BJCT Post: Gulf Shores

Bon Jovi was in Alabama last night!

Check out the BJCT for setlist, photos, and videos/audio (as we find it).

Have anything you want to share? Drop a line to the BJCT Blog Team

~ Hath

I Do Not Endorse Geico

But I do completely LOVE this commercial. It makes me laugh like a loony every time I see it.


Ya Jackwagon.



PS: Where exactly IS Mamby-Pamby land? I could use a little self-confidence...

~ Hath

New Short

I know you haven't had much from me for a while on the writing front -- this last couple weeks, I was working on a writing challenge for one of my favorite 'net places, T's Place (featured prominently in my playground down below).  The challenge this time was to write a series of journal entries for any of the guys for any reason, but some basic criteria had to be met.  I won't get into all that, because it doesn't really matter what they are, but it felt good to get something out.

The short is called "The Journal and Dr. Santa", and can be found here.

It takes place between the 6th chapter of the "original ending" of Online, and the Epilogue.  If you've read the original ending, rest assured, this is NOT in the same vein.  Promise.  I had some friends read it, and nary a tear was shed.

Hope you enjoy it!

Meanwhile, I'm getting the guest beds made, shoving some of the clutter into closets, and making sure we have a fresh supply of AA batteries...

...for the Wii controllers, you perverts.  Some of my girls are coming to visit.  Willow, Catte, and TaraLeigh will arrive at various times tomorrow, and we will be enjoying ourselves a wicked lot at the Patriots/Ravens game on Sunday.

GO PATS!

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivators: Yeah

Sorry it's late -- But wasn't it worth the wait?

~ Hath

Richie and Nikki - New Music!

Thank you, SamboraGirl!!!

She sent me this email last night:

I was really excited to hear a snippet of the music Richie & Nikki have been working on to be released with the WTB line and thought I'd let you know, in case you hadn't already heard it! I'm assuming you and your readers are like me and treat new Richie music as pure gold ;)

Nikki posted a video of her KTLA appearance on the WTB blog, and you can hear the song 'White Trash Beautiful' in the background: http://wtbclothing.blogspot.com/2010/10/wtb-on-ktla.html

I'm wondering if it's a reworked version of the track written by Jon & Richie that inspired the fashion line in the first place? I'm reserving my judgement on both the song itself and Nikki's vocals until I hear more...but Richie's guitar work sounds AWESOME!

Nikki confirmed the song was their fashion show's theme song, "White Trash Beautiful", and in answer to SG's question, yes, it was one of the new songs.

Nikki, if you happen to find yourself over here in my smidge of the ether, I need to make a request. Yes, I think it's super-cool that you're including your music with the clothing. But I for one will NEVER fit into one of the gorgeous WTB creations you've created. I can live with that. As a die-hard Richie girl, though, I'm going to find it hard to live without the new tunes. So, do us bigger-than-size-12 girls a favor and put the songs out on a record at some point, yes? Please? That is all. PS, the temp tattoos (photo, on the left) totally rock.

So, follow the link; give a listen to the music.

Then come back here.

What did you think?

~ Hath

Greatest Hits UK Release

Music icons Bon Jovi are releasing a career-spanning greatest hits compilation and the ultimate video collection DVD on November 1st on Mercury Records. Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS will transport listeners through the band's worldwide monster hits of the past and offer a bridge to the future with the debut of brand new tracks.

Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS is a 16-song single disc chock full of the band's biggest chart-toppers.

Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION is a 28-song two disc edition made up of the GREATEST HITS CD from the standard edition and a second disc featuring beloved fan favorites.

Four new songs ("The More Things Change," "No Apologies," "This Is Love, This Is Life" and the first single, "What Do You Got?") were written specifically for inclusion in this compilation.

