"I Believe" from Lisbon, Portugal 7.31.11

Thanks, fictionmistress!

"Bad Medicine/Gloria/Pretty Woman" from Lisbon 7.31.11

Thanks, jovigirlfm!

"Get Ready" from Lisbon, Portugal 7.31.11

Thanks jovigirlfm!

Goodbye from the band...

In case you didn't see this on Facebook, here's a note and photo the band just posted:

‎135 shows, 22 countries, 18 months..... 3 million fans in attendance. From our heart to yours THANK YOU for making this last year and a half on the road so spectacular. We have the best jobs in the world and it's all because you believe in us and help us stay on this crazy ride. We will see you all again shortly, friends. Thanks for making our 2010/2011 tour one of the best!

"Shortly"? Methinks doth lie-eth, Jon. lol But here's hoping! Enjoy your time off, guys. You deserve it. We'll be here when you come back, eager and ready to be rocked again. xx

This Ain't A Love Song video - Lisbon

And the videos are coming in! Here is the first beautiful number...captured by the ever-lovely fictionmistress. Thank you, FM!

Lisbon, Portugal set list

That's all, folks! The tour is now officially over - strange feeling, isn't it? I actually feel sad myself, and my last show was back in March!

Until next time - boys, get some well-deserved REST. Jon, take care of that knee - Richie, I hope you're well on the road to recovery. Can't wait to see you guys back on the road, whenever that may be!


P.S. For those of you who were following me on Twitter, I apologize for dropping off after WSYCGH - I landed in Twitter Jail! So stupid! lol

Lisbon, Portugal:
Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
Lost Highway
It's My Life
Get Ready
In These Arms
We Got It Goin' On
Captain Crash
Bad Medicine/Gloria/Pretty Woman/Shout
It's Hard Letting You Go
When We Were Beautiful
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Any Other Day
Have A Nice Day
Keep the Faith
These Days
Wanted Dead or Alive
I Believe (those signs worked!)
This Ain't A Love Song
Livin On A Prayer
Always
I Love This Town
Twist & Shout

JBJ ABC Interview Nightline

Interesting article. Sounds like this will air on Monday, August 1 on Nightline - at 11:35 pm EST. (8:35pm PST)

From abcnews.go.com:

The first topic that arises in an interview with Jon Bon Jovi -- if the interviewer is female -- is, of course, the hair. The music must wait.

The story of the singer's iconically feathery mane leads back to Bon Jovi's father, a marine turned hairstylist. "He created it," Bon Jovi said in an interview with ABC News' Lara Spencer.

Bon Jovi, 49, went on to make an important distinction: "[My hair] was very famous, but you know what? Bono had a mullet. I never had a mullet. Mel Gibson had a mullet. … I was Cousin It. I just had a big ball of hair. … Fortunately I still have it. … There's no weave in there, baby."

The rock superstar was being escorted by five police motorcycles from Newark, N.J., to New York City. He had been in Newark fulfilling his role as the only celebrity on President Obama's White House Council for Community Solutions, something he prides himself on almost as much as his roots in the Garden State.

"New Jersey shaped who and what I am. Growing up in Jersey gave you all the advantages of New York, but you were in its shadow. Anyone who's come from here will tell you that same story. … It dates back to Sinatra. Anybody -- Jerry Lewis, Abbott and Costello -- they all had to fight for what they did, and this is where they came from," Bon Jovi said.

Bon Jovi, the band, is beginning the European leg of its "Circle" tour following 16 months of concerts throughout the United States. After three decades, they are still thrilling fans and selling out arenas with their 1980s' anthems like "You Give Love a Bad Name."

The tour was the top-grossing tour of 2010, bringing in more than $200 million and easily outselling some of the biggest current names in music. It has been more successful than the tours of Kanye West, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber put together.

"Yeah, that's not even the same league," Bon Jovi said.

