June 27th - Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol, UK

Hi folks! Bon Jovi continue on the road and land at Bristol for the final date of their UK tour. Bristol have been lucky in previous years by getting some rarer songs and it was no different on June 27th. Even though the setlist remained at 22 songs, Bristol got an amazing set which any Jovi fan would be envious of. I won't delay anymore but have a look and see what Bon Jovi did to thrill their Bristol fans.

1. Happy Now (one of the great new songs on The Circle album!)

2. You Give Love A Bad Name

3. Born To Be My Baby

4. We Weren't Born to Follow

5. Just Older

6. It's My Life

7. We Got It Goin' On

8. Raise Your Hands

9. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars

10. Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman/Treat Her Right

11. Blaze of Glory

12. Living in Sin/Chapel of Love (sooooo jealous of Bristol fans who got this - beautiful song! It was requested by a fan with a banner which shows that Jon does listen to his fans!!)



13. In These Arms

14. Who Says You Can't Go Home

15. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

16. Runaway

17. Have A Nice Day

18. Keep The Faith

Encore:

19. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

20. It's Hard (Letting You Go) (one of the most heartbreaking, yet greatest songs ever written!)



21. Wanted Dead or Alive

22. Livin' On A Prayer

So, there we have it. The end of the UK dates on The Circle tour. What a setlist though. Even though it was an average amount of songs, there were some treats there for sure. Opening with Happy Now, then having Living In Sin/Chapel of Love and It's Hard (Letting You Go)? AMAZING!! Would kill to hear those 2 last songs especially!!!

As the end of June approaches, that means just one thing.... BON JOVI ARE IN DUBLIN FOR 2 NIGHTS!!!!! Have to say they were the best 2 nights (and days!) of my life... you'll just have to wait for my next blog post though ;) Have A Nice Day! 





June 25th - Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park, London, UK

Hi folks, it's the second last date of the Circle Tour in the UK and the guys rocked out at the Hard Rock Calling Music Festival!! Fans who could not make it to the event from around the world had the opportunity to listen to the whole show online via Absolute Radio - it was an amazing experience to be able to sing along to all of Jovi's greatest hits from the comfort of your own home, yet be in the company of millions of fans around the globe! It really was something special. Bon Jovi put on a great setlist, lasting a whopping 3 hours 5 minutes, incorporating a stunning 27 songs. The fans definitely were treated to a spectacle of a show. Here is the setlist from one wild night in London...

1. Raise Your Hands
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. Lost Highway
6. It's My Life
7. In These Arms
8. Blaze of Glory
9. Lay Your Hands on Me
10. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
11. Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman
12. Hallelujah (one of *the* most beautiful songs ever written - Jon perfects it every time!)

13. When We Were Beautiful

14. I'll Be There For You

15. Who Says You Can't Go Home

16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

17. Hey God (a fantastic hit from the These Days album - LOVE it!)



18. Have A Nice Day

19. Keep The Faith

Encore:

20. Dry County

21. Wanted Dead or Alive

22. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

23. Livin' On A Prayer

Encore 2: (the perfect encore)

24. Always

25. These Days

26. Blood on Blood

Encore 3:

27. I Love This Town

AMAZING setlist. Yes, alot were the regular songs played but to have them played together with the odd surprise makes it quite special. It was certainly an amazing gig, considering people all over the world were joined by the music of Bon Jovi!

Next stop? Bristol!!!



June 24th - Setlist - Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, United Kingdom

Evening folks. The Jovi tour continued south from Scotland into the British Isles and landed in the great city of Manchester. There were a few complaints from some fans about the venue and from seeing the seating plan myself, it did seem like a strange choice. But, after seeing the reviews and pictures from fellow Jovi buddies who attended the gig, it seemed like it was a true success. After all, Jon never lets his fans down!! Here is the setlist for Manchester...

1. Blood on Blood
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. In These Arms
6. Lost Highway
7. It's My Life
8. Runaway (Jovi's first hit which should be played much, much more!)

9. Raise Your Hands
10. We Got It Goin' On
11. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
12. Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues/Shout
13. When We Were Beautiful
14. Bed of Roses (my fab fab fab friend Lisa Staff is an absolute sweetheart - she rang me from Manchester during this song... I cried - my favourite favourite song! You can actually see at 5.25 in this clip a pair of knickers being thrown - thats my Lisa!! LOL!)

