Rings has been updated

No, no, Hell has not frozen over.  

T is at my place for the weekend, for the show at Gillette, and we've been writing!  Over a delicious dinner of sausage, biscuits, and gravy, we've finally finished the next installment of Rings!  "Morning After" is up.

~ Hath

AFL Alternative?

American rocker Jon Bon Jovi has purchased four season tickets for the new Melbourne Heart team in Australia's A-League and will donate them to fans.

Bon Jovi was announced as the football club's No. 1 international ticket holder in a statement released by the team Saturday.

The four premium memberships, valued at about $2,000, will be donated for each home game to fans who otherwise "don't have the financial means."

The Heart will play 15 home matches in its inaugural season starting next month.

Bon Jovi, whose band will tour Australia in December, was formerly a co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul in the Arena Football League - a lapsed indoor American football competition.

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Richie on Lite 105FM

Lite Rock 105's Tony Bristol recently spoke with Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi! You can listen and download here.

~ Hath

Ode to Richie Sambora

OK, this one, from Oz (Glenn Osrin over at the Examiner) really made me smile...

The folllowing is an adaptation of an Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem:
How do we love thee, Richie Sambora? Let us count the ways.

We love thee to the blues-driven riff and the power cord bite.

Our souls quiver and yearn, beguiled by your might.

To the core of our being, those soulful brown eyes we embrace.

We love thee near and far, young and old

So much that when seated in the Circle we are driven mad; inexplicably bold.

Most loyal and desperate need by light of day and solo spotlight

We love thee freely as critics strive for enlightened sound and sight

We love thee purely, your non-chalance, the Aw-shucks smile does delight

We love thee with a passion that we hope and dream to use

You soothe old griefs and heartbreak with root beer brown eyes

Undiscovered soul, oh purveyor of soft sensuous Blues

We love thee with a love we seemed to lose to Life’s constraints

We love thee with all laughter, tears, alone, or as Bon Jovi’s stylistic mate

We love thee for the playfulness, vulnerability, and cool

We love thee for the stoic walk

You inspire us to Overcome

You teach us how to make it through

We love thee for your vulnerability, your cool

Your sense of style

The Master's way the stringed ax you do blaze

And if it be that God divines

Rock critics stupidity does distress

Then know you’ve thoroughly rocked millions of us

We love you

To know you is to love you

For all of Us, you truly bless.


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Thanks, Oz :)

~ Hath

Gillette Information

ARRIVING & PARKING

Gillette Stadium parking lots will open at 5 p.m. Please allow ample time to get to the stadium. To avoid confusion and to identify the best lot in which to park, please review the stadium parking instructions and guidelines prior to your arrival. Click here for directions to Gillette Stadium.

** Hath note: Parking is $40

STADIUM ENTRY

Stadium gates will open at 6 p.m. Walking directions to the gates are clearly marked from all of Gillette Stadium’s parking lots. Patrons holding field seats should enter the stadium via the East Gate adjacent to the ProShop. To avoid any inconvenience when entering the stadium, please review the stadium’s list of prohibited items:

Prohibited Items:
Guests may not bring into or possess any of the following items while in the stadium: Alcohol, bottles, cans, beverage containers of any kind, coolers, food, umbrellas, strollers, weapons of any kind, laser pointers, video cameras, pepper spray/mace, fireworks, unusually large wallet chains, banners over legal size paper, sticks, or poles, studded jewelry, spurs, and any type of chair or seat other than those approved for persons with accessibility issues. Cameras that have detachable lenses are allowed, however, they may be checked to ensure they are what they appear to be. Electrical items such as small transistor radios, small TV monitors, cellphones, etc. will be allowed through the gates; however, you may be required to turn on the equipment to ensure it is what it appears to be. Seat cushions will be allowed into the stadium after they have been checked by security. Binoculars will be allowed into the stadium. The binoculars will be checked first to ensure they are what they appear to be, and all binocular cases will be checked. (See banner policy below). Exceptions will be made for Guests with special medical needs.

The Gillette Stadium Ticket Office is located in the Patriot Plaza across from the ProShop; opens with the parking lots at 5 p.m. and closes when Bon Jovi takes the stage.