He explained longevity in the music business via an analogy: "Everyone else is here for what we call a cup of coffee. … When you become Billy Joel and Elton John, or U2" -- or Bon Jovi -- "then you sit around and you're enjoying dessert."

Bon Jovi said he has always been this confident. Now it's backed up by numbers. When he was starting out and hoping for his first break, it was backed up by sheer determination -- and a catchy rock song.

"I went to a radio station on Long Island in 1982, and thank goodness for me, it was so new that there was no receptionist. So the DJ opened up his booth, and took my tape and listened to it and thought it was a hit song," he said.

He had sent the tape -- containing the song "Runaway" -- to record companies for nearly a year, with no response. "This guy was on the air at a new station, and he loved music. So he answered the door when a kid knocked on it."

The band has stuck together through each other's good times -- like keyboardist David Bryan winning a Tony in 2010 for the musical "Memphis" -- and stumbles. The day of the interview, Bon Jovi was going to see guitarist Richie Sambora, who had just been released from rehab.

Bon Jovi likened the relationship to brotherhood. "It's a very close relationship when you're in a band for that many years. … You've experienced things together that you didn't experience with your own siblings or your spouse. You've lived in a cocoon that only the other members of that organization have lived in," he said.

Still, brothers can fight and go years without speaking. Further explaining the band's success, Bon Jovi switched his analogy to football. "Everybody has the same dream. Everybody believed. Everybody still followed the quarterback, and, you know, knew what integral role they were playing within the team."

Bon Jovi's personal life has had the successful longevity his music has. He's been married for 22 years to his high school sweetheart, Dorothea. They have four kids, including a daughter who is off to college in the fall. She's just about the same age her dad was when he started singing hits like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive," which still get standing ovations today.

With his 50th birthday a few months away, Bon Jovi has been expanding his efforts beyond the rock star lifestyle. The White House council is one example. His Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has helped build hundreds of houses for poor families, and he frequently performs at charity events for organizations such as the New York Police Department.

After 30 years in and out of hotel rooms, Bon Jovi has learned to streamline. This applies to his famous hair, now much shorter, as well as his clothing.

"I carry one bag -- [fewer] than everyone else in the band ever did. … I'm a guy. Guys will take one pair of jeans, five T-shirts and three pair of socks and that'll get you by for 10 weeks. When I'm on stage, I hope they're washing these jeans once a week, because that's about it!"

JBJ on "In the Studio"

Thanks for posting this on Facebook, Johnna!

JBJ did a short interview on politics with In the Studio - from inthestudio.net:

REDBEARD: Jon, in a September 1989 interview, you told me that your politics and religion have to be kept private. When did you change your mind in that regard, and more importantly, why?

JON BON JOVI: I really see myself as a concerned citizen (now), and a father of four and a husband, and certainly an ambassador of pop culture in this world. As I traveled near and far to Africa, Asia, Europe, I’ve seen just from afar that people love America. They really love the culture. They love the music we have given them. They love the idea of the dreams that we have given them. And I’m sad to say that, in places where I went fifteen years ago and was greeted as that ambassador of culture, I would have second thoughts about going to(now) . Not necessarily for fear of my own safety but perhaps for somebody on a road crew. And it’s a shame, because I love this country immensely. And I don’t get involved in politics as much as I do in philanthropy, because I’m a firm believer that 50% of the people are against you just because they believe you vote with a certain political party. I don’t want to be the man at the party, I want to be the guy who makes a difference, that believes in the ideals of what this country was founded on. The more I read of Thomas Jefferson andAbraham Lincoln and George Washington, and especially John Adams who was not as well known to me until recent years, that I realized that this is a magical place, a mystical place that is worth defending. Not the way it was represented by George W.Bush and Dick Cheney. And if that’s going to cause me some pain, as it has, then so be it. I’m just reporting in as a concerned citizen.


RB: Are you saying that declaring your political beliefs threatens your career?

