Online Updated

A new chapter, Photo Shoot has been posted for your reading pleasure :)

~ Hath

Rarities? Believe it when I hear it...

After 25 years of crafting rock anthems and stadium hits, Bon Jovi could fill a two-hour show with nothing but the obvious choices. But Jon Bon Jovi tells Spinner when the group hits the road this February in support of their new album, 'The Circle,' things might be different this time.

"I had a conversation just the other night with a reporter who came to a television broadcast and her thinking was maybe [play] some more of the obscure tracks, maybe some more of these album tracks you either play when you're in Europe or you don't play that often," he says. " I said, 'Gee, aren't I supposed to satisfy the needs and not be the selfish artist who wants to play these album tracks because you paid to hear me sing all the ones you hear on the radio, the hits?' And she's saying, 'No, you guys have also been around so long that most people in this audience have in fact seen you a bunch of times. So feel free -- believe me they know how 'Bad Name,' 'Prayer' and 'Wanted' go. You don't have to do them all the time every day.'"

That conversation obviously resonated with the frontman. "Granted, we're always gonna want to do those ones, but what if we don't play 'Always' and that was a monster hit ballad? What if you don't feel like playing ballads that night, so you don't do any of them? I think we've earned the right to have that freedom," he says.

That freedom could stretch to 'The Circle.' "This new album, I feel like it could be a great opportunity to do the album in its entirety. We've done that before when we did 'Lost Highway.' Because of the Nashville influence, it allows for that," he says. "The [new songs] were just made to be played in a stadium venue."

Guitarist Richie Sambora says whatever rarities his frontman wants to bust out, the band will be ready. "Jon's the quarterback, he's gonna call the set list and there are gonna be audibles and that happens all the time," Sambora says. "A lot of times we'll be sitting in the dressing room and Jon will say, 'Hey, let's just pick this song up, play 'These Days' or 'Keep the Faith' or something like that that we haven't played in 10 years.' Then we'll learn it on the spot, and take it on the stage that evening and play it. It's really gonna depend on the feeling of where we're at and what's going on."

source

I remember getting "I Get A Rush" at one of the shows last tour, and I nearly fell out of my chair. And that isn't even a rare song!

So tell me, what rarity would you like to hear on tour? And what could you do without?

~ Hath

JonBon on NPR

On December 21, Jon was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air.

GROSS: That's Bon Jovi from their new CD, "The Circle." Jon Bon Jovi, welcome to FRESH AIR. It's a pleasure to have you here.

Mr. BON JOVI: Thank you. It's nice to be here.

GROSS: I think of this as kind of like your hard times album, like kind of songs for hard times.

Mr. BON JOVI: Well, it's a social commentary. And if we are, in fact, as a nation going through hard times, then I think you've hit it on the bulls-eye. But it was an opportune time when you just look out the window, read the newspaper or watched the news, every day was another opportunity to write a song about what people are going through today.

GROSS: You've done a lot of stadium concerts over the years, and I think you have a lot of them ahead of you. Are there times that you have to convince yourself before going out on stage that you have the energy that day and the - just the kind of energy and belief to go on stage in front of 70,000 people?

Mr. BON JOVI: You know, I think that there's a little misconception there for those who aren't behind the microphone to understand, and that's simply that whenever I perform, be it for 50 or 50,000, you want to be the very best that you can be. And sure, there are going to be those days that you're a little more physically tired, and that could just be jet lag or monotony.

You know, you have to condition yourself mentally, physically. The preparedness is half the battle, and leaving home for a year or so at a time, every time for a quarter-century now, you have to get yourself ready for it. And I'm the guy that has his fingernails embedded in the driveway as they're dragging me up it to leave.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. BON JOVI: But On that very first night, when I get to the hotel room for that first time, and, you know, you close the door with that suitcase, you go oh, right. This is what I do for a living. And then it all just comes right back, and it's riding a bicycle again.

GROSS: How do you prevent your voice from having been shredded after so many years of concerts? Particularly the stadium concerts, where I imagine it's very tempting to over-sing, because even though you know you're amplified, the room is so big.

Mr. BON JOVI: Yeah, it's true. It's like anything else. You know how to work the muscles properly. And like I said, there's a great physical commitment, and there are sacrifices that are made. And the cute, soundbite version is that no matter what the adage is, the last sentence of it is: And then the singer went home.

