Holly Jolly Jovi: Please Come Home For Christmas

Yeah, so we all know this one, right? Jon and Cindy Crawford rolling around together for a Christmas song...not too fond of her, but the song is nice. ;)

Since it is Christmas Eve, things will be super busy for me over the next few days. With the Christmas celebrations and family all over the place, then on the 27th Bjorn and I are flying back to Holland for New Year's. So traveling will be insanity, especially with the crazy snow/blizzard weather in Europe right now.

With that said, I won't be able to check in for several days. So I leave you all with the sincerest wishes for a happy, healthy holiday and safe New Year. Thank you all for reading and sticking with me throughout the year as we celebrate the best band in the world!

Happy Holidays!

Enjoy.



MP3 Download: Please Come Home For Christmas

Holly Jolly Jovi: R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas

And now for some baby Jon time. hehehe

I love this recording - it is so adorable and so silly to think of a young JBJ singing along with a children's chorus to the famous Star Wars robot. It's a classic, so I had to share in case you've never heard it - and even if you had.

"We hope our little message gets to you..." I wonder if it has...?

Enjoy!



MP3 Download: R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Holly Jolly Jovi: O Come All Ye Faithful

This is a Richie special - his rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful, played solo on guitar. It's one of my favorite classic Christmas tunes. And with that gorgeous voice of his, I think all the faithful will rush to his side in no time. ;)



MP3 Download: O Come All Ye Faithful (Richie Sambora)

Sydney, AU - Night #3 set list

With their final night in Sydney, the boys are now done with the Circle Tour for 2011. Enjoy your break, guys, and rest up for February in the U.S.!

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
I Believe
Thorn In My Side
Blaze of Glory
It's My Life
No Apologies
We Got It Going On
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues
Lay Your Hands on Me (Richie Vox)
Hallelujah
What Do You Got?
Mama's Got A Squeezebox
Love For Sale
Happy Now
Something To Believe In
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
I Love This Town
Keep the Faith
Dry County
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer
These Days

Sydney, AU - Night #2 set list

Wow, what a great set list! Lucky Australians. ;)

Last Man Standing
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
Just Older
I'd Die For You
Superman Tonight
It's My Life
No Apologies
We Got It Going On
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Rocking All Over the World
Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman
Homebound Train (Richie Vox)
Living in Sin
Never Say Goodbye
Love For Sale
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Lay Your Hands On Me
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith
When We Were Beautiful
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer
Run Rudolph Run
In These Arms
Love's the Only Rule

I love it live.

As any Bon Jovi fan will attest to, there is something purely magical about the live gig. It's not just a show date, or just a stop at a particular city's venue - it's a thrilling, adrenaline-producing, fist-pumping, emotion-triggering performance.

The "live" component is what makes the experience of being a Bon Jovi fan complete. You simply have not lived until you have seen a Jovi gig, period. It is the staple of every fan's journey with the band, and reinforces our passionate devotion to those men. When you are inside those walls, whether arena or stadium, Bon Jovi blows the roof (or sky) away and rocks your heart out - and those 2-3 hours are indescribable. The experience is unlike any other; it can't be compared. You simply get lost in the atmosphere of rib-rattling music mixed with thousands of fellow screaming, singing fans - the emotion and adrenaline overtake you, and each song is a fresh start and fresh jolt to your energy, just when you thought you could stand on your feet no longer.

It's the reason we all count down the days to a concert, the reason I for one was uncontrollable and hyper as a teenager awaiting mine. I STILL get anxious, excited, impatient, jittery, and bouncy though, but mind you, I'm a naturally energetic person. LOL.

With all that said, I have been spending my evening watching the Live at MSG DVD - which can explain all this sudden reminiscing about the "live" experience. ;)

I'm house-sitting for the weekend, so I have the house - and 20-inch plasma screen w/ surround sound TV - all to myself. Even in this living room, with a snoring dog on the couch and two murderous cats chasing each other down the hall, I am transported to the 30,000-strong audience on the screen and find myself unable to sit still. I started out my doing my workout to the soundtrack of the DVD, but couldn't make myself stop after 45 minutes of cardio. I kept dancing, singing, jumping, acting like an idiot in this house with no one but the animals to stare at me.

Then "In These Arms" started. I couldn't dance to that, but it didn't mean it was rest time. ITA is one of my all-time favorite Jovi songs - it is special and meaningful in so many ways, as it is to my boyfriend (so you could say it is "our" song.) And I got to thinking how much I love that song live. It's beautiful on the studio recording, but it is just so much more raw, passionate, and haunting live. It's definitely one of my favorites - if not my top favorite - song to hear Bon Jovi play in person.