15. I'll Be There For You

16. Who Says You Can't Go Home

17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

18. Work for the Workin' Man

19. Have A Nice Day

20. Keep The Faith

Encore:

21. Dry County

22. Wanted Dead or Alive

23. Livin' On A Prayer

A short enough setlist, Jon remaining at 23 with nothing too special to surprise Manchester fans. However, since injuring his knee, Jon made the decision to venture out on to the catwalk in the pouring rain during Bed of Roses which thrilled his fans who were freezing cold and no doubt, soaking wet.... but as Jon said, "It's like taking a shower with 25,000 of my closest friends!" Bon Jovi never fail to produce a great show, hail, rain or shine!!! Jon was caught sporting a not-so-stylish beanie hat during the last few songs but who could blame him? The weather was brutal!! Keep reading folks, much appreciate your following my blog!



Next stop? Hyde Park - with a 3 hour stint at Hard Rock Calling in London!!! Until next time folks, have a nice day! ;)

June 22nd - Setlist - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland

Bon Jovi hit the shores of the United Kingdom finally on June 22nd - first stop being Edinburgh! I entered a Fanshake competition to win tickets to this gig and although I was leading up until the final few weeks, I had to pull out of it as finances became a problem (flights and hotel were sadly not included!) Initially, I was a bit disappointed - one gig less that I was going to but I was lucky going to two.. But hold on, they sang Wild is the Wind in Edinburgh!!!!!! One of my favourite songs, after Bed of Roses, and sadly they did not sing that in Dublin!! But hey ho, life goes on - there's always next tour. Anyways, moving on from my moaning, here is the setlist from Edinburgh!

1. Blood on Blood
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lotta Leavin' (Great Jovi song which was a regular during the LH tour).

7. It's My Life
8. Runaway
9. Raise Your Hands
10. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
11. Bad Medicine/Hot Legs/Shout
12. (You Want To) Make A Memory (Beautiful song that Jovi should include more!)

13. Wild is The Wind (LOVE!)

14. I'll Be There For You

15. Who Says You Can't Go Home

16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

17. No Apologies (GREAT song!)

18. Have A Nice Day

19. Keep The Faith

Encore:

20. Something to Believe In (one of the true classics on the These Days album!)



21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. In These Arms
23. Livin' On A Prayer

Encore 2:

24. These Days (one of my favourites it has to be said!)



And there it is. Edinburgh were rocked all night long... well for 24 songs worth anyways!! Again, it is worth noting Jon and the band did not appear on the catwalk at any stage. However, the weather was very poor throughout the gig with heavy rain and of course, this had to be considered for Jon's recent knee injury! Still a fantastic gig though... and no, I'm not jealous. Not at all. *humph*

Next stop? Manchester, UK!!!

June 19th - Setlist - CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark

Evening folks, this blog post is dedicated to Bon Jovi's rockin' show in Denmark! This show marked the first of a number of shows where Jon, along with the rest of the band, did not venture out on to the catwalk. This was due to Jon's knee injury which he picked up 2 nights previous in Helsinki. He sported a knee brace for numerous dates to follow also as a support. This was a huge disappointment, especially to those who purchased Gold Circle tickets as they are surrounding the outside of the circle. Of course, the view is still fantastic and the concert is still brilliant but being without that closeness to the band would dampen it slightly for me. Jon also presented to the crowd his latest toy - his cane (which he later updated to a daimond skull headed one - typical of a rockstar, no?) Anyhoo, here is the setlist from Horsens, Denmark.

1. Lost Highway
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. Superman Tonight
6. Runaway
7. It's My Life
8. We Got It Goin' On
9. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
10. Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman/Old Time Rock 'n' Roll
11. Lay Your Hands On Me (Richie on vocals)
12. When We Were Beautiful
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. Who Says You Can't Go Home
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Work For The Workin' Man (a new song from the Circle which was not played enough IMO!)

This is just a short clip but gets the best of the song!

18. Have A Nice Day

19. Keep The Faith

Encore:

20. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (Bruce Springsteen cover - tribute to Clarence Clemons)

21. Wanted Dead or Alive

22. Livin' On A Prayer

 

Not a special setlist tonight! There has been some amazing sets of 29 song, 24, 26 and so on but tonight, Jon stuck to the 22. Saying that, with his injury, he put in more than 100% and still gave the crowd a night to remember.

