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Did you play any of the Memphis tunes for the other members of Bon Jovi for feedback or advice? Did they express interest in recording any of them, or was this project your baby from the start?The full interview can be found here, in two parts.
It was really my baby from the start. I mean, they all came up and—we put it up in ’03 up in Boston, so everybody came up and checked it out then…after winning these Tonys, I went back to Europe and duct taped them to the keyboards and Jon [Bon Jovi, vocals] was giving me a big shout-out in the announcements. It’s a great thing.
What were your initial impressions on your first visit to Japan in the ’80s, and how do you feel about Japan today?
Japan is like our second home, you know? We’ll be down there in November, and it’s always our second home. I remember going there [in 1984], our first year playing Super Rock [Festival], and it was very isolated, if you will, and now, with the Internet, the world is way less isolated…everything’s becoming everything. It’s a very special place, very special fans, and the Japanese have embraced us, and it’s great, you know? We’re going to go back there and play and I’m going to bring Memphis there, too. Memphis is going to be a huge musical in Japan.
It's true, and the date is fast approaching. We are having a kickoff show this Friday night, July 9th @ The Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia on Market Street. The venue is open all day, I believe, so come whenever you'd like. We are joined by Perineum at 10 pm and Soraia plays at 11 pm. This is an all ages show, and we'd love to see your faces there...we'll have new merchandise, too!For more about Soraia, you can visit their website, or read this. It's a post about The Screen Door's "The Road Not Taken" post as well some of Catte Sambora's raving about the band.
We leave Saturday morning for Saratoga; join us on Facebook and trek along the journey to New York with us! We'll be updating from the road as soon as we take off Saturday, through the whole shebang and afterwards on Sunday night.
Wish us luck and let us know you're with us all along the way through online comments, texts, or come out to Friday's show. And to all of you who got tickets...we'll see you after the show!
Friday, July 9
Bon Jovi at the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford at 7 p.m. ($36.50-$1,875; call 201-559-1515 for more information.) Visit bonjovi.com.
Why you should go: Home is where this band’s heart is. Their next album is a collection of greatest hits, due for release this year.
[Bon Jovi are] notably more relaxed and upbeat than they've been for years.
"I think we're stronger now than we've been in a long time _ maybe forever - so we are enjoying things more. It's great, because there were times, in the past, when we weren't happy and struggled on, even though we were physically or emotionally wrecked," concedes Bon Jovi. "But I think the one good thing we've learned from doing that _ from pushing ourselves - is that when you think you've had enough and feel like you shouldn't be on the road, you really shouldn't be on the road.
"That's why we're looking forward to coming out to New Zealand now," he adds, excitedly. "This time we're ready and able, as opposed to the first time we came in 1987 when we were completely exhausted and it felt like we'd been pulled across the rack, getting on that plane to Australia and New Zealand.
"When I look back on it, we shouldn't have done that tour because we were beat, so we didn't do ourselves or the fans justice," he admits. "But it wasn't anyone's fault - we were all caught up in the moment and kept hearing: 'there's another great opportunity; a chance to add another date to the tour; to play New Zealand', when really what we should have been told was `take some time off, go to bed ... '
"In comparison, our last gig in New Zealand, in 2008 [where they played Christchurch only], during the Lost Highway tour was totally different. It was a pleasure to be on the road - a treat to play there," he enthuses. "That wasn't just because it was our most successful tour. It's also because we took breaks and recharged our batteries, so we actually enjoyed touring. That was the difference between our 1987 and 2008 visits; we knew when to stop, when to say `no'.
"You know, I'm not a tour whore. I'm not a man who needs the roar of the crowd," Bon Jovi adds. "Although I enjoy performing in front of a crowd, that's not what motivates me. What does it for me is when you write something, record it and then realise its special, like we did with When We Were Beautiful.
Congratulations to Bon Jovi for meeting and surpassing their impressive goal of playing 70 different songs during their O2 residency! During the 12 show stint at London's famous O2 Arena, Bon Jovi performed 72 different songs, with selections ranging from tracks off of their first self-titled album, "Bon Jovi," released in 1984, to tracks from their latest album, "The Circle," release in 2009. The vast variety of songs made for a unique and exciting experience at each of 12 the O2 Arena shows. Thanks Bon Jovi, and congratulations on twelve memorable performances!You can read the original article where Jon promised the 70 songs, as well as what I think of their O2 residency numbers.
As they have in years past, Tiger Woods and Jon Bon Jovi joined forces for their respective philanthropies at Rock FORE Charity, a private VIP event which raised more than $570,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.The rest of the article, including a video, can be found here.
