Updates from BonJovi.com

Thing #1

Bon Jovi themed weeks and Wednesday movie nights continue! Visit BonJovi.com/Videos NOW to see the latest video - "Dry County " - live from the O2 Arena! More rare content will be revealed throughout the week, so check back often!

Dry County, live from the O2 arena.

Thing #2

Now up in the FEATURED Photos section of BonJovi.com are four rare photos of Bon Jovi from the era of the next two albums - Slippery When Wet and New Jersey! Visit BonJovi.com/Photos to check them out now!

And don't forget to visit the Official Bon Jovi online Store to get last minute discounts on era-specific merchandise!

      

Hope your weekend isn't sucking eggs...

~ Hath

Les Paul Documentary

One year yesterday (August 13), Les Paul, the father of the electric guitar, passed away at age 94. He’s not forgotten: The New York jazz club Iridium — where Paul had weekly performances — continues to host tribute nights once a week. And on August 26th, CNN International will pay tribute to Paul with the documentary Les Paul: the Original Guitar Hero. The program will focus on his contributions to rock & roll through interviews with Paul McCartney, Slash and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. "Les was the great innovator, the great experimenter," McCartney said in a statement.

source

~ Hath

Living on a Prayer

This is the title of a blog entry from a fellow Massachusettsite named Maureen.  She hails from Martha's Vinyard (now) and has a wonderful story to tell about Jon and Richie in their early days.  With all the hub-bub about the "book" (yeah, I use that term loosely), I thought it would be a nice glimpse into what the guys were REALLY like, when the cameras were off, and they could just be two guys from Jersey.

A couple weeks ago I took the kids to see Bon Jovi in concert. At Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.

I have a long history with Jon Bon Jovi. Whether he realizes it or not. Sure, he's my age, and yes, it's partly the New Jersey thing, but it's bigger than that.

I was a young RN, maybe 24, working on pediatrics. We got a kid in, a 13 year old with beautiful dark eyes and a horrific brain tumor. Melaina was an only child, and for weeks after her tumor was surgically removed both parents sat by her bed as she slowly returned to consciousness.

The walls in her hospital room were plastered with posters of some new rock band, Bon Jovi. I had never heard of them and, to be honest, from the posters I couldn't easily tell if the beautiful lead singer was a man or a woman, with his long curly hair and smooth baby face.

With all the wisdom of my years I laughed off Malaina's infatuation with this clearly fly-by-night band, whose music I was sure I didn't know, and whose members sported what, even at the time, could only be called really bad 80's perms.

Then one night I showed up for my shift and the unit was all abuzz. It seemed that only hours earlier, completely out of the blue, Jon Bon Jovi and his band mate Richie Sambora had walked onto the peds floor to visit Melaina.

They sat and talked to her and her parents, brought her gifts, and posed for her parents to snap photos. Apparently someone had informed them that their biggest fan was very ill and they'd decided to make her dreams come true.

They came alone and stayed long enough to enchant not only Melaina and her parents, but all the nurses on pediatrics. There were no publicists, no reporters along for the ride. This was long before the internet, but nothing ever appeared in the news. It was clear their visit was no publicity stunt.

I was impressed. However young or androgynous the guy appeared in his poster, apparently he was a genuinely caring person.

After that I started noticing their music. Everywhere. And I liked it. As the years rolled by I bought one album after another. My kids have been singing his lyrics since they knew how to speak.

They laughed at how excited I got seeing him in concert. But they stood there singing with me the whole time. The band was really on that night; Jon Bon Jovi didn't seem to want to leave the stage. Even First-Born Son had to admit the guy, "puts on a great show."

It's fun to imagine what the celebrities we admire might really be like, but we rarely get an actual glimpse of who they are. Jon Bon Jovi probably doesn't even remember that he visited a sick little girl in a New Jersey hospital almost 25 years ago.

But me? I'll never forget it.