EVENT TIMING

The first act is expected to take the stage at approximately 7:00 p.m, followed by Kid Rock and Bon Jovi. The anticipated end time is 11:45pm.

OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION

Be sure to check back or follow @gilletteevents on Twitter for any last-minute updates.

TICKETS

Need tickets? Go to Ticketmaster.com

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I've got my "detachable lens camera" charged and ready to go!!!

Can not WAIT for this show!!

~ Hath

Richie Interview @Boston Herald

The herald has an interview with Richie; a call-in from Toronto...

There’s arena rock and then there’s Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi doesn’t play arenas anymore. It plays football stadiums - including Gillette Stadium Saturday night.

Which, when things go well, is where you end up after 28 years and 3,500 shows.

“Or some crazy amount like that,” guitarist Richie Sambora, 51, said before Bon Jovi’s show at Toronto’s 55,000-capacity Rogers Centre earlier this week. “I don’t know if anybody has comprehensively toured as much as we have.”

“When I walk onstage and I look down and see my shadow,” Sambora said, “I say to myself, ‘Well, it’s pretty good to be me.’ I look up and there’s 55,000 people staring at me enjoying my songs. I do this all over the whole world. I’ve got the best partner and frontman in the business.

“Besides having one of the biggest bands on the planet, Jon and I were just in the gym and we’re looking at each other going, ‘Man, we’re still having fun. Everything’s really cool.’ ”

The rest of it can be read here.

THE SHOW IS TOMORROW NIGHT! AND there are rumors that JonBon is trying to get the curfew extended yet AGAIN. They should just keep playing. What is Kraft gonna do? Pull the plug on the power?

~ Hath

Drift Away

Some of us were talking this morning about our favorite covers (given last night's "Turn The Page" in Toronto).

Topping the list for me is Drift Away. Here are a couple of my favorite performances...





Guys, if you're checking blog traffic today, how 'bout an audible on this one Saturday night? Please? I promise you, we'll sing it back to you.

Gimme the beat boys, and free my soul....
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll...
And drift away....


What are some of YOUR favorite covers?

~ Hath

Watch HullabaLOU streamed LIVE!

Three Days. Five Stages. Over 65 bands including Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Steve Miller Band, Jason Aldean, Al Green, Zac Brown Band, and the Avett Brothers. At legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY July 23-25, 2010. Stay tuned for the broadcast schedule. Schedule is subject to change.

When the HullabaLOU Music Festival was announced last November at Churchill Downs, the three-day event seemed to come out of nowhere. Now, after months of planning, watch the inaugural festival live on Livestream this weekend, Friday July 23 to Sunday July 25 at http://livestream.com/com/hullabaLOUfest.

Hosted at the legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, home of the Kentucky Derby, this will be the first concert held there since 2007. Live music, not night racing, will be generating most of the after-hours excitement. Hear a wide range of artists that blend the sounds of classic rock, country, adult contemporary and bluegrass on five stages throughout the sprawling 147-acre facility.

“It’s a pretty unique bill. I don’t think there’s any other festival in the country that combines those things,” said Quint Davis, who booked HullabaLOU through his New Orleans-based Festival Productions Inc., one of the country’s largest festival producers.

The three-day music festival will feature Bon Jovi (July 23), Kenny Chesney (July 24) and Dave Matthews Band (July 25) as the headline acts.


There's no schedule listed yet, so we don't know if Bon Jovi's set will be streamed.  But you can bet I'll keep checking the HullabaLou site to find out!

~ Hath

PS: Thanks, Catte, for letting me know!

Gillette Opener: Mission Hill (II)

As seen onYouTube :)



Mission Hill Acoustic Tuesdays - Dancing With Her Eyes Closed...A song off our new record, Beautiful Addiction EP, which drops TODAY on iTunes!!...Pick it up and let us know what you think...DO IT!!

These guys will open for Bon Jovi on Saturday.

CHECK

THEM

OUT


~ Hath

The Circle ~ Certified Platinum

As seen on Bon Jovi's Facebook page:

Last night in Toronto Bon Jovi's The Circle album was certified platinum! Thanks to all the fans who got us here! This is a great honor and achievement!

The RIAA Gold and Platinum Awards program was launched in 1958 in an effort to create a standard by which to measure sales of a sound recording.