Bon Jovi GREATEST HITS THE ULTIMATE VIDEO COLLECTION features the band's biggest worldwide smash hits in a career-spanning set of original promo videos, alongside the greatest ever live performances of each and every one of these legendary tracks. The phenomenal live footage includes the band's groundbreaking rooftop show on top of London's O2 Arena (never before been released on home video) as well as an exclusive performance of storming new single WHAT DO YOU GOT?, not available anywhere else.

source

~ Hath

Traveling Guitar Foundation

Did you know David was on the board of directors for this organization?

Since being formed in 2009, the main focus of the Traveling Guitar Foundation (TGF) has been to shape the future of the music industry through children's education. The Traveling Guitar Foundation donates instruments to schools whose music programs are endangered due to budget cuts.

The foundation's mission is to provide assistance and support to instrumental music programs in our communities' schools; helping to ensure that elementary, high school and college students have access to music education and musical instrument instruction throughout their educational journey.

The Traveling Guitar Foundation's name derives from the "Traveler" which is a Dean Vendetta 4F donated to the foundation by TGF'S main sponsor Dean Guitars and then placed in the hands of famous guitarists, who play and sign them. The guitars are auctioned off at the end of the year and the proceeds help the foundation fulfill its mission.

source

Read about the foundation here.

Follow the organization on Facebook and Twitter

~ Hath

2010 Billboard Touring Awards

Bon Jovi, U2, AC/DC, Lady GaGa, Brad Paisley, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift are among the top finalists for the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards.

The 2010 Billboard Touring Awards will honor the concert industry's top artists, venues and professionals for the year, based on the Billboard Boxscore chart and actual box office performance between October 1, 2009 - September 30, 2010.

In addition, Billboard will honor two individuals who have made a significant impact on the touring industry with the Legend of Live & the Humanitarian Awards.

The winners will be revealed on Nov. 4, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, NYC.

FINALISTS FOR TOP TOUR
AC/DC Black Ice
Bon Jovi The Circle
U2 360

FINALISTS FOR TOP DRAW
AC/DC
Bon Jovi
U2

You can read the full article here.

~ Hath

I Got Mine...

... Did you get yours?

Tickets are in my hot little hands.

~ Hath

Jovi Boots

You may have noticed a new addition to the link bar across the top "Jovi Bootlegs".

Wa-a-a-a-a-a-ay back at the start of the year, I threatened to get organized and get my list of bootlegs up for sharing.  Well, I'm working on it.  And Catte, my dear friend, is working on hers too.  The site is definitely a work-in-progress, as we go through our iPods and external hard drives, but there's a bunch of shows up now, and more to come.  Others may join the madness, but for now, it's we two.  There are about 40 or so items up there now, with more to come.

Give it a look-see (or not, no pressure).

And if you see something you like, reach out via the link on the post.

~ Hath

Rock Music Photo Auction

Thanks, Catte, for the info, and the caps.  Almost makes me wanna place a bid.

Cameo Auctioneers in Midgam near Reading are Cameo Auctions are proud to announce a specialist auction of original negatives with copyright to take place live on the internet on the 3rd November 2010 at 7pm.

To get a sneak preview of these items please check out the sale landing page at www.cameo-auctioneers.co.uk/music-photographs-3rd-november

These rare and often unseen negatives form part of the eclectic collection of Mark Hayward who has been collecting offbeat and rare rock music imagery for the past three decades.

There are many images of the Beatles, including some of the last known images of John Lennon before his fateful shooting in 1980, as well as many images of contemporary rock stars such as Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top and Black Sabbath.

Its very rare that items such as these come up in a public sale, and it is a real opportunity to see these Rock stars in their normal surroundings, away from the stage, and public eye.

Live bidding on the internet available for all countries at http://www.the-saleroom.com/cameo

You can read the whole press release here.

Here are (some of the) photos in the "Bon Jovi" collections (lots 9 and 10 at this link).

  

Happy bidding!

~ Hath

Wanted Wednesday ~ San Diego, 1991

Please rise, for the singing of our national anthem...

You had to know that I'd dip in to the Richie well for some cuts too right?