So everyone else can go out and do what it is that they want to do. They can always just stand there and beat on the drums and beat on the guitars, and it's a lot more physically demanding when your vocal chords are the size of a thumbnail, and that's what supports 150 crewmembers, as well as the band and, of course, the two-or-so million people every year that want to come out and see it. So you have to make sure that that instrument is well-tuned at all times.

GROSS: You know, in the interviews for the book and the DVD, you talk about how you travel with steroids for your throat, and then you always convince yourself not to use them.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. BON JOVI: Mm-hmm. It's like that glass case. You know, it says break here in case of emergency.

The full transcript is here. The podcast isn't up, and a note on NPR's site says it isn't available due to contractual reasons. If it ever surfaces, however, I'll snag it and put it up for you.

~ Hath

JonBon at the White House last Monday

Let's go ahead and call it: Jon Bon Jovi is the official troubadour of the Democratic Party.

The enduring New Jersey rock star was scheduled to play a little gig in Washington on Monday night -- as the entertainment at the White House staff holiday party, solo and acoustic.

With countless hours logged on campaign trails for Democrats over the past decade (Al Gore, John Kerry, Jon Corzine), he's become the go-to star for events large and small. He lent his pipes to the Lincoln Memorial concert before President Obama's inauguration, dueting with formidable Bettye LaVette. He headlined a concert to benefit Hillary Clinton as she sought to close out her presidential campaign debt. He's the dutiful non-performing wonk-celeb at events like the U.N.'s World Habitat Day.

How inside is he? The night Gore conceded the 2000 race, 'Jovi was the mastermind behind a cathartic, dance-floor-rockin', late-night party at the Veep's mansion. Last year, he came to D.C. especially for the 40th-birthday party of Gore adviser Mike Feldman, at Joe Lockhart's house.

Every White House has its crooner. In the JFK years -- and then later, in the Reagan era -- it was Frank Sinatra. Barbra Streisand and Fleetwood Mac competed for the title under Bill Clinton. Bon Jovi has rivals, of course: Beyoncé and Aretha Franklin got to belt the big patriotic tunes at the big inaugural events. Wyclef Jean has played mini-concerts on Capitol Hill and to celebrate Nancy Pelosi's ascension to speaker. Will.I.Am created the Obama love-bomb "Yes, We Can" video -- but we haven't seen him around town lately. Bruce Springsteen, a bigger star, is more on-message. But does he play small rooms for the cause? Nope: Bon Jovi's that guy.

Haven't seen any photos of the event (yet, I'm sure some were smuggled out) but if/when I get them, I will be sure to share!

~ Hath

source

Online Updated

A new chapter, "I Didn't Mean to Miss Your Birthday" is up.

~ Hath

Richie Print Interview

Richie featured in Austrailian Musician magazine. He speaks with Powderfinger's Darren Middleton.

Here is the link to the full article.

~ Hath

Things I Owed You

I was just checking my to-do list, and holy crap have I been slacking!  Chalk it up to holiday craziness, okay?  Here's a bunch of random things that I had on my list.   I updated the main posts too.  If you see anything else I missed, let me know!!

~ Hath

Saturday Night Live

This is a link to a MediaFire directory with the MP4's from the show, and the MP3 rips from the two songs, Superman Tonight and When We Were Beautiful.  Some of the files bust the 50MB limit on my SkyDrive, hence the MediaFire locale.


The Genesis Project
Jon's speech from December 8th.  Video file (AVI and MP4 formats) and MP3 rip both up.

KLOS Christmas Show (Richie)
I have all the songs except "With A Little Help From My Friends".  Excellent set by Richie!  Decent quality from the YouTube rips that HayIRS left in the comments of the KLOS post.

David on the Today Show
David was on with the cast of Memphis.  I've got the video and MP3 rip up on the MediaFire.

Send Your Karma to Jon's House Today

There were a couple of blurbs this morning saying that one of Jon's sons was taken to the hospital in the wee hours this morning.  None of them say what for (thank goodness; medical specifics are really nobody's business unless the family wants to share) but they do say he was sent home, so hopefully it wasn't anything too bad.

Sending good wishes that everything's alright in the Bongiovi household today.  There's nothing scarier than a child needing to go to the hospital in the middle of the night.  I'm a veteran of that myself, countless times (thankfully never anything worse than strep or ear infections).  It never gets any easier.


~ Hath

article 1 article 2

Jingle Ball, 2009

Z100's Jingle Ball 2009 was held on December 11, 2009 at Madison Square Garden, and our own David Bryan was in attendance. Here's a brief interview with our curly-haired keymaster:



Tune to the MSG channel at 11PM EST on December 18 for the premiere of "Road to MSG: Z100's Jingle Ball 2009."