In the beginning, there was only a Gold album award for the sale of 500,000 copies. As the industry grew, other awards were developed. The Platinum award (1,000,000 sold) was created in 1976 and with the advent of the compact disc and the subsequent increase in sales, the Multi-Platinum award was created in 1984.

On March 16, 1999, the RIAA launched the Diamond Awards, honoring sales of 10 million copies or more of an album or single.

The Circle went gold in the US in January 2010.  As of this post, there is no listing on the RIAA for Platinum rating of this record, but they have the awards, so the website is just a little behind.  You can keep checking here.  A full list of the band's platinum and multi-platinum albums can be found here.  On the short list of Diamond albums, Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet was certified as of October, 1995.

Congratulations, Bon Jovi!

Now, not to diminish that amazing accomplishment, but I did a little more poking around RIAA's site.  They have an interesting "Top Artists" page, where they list artists by millions of records sold.  Now it doesn't say what date these ratings are "as of", but I cringed to see some of the artists that Bon Jovi sold fewer records than.  Check it out for yourself.

~ Hath

Two More Down Under Dates

Bon Jovi’s Australian fans have spoken with shows selling out across the country within hours! Due to this incredible demand to see Rock’s Global Icons Live on stage, Dainty Consolidated Entertainment are adding 2 FINAL shows to the Australian leg of The Circle Tour.

Melbourne - Friday December 10 - Rod Laver Arena
Sydney - Sunday December 19 – Sydney Football Stadium

Tickets go on sale August 3rd

Australia Dates:

December 8: Perth -Subiaco Oval
December 10: Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena
December 11: Melbourne - Etihad Stadium
December 14: Brisbane - Suncorp Stadium
December 17: Sydney - Sydney Football Stadium
December 18: Sydney - Sydney Football Stadium
December 19: Sydney - Sydney Football Stadium

~ Hath

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Lima Rumored to be In The Circle

The public relations agency MVV & Associates, responsible for promoting the most important press events held in Peru, published on its official Facebook page that Bon Jovi will arrive in Lima "soon" as part of the Circle Tour.

No dates or details announced yet through the PR agency, and nothing official on the Bon Jovi website (which of course means it's just a RUMOR, and not FACT yet).

Keep your eyes open for a press conference formalizing the event later this quarter.

At best guess, the Lima date would be sometime in  October or November, and would  this year and will join the South American wing of the group's worldwide tour.

There are also rumors of a Costa Rican date shortly after Mexico City (MC has been confirmed).

Remember, nothing is official until you see it on Bon Jovi's website.

~ Hath

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The Jovi Gets Curfew Extension

At first blush, this looks like GREAT news for Foxboro concertgoers this weekend.  Then you read the estimated start times, and all this means is that the band can play their "regular-length set":

The board of selectmen granted the Circle Tour concert at Gillette Stadium an extra half-hour after the usual curfew, which means Bon Jovi will finish his performace at 11:45 p.m. Saturday.

Police Chief Edward O'Leary, who is in charge of security in the stadium, said he has no problem with the later finish, and does not expect any extra trouble from a crowd that is anticipated to approach 50,000.

"This crowd is on the more mature side, as opposed to the 20-somethings at other concerts who generally arrive earlier to party," O'Leary said, adding he looked back to see that Bon Jovi's 2006 concert in Foxboro presented "no unusual incidents."

Fans Saturday will not be allowed into the parking lots until 5 for the 6 p.m. start of the concert. Following some preliminary bands, Kid Rock will perform from 8 to 9 p.m., with Jon Bon Jovi and his band expected to take the stage at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are still on sale through Ticketmaster.

"I don't anticipate many problems," O'Leary said.

I also take exception to being labeled "on the more mature side" :)  Ask anyone, I can be as immature as my 7-year-old niece!  But I get their point.

Kid Rock gets a whole hour?  I'm not sure I can name enough of his songs to GET me to an hour.

With the 5pm lot-open time, we'll be heading out from my house around 4:00 (allowing for traffic). Besides, past experience tells me that 5pm isn't exact.  It's not like they're going to let a queue of cars form down Route 1.  Bad for the shopping plaza and traffic in general.