Other particular live favorites that are even better live than their studio counterparts include Blood On Blood, Hallelujah, Captain Crash, Raise Your Hands, and Keep the Faith. I think I'd prefer to hear any song live over the CD, but these are just so much more alive when they play it right in front of you.

On the other hand, I'd love for them to branch out and play other songs they either never - or hardly ever - play live. I'd love to hear Satellite (from the box set), Richie's If I Can't Have Your Love, David's Memphis Lives In Me, Stick To Your Guns, Love Me Back To Life, Lie To Me, Something to Believe In, If That's What It Takes, Wild In the Streets...

But then there are some - like These Days, Dry County, Hey God, etc. that really can't be played live anymore since Jon can't reach those notes. He already strains on Always and Dry County, which is a shame, because those are two beautiful and incredible songs. Luckily, they've given Richie the spotlight to do These Days and Homebound Train lately, which I LOVE.

So my question for you all is - what's your favorite song to hear live? And which would you rather hear on CD in the clean, polished recording? I'm thinking about making this a poll question too, but in the meantime I'd love to hear your opinions!

Sydney, AU - Night #1 set list

Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
In These Arms
It's My Life
No Apologies
We Got It Goin' On
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Start Me Up
Bad Medicine / Old Time Rock N' Roll
Lay Your Hands On Me (Richie vox)
(You Want to) Make a Memory
I'll Be There For You
Something For the Pain
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Work For the Working Man
Have A Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith
These Days
Wanted Dead Or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Bon Jovi denied Rock Hall of Fame

UGH. Seriously? What a slap in the face.

It's okay, boys, you're all still Rock Hall of Famers to us. Maybe next year the judges will see it too.

From rollingstone.com:

Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits Inducted Into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The votes are in and next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class will include Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Darlene Love and Dr. John. Leon Russell will be receive The Award For Musical Excellence (formerly the sideman category) and industry legends Jac Holzman and Art Rupe will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The ceremony will be held March 14 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it will be broadcast live on Fuse.

Artists are eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first single or LP. All of this year's inductees, however, started in the 1960s — with the lone exception of Tom Waits, who released his first LP Closing Time in 1973.

Dr. John, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Was 'Surprised' By the News

Love feels that the long wait was well worth it. "I was on my way to Atlantic City in a limo when I got the call," she says. "I started screaming and I thought, 'I sure hope the driver doesn't think that my husband's trying to kill me.' I was laughing and crying at the same time."

Darlene Love, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Says She's on Cloud Nine

The ceremony falls right in the middle of Neil Diamond's Australian tour in March. Nothing is set yet, but Diamond hopes to re-shuffle some dates so he can make it. "I'll get in somehow," he says. "They are working on the details right now. I 'm very hopeful it'll work out because I don't want to miss this ... Any club that has Chuck Berry and Little Richard and The Everly Brothers is a club that I want to be a part of."

Neil Diamond, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Says He Feels 'Very Lucky'

When Alice Cooper got the news he immediately called his former bandmates in the original Alice Cooper band. "I said 'Well, remember when we started in high school?" he says. "Here we are. It only took 45 years."

Alice Cooper, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Was 'Elated' When He Got the News

Cooper plans on performing with the band, something he's only done a handful of times since they broke up in 1976. "We're trying to figure out if we do 'School's Out,' do we send balloons of confetti into the audience?" he says. "I doubt there'll be a snake there though...If you look at the list of past inductees it's all of my heroes, from Pete Townshend to The Yardbirds to The Beatles to The Stones. It's everybody that we listened to in order to become Alice Cooper, so it's pretty amazing that those are the same people that actually voted for us."

This article from nj.com is more positive, though - as they put it:

It's not all doom and gloom, though. On Tuesday, Jovi lead singer Jon Bon Jovi was named to the White House Council for Community Solutions by President Barack Obama.

Also, Billboard magazine has named the rockers the top touring act of 2010. The band has snagged the top-grossing spot for the second time in just three years. "The Circle Tour," which began in February 2010, sold out stadiums and arenas around the world to the tune of 1.5 million fans in attendance and grossed more than $146 million.

Read the rest of the article here.

Video goodies from Melbourne

Huge thanks to Bec in Australia for these!