~ Hath

A New Christmas Favorite

OK, so it isn't Bon Jovi, but I'm allowed to other faves.

O Holy Night is my all time favorite Christmas carol.  The all time favorite version of this song (for me) was done by Michael Crawford (of Phantom Phame) and moves me to tears every time I hear it.

Daughtry's version (twitvidded for us) isn't quite tears-worthy, though I think the facial hair is (ick).

Anyway, here it is for you.



And if you want it for your very own, my MediaFire is the place to be. The MP3 and MP4 versions are up in the respective folders.

~ Hath

Comcast and Top Celebs Stand Up to Cancer

Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Kristen Chenoweth—these stars have more in common than their worldwide acclaim. They are all teaming up with Comcast to raise funds for cancer research through the first-ever Stand Up to Cancer On Demand.

In collaboration with the organization Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), Stand Up to Cancer On Demand is available to existing Comcast customers free through March 18 and features a library of top notch musical entertainment.

In addition to hundreds of music videos, Stand up To Cancer on Demand also features compelling clips and messages from scientists and celebrities alike, including Meryl Streep, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Jon Stewart, Salma Hayek and the late Patrick Swayze.

While the entertainment comes completely free to Comcast customers, viewers are encouraged by celebrity participants to stand up to cancer and make a donation at www.su2c.org/give or call a dedicated 24/7 phone line that appears during the On Demand music videos.

Viewers can also select content from the “A Reason 2 Give” folder [“On Demand” > “Top Picks” > “SU2C” > “A Reason To Give”] and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Stand Up To Cancer’s collaborative scientific “Dream Teams” or innovative projects aimed at bringing better treatments to patients faster.

Of COURSE, we have FIOS now... we were Comcast customers for a zillion years before that.   So someone with Comcast, care to share the scoop?

~ Hath

source

David, Memphis on The View

OK, so totally missed out on DVRing this. Thanks, L in Florida, for letting me know about it!

You can watch the full episode here (not sure if this is available outside the US or not, since I'm actually in the US). Look, even David wants you to watch it!  The medly was superb.  I've also been listening to the soundtrack, and I have to say, the music is very moving.  Not make-me-wanna-cry moving, but make-me-wanna-dance moving.  If this incarnation of the show comes to Boston, I'm there.

You can check out David on "ViewTube" as well, it's on Hulu, which I believe isn't available outside the US, but it's also availalbe on ABC's site for the ViewTube, and I've pulled it down and uploaded it to my MediaFire, along with an MP3 rip of the same.

~ Hath

KLOS Christmas Show

Last night the Mark & Brian KLOS Christmas concert, part of AEG's 'Season Of Giving' campaign, took place at the Nokia Theatre in L.A.

The night featured live Performances by:Heart, Foreigner, Richie Sambora and Matt Nathanson, along with the Mark & Brian All-Star Band featuring:

Jason Bonham - Drums (Led Zeppelin)
Rob Halford - Vocals (Judas Priest)
Slash - Guitar (Guns N Roses)
Franky Perez - Guitar (Slash, Scars On Broadway, Camp Freddy)
Steve Lukather - Guitar (Toto)
Marc Bonilla - Guitar (California Transit Authority)
Lee Sklar - Bass (James Taylor, Toto)
Keith Emerson - Keys (Emerson, Lake and Palmer)
Ed Roth - Keys (California Transit Authority, Bombastic Meatbats)
Fee Waybill - Vocals (Tubes)


A portion of the proceeds from the Mark & Brian Christmas Show was donated to the Midnight Mission.



The Midnight Mission has been in service for 95 years providing a refuge for people that have nowhere else to go. This organization offers homeless people counseling, education, training, job placement as well as essential needs for life like food, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene needs, and medical care.

Some photos of the check presentation.

Set List:

A Little Help From My Friends
Livin' on a Prayer
We Weren't Born To Follow
It's My Life
Wanted Dead or Alive

I'm really jazzed to hear WWBTF with Richie on vocals. I know some of you went to the show (I, too, follow @LorenzaPonce on Twitter)...what stories can you share?

~ Hath

Backstage at the event:



KLOS Christmas Show (Richie)
I have all the songs except "With A Little Help From My Friends".  Excellent set by Richie!  Decent quality from the YouTube rips that HayIRS left in the comments of the KLOS post.