Aside from being totally enamored by him, his bluesy voice really is perfectly suited for the lead on this track.  One of his traveling band members, Crystal Taliefero, loans her voice to the harmony, and they sound wonderful together.

 Not as good as Jon and Rich together of course, but still good.

This track is from the Undiscovered Soul bonus CD (part of the Japan 2-CD release of Soul)  It was recorded in San Diego, 1991 (I think), and has a Midnight Rider opener. Aside from the glorious finger work for Midnight, there's his voice. With this song.

Forget the Allman Brothers Band. Yeah, I know, Southern Rock, well, rocks. It totally does.

 But this song, done in the growly, bluesy way Richie has -- well it's something else.  Paired with Wanted?

Perfection.



You can download this track here.

~ Hath

Calling All Animators!

Bon Jovi is using Animoto to celebrate their new Greatest Hits release.

Share why your life rocks through images and video clips of yourself, your friends, and family. Every two weeks a new song will become available for you to show just how amazing your life is.

Every two weeks starting today, a different Bon Jovi song will be unlocked for you to use in an Animoto video. Make the best video using that song, and win two tickets to a concert.

The first song: Livin' on a Prayer

(followed by It's My Life, Blaze of Glory, and We Weren't Born To Follow)

At the end of the eight weeks, one overall winner will be chosen to receive a signed gold Bon Jovi record. Now get cranking!

Every other week Bon Jovi will pick a winning video. To qualify, your video must have:

* At least 100+ views
* 10 Facebook likes
* Greatest Hits Titlecard Animoto will place in your video

The selected winner will win a pair of tickets to see Bon Jovi live in concert to a tour date of their choice. The selected Grand Prize winner will win a signed Gold record of their favorite Bon Jovi album.

Contest runs from October 12 – December 8th.

Visit bonjovi.com for more information.  Click here for terms and conditions.

The Fine Print:

Open to legal residents of the U.S. (except Puerto Rico and Rhode Island) and Canada (excluding Quebec) 13 years of age or older.

There will be one (1) winner for each of the 4 Two Week Contest Periods, for a total of four (4) winners during the Contest Period. The eligible entrant that has successfully submitted a video that receives over 100 views and 10 Facebook Likes in a Two Week Contest Period and who has not previously won will win two (2) tickets to 2011 Bon Jovi Tour date. This does not include any travel or lodging expenses associated with the prize.  The estimated retail value is $210.00.

Good Luck!!

~ Hath

Bon Jovi on the AMAs

As seen on Twitter (and CNN.COM)

Set your DVRs for the November 21st American Music Awards...

An article from PR Newswire confirms it here.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Recording artists Demi Lovato and Taio Cruz revealed the 2010 American Music Awards® (AMAs) nominees this morning from the JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE (see full list of nominees below). Bon Jovi, P!nk and Usher were also announced as performers for the 38th annual AMAs. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

The live broadcast will take place at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21st (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC. Tickets are now on sale (please visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS). Dick Clark productions will also air a live red carpet digital pre-show hosted by Danny Gokey, Jennette McCurdy, Lance Bass and Whitney Port from the 2010 AMA Coke Red Carpet available on ABC.com and USTREAM.tv.

Eminem and Lady Antebellum lead the nominations race this year with five (5) total nominations each, Justin Bieber follows with four (4) nominations and B.o.B., Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Usher collected three (3) nominations respectively. Justin Bieber, Eminem, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry make up the highly talented roster of 2010 Artist of the Year nominees.

~ Hath

Fan Club Event

At this site, you can pre-order the Greatest Hits package, and enter to win tickets to a NYC show on November 10th.  Details are on the site.

What is this show, you ask?

WPLJ Presents Bon Jovi Live from the Best Buy Theater

Wednesday November 10th

Doors: 7PM EST

Show: 8PM EST

Backstage JBJ will be offering exclusive access to purchase tickets for this show starting Monday, October 18th at 8PM EST. Only current Backstage JBJ Members will be eligible to purchase tickets for this show and tickets are limited so be sure to get your tickets starting at 8PM (Eastern) on Monday 10/18.