I met Bec when she came to the U.S. for the first time last year - she's a friend of my dear friend Debbie - and we had an insanely good time in L.A. at Universal Citywalk. ;)

She's been kind enough to share some of her videos from the Melbourne shows over the weekend, which she reports were "amazing and I now have no voice." LOL, don't we all know that feeling?!

Enjoy. :)


Always



I'll Be There For You



Born To Be My Baby



Roadhouse Blues

Didja miss Larry King last Thursday?

The ever wonderful Goddess Hathor and Catte have been kind enough to share the segment on Hath's MediaFire account. I may be getting good at keeping on top of news and updates, and I know a thing or two about technology...but these ladies put everyone else to shame with audio and video, and making all sorts of Jovi goodies available for us fans. Thank you ladies!


Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Brisbane, Australia set list

Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lotta Leavin'
When We Were Beautiful
It's My Life
No Apologies
We Got It Going On
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up
Bad Medicine
Lay Your Hands On Me (Richie Vox)
What Do You Got
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Work for the Working Man
Runaway
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith
In These Arms
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer

Is it time to stop making fun of Bon Jovi?

Well, um...YEAH! ;)

A nice, praising article about the boys for once - enjoy!

From vanityfair.com:

Is It Time to Stop Making Fun of Bon Jovi?
by Marc Spitz December 14, 2010, 3:52 PM


Then: poodle-haired lite-metal punch line. Now: Beloved—and highly profitable—entertainer.

“Stevie Ray Vaughn is dead and we can’t get Bon Jovi near a helicopter? Come on, folks. ‘Get on that helicopter, John. Shut the fuck up and get on that helicopter! There's a hairdresser in there. Yeah, go ahead in there, yeah, yeah!’”

The comedian Denis Leary spoke—or, rather, shouted—those words nearly 20 years ago, when it was easier to lump New Jersey’s other favorite sons together with other poodle-haired, smugly grinning, lite-metal acts such as Dokken, Cinderella, Poison, and Ratt. That Bon Jovi survived the alternative-rock meteor shower that killed off most of their 80s peers can be attributed to luck or karaoke, but shouldn’t we finally give the band themselves some credit for the Springsteen-level success they are now enjoying in middle age? With the recession making Tommys and Ginas of all of us, Jon and Richie feel somehow more necessary than they did back when they were still writing songs about Diane Lane. This week, Billboard announced that, for the second time in three years, Bon Jovi was the most profitable touring act in the world, edging out McCartney, U2, The Eagles, The Dave Matthews Band, and such respectably heavy rockers as Metallica and AC/DC. These guys are even outselling Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas.

In September, Bon Jovi was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, putting them in the company of critical darlings like Laura Nyro, Tom Waits, Dr. John, and the Beastie Boys. They may not get in (in which case they will also be in good company, alon gside Roxy Music, T. Rex, The Smiths, and Sonic Youth—but don’t get me started on a Leary-style rant), but for many fans it’s a major step towards righting a weird injustice. If you are asking how this happened, just go to the set list. Or, the next time you’re in your car, driving really fast, pull up “Runaway” (and dig the Morrissey-like falsetto at the end) or “You Give Love A Bad Name.” How about “I’ll Be There For You” or (once you’ve parked) “Born to Be My Baby”? Bon Jovi speak the truth—“Sometimes when you’re alone, all you do is think!”—and in a Ponzi-scheme world, this has real value. The Jov can be facile at times (“Have A Nice Day” is supposed to be ironic, right?) but they believe they’re being profound, and that keeps them from getting lazy. Certainly not onstage where they tend to sell even the most pat sentiments.

The most appealing thing about this band, though, is the size of their heads. They are low-maintenance heroes, and I’m pretty convinced their stature is down to tenacity and not some elaborate marketing campaign to get people like me to write words like these. (I could be wrong, but you gotta believe, right?) I once interviewed them for Nylon magazine. It was one of those terrible situations where the Q & A and the photo shoot are done at the same time, which usually finds the writer waiting for hours while trousers and split ends are discussed by the stylists and the photographer. Not at a Bon Jovi shoot. They walked right in, Jon ran a hand through his hair, shook his head out, and said, “O.K., let’s go.” Later, he shrugged as he told me, “It’s just genetics.” I’d never seen anyone less affected, much less a major rock star.