~ Hath

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Chile Date Announced

The Pulse, Chile's all-English newspaper, is reporting a Circle Tour stop in Nunoa:

Jon Bon Jovi and his quintet will have the National Stadium in Nunoa re-opened to major events on October 1st as part of Bon Jovi’s new full-length CD ‘The Circle’. Chile’s concert will be part of the band’s worldwide tour, which will also hit Brazil and Argentina.

The last time the legendary rock band performed in Chile, 65,000 fans gathered to shout out at Bon Jovi’s anthem ‘Living on a Prayer’ 17 years ago. At least 45,000 fans are expected to await the quintet on October 1st to sing along to the band’s new hits

This hasn't made it up on to the Tour page at bj.com, nor are there any Argentina dates listed yet, so you can't take it as gospel until it's officially announced.

I do ADORE the fact that this paper is calling Bon Jovi a QUINTET however! Chile clearly loves Hugh :)

~ Hath

Greatest Hits

The guys took some time to snap a few photos for the Greatest Hits promotions/cover/whatnot... they posted one of them on Facebook:

In a photo shoot for the... GREATEST HITS!! Any guesses on what songs will make the album?

Many of the commenters piped up with their suggestions / ideas, but a couple posters stuck out in my mind:

Karen Walker

CROSSROADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All you people suggesting the OLD favourites they are already on a greatest hits album. For goodness sakes lets not have a re-released Crossroads adding on a few more hits!!

Colin Howard

Why not make it an acoustic album instead of tracks we already have. something new.

A dissenting opinion, Anthony Kuzminski posted his thoughts on the GH album on his blog, The Screen Door.

I love Colin's idea, though the record is pretty much in the can already -- maybe GH-3?  I think an all-acoustic release would be beautiful and would appeal to a great deal of the fan base.  But, I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.

In my opinion, Karen's comment is spot-on.  Yes, the classics are the classics, and no collection is complete without them, but I don't think the market is the "new fan since The Circle came out who needs to round out his/her Jovi education" fan.  The market is the "I just re-bought all the records with the 'special tracks' on the end, and now you want me to buy those songs again??  Are you  nuts??" fan.

We long-time fans just shelled out mucho dinero to supplement our collections with the Special Edition CDs.  The new fans saw the SpecEds come out, said "Ooh!  I don't have all those songs" and purchased what they wanted already.  Or they found Crossroads and were happy.

Of course, I'm not in any way qualified to make a prediction about this.  I do believe that they should include more than just a rehash of their post-Crossroad records.  How 'bout some of the European-only bonus tracks?  How 'bout bundling it with an "official bootleg" from one of the Circle Tour shows?  Or Central Park?   How 'bout some "from the vault" demo tracks as a special bonus EP?  SOMETHING different.

Yes, yes, we're getting 5 new songs.  That leaves a whole lot of space for something special.

~ Hath

Celebrate My Birthday in Mexico City!

Because Bon Jovi is going to be there!!

As seen on BonJovi.com:

CONCERT IN MEXICO CITY SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, AT FORO SOL

Rock Icons Bon Jovi return to Mexico City for a massive concert as part of “The Circle Tour” - currently the number one tour in the world! After several years, Mexican fans will have the opportunity to see Bon Jovi live at Foro Sol on Friday, September 24th.

Bon Jovi have established themselves as one of the world's most dynamic live rock acts, While other artists of their generation slow down, the New Jersey natives are hitting their peak. They are ranked as Billboard's #1 top-selling tour of 2008 worldwide, and have recently released the album The Circle, which debuted at #1 around the world.

With over 120 million albums sold, countless awards and stellar stadium shows year after year, Bon Jovi have little more to conquer. The band has performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. Bon Jovi are at their best when they are on the move and that is truer now than ever before.

Tickets will go on sale on July 26 and 27 for Banamex card holders and on July 28 for general public.

To buy tickets please go directly to any of Ticketmaster outlets: Mix Up, Discolandia, Liverpool, Gandhi, on the phone number 5325 9000 and online at www.ticketmaster.com.mx

So, do you suppose Mr. Hath would believe that a trip to Mexico City is the PERFECT gift for his lovely wife who is celebrating her 40th this year?

I think probably not.

~ Hath