Backstage JBJ Ticketing Terms:

• Tickets are non-transferable. 
• There is a maximum limit of two (2) tickets per Backstage member. 
• Tickets either being shipped or held at Backstage JBJ Fan Club will call, depending on seat location. 
• Purchase your tickets as soon as possible because quantities are limited. 
• Pre-sale will end when allotment is exhausted or at the pre-sale End Time determined by management 
• Pre-sale end Time subject to change.

As far as we can tell, it is a General Admission show, and the venue hold somewhere around 2100 souls. After comps, etc., etc,. maybe 1800 tickets being sold? No prices listed yet, but I'm not a BSWJBJ member, so I can't see for sure.

Also, note it says "Bon Jovi" not "Jon Bon Jovi and Friends". ALMOST makes it worth it to cozy up to my BSWJBJ friends. But the threat of General Admission? No thanks.  Been there, done that with Central Park. I have the experience and the t-shirt, thank you very much.

One thing that has (some of us) breathing a sigh of relief is that this was NOT an announcement of the next round of US dates. We have to recover from the last spending frenzy, get through the holidays... all that good stuff. I'm sure it will come in time, but for now, wooHOO!

Anyone goes, please let us know how it was!

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivators: Beautiful

Celluloid Heroes

In this clip provided by VirginRedRoom, Ray Davies performs Celluloid Heroes live in the studio with Jon Bon Jovi. The Kinks frontman has worked with Bon Jovi, Mumford & Sons, Bruce Springsteen and more on his new album of Kinks covers 'See My Friends'.




~ Hath

Richie the Photog

Check this out! In Sao Paulo, Richie liked what(or who) he saw, and took some snaps or video with his phone :)



For anyone who was there -- what, pray tell, was going ON at that show? And I wonder what Richie did with the pics? Assuming everyone kept their tops on (I've been at a show where ladies have tried to, um, entice the guys with a flash of the girls -- not cool) d'ya think he sent them to his daughter? How cute would that be?

Anyway, thanks to T for passing this along; it's utterly adorable. I guess Jon was right -- they ARE regular guys.

~ Hath

Ally McBeal: DVR Alert

Thanks to Jenny for the information!

Starting tomorrow, October 12th, on the Reelz Channel, you can watch the episodes that featured Victor Morrison (played by our own Jon Bon Jovi).   The show airs at 5pm Eastern time.

This week:

Tuesday: Blowin' in the Wind
Wednesday: One Hundred Tears
Thursday: A Kick in the Head
Friday: The New Day

~ Hath

Mid-Day Motivators: Come Home

This one made me giggle...

Ya see, between the "UFO sighting" at the Lima show, and the supposition that Jon looks as good as he does because he's not human, well, this sorta goes.  Plus, I loved the movie Men in Black, and I could totally see JBJ on the big screen at headquarters :)

~ Hath

Brazil Interview

On this site is an interview with JBJ which is previously unpublished excerpts from the interview the singer gave to the correspondent in New York, Giuliana Morrone.  The article doesn't say when the "previous" interview happened, but we are going under the assumption that it's during the NYC media blitz from September.  (There were two other interview bits posted here and here.)

You can download the video here.

~ Hath

JBJ Shies Away from Online Shrines

Fellow Bloggers/Bloggerettes, looks like we're reasonably safe from Jon Bon Jovi's prying eyes (we pretty mich already knew that, but it's good to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak).

Since forming 27 years ago, Bon Jovi has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide and played to more than 34 million fans in concert. With those kinds of numbers, it’s no surprise that there are quite a few diehard fans who have created websites dedicated to the band. When we talked to Jon Bon Jovi, we asked him if he’s gone online to check out any of these sites.

There's a brief audio clip of his response available on the site.

He talks about sites where photos show him having "...more hair than Cousin Itt..." and where he "...gets the credit or the blame for the 80's".  He says he stays away from all sites, even their own because he doesn't know how to jockey them.