It’s a little odd to proclaim affection (and respect) for Bon Jovi, since what I do for a living is completely irrelevant to them. I occasionally contribute to the music magazine Uncut and I read all of the expensive English music mags and papers (Q, Mojo, the N.M.E.), which essentially dictate what bands we are supposed to like (even the ones that come from America), and I cannot recall a single feature on Bon Jovi … ever. (Please correct me if I’m wrong here.) And yet, when they play over there, it’s cricket fields or Wembley Stadium. I know some of those in attendance must be rock writers in disguise. I once got a text from a very influential music journalist who was standing on the side of the stage during a Bon Jovi show out in Jersey. It was a gush; the kind of thing you can’t tweet if you want to keep your job.

But slowly, with every passing honor and record set, the secret is getting out.

JBJ tapped for Obama's advisory board

WHOA! He's finally got a chance at the political world...but in a 'safe' sense I think. He won't be running for Pres anytime soon (I hope), so this is good! Right?

Looks like all those years of performing for Democratic candidates has paid off: President Obama is tapping rocker Jon Bon Jovi to serve on a new presidential advisory council.

The White House announced Tuesday that Bon Jovi (or is it just Jovi?) will join the new 25-member White House Council for Community Solutions, a panel established to provide advice on "the best ways to mobilize citizens, nonprofits, businesses and government to work more effectively together to solve specific community needs."

The 2009 Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act established the panel, which also includes eBay CEO John Donahoe and Starbucks Vice President Paula Boggs and Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin.

Jovi, the formerly big-haired rocker, is a well-known Democratic Party supporter who once made a cameo in support of fictional Democratic presidential candidate Matthew Santos on NBC's "West Wing."

More recently, Bon Jovi performed at Obama's inaugural concert and promoted the Obama administration's United We Serve initiative during his recent world tour.

But, on a serious note, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has partnered with public and private organizations to help combat homelessness. The efforts have yielded more than 260 units of affordable housing for low income individuals and families, according to his spokeswoman.

Obama has tapped several other celebrities to serve on presidential commissions and councils. Yo-Yo Ma and Sarah Jessica Parker are on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, for example.

Tico on Bon Jovi going Indie

Hmm, interesting. At first I thought they meant a new genre venture...but they mean the label/management aspect of Indie. Good! Maybe the freakin prices will go down.

Tico Torres, the drummer for Bon Jovi, can see the writing on the wall for the group being a major label band. It's only a matter of time before they go Indie.

“We are still on a major label but we can see the writing on the wall,” Tico tells Undercover News.

Part of the problem, he says, is that the old model doesn’t work in the current world. “It was a conglomerate machine that was invented many years ago which in essence owned and manipulated bands but also gave bands a chance to get some upfront money that was again recoupable,” he says. “The companies always made a lot of money of it. It got to a point where the price of records were so dear for the buying public that as soon as the internet came in there was there was another avenue for people to listen to music”.

Tico advises acts today to think before signing. “So you have to think out of the box now, new bands especially. You can’t go that way,” he says. “You should maybe release your own thing and do it through the internet. It’s just a different way of thinking. You can’t follow the old rules. Thats a dead soldier. Its just hanging on by threads”.

Bon Jovi are currently on tour in Australia.

(source)

Melbourne - Blood On Blood (start)

Here's the full opening, from the screen intro to the end of Blood On Blood from last night's stream in Melbourne. As I find more vids, I'll let you know. Enjoy! :)

Larry King Live vids

We're still awaiting online versions of the segment that aired Thursday, but two clips have cropped up outside CNN's locked videos.

I can't figure out the order of the clips, though, which is why I hate when they break it up. Can't they just record the interview in its entirety? LOL

As I find more, I'll let you know. And if anyone can help out, I'd appreciate it!

Enjoy!





Other videos on CNN's YouTube:

"You won't see me tweeting"
Robin Hood restaurant
From bar band to big time

Melbourne Night #2 set list & pics

So, who was there? And who watched the live stream? *raises hand* I did!

I was originally planning to stay up and watch it (1am my time) - then by 11pm last night I started failing and bed seemed a better option. LOL. But my boyfriend is in China on business, and he could only call sometime in the middle of the night, so I figured I might as well watch the stream.

So I set up my laptop at the edge of my desk and got into bed at 12:45. I have to say, it was very cool to watch Bon Jovi LIVE from Melbourne, Australia (the other side of the WORLD from me!) from my own bed at 1am in the morning. LOL!

It was a great stream, minus the annoying buffering during Lost Highway - and though they gave us an extra 15 minutes than advertised, they cut it off in the middle of Runaway. :(

Ah well. Twitter was hopping as usual, and I'm glad I ended up watching it - even though with the 2am call from my bf, I didn't get to sleep until 3am...and slept until 11. LOL!