Jon, Rich, I'm under no illusions that you've found my little corner of the ether.  However, hopefully someone you know has, and can relay Maureen's story to you.  This is just one of the reasons we love you guys.

And for the record, I for one, believe you remember every minute your visit to Melaina.

~ Hath

It's Movie Night!

Don't Forget! (from bonjovi.com)

Don't miss out on BonJovi.com's second MOVIE NIGHT, tonight at 9:00PM ET! Simply visit the BonJovi.com homepage right at 9:00 Eastern to watch the "Bon Jovi Crush Tour" DVD with Bon Jovi fans all across the globe. We'll be streaming the "The Crush Tour" DVD twice, back-to-back, beginning at 9:00PM ET so be sure to tune-in!

You can also watch it live from Bon Jovi's Facebook page - visit Facebook.com/BonJovi right at 9:00PM ET to tune in.

Thanks again to all of Bon Jovi's loyal fans, and enjoy the show!

Did you catch the "stream it twice, back-to-back" part?

~ Hath

JonBon on Zo and Gresh

I totally love Scott Zolak.  We still call for him at the games when the QB is stinking like feet. He and Gresh (the self-proclaimed 'fat guy in the red shirt') caught up with JonBon at Gillette on Tuesday.

They ask him about his calf, talk about the break in the tour, and a bit about training camp and his buddies, Bill and Mr. Kraft.

Jon was asked to tell us something about Coach that we didn't already know. "Bill likes to laugh and smile," Jon answered. "Bill's a closet drummer. Tico bought him a drum kit back in '95."

Some other great quotes:

About Zo handing Jon a mic: "I reall thought he was handing me a microphone that doesn't work. I know Zolak too well."
About his age: "I'm 48, bud, I'm old!"
About Bill's clothing choice: "Still wearing a pink polo shirt, for Christ's sake"

BB's planning to head over to Europe next summer, spend some time with the band.

Very fun, relaxed couple of minutes.

You can listen here, and there's a link to download from that site as well. I'll still put it up on the Mediafire later, and update this post with the link.

~ Hath

PS: I know, this is not Bon Jovi, but all this football talk is getting me pumped. Check this out.

Les Paul Auction

He has as good a claim as any to have given the world rock'n'roll. The name Les Paul is synonymous with both the musician and the guitar; from AC/DC to ZZ Top. He not only gave modern bands their most potent instrument in the form of the eponymous Gibson guitar, but also pioneered the recording techniques that made it possible to capture the music that resulted. But, unknown to many, Les Paul also gave scores of signed guitars to some of the world's biggest stars. Now, for the first time, more than 50 are due to be auctioned in London this October.

Originally destined for Madonna, Sting, Prince and Jon Bon Jovi, among others, they are the instruments that never got to their intended recipients. Now members of the public will have chance to appreciate what the stars spurned.

You can read the rest of the article here.

The part that bothers me about this article (aside from the idea that people -- MUSICIAN people -- would turn down a gift from a legend like Mr. Paul) is this section:

More than 100 signed guitars have been handed to stars by Ron Lovely on Les Paul's behalf. But, amazingly, many intended recipients have failed to take receipt. Mr Lovely revealed last week that it was often not for want of trying on his part. When he attempted to give one to Jon Bon Jovi at a gig in Boston, he was ejected by a security guard and escorted back to his seat, despite his protestations. Similarly, Bob Dylan, despite being a great admirer of Paul, doesn't much care to meet people.

This sounds like he just brought the guitar to the venue, and tried to get backstage before the show.   I don't think the issue is that Jon Bon Jovi "doesn't much care to meet people".  I would think that something like this can't be impromptu -- Mr. Lovely needed to have arranged for the gift to be delivered.  I'm sure in that case, even if for some unknown reason JB didn't want the guitar, Richie would have taken it without a second's hesitation.

In any event, be on the lookout for the auction listings.  Regardless of to whom they were intended, these instruments are a bit of history, and I wish to heaven I had the funds to bid.