JBJ: Nothing like the Dixie Chicks not getting played on the radio. Even though I may not have agreed with the Bush administration, & didn’t vote for them, I never slagged the man in office simply out of respect for the office of the Presidency of the United States. And for that reason alone, we as Americans have to forget about “red”(Republican) and “blue”(Democrat) and we all honest to God have to become “purple” and try to have compromises so that we as a nation can continue on and go forward, not only for us but for our kids. Regardless of my beliefs, I don’t sit on my stage at night and talk politics. You come to see me perform. I don’t use my platform as a place to talk politics. And yet there have been times, places, and people who have chastised people in my line of work for speaking out. I am one that believes that dissent is in fact patriotic, and we should question our leaders. Because if you don’t, you’re nothing more than a sycophant. Just because a person’s in office doesn’t mean he knows all the answers. This is still a democracy.

San Sebastian set list

There was a lot of confusion and delays during the play-by-play last night, and I believe we lost our informants after about It's My Life...LOL.

Anyway, so this is the official set list from www.bonjovi.com....but what the HECK is "Romeo & Juliet"?? They already played I'd Die For You, so I can't think of what the heck it is...

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Wild In the Streets
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
It's My Life
In These Arms
I'd Die For You
Summertime
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
Bad Medicine/Hot Legs/Old Time Rock & Roll
When We Were Beautiful
Living In Sin
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Thorn In My Side
WIld Is the Wind
Have A Nice Day
Keep the Faith
This Ain't A Love Song
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living On A Prayer
These Days
Romeo & Juliet (???)
Always
I Love This Town
Twist & Shout

Friday giggles: Bon Jovi, chipmunk style

This is random and unrelated to anything, but my boyfriend and I were cracking up at these this morning. So I thought I'd share - for a nice Friday, pre-weekend chuckle.

Enjoy! ;)

Barcelona set list

Okay. HOLY COW. Of all the play-by-plays to miss live, WHY did I have to miss this one?! Moreover, why did I miss this IN PERSON?! This sounds like the most entertaining show of the tour...Jon sang in Spanish, David sang In These Arms, and they pulled out a couple doozies: I Believe, Santa Fe, Something to Believe In, and Hey God!

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
I Believe
It's My Life
In These Arms (David on vocals)
Just Older
We Got It Goin' On
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars
Bad Medicine/Bad Case of Loving You/Not Fade Away/Vertigo
Bed of Roses (Jon sang the chorus in Spanish!)
Santa Fe
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Sleep When I'm Dead
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have A Nice Day
Keep The Faith
Something To Believe In
Hey God
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living On A Prayer
Always
I Love This Town

New Year's Eve movie trailer!

HAHAHAHA Jon is at about 00:47, getting bitch-slapped by Katherine Heigl. You go girl! LOL! And he has the cutest, boyish hair. Excited to see this one!

Hard Rock Calling on VH1

According to VH1's TV schedule, Hard Rock Calling from Hyde Park, London (2011) will be aired this Friday, July 29th at 11:00pm. Set your DVRs! :)

Garageland from Bruges

I love this song! I remember them playing this in Anaheim in 2008 and the crowd EXPLODED! It was so exciting!

Bruges, Belgium set list

Happy Now
You Give Love A Bad Name
Blood On Blood
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
It's My Life
The More Things Change
Raise Your Hands
Captain Crash
Bad Medicine/Hot Legs/Shout teaser
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Garageland
Have A Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Wild Is the Wind
Never Say Goodbye
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin On A Prayer

Vienna set list (corrected)

There was some more confusion tonight regarding the set list, but I THINK this one is accurate - I confirmed it with this Austrian site.

If anyone was there and can confirm changes, kindly let me know please!
*EDIT* Updated set list as of 7/23/11 - thanks to anonymous poster for the deletion of Blaze of Glory

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
Superman Tonight
It's My Life

In These Arms
Radio Saved My Life Tonight
Runaway
We Got It Goin' On
Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen From Mars

Bad Medicine/Wild Thing/Old Time Rock N' Roll
Make A Memory
Hallelujah
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have A Nice Day
Keep the Faith

Encores -
Whole Lot of Leavin
Wanted Dead or Alive
Thorn In My Side
Blood On Blood
Livin On A Prayer
Wild Is the Wind
Always
These Days
*TOTAL: 178 minutes, a new record in Vienna!

Listen in to the Vienna show TONIGHT!

Thanks for this, ByJovi!

O3 in Austria will be broadcasting part of the show tonight, starting at 8pm local time (that's 7pm UK time, 2pm EST, 1pm CST, and 11am PST - aka in 5 minutes!)

The broadcast should play from this online player. (Note: You need the Silverlight browser plugin, which is best supported by Safari or Firefox.)

9/11 HBO tribute show

Thanks for the heads up, Katja!

From thedaily.com:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in secret negotiations with HBO to produce a historic Bon Jovi concert in Central Park the night before the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Sources say John Sykes — the former head of VH1 who produced the 1999 charity event “Eric Clapton & Friends in Concert” — is spearheading the effort to organize the star-studded show.

It is believed HBO would pay to produce the multimillion-dollar event, as well as for security and cleanup, in return for the rights to cable-cast performances by Bon Jovi, John Legend and a dozen other top acts.

However, a rep for the cable network denied the behind-the-scenes wrangling last night.

The Central Park tribute to the fallen would be a prelude to the ceremonies the following day at Ground Zero, where the families of the nearly 3,000 victims will hear the names of their loved ones read out loud.

On Sept. 11, exactly 10 years after two jetliners were crashed into the Twin Towers, the 9/11 memorial — two waterfalls in the footprints of the destroyed skyscrapers — will officially open.

Don Mischer, the veteran producer of Oscar and Emmy award shows and previous 9/11 memorials, is lining up such talent as classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma for the audience at Ground Zero.

Athens set list

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
Lost Highway
It's My Life
Blaze of Glory
In These Arms
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
We Got It Goin' On
Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman/Shout
When We Were Beautiful
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Sleep When I'm Dead
Work For The Working Man
Have A Nice Day
Keep The Faith
Wanted Dead or Alive
Always
Livin' On A Prayer

Lie To Me & Always in Udine

Well stick a fork in me, I'm done. What a beautiful version! Again, wishing I were in Europe. I know the words to these songs, by the way. *ahem*

JBJ & Dot cruise with Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones

What a celebrity sighting for these lucky paparazzi. And what a yacht-full...wish *I* was there with them!

JonBon and Dot were seen in St. Tropez, France with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones today:

America in Italy

I think this is just plain COOL.

Have you all heard about/seen the awesome choreography fans pulled off in Udine, Italy? I just started hearing about it last night, and even Bon Jovi has posted something on their Facebook about it:

WOW! The crowd in Udine gave us a HUGE surprise last night- check out this picture! Fans to the left held up signs to create the American flag while fans to our right spelled out "JOVI." In front of the stage fans held Italian flags and letters which read "THIS IS ITALY- WELCOME BACK!" This is one of the most memorable shows we ever played in Europe. Thank you for the love and for creating such a memorable display, Italy! INCREDIBLE!

Here's a video showing it (thanks pandamatto!)



And some pictures (thanks to David Bergman and Debee1015 at Debee1015's World)

Udine set list

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love a Bad Name
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
It's My Life
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman
Spanish Harlem
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Love's the Only Rule
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Dry County
Wanted Dead or Alive
In These Arms
Just Older
These Days
Living on a Prayer
Lie to Me
Always
I Love This Town

Mannheim set list (corrected)

I *think* this is correct. There were some conflicting reports on Twitter, so if any of this is wrong - just let me know. Thanks :)

**thank you to those who corrected this for me - this should be the accurate list**

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
It's My Life
Runaway
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up
We Got It Going On
I Get A Rush
Bad Medicine/Mercy/Old Time Rock and Roll
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You
Miss Fourth of July
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
No Apologies
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Hey God
Wanted Dead or Alive
In These Arms
Hallelujah
Living on a Prayer
Love's the Only Rule

Zurich set list

Captain Crash
You Give Love a Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Whole Lot of Leavin'
It's My Life
We Got It Going On
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman
Lay Your Hands On Me (Richie)
(You Want To) Make a Memory
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Work For the Working Man
No Apologies
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Superman Tonight
Wanted Dead or Alive
Love's the Only Rule
Living on a Prayer

Dusseldorf set list

Where the heck have I been? So sorry I totally spaced on the last two gigs...I have tacked a reminder to my forehead and will be more prompt with these! Even though the tour is almost (finally) over...can you believe it?! The longest tour since 1989 - I can only imagine the boys are ready to rest!

Dusseldorf, Germany set list (from 7/13/11)
Happy Now
Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
Superman Tonight
It's My Life
The More Things Change
We Got It Going On
Captain Crash
Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues
When We Were Beautiful
What Do You Got
*band singing 'Happy Birthday' to Richie*
I'll Be There For You
Mercy
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have A Nice Day
Keep The Faith
In These Arms
Wanted Dead Or Alive
Blood on Blood
Livin On A Prayer

From the vault: 1984 Ripley's Music Hall performance + New York, Tokyo

Big thanks to Karen for this!

wolfgangsvault.com has this Bon Jovi show from the Ripley's Music Hall in Philadelphia on March 3, 1984. You can listen to all the tracks on the page there.

You can also listen to a performance from Tokyo in 1985, and a performance in New York in 1987.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to the King of Swing!

Wishing a very happy birthday to Mr. Richie Sambora - he's 52 today!

Made in America, 1959
Born down by the factories, cross the Jersey city line
Raised on radio, just a jukebox kid
I was all right

Just a small-town homeboy
With big-time dreams
Followin' his conscience
In a world full of extremes
Fresh out of high school, only 17
I was all right

Here's hoping the next year is better to you than this last one was...although I had the pleasure of meeting you in person on October 19th last year! ;)

Hope your day is full of love, laughter, family, and friends! xx

Bucharest set list

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born To Be My Baby
We Weren't Born To Follow
Lost Highway
It's My Life
In These Arms
Runaway
We Got It Goin' On
Captain Crash
Bad Medicine/Happy Birthday/HL/Old Time Rock and Roll/Shout
When We Were Beautiful
Bed of Roses
I'll Be There For You (duet)
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Sleep When I'm Dead
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have A Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Dry County
Wanted
Blood on Blood
Prayer

Istanbul, Turkey set list

Raise Your Hands
You Give Love A Bad Name
Born to Be My Baby
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
It's My Life
Blaze of Glory
In These Arms
We Got It Going On
Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman
Bed of Roses
Diamond Ring
I'll Be There For You
Who Says You Can't Go Home
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
When We Were Beautiful
Wanted Dead or Alive
Blood on Blood
Living on a Prayer
Always

Good luck to JBJ

Wishing best of luck to Jon this morning in his knee surgery - which is taking place in Ireland, if you all haven't read this article yet.

It's about 8 am in Great Britain now (ironically, I AM up at their time today!), so he should be heading in soon. Here's hoping everything goes well, and wishing you a speedy recovery, Jon!

Take care of yourself, and rest up before you hit Istanbul. The fandom is thinking of you! x

Dublin, Ireland Night #2 set list

Bounce
You Give Love a Bad Name
We Weren't Born to Follow
Lost Highway
Happy Now
In These Arms
It's My Life
Blaze of Glory
Damned
Raise Your Hands
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up
Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues/Vertigo
(You Want To) Make a Memory
I'll Be There For You
Never Say Goodbye
Mama's Got a Squeezebox
Love For Sale
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
Blood on Blood
Have a Nice Day
Keep the Faith
Hey God
Wanted Dead or Alive
I Love This Town
Living on a Prayer
Always
Love's the Only Rule