Set list:
Blood On Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lotta Leavin'
When We Were Beautiful
Runaway
It's My Life
No Apologies
We Got It Going On
Keep the Faith
Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues/Shout
Lay Your Hands On Me (Richie Vox)
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up
Raise Your Hands
Have A Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Living on a Prayer
Always
Wanted Dead or Alive
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

JBJ fears for reality show kids

From blogs.seattlepi.com:

Jon Bon Jovi fears youngsters competing on reality TV talent contests such as "American Idol" will struggle to become enduring stars because they aren't given enough time to perfect their craft.

The Bon Jovi rocker has appeared on the show twice as a mentor to contestants, and although he appreciates the entertainment value of such competitions, he worries that many aspiring artists will crumble after experiencing instant fame.

He tells Larry King, "Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, I can go (through) the list of guys that would have all been thrown off... What artists have established, like the aforementioned, (is that they) were telling their story their way. They were stylists. And those kids (on the TV shows), they're all very technically - you know, good singers - but that does not an artist make.

"And being thrust into that spotlight where 30 million people are watching you every week, you win the contest and, by the way, you'd better have a hit record tomorrow. Wow!

"I had 21 years to write that first record. You know, you have a year or two after that to develop who you are on the stage. So it's very hard on those kids."

And Bon Jovi admits he finds a lot of other reality TV shows, such as "Dancing With The Stars," annoying - because TV producers could use their time working on charity projects instead.

He adds, "All that reality stuff is bothersome to me because I just think, you know, a show like (King's charity show) 'Heroes' could be such a better use of time. And there's just so many better things that we could be doing."

I have to say - interesting points. I never saw the reality competitions the way he did, and I definitely see his point. And as for the last part about reality shows being a waste of space - I agree completely. I don't watch reality television (I hardly watch television, period) for many reasons, but this is one of them. We could be using that time and space to do so many better things with our culture. But alas, we are a nation obsessed with the lives of the shallow and gossipy, the likes of Jersey Shore, and making sure we keep up with the Kardashians. (No offense meant whatsoever to those of you who like those shows - they are just examples of how riddled our TV networks are with shows about other people's lives.)

Melbourne live webcast (Saturday 12/11/10)

This is up on the band's Facebook!

Today @ 8:00pm in Melbourne, Australia Bon Jovi will stream 30 mins of their concert from the Etihad Stadium!

You can watch it right here on facebook via our Ustream tab! Or on www.BonJovi.com

Enjoy the show!

Global Stream Times (all are Saturday):
Los Angeles, USA 1:00am
New York, USA 4:00am
London, UK 9:00am
Perth, AU 5:00pm
Tokyo, JP 6:00pm
Melbourne, AU 8:00pm

I hope there will be a re-airing of this, since all of America will be asleep for it! LOL

Holly Jolly Jovi: Blue Christmas

It's the weekend again (no, seriously) and that means time for another round of Holly Jolly Jovi!

Today I decided on Blue Christmas, which Jon performed live for the Special Olympics Benefit in 2000 and was featured on the "A Very Special Christmas" vol. 5.

Even if he tries a tad too hard to sound and act like Elvis, I like it anyway. :) (And apparently so did Bill Clinton, LOL.)

Don't forget the MP3 download beneath the video. Enjoy!



MP3 download: Blue Christmas (live)

Tico Torres: Rock Star Baby

I hope that, if you're reading this, you know what Rock Star Baby is. If not, you especially NEED to read this post!

But whether you have heard of it or not, it's worth a refresher course. Tico is so talented in so many ways, and I have always loved his baby/toddler fashion line -- I just never had a reason to buy from it! ;)

The line (shop) is now offered through the official Bon Jovi store, which is how I also found out that the RSB website has been revamped (not sure when, but the last time I checked it was quite some time ago.)

I snatched the new photos they have of Teek with babies, because if anything melts my heart more than sexy rock stars, it's sexy rock stars with kids.

So check it out, browse around, and enjoy the visual appeal if nothing else.

From Rock Star Baby's official website:

TRADITIONAL VALUES WITH A ROCK'N'ROLL EDGE

Tico Torres has been with Bon Jovi from the beginning he is a respected artist not only as a musician, drummer - but also in the art world of painting & sculpture. His profession has taken him all over the world, attending many events & fashion shows.

