November 29, 2009

Bon Jovi's #1! (and other random bits)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, and if you were brave enough to engage in Black Friday battle, I hope you were successful. Now begins my favorite time of year! (But also the absolute busiest...sigh)

In case you hadn't heard, our boys made the #1 spot on VH1's Top 20 video countdown this week with 'We Weren't Born To Follow'!! YEAH! That just shows the incredible weight we fans have, because it wasn't a particularly creative video. ;) (Just sayin'!)

Anyhoo, I know I promised a review for The Circle this past week, and I PROMISE I'm going to have it soon...once I get two minutes to myself. I swear, being in college is quite literally the most insane thing I've ever done. I can't even remember a time in my life when I've been busier - and I know it's just going to get worse!

So as a little breather for all of us (because holiday time means I'm not the only one running around like a chicken with its head cut off!), here's one of my favorite YT vids of the guys. It's sure to bring a smile to your face:



(Oh, and if you missed my last post about Richie's Sirius Pulse DJ segment, and you want the Circle tracks with his commentary, just lemme know. ;))

November 25, 2009

The Circle: Richie Edition

For those of you (like me) who couldn't listen in to DJ Richie Sambora on Sirius satellite radio this past weekend, you're not out of luck.

You can download the ENTIRE segment (his walk-through of The Circle, plus a bonus track of his commentary between other music) from Hath's skydrive!

Hath posted on her blog that the lovely Catte Sambora spent a lot of time ripping top quality MP3s of this, so thank both of them for making this available to us!!


Oh, and let me tell you...it's FANTASTIC. I listened to the whole thing through twice last night; Richie really makes one great DJ! But then again, I could listen to that man all night...:)

Enjoy!

November 24, 2009

BJCT Blog (a la Hath & friends)

If you don't read The Goddess Hathor's blog (which you should; it's one of my favorites and most frequented), you probably don't know about this...so I'm bringing attention to it.

Hath and several other devoted fans have put together a collaborative project for The Circle tour, to help consolidate all the photos, reviews, MP3 rips, and other goodies that always fly around during tour time.

From Hath:

This is a new blogsite I'm launching with a few friends to attempt to gather all the yummy goodness of the tour in one spot.

Each post in this blog will be for a single show. In that post will be the setlist for the show, along with YouTube footage if available, a link to a SkyDrive folder with the videos, mp3 rips and full bootlegs (again, if available), a link to a PhotoBucket folder into which my friends and I will gather whatever photographs we can find -- yours for the taking of course, and a section for links to reviews, other blogs, etc., that have tour information in them for that particular show..
.

It goes on to explain how to submit and view content, with a special email and SkyDrives set up and everything!

I LOVE it - I know I for one am always scrambling everywhere to save pics and songs, especially from my own shows. Those of you who have known me for a few years will probably remember that I've attempted to do stuff like this for past tours; let me just say, this is way more organized than I ever was, and I'm glad it's not me doing all the work! LOL! So a HUGE thank you to these ladies for all their work - I will definitely be frequenting that blog to stay in the circle next year.

Check it out!

Richie at Woodbridge High

If you didn't know, Mr. Sambora visited his alma mater today for a variety of events - he sponsored the opening of the new weight room (named in honor of his late father, Adam Sambora), and received an honorary street sign in his name for his philanthropy. Besides visiting with the cheerleaders, basketball team, and of course, tons of fans, he also visited with Kelly Mahon (yes, the Kelly from the Care 4 Kelly/"You Can Go Home" campaign) and her family.

I have to say, I'm glad he's finally getting some attention for HIS philanthropic efforts; he deserves it!

Here are a crapload of pictures from today, thanks to Hath, Foxli, Judith, and Susan:


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November 20, 2009

Review Pt. 1: When We Were Beautiful documentary

So I just finished (finally) watching the documentary tonight - literally about 5 minutes ago. And it was so...so...well, frankly, so many things that I can hardly put my thoughts into words right now.

But I figured that since I haven't put anything constructive up on my blog in awhile, and because I'm a writer and find the outlet for my feelings in words, I simply had to write up a review of the last two hours I just spent with Bon Jovi.