 

Next stop? Edinburgh, Scotland!! :)

June 17th - Setlist - Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland

Hi guys! Bon Jovi are still rocking around Europe, showing die hard and new fans that they really are one of the best bands around!! Helsinki had a great setlist but unfortunately, halfway through the gig, Jon tore ligaments in his knee. It was every fan's worst nightmare. Would Jon have to cancel the tour? Was he seriously injured? Would the band survive? It was horrible. I can't imagine having been at the gig and trying to stay calm seeing Jon in sheer agony. Hearing Jon cry out in pain sent shivers through me, no-one like to see someone they love in pain. However, Jon being his typical showman self, he carried on to finish the gig and give the crowd a night to remember. The setlist as follows:

1. Raise Your Hands
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. In These Arms
6. Lost Highway
7. It's My Life
8. Runaway
9. We Got It Goin' On
10. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
11. Bad Medcine/Roadhouse Blues/Shout
12. Love's The Only Rule (it was during this song that Jon got injured. Prepare yourself. Injury happens at 1.22. :( )

13. When We Were Beautiful
14. Bed of Roses
15. I'll Be There For You
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. No Apologies (one of the more anthem tunes from Greatest Hits - LOVE!)

19. Have A Nice Day
20. Keep The Faith

Encore:

21. Thorn In My Side (Fantastic tune from The Circle album!)

22. Wanted Dead or Alive
23. Wild is the Wind
24. Livin' On A Prayer

Again, great great setlist. My heart really went out to Jon when he got injured but he refused to falter or let his fans down and really gave them a night to remember. Bed of Roses and Wild is the Wind yet again!! Thorn in my Side and No Apologies too which are great songs - I really think both of these should have been played MUCH more on the tour!!

Next stop? Horsens, Denmark!

June 15th - Setlist - Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway

Hi guys, so sorry for the delay with blog posts. Obviously I am behind on blog posts - the Circle has closed, the very successful 2010/2011 Jovi tour has ended. And it was amazing. But, just because it's over does not mean that I am going to stop updating the setlists and talking Jovi!! I think posting setlists, videos, pictures and lots of other Jovi goodies, it helps us to overcome the Jovi blues! So, going back in time, on June 15th, Bon Jovi landed on the shores of Oslo in Norway! Here is the setlist for the lucky fans who danced and sang along to Jovi's hits that night:

1. Raise Your Hands
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. In These Arms
6. Superman Tonight (one of my favourite songs of Jovi - here is a video from the night).

7. It's My Life
8. Blaze of Glory
9. Damned
10. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
11. Bad Medicine/Hot Legs/Pretty Woman
12. Lay Your Hands On Me
13. What Do You Got? (my favourite slow ballad from Jovi's newer hits - can't find video!!).
14. Bed of Roses (*my* song!)
15. Diamond Ring
16. I'll Be There For You
17. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
19. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
20. Love's The Only Rule
21. Have A Nice Day
22. Keep The Faith

Encore:

23. Wild is the Wind (possibly one of *the* best Jovi songs EVER written!)

24. Wanted Dead Or Alive
25. I'd Die For You (a song request that Jon saw on a banner - this is why I LOVE this band!)

26. Livin' On A Prayer

This is one of my favourite setlists of the European tour - having Wild is the Wind AND Bed of Roses alone makes it perfect for me. But having I'd Die For You as a surprise and Superman Tonight too? Fantastic.

Next stop? Helsinki, Finland!

June 12th 2011 - Munich, Germany

Third night in on the Jovi tour in Europe and fans all around the world were treated to the first hour live through a video stream!! It was magical and amazing to see and hear Bon Jovi playing live at that moment and to be a part of the crowd watching! That night also got fans talking as Jon wore his pretty new red jacket.... like/dislike??

