider - Allman Brothers cover (intro)
19. Wanted Dead or Alive
20. The Answer
21. Taking a Chance on the Wind
22. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix cover

Berlin, Germany - Huxley's - June 22, 2014

1. A Song For You - Leon Russell cover
2. Burn That Candle Down
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in this Town
6. Rosie (intro)
7. Every Road Leads Home to You
8. Sugar Daddy
9. You Don't Wanna Know - Orianthi song
10. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler song
11. I'll Be There For You
12. Seven Years Gone
13. Learning How to Fly with a Broken Wing
14. Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley cover (intro)
15. These Days

encore:
16. Lean on Me - Bill Withers cover ft. opening act finalists
17. Livin' on a Prayer
18. Taking a Chance on the Wind
19. The Answer
20. Bad Company - Bad Company cover (intro)
21. Wanted Dead or Alive

Cologne, Germany - E-Werk - June 24, 2014

1. A Song for You - Leon Russell cover
2. Burn that Candle Down
3. Nowadays
4. Lay Your Hands on Me
5. Stranger in This Town
6. Every Road Leads Home to You
7. Sugar Daddy
8. Storybook Love - Willy DeVille/Mark Knopfler cover
9. I'll Be There for You
10. Seven Years Gone
11. Learning How to Fly With a Broken Wing
12. Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley cover (intro)
13. These Days

encore:
14. Lean on Me - Bill Withers cover
15. Livin' on a Prayer
16. Wanted Dead Or Alive
17. The Answer
18. Takin' A Chance On The Wind

Were you at these shows?