Worldwide, Baby!

So there's lots goin' on in SoraiaLand these days... the worldwide release of In the Valley of Love and Guns is oh, so close... March 5th to be exact.  Last weekend Soraia threw a little hometown-party to celebrate their new record with fans, friends, and family at The Legendary Dobbs in Philly.  "Little Party" may be a bit of an understatement -- the place was packed and rockin', and lucky fans were the first to get their hands on the new CD.

Photo by Break the Glass Photography

Now that Soraia has shared the hometown Brotherly Love, this week they're celebrating in the City that Never Sleeps.

This Thursday night, February 28, 2013, another epic celebration of the fruits of two years' labors - In the Valley of Love and Guns.  Join Soraia for the Worldwide Release Party at Mercury Lounge in NYC!  What else is there to do in the Big Apple on a Thursday night, after all?

Doors open at 6:30 pm, showtime is 8:00 pm.  That gives you New Yawkers and North Jerseyites plenty of time to grab a bite, then hang out for a few cocktails with fellow Rockers.  You may even get a chance to say howdy to Living Legend Obie O'Brien. ;)

Photo by Jeff Smith

 Don't live in NYC but still wanna go? Get on the bus!  Soraia has arranged for another of their awesome bus trips from the Philly/South Jersey area.  And it's FREE.  All you gotta do to get your Bus Pass is this:

1.  Buy your ticket to the show.   Leave it at will-call for no extra fee.
2.  E-mail Soraia your electronic ticket receipt and let them know where you plan to get on the bus.  Locations are:

• Philadelphia:   Bus departs at 3:30 pm from the Home Depot Shopping Center near S. Columbus Blvd and E. Tasker Street (across the street from Club Risque)
• South Jersey:  Bus departs between 4:00-4:15 pm from the Applebee's parking lot at the intersection of Route 541 and Hancock Lane, Mount Holly NJ (just off NJ Turnpike Exit 5)
• The bus will leave the Mercury Lounge at 10 pm and drop you back where you came from--IF you wanna go back home.

**The bus is BYOB and BYOFood, so do with that as you will.... :)

3. Show up, relax, ride to NYC, experience a Rockin' Party, and be chauffeured home on a Rock-n-Roll Party Bus! How easy is that?

Worldwide Release Party details can be found on Soraia's Facebook event page and at Soraia.com.

Oh, and it you haven't ordered your copy of In the Valley of Love and Guns yet... tick tock! Preorders will be available through March 4, which is only a week and a half away.  You don't really wanna wait until release day to get this record... especially since you get an instant-download Bonus Track with your preorder.  It's the only way you can get your hands and ears on Against the Wall, co-written by Jon Bon Jovi.  So hurry up and go to Soraia.com to get it before it's gone!

And while you're waitin' and salivatin' for the new record, you can check out a live performance of Love Like VooDoo:

You GO Girls!

Thelma and Kay, Rockin'' Out with Bon Jovi in Toronto

I wanna be just like these Gals when I grow up....  :)

The BJC

So, it appears State College, PA is trying to one-up the other cities hosting the Because We Can Tour...

The Penn State coliseum announced on its website it would adopt the name the "Bon Jovi Center" from February 20-23, 2013, in honor of the band's return to Happy Valley (yes, that's a real place) for a tour stop this Saturday night.

Luckily the name change required no new signage, as the center is normally named the "Bryce Jordan Center."  See?  BJC = BJC.  Convenient, eh?

Hmmm.... he's got a band, a company, a jet, used to have a football team.... think JBJ will like the idea of having a building named after him so much that he'll make it permanent?  Maybe he should take look at buying naming rights to the arena in Lousiville, KY.... "Bon Jovi Center" would sound a heckuva lot less silly than the "KFC Yum Center."  Just sayin'....

Read the story in Onward State, the Penn State student paper.

Bon Jovi Live from State College, PA (webcast) - 2/9/2011

New Music!

JBJ and Soraia in the studio

It's been a long time comin', but the day is finally here!  Soraia's newest record, In the Valley of Love and Guns is available for preorder at Soraia.com, beginning at High Noon EST TODAY, February 19, 2013.  You'll want to jump on this... be one of the first to order and you'll get some extra goodies!

With each preorder you will receive an instant download of Jolene, the first single from the new album, and Wild Imagination.  Preorders also receive more instant gratification in the form of an exclusive unreleased track, Against the Wall, co-written by Soraia Mansour, Jon Bon Jovi, and Obie O'Brien.  Against the Wall is not on the record and is available only with pre-order, so get it while you can!

Another reason to be one of the first kids on the block to preorder In the Valley of Love and Guns:  the first 50 preorders will receive a personally-autographed CD, plus a a printable pdf 11x17 poster of the album's cover art!  And there may even be a few more little things to sweeten the pot... besides the fact you'll get a great record of soulful, sexy, raw, and rockin' music.

Go to soraia.com's store and purchase the Preorder Bundle. You will receive codes for your instant download tracks via email, and your CD will be shipped on the worldwide release date, March 5th.  HURRY though... preorders are only available through March 4th.  After that you'll be able to get In the Valley of Love and Guns, but the goodies will be gone.

Featuring five songs co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and two more co-written by Billy Falcon, In the Valley of Love and Guns is a chronicle of love and loss, yearning and hope.  The tracklist is:

Love Like VooDoo

Like a Woman Would

Want What I Want

Wild Imagination

Jolene

Hell-oh

Never Again

Good Ain't Good Enough

Runaround

Love Amnesia

Hear what Soraia had to say about the record, their sound, and writing and recording with Jon Bon Jovi in this interview with Philly reporter Bill Kenney:

In the Valley of Love and Guns will be released worldwide on March 5, 2013.  Look for it on iTunes and in record stores near you.  But why wait that long?  Preorder NOW and get all the goodies!

Review: Toronto Night 2

So how was the second night in Toronto different from the first?  Norwich Liz reports:

The weather was a bit warmer today....and so was the audience. They were louder than last night and seemed to be more into it right from the beginning.

And so was Jon.

I’m not really sure how to describe the show. Even though the setist was changed up a little, there were still nothing unexpected.

It was another solid performance by all, with Jon being more animated tonight. But his energy level still wasn’t up to his usual. He didn’t move around as much as he usually does, instead spent more time standing in front of the mic, often with a guitar.

Sitting further back tonight, I had a better view of the pillars and I have to say I find the quite impressive. Not sure about the dancing skeletons though. The crumbling wall going into the encore was really cool.

On the whole it was a decent, enjoyable show, but if I’m honest, I was hoping for more.

So far the Because We Can Tour has failed to garner rave reviews from the majority of Jovi-Fandom.  Review of comments on social media and Backstage threads reveals most Jovi-savvy fans are underwhelmed by the setlists and performances thus far, though there are plenty of positives about the new set, the lighting, the new songs, and of course, the Boys in the Band.  However, those who have attended the handful of shows over the past week  have noted  that, while the shows were certainly enjoyable, solid entertainment, they just don't seem to be quite up to par with what we have come to expect from Bon Jovi.

Guess that's what happens when you set the bar so high.

And the roll-out of this tour hasn't been smooth.  The last-hour cancellation of the Mohegan Show put a damper on the fanfare of a First Night celebration.  The first week of shows have been hampered by technical difficulties, from set problems to monitor glitches to unresponsive instruments.  Of course the band has adapted and overcome with good-natured determination, but they don't seem to be firing on all cylinders yet.

And then there's the challenge of introducing new material to the audience.  The impact has been noticeable; roller-coaster crowd response as the set moves from hit to unfamiliar and back, and the common refrain of "too many new songs."  Jon has had to work hard to claim and keep his audiences, which may explain observations that he is less energetic than in past tours.

Being the businessman he is, Jon is no doubt listening.  His crew has reportedly queried concertgoers and Fan Clubbers of their opinion of the setlists thus far.  What he actually does with this feedback remains to be seen, but if history is any guide he will eventually give the audience what they want (remember the fan-hated/ill-fated barroom set from the Lost Highway Tour?)

So the Tour rolls on... and we'll see what it brings.

You can view the setlist, photos, videos, and other goodies at the BWC Tour Blog

Review: Toronto Night 1

Last night Bon Jovi was in Toronto, and the intrepid Norwich Liz (or @liznorwich, if you know her from Twitter) was there.  Here's her review:

While there were no surprises in the setlist, the performance couldn’t be faulted. Jon seemed pleased, if a little subdued and there were no noticeable mistakes – or technical difficulties.

The crowd sang and cheered with the favourites and were receptive to the new songs even though most had never heard them before. Amen in particular was well received, with phone lights visible throughout the arena.

One of the features is definitely the new lighting and the pillar screens. When the lights descended from the ceiling, I’ll admit I was a little concerned about what was happening and how far they were going to drop, but the effects were unique and eye catching....not to mention it gave me something to look at during Who Saysnging and how far they were going to drop, but the effects were unique ones.

But by far the highlight of the night was Richie’s performance. He was on fire! Obviously having a blast, he moved around the stage and interacted with the crowd even more than usual. He tore up the solos and his harmonies with Jon on the ballads -  particularly Amen and The Fighter  - were beautiful and  moving.

The extended ending of Keep The Faith also provided David with a chance to shine, which he took full advantage of. He and Richie played off each other in a fabulous display of their talent.

All in all, it was a good, solid performance by everyone and one of the best I’ve ever seen from Richie.

Nice job boys!

So, who's ready for Round 2?

You can see setlist, photos, videos, reviews, and more on the Because We Can Tour Blog.