Me? I like it!! He also wore this in Dublin on June 29th.... phwoarr!!! But Dublin comes later! For now? Here's the setlist from Munich:

1. Raise Your Hands
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born to Follow
5. In These Arms
6. Runaway
7. It's My Life
8. Blaze of Glory
9. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
10. Bad Medicine/Rock You Like A Hurricane/Old Time Rock 'n' Roll
11. The More Things Change
12. Lay Your Hands on Me
13. When We Were Beautiful
14. Bed of Roses
15. I'll Be There For You
16. Bells of Freedom (acoustic)
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
19. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
20. Have A Nice Day
21. Keep The Faith

Encore:

22. Dry County
23. Wanted Dead or Alive
24. Always
25. Livin' On A Prayer

Encore 2:

26. These Days
27. Blood on Blood

Next stop? The Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway! :)

Versatile Blogger Award

I have been given a Versatile Blogger Award by Polly McNamara of Miss Polly - thank you Polly!!! :)

The idea is to follow a few requests and pass the award on.

1. Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 random things about yourself.

3. Award 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award and contact them to let them know they have won.

7 random things about me:

1). I have a mega phobia of spiders (real/toy/televised!!)

2). I love mochas and tea - both of which I used to hate but now am addicted to!

3). I love taking pictures of absolutely anything - different textures fascinate me! Flowers, stone... anything that looks like it would make a pretty picture... or anything that I could make into a pretty picture.

4). I love collecting autographs and meeting celebrities, whether famous or infamous!!

5). I love crime books and am currently in the throes of writing one!

6). I <3 Criminal Minds, Without A Trace and all things American and crime related... well, most of them.

7). Captain Americas is my favourite restaurant!! Yum!!

I would like to nominate the following blogs:

www.soaperstar.blogspot.com - she makes fabby soaps and all things nice and is genuinely the nicest person ever!!

http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.com - lovely lady who has a great taste in music and makes me drool every time I read her blog posts!!

www.claireallan.com - fab author, fab lady - fabulously funny!!

http://hangingwithbells.blogspot.com - lovely lady from across the water who loves Bon Jovi and loves a good drool over tasty blokes - who doesnt ;)

http://plansandpresents.blogspot.com/ - Ali runs a wedding and event planning business and is possibly one of the hardest working ladies I know!! :)

http://www.thebabblingmummy.co.uk - Claire is a wonderful Mum who blogs straight from the heart!

http://wooks1.wordpress.com/ - Ann-Marie is a fab lady who takes beautiful photos and has a brilliant sense of humour!

June 10th 2011 - Dresden, Germany

Hello again folks, second night of the Jovi European leg and we had some AMAZING songs!!! With three songs that haven't been played since 2008, the fans that were lifting the roof in Dreseden certainly had very good reason!! Here is the setlist - enjoy!

 1. Bounce (first time played since 2008).

2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. We Weren't Born To Follow
5. Superman Tonight
6. Runaway
7. It's My Life
8. In These Arms
9. Capain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
10. No Apologies
11. Bad Medicine/Roadhouse Blues
12. Lay Your Hands On Me
13. You Want To Make (A Memory)
14. I'll Be There For You
15. Bells of Freedom (first time played since 2008).

16. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead/Start Me Up
19. Undivided (first time played since 2008)

20. Have A Nice Day
21. Keep The Faith

Encore:

22. Something To Believe In
23. Wanted Dead or Alive
24. Blood on Blood
25. Livin' On A Prayer

Next stop? Munich, Germany!

June 8th 2011 - Setlist - Zagreb, Croatia

Sorry for the lack of blog posts folks, i'll get back on track! Promise!! The next couple of blog posts are going to be covering the setlists from the gigs Bon Jovi have already played including some videos of the more rare song choices! Enjoy!

 1. Raise Your Hands
 2. You Give Love A Bad Name
 3. Born To Be My Baby
 4. We Weren't Born to Follow
 5. In These Arms
 6. Runaway
 7. It's My Life
 8. Blaze of Glory
 9. Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars
10. We Got It Goin' On
11. Bad Medicine/Pretty Woman
12. Lay Your Hands On Me
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. Something For The Pain
16. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
19. Love's The Only Rule
20. Have A Nice Day
21. Keep The Faith

Encore:

22. Hey God
23. Wanted Dead or Alive
24. These Days
25. Livin' On A Prayer

Next stop? Dresden, Germany!!

One Wild Night...

...well, quite a few actually!! Yes people, Bon Jovi are heading our way this June for a whopping 24 concerts all around Europe!!! Am I excited??? Hell yeah!!!

Here are the list of upcoming gigs...

June 8th - Maximir Stadium - Zagreb, Croatia.