So first off, how many of you have seen it? (Go on, raise your hands.) I am truly interested in what you all have to say about it, so please let me know when you finish reading this review (and let me know what you think of that, too.)

If you haven't seen it - do it. Now.

I had heard from others that the documentary was good - that it showed the raw, uncut, behind-the-scenes meat of the band and the enterprise...the good, the bad, the ugly. Jon himself said it wasn't sugarcoated, and that it wasn't all pretty. And it certainly wasn't.

For one thing, I never knew - or perhaps never realized - that Tico used to have a serious drinking problem. And I was even further surprised to hear Jon describe him as a "mean, mean man" when he was drunk. Teek described it himself as going months without a drink, and then suddenly downing two bottles...but mean? Tico Torres - mean?! I couldn't pair it up. He's by far the most easy-going and the sweetest man to meet out of all of them (and Jon's the happy drunk?!) Go figure.

Dave - another head tilt on my part when he revealed that he is "slightly bothered" by Jon being the leader. He did explain that he's not unhappy enough to leave, and described it as something that he and the other guys have gotten used to and accepted as their role in the band (to be Jon's backup, essentially), but I kept waiting for him to say something more about it being okay, or good...and he never did. He was particularly careful in his wording, though, I think, so I respect him for being as honest as possible without opening a whole can of worms.

I will not lie - Richie made me cry. I had viewed the first half of the documentary from almost a completely intellectual standpoint: learning about, digesting and analyzing the underbelly of this rockband corporation...but the minute Richie said the words "when I was broken," I literally got tears in my eyes. Then the following segment about his rough times (the divorce, his dad's death, drinking, etc.), and how he dealt with them switched me over completely to an emotional entanglement that had me swiping my eyes and an ache in my heart. The self confessions...the obvious hurt...the opening up and pouring forth a tender part of yourself is difficult enough to do with those who are close to you. But to do it so openly, with the world of fans that represent a completely public face...that takes guts. And trust, and faith...and when he thanked the fans for being there for him in the concert they showed in the documentary, I remembered when he did the same at my show in Los Angeles last year. And I cried then too. I will always have that special place in my heart for Richie, and I know I will always hurt for his hurt - just like any of the other members - in a way that just tugs my heartstrings.

Now, on to Jon...clearly the dominating voice and star of the documentary. I have never before seen his inner demons or the intensity of his life before as much as I did tonight. The pressures on that man are absolutely unreal - in being the CEO of that "corporation", the frontman of the band, the manager and virtual president of everything Bon Jovi, the husband, father, friend, and visionary that he is...it's a wonder he doesn't crack. I do worry about him running himself down, but as Richie put it: he knows what he's doing, and he does it well. But when he gets down about some of those responsibilities and the hysteria - particularly in that car scene in London, when he goes off on a quiet tirade about the performances and ticket crisis - you can just feel the exhaustion and the pain radiating off of him. You can see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, and your heart just aches for him. At least, mine does. That man is deeply complex in a way I have never before understood, and I have a new, profound level of respect for him as a person and as a musician.

I loved that they showed the ugly. It's simply a bald-faced lie to say that life is glamorous, and though Jon has said that before, the only way for any outsider to truly see what he means (even a glimpse) is to watch him and the band through the eyes of an insider.

Of course, not all of it was so serious. Some of the stories they told were hilarious - Richie walking into Tico with the mom of the girl he just slept with had me in stitches! The jokes and the teasing, the good-natured fun they all have together when in good spirits - that's what makes it all worth it.

You learn a bit more about some of the songs - that 'Whole Lot of Leaving' (my favorite LH track) was virtually written for Richie and the losses he was suffering at the time, and it gives a whole new emotional connotation to the lyrics and the music. It also keeps it fresh, when the listener has a new perspective on it. Likewise, even Kid Rock describing the secret to success as having "a song that's bigger than the trend, not a trend bigger than the song," is dead on, but a refreshing new way to look at Bon Jovi's success.

Even just some of the things they revealed about one another, the simple statements to which they probably didn't attribute much weight when they said, made me stop and think. For example, Jon saying that Tico "has the most together life of all of us." That's pretty big.