BOLO #1: Bon Jovi's Guide to Rock

No, I haven't gone completely mad, I just watch a LOT of police-themed television shows.  BOLO is police lingo for "Be On the Lookout For" (BOTLF doesn't sound as cool).  There's a gem coming up on BBC Radio 2 on Boxing Day:

Bon Jovi's Guide to Rock (Boxing Day, 5.05pm, Radio 2): Richie Sambora regales us with Yuleish chestnuts, such as the one about the time Bob Dylan tried to steal his guitar.

source



~ Hath

Sirius/XM Bon Jovi Contest

The link is here.

Beginning in February 2010 Bon Jovi is going on his “The Circle Tour” and SIRIUS XM is giving YOU the chance to see him! We’re giving away a pair of tickets to each show, and you can make them yours! All you need to do is enter online now and pick a venue of your choice from the drop down. As if tickets to a show aren’t enough, we’re also giving away one grand prize consisting of an autographed guitar (autographed by JBJ)! Today could be your lucky day Bon Jovi fans, so hurry up and enter for your chance to win tickets! Entrants must be at least 18 years old and a legal resident of the contiguous USA or DC to enter.

Good Luck!

~ Hath

Winner of Jon Bon Jovi’s CIRCLE OF CHANGE AWARD chosen

From bonjovi.com

Jon personally presented the trophy and $10,000 to the winner

The winner of the first Circle Of Change Award has officially been chosen: Daniella Groothuis from Germany!

Last week Groothuis came to the States to meet Jon, who personally awarded her with the Circle Of Change Award trophy and $10,000!

Inspired by the incredible atmosphere at Brandenburg Gate and the feeling of solidarity among Germans in general, Jon Bon Jovi initiated the Circle Of Change Award last month to award it to a German citizen who has shown exceptional dedication to the community in 2009. Supported by German TV program “Sat 1 Frühstücksfernsehen,” countless citizens were nominated on www.BonJovi.de between November 27 and December 2, and Jon eventually chose Daniella Groothuis (40) who has been working on a project called “Benefit & Joy” with the German bonjovi.de community since 2007 to raise money for a housing project.

“Everybody is a part of this bigger thing that we live in, it is the continuum. We are here in this world for a short period of time and we are here to make a change. The status quo just isn’t good enough. The government can’t do it alone, the private sector can’t do it alone but it takes strong people from different walks of life to all come together with a common cause and just to help each other. Strong people like Daniella want to be part of something bigger,” Jon said after handing the trophy to the winner.

The launch of the singer’s own Circle Of Change Award picks up on the message of Bon Jovi’s current album “The Circle” that also features the hit-single “We Weren’t Born To Follow”: With a lyric such as “you got to stand up for what you believe” the band makes a clear statement for moral courage.

Inspired by Jon, who has been running his own Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation to help break the cycle of poverty and homelessness, Groothuis will use the prize money for her “Benefit & Joy” project. While Jon’s Foundation’s motto is “one Soul at a time,” the winner came up with “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.” Furthermore she will not only actively take part in building houses but is also going to work with Habitat For Humanity, just like Jon has in the past.

Bon Jovi has set the bar for more than two decades as one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Globally, they have sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. “The Circle” album was just released and debuted at #1 in Germany and around the world. Bon Jovi’s “Lost Highway” tour topped the Billboard’s Tour Chart as the No. 1 Tour in the world in 2008.

~ Hath

Superman Tonight ~ Second Single Released

Bon Jovi has released the second single titled 'Superman Tonight' off their latest album, 'The Circle'. Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Billy Falcon co-wrote the lyrics and the band performed the song on 'Saturday Night Live' last weekend.

source

I don't see the single available for purchase on Amazon, FYE, etc., but I'd imagine it's gotta be somewhere... Anyone find it yet? Anyone not in the US willing to share the extra tracks (which we KNOW you guys get lol)...