Whether shopping over the years for friends, or more recently, for his own son, Tico hoped to find hip baby and toddler clothing, but the market was consistently lacking. There was plenty to select from in pastels, but hip grays, blacks and whites were non-existent. He chose soft cottons, high quality and timeless cuts in time, the rockstarbaby collection was born.

The two ideas, rock'n'roll and tradition live quite separate life and styles, they meet here to produce this classic combination of a desire to do what's right for your child and still having that edge, quite simply the best of both worlds in black and white. It has an energy that out lives a fashion or a passing trend, and is exists without a compromise to either the design of rockstarbaby or the quality you would wish for your child.

The aim was to have a place you know you can go and choose a cool gift for the "new release". Proudly packaged and ready to give. Care has been taken to appreciate this and our attention has returned to the online store, the perfect stage to show case this concept. So no matter where you are, what time of day it is - you can find what you need, when you need it.

The brand uses the true colors of rock - black & white with shades of grey in between - all designs were created with these cool kids in mind. Something that you wouldn't normally expect to work - but because the integrity of both areas are not minimized it's a rock'n'roll harmony.

It's the personal design and philosophy that Tico brings to the brand that makes it complete. Simplistic in essence, it is the clean lines which define the balance.

The brand's initial focus was textiles for babies, toddlers and kids up to six years of age, however has naturally grown to include accessories such as pacifiers, baby bottles and just recently a cool collection of sunglasses for both kids & adults, available both in Europe and the US. Each line carrying the rockstarbaby finger print.

An extended collection, exclusive to the internet is soon to be launched. This will give you the opportunity to buy gifts for the the "Star" - anytime, anywhere.

As Tico says "Every baby is considered a Star".

Pro shots from the "Down Under" tour

...so far. Remember that the band still has 5 dates remaining in Australia before this leg of the tour wraps up!

But I thought these were worth sharing - they're the pro shots from Backstage, so I obviously do not own them.

I'm absolutely obsessed with live concert photography!

Ever wondered what the "AP" on Jon's guitar means?

Read and find out!

Kathy McCabe is one lucky woman; she's got Jovi articles up the wazoo. Sheesh!

From Herald Sun:

The countdown to their first Australian concert is in its final hours and Bon Jovi are on stage sound-checking new single No Apologies.

Jon Bon Jovi, the man who founded the band in his New Jersey home town in 1983, is running his bandmates through their harmonies as dozens of security staff and ushers flow into the Perth stadium.

You can hear the whispers as everyone enjoys this private pre-show gig.

The women are raving about his clear blue eyes, dazzling smile and that made-for-tight-blue-jeans butt while the men are captivated by the racks of guitars and mixing consoles.

Backstage about an hour later, Jon is sipping tea.

The 48-year-old front man may be Hollywood handsome, a rock star who survived the decade of bad hair and spandex to become the working class man and woman's idol. But he isn't taking the Hollywood route to self-preservation.

"Look, no botox ... and the greys are coming in," he says. He's kind of proud of the flaws.

This rock star from the same working class roots as Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen flies in a private jet from gig to gig these days.

But that's about as far as his conspicuous consumption of wealth goes. He's not dripping in bling, his uniform remains a T-shirt, jeans and leather jacket and his most treasured guitar is an old black acoustic number that has AP 95 scratched into its varnish.

The initials stand for Al Parinello, Jon's guitar teacher who died in 1995.

"Jon scratched that on there after (Al) died. It's his numero uno guitar. That's the guitar that keeps us all working," says Mike Rew, one of the backstage bosses who keep The Circle tour running smoothly.

Around the corner from the road case that houses Jon's six touring guitars is Richie Sambora's collection of close to 40 instruments.

The Bon Jovi guitarist's on-the-road collection is valued at more than $2 million according to Rew, with one axe alone, a '57 Gibson Les Paul, worth $150,000.

"Richie just loves playing different guitars. Each one has its own sound, a different tone," Rew says as he continues to show us around the backstage precinct.

Jon sees the tour - his least favourite job on the rock star resume - as a means to an end, a way to sell new songs like No Apologies, We Weren't Born To Follow and singles from The Circle such as When We Were Beautiful.

"It's a vehicle as the other hits allow you to perform a new record. I will be talking up When We Were Beautiful; there's no need to talk about Livin' on a Prayer, you just play it. People know it," he said.

Maybe the rigours of the road are taking their toll. Jon is emphatic he doesn't want to be performing in stadiums when he is as old as Mick Jagger.

"I don't see myself running around a stage when I'm 68," he says.