~ Hath

Les Paul Interview, Part 1

Both Catte and TotallySambora provided me with streams from the BBC Radio 2 show featuring Les Paul.  The interview has been loaded up to my Mediafire account.  Once part 2 airs, (hopefully) that will join part 1 on the MF.

Many thanks to Catte and TotallySambora.  This was a great piece.

~ Hath

JonBon at Gillette

The New Orleans Saints are in town for a pre-season game on Thursday.  They joined the Patriots for practice Tuesday on practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.  A record 16,455 fans attended Tuesday’s sessions.  One of the attendees was our own Jon Bon Jovi.

Both Sean Payton of the Saints and Bill Belichick of the Patriots are good pals of Jon's. In fact, Payton has claimed that the singer was integral in the progression of his career as he was at a Bon Jovi concert when he got offered the top job at the Saints.

There are a BUNCH of photos gleaned (read as capped and/or otherwise appropriated) from various sources uploaded here, to my Photobucket account.

Some of the photos are screen caps from an NFL Network piece that aired yesterday (Thanks, Catte!). You can watch it here, on the NFL Network.

~ Hath

Dear Obie

Dear Obie:

We love you.

You answer our questions, no matter how silly or outrageous. You give us lots of goodies to keep us happy. You are totally approachable, and fun to talk to (even though nobody's brought you your hot dog and Dr. Pepper yet). You do great things for and with the band.

But, you know us. There's always some among us who are never happy. You do 'x' and we want 'y'. You give us the moon, we want the stars.

Sadly, I must admit I'm one of THOSE.

I have one eensie piece of constructive criticism regarding the "Obie Clips" you've been sharing.

Don't get me wrong. I believe they are gorgeous.

They have earned a high-rotation spot on the joviPod. Buy they technically aren't from the eras we are celebrating.

I know you. You've got mega-oodles of "stuff" -- pictures videos, audio tracks, sound check tracks, messing around tracks -- that there's got to be SOMETHING era-specific you could share with us.

Right?

SOMETHING?

The photos have been great so far. Nice little glimpses into the past. But what we JONES for, what we NEED to do is have the audio match the visuals. You give us the guys in all their puppy glory,but give us more mature vocals to go with it. I love dichotomy as much as the next gal. But I also love simple. Let me gaze at the lovely era pictures while I listen to the voices that I know go with those pictures. Make me long for my way-back machine so I can go back to THAT DAY and see the energy that lurks behind Jon's powerful vocals. Let me wish yet again that I was a little bit older in the 80's so I could have personally witnessed the long-haired, sweaty, leather-and-stetson wearing wonder of Richie as he wails away during the solos.

What do you need, Obie? Do you need us to send you some hot dogs from Gray's? A pallet or two of Dr. P? More love on the fandom blogs? Fewer silly questions?

Ask and ye shall receive, Obie-wan.

I promise.

Love,
Hath

Funny Fandom Story

So, we aren't the only ones who can associate Bon Jovi songs with meaningful times in our lives.  Don't deny it, I know that for almost each and every one of you, there's at least one story where something momentous happened to you while Bon Jovi played somewhere in the background -- especially if you're a child of the 80's like yours truly.

Today's story made me laugh.  It's from the Boston Herald, and it's about Saint's coach Sean Payton.

Saints coach Sean Payton didn’t mind having Jon Bon Jovi hanging out at practice this morning. Like Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Payton has a connection with the rock star.

Following the workout, Payton told the story of the moment he was hired by the Saints, and how he was sitting in American Airlines Arena in Dallas at a Bon Jovi concert with his wife Beth, and somewhere between “Living on a Prayer and “You Give Love a Bad Name” Saints GM Mickey Loomis called and offered him the head coaching job.

Payton went out into the concession area to take the call.

"(Bon Jovi ) was singing. And Mickey (Loomis) was like, ‘Hey, I want you to become the next head coach of the Saints.’ and I said, ‘I’m in,’" Payton recalled. "Then I walked back in and Beth looked at me, and I just said, ‘Hey, we’re going to New Orleans. Sit down and enjoy the rest of the show."


~ Hath

Argentina, get your money ready!

The boys have listened to all the pleas on the website, youtube videos, and signage at the shows. Yes, they are returning to Argentina! Buenos Aires on October 3rd.

Rock Icons Bon Jovi return to Argentina for a massive concert in Buenos Aires as part of “The Circle Tour” - currently the number one tour in the world! After 15 years, Argentinian fans will have the opportunity to see Bon Jovi live on October 3 at the Monumental Stadium.

Stay tuned for information regarding Backstage JBJ VIP Packages and pre-sale tickets. Not a member? Become one today at BonJovi.com/Join to gain access today to VIP Packages, Pre-sales tickets, exclusive content, and more.

Read the rest of the announcement here.

For those who are wondering, we at the BJCT blog will be continuing on with the next legs of the tour. We're working on redesigning the site slightly (don't worry, we'll pilot it with a few people first, to make sure it still makes sense) and will hopefully have that ready for release by Mexico City.

For those who aren't wondering, sorry for providing some brain clutter :)

~ Hath

Wild is the Wind (Live)

Another Obie Clip has been posted on BonJovi.com.  Today's bit of yummy goodness is a recent recording of Wild is the Wind (at least to my ear it sounds like more mature Jon than puppy Jon).

Hurry over and give it a listen!  Or you can download it here.

~ Hath

Apollo Theater Fundraiser

According to the NY Post, JonBon will be out and about in the Hamptons again this weekend.

That Mary J. Blige has joined John Legend and Sam Moore on the lineup for the Aug. 14 Apollo Theater fund-raiser at Ronald Perelman's Hamptons estate, and Jon Bon Jovi will co-host

Wonder if I can get my mother-in-law to crash that particular party?

~ Hath

Where I Wasn't Today

At Gillette Stadium. Why? No, not because I was working, but because I'm home, sick as a dog. (woof)

Why WOULD I have gone? Apparently today was Jon's annual trek to Patriots Training Camp. He's literally, 20 minutes from my front door. (I asked him to bring me Ginger Ale and Saltines, but so far, no doorbell ring lol)

The Bon Jovi 2005 hit "Have a nice day" blared over the speakers during the morning practice, and that was a harbinger for the real deal as Jon Bon Jovi himself made his way to the Gillette Stadium practice fields just before 10 a.m. this morning.

Bon Jovi, making his annual visit to Foxborough to see the Patriots practice, was accompanied by Patriots owner Robert Kraft as they stopped by to chat with New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson during the morning practice today.

"I just told a local station, I look forward to when we've got three of them [Super Bowl championships]," Benson said to Kraft. "You know what, I hope we're playing you in the game" Kraft said. Benson replied, "Me too, me too. That'd be great, and we've got a good relationship."

source

The cameraperson must be a woman, because it did not stray from Jon Bon the whole time.

  

Still needing my Ginger Ale, Jonny.  Please?  I'll make you a deal.  You bring the soda, I'll give you a new cap.  Seriously, you can have first pick of the 40 or so ball caps littered around my house. You can have your pick of teams, countries, gun clubs, ANYTHING!  I totally understand having pieces in the wardrobe you love, and I'm not even suggesting you toss it (I'm sure it must be super comfortable or have sentimental value).  Just sayin, don something different, yeah?

    

(...the first two are AP pics, the third, someone sent me and told me it was from Twitter; hopefully more to follow...)

Hopefully I'll feel better by Thursday night, the pre-season game in which my Patriots battle the Saints.  Maybe JB will stick around?  Look for us out in the lot (lol)  We'll be in the big pick-up truck with the grill and the tent.

~ Hath

PS: If you want the video for yourself, you can grab it here.

Movie Night #2

From Bon Jovi:

Thanks to all of you who tuned in this past Wednesday to watch the live streaming of the 1995 "Bon Jovi: Live In London" DVD on BonJovi.com - we had over 94,000 fans from all over the world watching and chatting using their Facebook, Twitter, and AIM accounts to discuss the movie in real time.

The movie - and the whole themed week - was a great success, so we're keeping it going! This week, beginning today, August 9nd, we'll be moving onto Bon Jovi's next two albums: Slippery When Wet and New Jersey.

During the week we'll post an exclusive music video, unveil rare photographs, give you discounts on era-specific merch, and to top it all off, we'll be streaming the "The Crush Tour" DVD on Wednesday, August 11th, twice! Back-to-back, beginning at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

The featured video, Let It Rock (from the O2) is up on bonjovi.com under "Featured Videos".

Last week, when you tuned in for the movie, the "era-specific merch" was featured on the same page. The photos haven't been posted on BJ yet but once they have, I'll be sure to let you know!

~ Hath

Les Paul

Want to learn more about one of Richie Sambora's idols, mentors, and friends?

Les Paul was a huge part of Richie's life. BBC Radio 2 has a 2-part show starting on Tuesday August 10th GMT all about Mr. Paul. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tbsqw

Aged a youthful 94, Les Paul died in August 2009. A year on, fellow guitar legend, Duane Eddy, assesses the life and legacy of the man who not only helped pioneer the solid state electric guitar but also developed modern recording techniques without which popular music would not be what it is today. Without Les Paul, there would be no overdubbing, no multi-tracking, no tape delay and most of all no Gibson Les Paul Guitars, one of the most sought after instruments in rock, jazz, popular music and the blues. Joined by the likes of BB King, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Jeff Beck, Albert Lee, Will I Am (Black Eyed Peas), Joe Bonamassa, Ace Frehley (Kiss), Andy Summers (Police), Keith Urban, Nile Rogers and Jimmy Page, Duane Eddy also hears from Les Paul himself, speaking in what may be the last full-length interview he gave a few months before his death.

I'm not sure if it will stream or if I will be around to get it, but I'll try. If anyone else out there gets it, I'd love to hear it. Having grown up around guitars all my life, Les Paul was a household name where I lived. I know my brother and father would love to hear it, too.

Thanks in advance!!

~ Hath

Happy in the Hamptons

  

Jon Bon Jovi posed for photos with fans at Sunday's 2010 Great Chefs Dinner at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton.

One of the culinary highlights of the Hamptons season is the annual Great Chefs Dinner to benefit Bridgehampton’s Hayground School and to remember one of its co-founders, Jeff Salaway, the East End restaurateur (Nick & Toni’s) who died in 2001. More than 60 percent of Hayground’s students receive financial aid, and this annual benefit is an important source of revenue.

This year's event was on Sunday, August 8.

The evening started at 5 p.m. with a cocktail party ($150) with beverages supplied by, among other vendors, Vine wine bar in Greenport. The food was provided by an impressive list of chefs, including Tom Colicchio (Craft Restaurants and TV’s Top Chef), Gerry Hayden and Claudia Fleming (North Fork Table & Inn, Southold), Sam Talbot (Top Chef, Surf Lodge in Montauk), Kevin Penner (1770 House in East Hampton), Bryan Futerman (Foody’s, Water Mill), Tom Schaudel (A Mano in Mattituck), Christian Mir (Stone Creek Inn in East Quogue), Joseph Realmuto (Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton), Keith Luce (Luce & Hawkins in Jamesport), Steven Lewis (First Street Restaurant in Greenport) and Vittorio Assaf (Serafina East Hampton).

I've been to Nick & Toni's, though not for some time. My in-laws live out in the Hamptons, so they actually knew Mr. Salaway. Alas, they didn't go to the Great Chefs Dinner this year, though they have gone in the past.

Sounds like a great event, and it looks like JonBon is enjoying his time off. Amazing what a little family time can do for your smile.

~ Hath