There’s something about you I wanna rescue
I don’t even know you so what does that mean
Maybe I’m cynical, painfully logical
You’re tragic and beautiful
And that’s good enough for me
You’re looking for a hero, but it’s just my old tattoo
Tonight I swear I’d sell my soul to be a
Hero for you

Who’s going to take you when the stars fall from your sky
And who’s going to pull you in when the tide gets too high
Who’s going to hold you when you turn out the lights
I won’t lie I wish that I
Could be your superman tonight

If somebody sent you an angel to save you
What would you tell him to turn him away
That your heart don’t break
That your lips don’t kiss
That life is just a lie
That heaven don’t exist

Who’s going to take you when the stars fall from your sky
And who’s going to pull you in when the tide gets too high
Who’s going to hold you when you turn out the lights
I won’t lie I wish that I could be your superman tonight
Who’s going to fix you the next time you break down
Stranded alone by the side of the road
It’s your baggage that’s dragging you down
Don’t look back, let it go

Oooooh .. oooooh

Who’s going to take you when the stars fall from your sky
And who’s going to pull you in when the tide gets too high
Who’s going to hold you when you turn out the lights
I won’t lie I wish that I was that superman …

Who’s going to save you when the stars fall from your sky
And who’s going to pull you in when the tide gets too high
Who’s going to hold you when you turn out the lights
I won’t lie I wish that I could be your superman tonight

~ Hath

Mark Lanier's Christmas Party

Back in October, it was reported that Bon Jovi had been hired to play a law firm's annual Christmas Shindig in Texas.

About 7,000 friends of The Lanier Law Firm braved chilly temperatures, threatening skies and mud on Sunday afternoon to hear a rocking performance from New Jersey band Bon Jovi at the Houston firm’s annual family-oriented holiday party.

Mark and Becky Lanier invited friends of the firm to the party held at their property in the Cypress area located northwest of downtown Houston. Local lawyers and judges and their families were among the partygoers. A capacity crowd under a massive white tent listened to Bon Jovi play hits including “Living on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” before the rockers ended the hour-long concert with an encore of “Run Rudolph Run.”

Bon Jovi’s party performance came a few hours after the band took the stage in New York City on the NBC late-night entertainment show "Saturday Night Live." In fact, Mark Lanier told the crowd that the flight the band took to Houston was diverted because of weather conditions, but the airplane was able to land at another airport.

When not listening to the music, partygoers ate fajitas and barbecue and listened to carolers sing in a new stone chapel the Laniers built on their property. Children went wild playing carnival games and laser tag, and there was a climbing wall and a bounce house among other things. For the second year in a row, the firm invited guests to make a contribution to Guatemala SANA, a charity that builds schools, equips classrooms and provides food for children of Guatemala. Lanier says the firm raised more than $250,000 for the charity.

source

There are a bunch of videos up on YouTube. Here they are, in no particular order:

We Weren't Born to Follow:


Wanted (two different shots):





You Give Love A Bad Name:

December...

...You're the present 'neath my Christmas tree

Could you just imagine waking up to this Christmas morning? A foursome of lovelies arrived to tend to your every whim?

When I first saw this picture, I wondered if Richie's ever given Jon a smack on the ass, just to see what he'd do.

This should be my least favorite picture, because it's the sad one. It's the goodbye picture. But I can't be too sad -- the tour is ramping up, and I can't wait to get out there.

I wonder if they get all juiced up for the tour too.

I'd bet they have some measure of excitement, but it's married up with a little bit of nostalgia and a whole lot of "I'm gonna miss my kids".

After all this time, though, it's gotta be second nature to them. The living out of suitcases and hotels, the constant traveling, the interviews, promos, glad-handing, and all that.

This year, they are the present 'neath my tree. Family members who would have otherwise gotten me 'things' as gifts for Christmas are instead feeding my Jovi fund. Mr. Hath doesn't understand, and Hathlet is excited because I told him if there are shows in Boston I'd take him to one if I can get tickets. (I'm writing this in September, before the date announcements... in case I forget to come back and edit, this is what I'm thinking now).

Enjoy the holidays, boys (and Devotees everywhere).

It'll be back to work soon enough.

~ Hath

Christmas Goodies!

One of my Anon commenters left these links in her comment, and I thought they were wonderful Christmas gifts. Two amazing videos of some lovely Christmas classics. Enjoy!





~ Hath

SNL Goodies

The ever-lovely (and still smiling) Ms. Catte Sambora sent me a boatload of screen caps from the SNL gig over the weekend.

There's one video up (so far that I found) on YouTube. It was recorded in HD (apparently) so it looks a little strange, but hey, it's something :)



Catte sent me the videos from the episode, and I'm working on getting those ripped to MP3's and will have the whole shebang up for you later today. For now here are some screen shots to whet your appetite.

~ Hath

Saturday Night Live
This is a link to a MediaFire directory with the MP4's from the show, and the MP3 rips from the two songs, Superman Tonight and When We Were Beautiful. Some of the files bust the 50MB limit on my SkyDrive, hence the MediaFire locale.