Or maybe it's more simple than that. He admits family is a consideration.

Jon married his high school sweetheart Dorothea and they have four children: Stephanie, Jesse, Jacob and Romeo.

Does he ever get the "please come home Dad" calls?

"I don't get that as much; my family has been around it for so long. I've been with my wife since high school and my kids were born into it so that's not really an issue," he said.

"I am more the one ... I am missing this and that."

With about 90 minutes to go before showtime, Jon heads to his dressing room to get ready.

He likes to sound-check to "shake the toxins off the muscles", he might eat something and then figure out a set list for the night.

Their guitar road cases are papered in dozens of set lists from shows around the world.

"Unlike a lot of bands, we don't do the same show every night," Jon said.

Added to their Australian concert tour, which includes seven stadium gigs, isa performance for Oprah Winfrey at the Sydney Opera House.

As a rock star, he gets the hysteria that has greeted the talk show queen's visit here.

"It's like going to see Santa Claus. Oprah has been good to a lot of people and she's a nice lady," he said.

Watch the concert live from 8pm: heraldsun.com.au

A&E Private Sessions repeat

Thanks again to Hath! :)

A&E's Private Sessions will re-air on Dec. 12th (Sunday) at 9am EST. Set your DVRs if you missed it the first time!

Jovi leads in 2010 world tours

No surprise there, but still positive news to smile about as a fan. :)

You can read the entire article here.

Ten of the top 25 tours of the year were logged by artists who have risen to headlining status in the past decade, and three of the top tours are by artists in their earliest days of touring: Lady Gaga (No. 4), Taylor Swift (No. 15) and Justin Bieber (No. 19). In fact, all three of them have yet to hit their 25th birthday.

But, as is typical, the road veterans ring up the biggest box office. Bon Jovi's Circle tour (which has morphed into a greatest-hits tour that extends into 2011) leads all touring artists. Grossing $146.5 million, the four New Jersey boys played for 1,591,154 people at 69 reported shows.

Bon Jovi = stadium rock (part 2)

Last night I posted an article with Kathy McCabe from Australia's Herald Sun, a preview for you to read.

Today, they have posted a video so you can WATCH the entire interview now.

Enjoy! :)

Bon Jovi to play Ashton Gate (UK) next summer

Thanks for the heads up, Hath!

From Bristol's Jack FM radio website:

The legendary rock band is stopping off at Ashton Gate next summer during their UK tour.

The band - fronted by Jon Bon Jovi - will be playing on Monday, June 27 at the home of Bristol City Football Club.

Managing Director at Ashton Gate, Doug Harman told us it's great to have them back after they first performed here two years ago: "The feed back we had is that they certainly enjoyed the concert here in 2008.

"Their UK plans for this coming year were for only four dates, one to Edinburgh, one to Manchester, one to Hyde Park and one to Dublin - clearly much bigger venues than Ashton Gate. We're delighted we've been able to shoe-horn another date in-between London and Dublin."

The band started out in 1983 and has sold around 120 million albums worldwide.

Doug added that a lot of hard work has gone in to secure the gig: "To actually get a band of their size and status to a stadium like Ashton Gate is amazing. We're very pleased with our selves!"

Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am. (venue time)

JBJ Interview & Perth videos

Another little interview from triplem.com.au -- along with a video of "Follow" and "Bad Name" from Perth the other night.

Enjoy!

By the looks of this show Bon Jovi's Circle Tour is going to be big.

Triple M's Byron Cooke interviewed Jon Bon Jovi backstage before the opening night of the Aussie Circle Tour in Perth and asked him about the enormity of the show and the logistics involved in putting it together.

"The truth is we try to spend money on production, said Jon. "We want people to get something for their money, so we were willing to fly the US stadium tour down here because we're asking people to come and see it."

Jon assured fans that the massive stage show wouldn't take anything away from the music.

"I think it enhances the show. Because some of these folks are a hundred yards away and two stories up and they want to see the bands, [we're using] a lot of video.

"There's no pyrotechnics or any dancers or tape machines or anything like that, it's just guys beating on instruments. But a lot of the money is spent on video so the people at the back can see it."

This tour is Bon Jovi's longest tour since the Jersey Syndicate tour in the late 80s. When it ends they would have played over 130 concerts across 30 countries.

Melbourne, AU - Dec. 10, 2010

Well DAMN, Melbourne got quite a show last night!