If that's code for "can't find stuff, even on our own site", maybe they need to have a sit-down with the site developers...

Or as I like to say (time and again) FOCUS GROUPS!  USE FOCUS GROUPS!  (you'd be surprised how well that works with website development).

~ Hath

About I'll Be There For You...

From The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition, published 2003.

I'll Be There For You

Writers: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora
Producer: Bruce Fairbairn
May 13, 1989
Weeks at Number 1: 1

The Top Five - Week of May 13, 1989
1. I'll Be There For You - Bon Jovi
2. Like A Prayer - Madonna
3. Real Love - Jody Watley
4. Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul
5. Soldier of Love - Donny Osmond

Bon Jovi followed "Bad Medicine", the first number one single from their New Jersey album, with "Born to Be My Baby," a song producer Bruce Fairbairn thought would go higher than its chart peak of number three. "Boy (that) should have been number one," he laments.

Co-writer Desmond Child says the title came from Richie Sambora. "It was meant to be a kind of folk-rock thing, more like a Springsteen anthem with jangly guitars and stuff like that. They gave it the 'Livin' on a Prayer' treatment, which I didn't agree with. It was still successful, but I would have preferred it if it had been a little slower."

For their third single from New Jersey, the band chose "I'll Be There for you," a song written by Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 82, and 10 weeks later it became Bon Jovi's fourth number one song.

"'I'll Be There for You' is one of those great personal ballads that Jon can get a hold of and when he sings it, his delivery is really outstanding," says Fairbairn. "You can't help but hear the song and get into it in a real personal way with him. It was a great song for them. Of course, a lot of things you never know, until you actually get them out there and see what the kids think about it."

Fairbairn says he produced New Jersey in the same fashion as the band's previous effort, Slippery When Wet. "I think we went about it the same way, the feeling being that it worked really well - so if it ain't broke, don't fix it. We naturally fell into a pretty similar kind of routine and a basically similar type of recording patten."

The producer offers an analysis of Jon's performance on New Jersey: "He was singing with a lot more confidence. He knew what he had; he knew when he put his mind to it that he could sing with the best of them, and really attacked the album with that kind of approach. When a singer goes in with that kind of confidence, you're definitely going to get good stuff."

There were two more singles from New Jersey after "I'll Be There for You." "Lay Your Hands on Me" peaked at number seven in July, 1989, and "Living in Sin" went to number nine in December.

Almost two years after New Jersey was released, Jon Bon Jovi completed a solo project, writing and recording songs for Young Guns II. That effort provided him with a number one song ("Blaze of Glory"). Jon's working on his own fueled rumors that Bon Jovi might not record together again. But on December 23, 1990, the group played together for the first time since their 16-month, 237-date world tour ended in February. They played a charity benefit at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey for the Monmouth County Arts Council and Holmdel's Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Eight days later, they headlined at the Tokyo Dome in Japan with Cinderella, the London Quireboys and Skid Row as supporting acts.

In March of 1991, Jon told Jeffrey Jolson-Colburn of the Hollywood Reporter that PolyGram, parent company of Mercury, was giving him his own label to run. "I haven't had a desk since I was in high school," the new CEO joked. Turning serious, he added, "This will be a label for artists by artists to give opportunities to musicians that deserve a shot."

Richie Sambora stepped out of the background and released a solo album, Stranger in This Town, in the summer of 1991. He told Melinda Newman in Billboard how difficult it was for him to write about the blues: "One day I was sitting in my house and I was thinking, how am I going to find the blues? I started to drink a little and I got into a good bottle of whiskey and I started to feel guilty about my life being so good." Then he remembered that Robert Johnson described the blues as, "I love my baby, my baby she don't love me." Sambora said, "That's the blues. Everybody's got that no matter what their economic state is."

Sambora told Newman he enjoyed being in the foreground. "This has been my dream ever since I was a kid. I know that this could be the beginning of a career beyond Bon Jovi. I'm starting a new relationship with the listener."