June 10th - Ostragehege - Dresden, Germany

June 12th - Olympic Stadium - Munich, Germany

June 15th - Ullevaal Stadium - Oslo, Norway

June 17th - Olympic Stadium - Helsinki, Finland

June 19th - Horsens Stadium - Horsens, Denmark

June 22nd - Murrayfield Stadium - Edinburgh, UK

June 24th - Old Trafford Cricket Ground - Manchester, UK

June 25th - Hard Rock Calling (Hyde Park) - London, UK

June 27th - Ashton Gate Stadium - Bristol, UK

June 29th - RDS Arena - Dublin, Ireland

June 30th - RDS Arena - Dublin, Ireland

July 8th - Turk Telekom Arena - Istanbul, Turkey

July 10th - Piata Constitutiei - Bucharest, Romania

July 13th - Esprit Arena - Dusseldorf, Germany

July 14th - Letzigrund Stadium - Zurich, Switzerland

July 16th - Maimarktgelande - Mannheim, Germany

July 17th - Stadio Frilui - Udine, Italy

July 20th - Olympic Stadium - Athens, Greece

July 22nd - Ernst Happel Stadium - Vienna, Austria

July 24th - Zeebrugge Beach - Brussels, Belgium

July 27th - Estadio Olympico - Barcelona, Spain

July 29th - Estadio Anoeta - San Sebastian, Spain

July 31st - Parque de Belavista - Lisbon, Portugal

What gigs are you heading to? I'm going to both Dublin shows (Golden Circle) and *possibly* Edinburgh.... cue last blog post - http://itsmyjovilife.blogspot.com/2011/05/keepin-faith.html 

There are rumours circulating that Richie Sambora WILL be returning on stage with Bon Jovi, where he belongs, as of June 8th in Zagreb! Imagine the welcome he is going to get there, we have missed him!! Welcome back Mr King of Swing!

For the Bon Jovi fans both living in Croatia and those travelling far and wide for their opening European gig, enjoy!! And give our Richie the welcome back he truly deserves!!!

Have A Nice Day folks x

Sources: Official Bon Jovi website, Google images.

Keepin' the Faith...

...that I'll be seeing Bon Jovi in Edinburgh on the 22nd of June!! See, I'm currently winning a competition on http://www.fanshake.com/ to win two tickets to see our boys play Murrayfield a week before I see them in Dublin!! Being a fan of Bon Jovi for a number of years, I feel that I should have seen them alot more (than just once!) so now that the opportunity has arisen, I am determined to win and therefore see them at least three times this year.

If you'd like to help make my dream come true, all you have to do is click on this link...

http://www.fanshake.com/contests/Bon-Jovi-win-tickets-edinburgh-concert-gig-22-june-2011/submissions/9058/

...then all you have to do is click Vote for It, then either Create A Fanshake Account or Vote via Facebook. Then, once you are taken to a page that says Thank You For Your Vote, you're done! Also, just so you know, you get an extra vote for my entry if you share on Facebook via my post. It would mean the world to me! Thank you!!! And don't forget....

Have A Nice Day! x

Wanted Dead or Alive!

Wanted Dead or Alive is one of Bon Jovi's most iconic songs ever written, especially as it is for "all the cowboys out there". The opening chords are stunning and the lyrics aint half bad either!

This song was written for the 1986 album Slippery When Wet by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Jon was quoted at one of Bon Jovi's gigs that this song was written in Richie's mother's basement at their home. Jon laughed when recalling this memory and thanked Richie's Mum for not doing the laundry that day. I think all of the Jovi fans worldwide should thank Richie's Mum for that! It was Bon Jovi's third single and it did exceedingly well, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Charts.

Jon himself said that this song was inspired by Bob Seger's song Turn the Page.

Jon believed that the lifestyle of rockers was similar to that of outlaws in the Wild West, and this song pays homage to that. After hearing Turn the Page, Jon convinced Richie that they had to write a song like this, and so, the following year, Wanted Dead or Alive was born!

This song has been performed in almost every setlist, normally as the second last or last song in the encore. It leaves the crowd with an unexplainable buzz that remains with them long after the gig has concluded.

Bon Jovi, with a lot of their hits, have opted to do acoustic versions which sometimes do work, but sometimes really do fail and do not live up to the original. Wanted Dead or Alive is one of those songs that they decided to do acoustically for their This Left Feels Right CD/DVD. Have a listen, let me know what you think. Is it as good as the original? Should it have been left alone? Is it better?