Last Man Standing
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
In These Arms
Superman Tonight
When We Were Beautiful
It's My Life
No Apologies
We Got It Going On
Keep the Faith
Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman/Shout
Lay Your Hands on Me (Richie Vox)
What Do You Got?
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain
Work for the Working Man
Thorn In My Side
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule
Dry County
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer

Don't forget to watch the live webcast tonight (Saturday night in Australia) that will air the first 30 minutes of the show!!

Bon Jovi = stadium rock

This is a cool little article from Australia's Herald Sun.

Although, I have to admit, I do NOT like that Jon keeps reminding us all that they won't be touring for awhile after this tour, or that the touring days could have an end on the horizon. *sigh*

(And I think that picture is terrible. LOL.)

Sing Along With Jon Bon Jovi
By Kathy McCabe

As long as Bon Jovi exist, there will always be stadium rock.

Critics may proclaim it a dying "art", but Jon Bon Jovi and tens of thousands of adoring fans at their opening Australian concert in Perth on Wednesday night haven't heard the death knell.

The American rockers have survived bad hair and pop culture's bad moods and tantrums to remain one of the most successful acts of the past three decades.

After witnessing their opening night on The Circle tour, their secret to longevity is revealed.

It's the hits and the man who sings them.

Try not singing along to Livin' on a Prayer - it's impossible. Or It's My Life, Bad Medicine, Wanted Dead Or Alive, Always.

Even if you are not a Bon Jovi fan, those songs have wormed their way into your memory courtesy of jukeboxes, backyard barbecues and supermarkets.

Jon Bon Jovi himself is a rock music conductor as much as he is a singer, songwriter and musician. Armed with a megawatt smile, he plays the audience as much as the songs, urging them on with "Are you still with me?" and constructing all the right moments for them to raise their voices.

It's part medicine show, part revivalist church with the latest concert video technology to help even those in the nosebleed seats to get a front seat view.

Before the show, Bon Jovi said he can't see himself trying to raise the Rolling Stones' bar and continue touring for the next two decades.

"I can't see me being 68 and running around that stadium stage. I have to get a hobby," he said.

Jon Bon Jovi also revealed that the band would perform a medley of their hits during Oprah Winfrey's Sydney shows.

The band have flown into Melbourne in their private jet.

Rock Hall of Fame - announced Dec. 15!

Thanks Hath for the heads up!!

The 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees will be announced on www.rockhall.com. Be sure to check the website Wednesday, December 15 at 10:30 a.m. EST to see who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. View Inductee bios, photos, essential songs and more.

Nominee ballots were sent to more than 500 voters, who selected the artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 26th Annual Induction Ceremony on March 14, 2011 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be televised on Fuse, Madison Square Garden’s national music television network.

To be eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. This year’s nominees had to release their first single no later than 1985.

For the latest information on announcements, ticket packages, events, and other programs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, fans can sign up for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame newsletter at rockhall.com/e-newsletterand follow the Rock Hall on Facebook and Twitter.

Live web stream this weekend!

YAY!

From Getmusic.com.au:

Bon Jovi is having a LIVE webcast all the way from Etihad Stadium on Saturday December 11 – 8pm (EDST)

As an Australian exclusive, Bon Jovi in partnership with News Limited, MCM Media and Movideo will stream LIVE the first 30min of their Melbourne concert this Saturday December 11 from Etihad Stadium at 8pm (EDST). Through the websites below, fans all over Australia will be able to have a taste of a LIVE Bon Jovi concert in their own home.

Exclusive LIVE Bon Jovi Webcast
Saturday December 11 - 8pm (EDST)
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au
http://www.couriermail.com.au
http://www.heraldsun.com.au
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au
http://www.perthnow.com.au
News.com.au
http://www.take40.com
http://www.bonjovi.com

Don't forget that LIVE at 8pm in that time zone will likely be a full day ahead of most of us (in the States, anyway). Check "The World Clock" website for current local times and figure out when this will air for you.

For folks in Pacific Standard Time, it will be 1:00am on Saturday morning. If you can stay up, enjoy! ;)

Perth, Australia set list

So when Bon Jovi is going to play on a date in Australia or New ZEaland, I have to remember that it's happening the day BEFORE for me. LOL

Here's the set list from last night (tonight?!) in Perth, AU.

Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
When We Were Beautiful
It's My Life
No Apologies
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine/Shout
Lay Your Hands On Me
What Do You Got
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Work for the Working Man
Raise Your Hands
Have a Nice Day
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep the Faith
Always
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer