An open letter to Jon Bon Jovi (regarding set lists)

After hearing the band talk about playing long lost rarities ahead of The Circle tour and canvassing the opinions of Bon Jovi fans, music writer Anthony Kuzminski has written this open letter to Jon.

I think his words speak to the heart of many a diehard... Check it out here.

Tony has also come up with a guide that could be followed to create an "ideal" set that balances what "needs" to be played and what diehards are craving. Check out his take on what Bon Jovi should play on The Circle tour.

Sing Livin' on a Prayer with Bon Jovi

A new tour, and a new Bon Jovi fan video contest. Similar to the "I Love This Town" promo from the last tour, Bon Jovi want you to record yourself singing "Livin' on a Prayer" and upload it to their website. The best performances will be played on the big screen during the show. Visit prayer.bonjovi.com for more info,including a video introduction from Jon.

30 Rock - Liz meets JBJ

In this preview of the upcoming 30 Rock episode (which will air February 11 in the United States), Jack (Alec Baldwin) sits in the Hot Box and Liz (Tina Fey) meets Jon Bon Jovi.



"You shouldn't sign anything without reading it first. I made that mistake once and I ended up NBC's artist in residence."

Classic.

Everybody Hurts: Helping Haiti

The video speaks for itself.



Suite101.com, the online magazine I write for, unfortunately lost one of its own in the Haiti earthquakes... Dance/Techno feature writer James W. Coates was based in Port-au-Prince and working for the United Nations when disaster struck. You can read this tribute to him from music editor Guy W. Lecky-Thompson in Suite101's Limelight Blog. Rest in peace, James.

Happy Birthday David!

Happy birthday to the king of the keys, Mr David Bryan Rashbaum!

How about a performance of the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" featuring Dave on lead vocals and keyboard?

Richie and Tico's post-Grammys conference call

The transcript of Richie and Tico's conference call with the media on February 2 to promote The Circle tour can be found here. The response to Jonathan Hunley's question is credited to Tico but I'm pretty sure it's Richie talking.

The questions and answers cover the Grammys; the band's longevity; the stage set-up and possible setlists for the upcoming tour; playing to different audiences; the creative and recording process; politics; ticket prices; philanthropy; commercial success vs critical acclaim; the greatest hits album; the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and the effect of the internet and new media on the music industry.

It's fairly long but you can read the full transcript here. Some of it is stock standard PR stuff, but there are also some very interesting things said -- including the possibility, however slim, of hearing my favourite Fahrenheit song ("The Hardest Part is the Night") and a (not entirely accurate) claim that Bon Jovi tickets have always been relatively cheap...

Grammys make up with Bon Jovi

I'm sure I've seen, heard, or read this somewhere before so it's not exactly new news, but anyway...

Guitarist Richie Sambora tells us that Grammy organizers approached Bon Jovi about the performance after having denied the group the chance to play a couple of years ago: "They really actually came after us you know, we're really really getting ready for this tour. And I think it was like when we won the Grammy a couple of years ago with 'Who Says You Can't Go Home', we wanted to play and they didn't kind of let us play. This was kind of a respect situation when they came back and said, 'We're gonna give you six and a half minutes and guys could do what you want.'"

The rest of the 610 CKTB article is here.

EDIT: I worked out where I'd seen this before... the conference call that Richie and Tico gave after their Grammys performance. ;)