I remember my first time hearing Bon Jovi sing this song live. It was at Twickenham Stadium, London on June 27th 2008 and it was the last song of the night. The screens behind the band were illuminated with what looked like a sunrise, the dawn of a new day, ironically for what was the final song of the night. I remember feeling quite sad listening to this because it was my first time seeing Bon Jovi live and it was also a realisation that they weren't going to sing my all-time favourite song, Bed of Roses (those that know me know i'm pleading with the band through their online official pages to perform this in Dublin exactly 5 weeks from today). However, being a part of a 43,000 strong crowd singing along to one of Bon Jovi's classics was so memorable. It was truly amazing. The crowd sang the whole first verse and chorus which resulted in an electric atmosphere. Jon and Richie then took over and completely blew me away.

This iconic song has been used in many Hollywood films and television series and I can imagine that many Jovi fans get a little bit excited when one of Jovi's greatest hits is played without our fore knowledge. Some examples are Supernatural, American Dad, Wedding Crashers, Wild Hogs, NCIS, The Vampire Diaries, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. The song has also been covered many times in reality shows such as American Idol and Nashville Star.

Speaking of covers, some very brave people have jumped at opportunities to cover this song and make it their own. I will say some of the covers are good and sound very similar to Bon Jovi's style but goodness me, there are some really shockingly bad covers... There are 2 covers that I'm going to include here. One is a very country style one which works and is quite good (obviously not as good as Bon Jovi ;) )

The other cover which i'm going to include is by a band called Northern Kings. It is quite a hard rock,verging on metal cover which, in my opinion, is utterly dreadful. I have never heard of this band nor do I know any of their other songs, but I believe they should not have tried covering this classic. It just doesn't work. Opinions?

So, Wanted Dead or Alive. Almost 25 years old, and it's still one of Bon Jovi's greatest ever songs. The crowd still loves it and each time Jon sings "I've seen a million faces....", he most definitely rocks them all.

Til next time folks, have a nice day ;)


Sources: Wikipedia, Google Images, Youtube.

One Light Burning...

... for Richie Sambora, the guitar player extraordinaire, Jon Bon Jovi's right hand man.

The King of Swing!

Richard Stephen Sambora (born July 11, 1959) has been lead guitar player for Bon Jovi for 25 years and has released two acclaimed solo albums Stranger in this Town and Undiscovered Soul. He often takes over on vocals from Jon during Bon Jovi's gigs, most notably for the songs, I'll Be There For You, Homebound Train and These Days. There is no doubt in the world that Richie is an extremely talented man who can play guitar and sing extremely well. He is loved by Bon Jovi fans all over the world and his signature guitar solos during songs like Dry County and Wanted Dead or Alive are simply fantastic!

Richie & Jon - brothers forever!

However, Richie is human, just like the rest of us. He has battled with alcoholism for a number of years - the sudden death of his father and his split with Heather Locklear in 2007 proved too much for Richie (considering these life events happened less than 3 weeks apart). Richie entered a rehab facility to try and overcome his addiction in mid 2007. His fans have always been his support group and have always stood right behind Richie. So it was with a deep sense of sadness that we, the Jovi family, heard that Richie re-entered a rehab facility on the 28th April 2011. Unfortunately for fans, Richie was unable to play at numerous gigs around America which led to Bon Jovi taking on Phil X, a guitarist from the band Triumph and Powder, temporarily during Richie's recovery. Phil has now completed his touring with Bon Jovi as the US gigs are now finished and Bon Jovi move on across the water to Europe. This has fuelled rumours that Richie may possibly be healthy and fit enough to return and play during these gigs beginning in June.

Richie doing what he does best...

I remember seeing Richie sing and play at Twickenham Stadium in June 2008 and he was simply outstanding. I had never heard Richie sing solo prior to this and he blew me away with his version of I'll Be There For You. He took to the stage like a natural pro, he handled the crowd with ease and he melted the hearts of over 43,000 fans who were in attendance.