Other than the insight into each band member - and by the way, I loved that they interviewed each of them enough to get a good solid perspective from each individually - I found myself on an adventure with the whole band. I laughed, I cried, I 'aww'ed, I smiled, my heart swelled and I fell in love all over again. The raw honesty and the unabashed confessions to the parts of them that are less than pretty - all the parts of the iceberg below the water surface - are completely an integral part of who they are and the music they make. Above all, the undying friendship, love, and deep respect they have for one another is what has kept them together...and that is blatantly obvious - and reassuringly comforting - in this documentary.

I was truly intrigued to learn everything that I did, while being reminded of how much this band is a part of my life, the hold they have in my heart, and the immense respect I have for each and every member.

So, I have no hesitation in saying that When We Were Beautiful is truly a masterpiece in offering a full, no-holds account of these four men from Jersey who have made their mark on this world, and an absolute must-see for any person who calls his or herself a fan.

November 18, 2009

Holy...wow.

Um, so thanks to several of my favorite bloggers for posting this DELICIOUS beauty. I'm a singer, I love music...and I LOVE this man. Holy moly.

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Sirius Satellite Radio: DJ Richie!

Bon Jovi visits The Pulse
Sat 11/21and Sun 11/22 9 am - 12 midnight ET

Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi is taking over the station for the whole weekend! Richie is giving all the DJ’s the day off, and will play his favorite Pulse music, as well as host a track-by-track introduction of the new Bon Jovi album called The Circle.

Track by Track of Bon Jovi’s “The Circle” hosted by Richie Sambora: Sat 11/21 9:00 am ET
Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora takes you through the band's new CD The Circle. (2 hrs)

Rebroadcast: Sat 11/21 3:00 pm ET; Sat 11/21 9:00 pm ET; Sun 11/22 10:00 am ET; Sun 11/22 5:00 pm.


Daaaaaang, how cool is that?! I would love to listen live, but I am not getting up at 6am on a Saturday...lol

Fox411 Interview with JBJ

I know, I know, I'm seriously behind on the news and photo updates here. You really wouldn't believe me if I told you what I've been going through the last few weeks...so I won't even try. But let's just say, this won't be the last time I disappear (unfortunately). I will do my best to keep you all updated though!


So Fox 411 recently held a private interview and performance with JBJ, sponsored by Amex. Here's the transcript of the interview, and there's a TON of MP3s and videos up on this site (which I will introduce in detail in another post, btw!)


On similarities between Bon Jovi and The Beatles:

“Paul would write a song and John would put his name on it, John would write a song and Paul would put his name on it and sometimes they wrote together. Richie and I sit down together. We both play the chords, figure out the words and come up with titles. Bono and The Edge’s writing style seems to be more similar to ours. Maybe it’s my Irish envy, I want to be Irish when I grow up!”


Jon on writing with Richie Sambora, his best friend for 26 years:

“There’s a deep seated bond that can never be broken. When I mumble and look for a word – that’s the way Richie and I write. We don’t have to finish each other’s sentences at this point.”


On embarking on their 10th tour, 25 years after they started:

“I refer to this tour as a gentlemen’s tour. We don’t go out for 240 shows nonstop. You do 20 shows, you take a couple weeks off, you do 20 shows, you take a month off. It’s pretty civilized. Now, we all have places to go instead of hotel rooms. We all have families, things to do and lives that are running parallel.”


On his new documentary film “When We Were Beautiful”:

“I wasn’t going to candy coat this film. I think I can dunk, like I’m 6’5”, but I’m not! You think you walk and talk and act a certain way but I don’t and that’s what the movie is all about. It is showing life with all it’s warts.”


On philanthropy:

“My upbringing, where I was brought up, when I was brought up and traveling the world for a quarter of a century. In a strange way we’ve been ambassadors of American pop culture in far off lands. We’ve been a part of people’s lives and you know how good you’ve got it here. (In the US.)”


On his favorite song Bon Jovi ever made:

“We’ve written a lot of songs that have touched people but “Livin’ on a Prayer” will probably be right up there, that would be high on my list. I don’t know - I’m not writing my epiteph, yet!”

November 11, 2009

From the Today Show...

Yeah, I'm posting this with the about 90 seconds of free time I have today, just because I actually was able to tune in this morning. And it put a smile on my face, if only for the time being.

Enjoy.


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