Held at a beautiful private estate in Radnor Township, Pa., the event welcomed an intimate crowd of 300 for a VIP reception and rousing live auction.
Following the auction, guests were greeted and welcomed by Woods, who spoke about the importance of both organizations and the work they do to help underserved young people and families. Woods then welcomed legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi to the stage for a thrilling acoustic set, featuring hits "Livin' On A Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive."
The band, which kicked off their tour in the US in February, has just completed a series of concerts at London's 02 Arena, and Sambora says he's loving the massive shows.The article also touches a little on the Greatest Hits album:
'Anybody that says they don't like it means they can't do it,' Sambora told AAP from his Los Angeles home during a week-long break from the tour.
'The event is so much fun, to take part in that ... it really comes down to us being able to do that and we do it very very well.
'Jon (Bon Jovi) happens to be one of the best frontmen when it comes down to making a stadium seem like a small place.'
Sambora says he's looking forward to coming back Down Under - the band was last here in 2008 - and he's promising Aussie fans a great concert experience.
'We're bringing the most amazing production, there's going to be a high-definition screen behind us that's 55 feet (16 metres) high and 115 feet (35 metres) long so everybody gets very close and personal to the band and it becomes an intimate kind of experience.'
Sambora says the band has had a 'passionate love for Australia since the 80s' and the now single guitarist - he was married to TV star Heather Locklear and has dated actress Denise Richards - joked that 'the girls have been very good'.
'... I'm free again ... I'll be looking for my future ex-wife, absolutely,' he laughed.
Before they hit our shores, Bon Jovi will also have released a best of double album, which contains five new songs and is due out in November. Aussie fans will be among the first in the world to hear some of those songs performed at a live concert.If you want a good opinion piece on the new GH record, check out The Screen Door. I for one am not holding my breath. A November release in Australia and Richie has said we (in the US) should have it by Christmas.
...[mix] provoking songwriting, catchy hooks, moody vocals, an energetic live show, and strong musicianship with an unerring commitment to their unique sound. Since forming in 2006 they have gained a large east coast following through indie distribution and relentless gigging (including a one month stint at the Hard Rock Cafe in Saigon).All I know is I like their music. And I would love to sit down with them and talk about their experience in Saigon.
Their new songs have received much critical acclaim including recently being awarded an LA Music Award for “Indie Male Vocalist of the Year”, as well as being named to the number one spot on Alternative Addiction’s list of “Top Ten Unsigned Bands in the Country”.
Overall, this music is highly marketable. Think a younger Bon Jovi style band. While lacking the smash hits that make Bon Jovi … well … Bon Jovi, this band if they keep working will surely stumble upon these songs as their chemistry improves.Like Bon Jovi, the band sounds true-to-record when playing live. For me, that's important. Anyone can over-produce a record and make even the scariest of voices *coughlikeminecough* sound good. Adam, the lead singer, has an amazingly strong voice. His voice is good, not produced to be good.
Hey Bon Jovi Fans!
What is YOUR ideal Bon Jovi concert experience? Now is your chance to share it with us! As the current leg of Bon Jovi's The Circle Tour draws to a close, we're asking YOU, Bon Jovi's most loyal fans, to create a blog describing your dream Bon Jovi concert experience. The winner will receive two tickets to Bon Jovi's last show of this leg of the Circle Tour on July 31st at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL!
HOW TO ENTER:
Using the Bon Jovi images found by clicking here, plus your creativity and imagination, create a blog entry in which you describe the last US Circle Tour show at Solider Field in Chicago as YOU would have it. What would be on the set list? Where would your seats be? What is Richie Sambora wearing? Did you take a limo to get there?
Get creative! The best blogger will win two great seats to the July 31st Bon Jovi show. To enter, simply create a blog anywhere on the web - Blogspot, Wordpress, or even Facebook - and send a LINK of your blog entry to backstagejbj@contests.sparkart.com by July 26th, 2010 at 10 a.m. PDT. The winner will be selected and notified by July 28th, 2010.
GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION: Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual deemed to be (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the contest or any website of the Sponsor and its Agents; (b) violating the Official Contest Rules; (c) violating the terms of use, conditions of use and/or general rules or guidelines of any web site, fan club, or other service, or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another entrant, Sponsor and its Agents, or any other person. Any attempt by any person to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor and its Agents reserve the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.Now, it doesn't specifically SAY anything against porn, but I assume my Concert II encounter story is out of the question?