My picture from the main stand of Richie in London 2008

I have to admit, I adore Richie and I wish him every health and happiness and cannot wait to see him back touring again. I was shocked and truly gutted when I heard he had returned to rehab. At the same time though, I am really happy that he realises he has a problem and more importantly, he is willing to fix it. I love seeing people's pictures from gigs and seeing Jon and Richie fooling about, and I do miss that the most. Seeing Jon's face light up when playing alongside his right hand man makes the relationship, the brotherhood, the camaraderie, seem more real between them. The chemistry between Jon and Richie onstage is electric and that has been missing with Richie's absence. This will be a welcome feature again when Richie returns.

(Jon singing I'll Be There for You on May 6th 2011 - possibly the most heartbreaking version ever!)

Just remember Richie, every single fan and supporter of yours is behind you, and just so you know.....


Jon & Richie

 ...I'll Be There For You! xxx


Welcome to Wherever You Are

Hello everyone, welcome aboard the steel horse that’s riding through the interweb, providing interesting information and facts you may not know in relation to some of Bon Jovi’s greatest ever songs. Starting from their inspiration for their songs, to where they were first penned, to who has dared to cover them - this blog has got it all.

Some of you may wonder, why bother? There’s Wikipedia, isn’t there? There’s YouTube isn’t there? Yes, there is. But this is different. Anyone can pop along to this page, leave comments, feedback and send on any advice or information they have on any of these songs, especially if I make a mistake (which hopefully I won’t as that would really taint my reputation as being one of Ireland’s biggest Jovi fans!)

Additionally, all of the posts I write and publish here will be easily accessible, searchable and won’t be scattered about the internet, as that is par for the course of each individual song Jovi have done.

Even though this blog will be (mostly!) Jovi related, I will post about other things - little snippets about my own life, my hobbies and links to other blogs and websites that may be of interest to the readers.

This blog will be a learning curve for me too. I’m not doing this just because I love singing along to Bon Jovi’s classics ( or perving on them!!), I’m doing this because personally, I want to learn more about them, the background of their songs and what truly inspires them as individuals. I am a die-hard Bon Jovi fan, any of my friends will most definitely vouch for that. If one of their song titles is said in conversation, I’m the one who shouts out “That’s a Jovi song!” or if we are at a party or wedding, I will *always* ask the DJ to play some Jovi – it’s a given! I know the words to all of their songs (almost!), I brag to *everyone* about how amazing they are!!!

I have only been to one of their concerts (27th June 2008, Twickenham Stadium, London, UK) but this does not mean I am any less of a fan than someone who has seen them since they started touring way back in the late 80s.

For starters, I was born in 1990 so it would have been quite a challenge for me to attend gigs back then! I was meant to go their gig in Croke Park in Dublin in 2006 and in Punchestown in 2008 but unfortunately, education came first...!! Believe me, I was not impressed!!! However, to show how much I love them, I have entered so many competitions to see them!! Prior to their 13 night stint at the 02 arena in London, UK, a local radio station here in Ireland was running a competition to win tickets to the opening night. But it was not just tickets, oh no!! It was so much more! There were flights, accommodation, tonnes of merchandise, pre-show dinner, after party access and seats in the pit!! A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. All that you needed to do was wait for a Bon Jovi song to be played on the radio and just text in (as many times as you wanted!) and pray that you got a phone call back! Ironically, the song played was Bed of Roses (some of you reading this will know this is my all-time favourite Jovi song and it holds a lot of memories for me). So, when I heard the opening keys being played by the sexiest keyboard (and accordion) player around, my phone almost had a meltdown! I texted in constantly for the entire length of the song until my fingers hurt! Over all, I text in over 70 times, spent over 10euro on credit and was left physically shaking. I *had* to win. But, as often happens, I didn’t. I was gutted but life does go on.

Now over a year and a half later, I’m looking forward to three possible gigs in June. I am most definitely attending their 2 Dublin gigs on June 29th and 30th in the RDS (Golden Circle :) ) and am currently first in a contest to win tickets to their show on the 22nd June in Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Scotland (I will be posting about that too in another post!). I’m a Jovi nutter and I am damn proud to be one!!

Again, even if you don’t have any interest in Bon Jovi, do check in and read my posts, they won’t *all* be about Bon Jovi! This emporium of facts and trivia on Bon Jovi and their music will be something that all Jovi fans will love, I have no doubt. And don’t worry! There will be pictures of our favourite guys too! Maybe even some videos ;)

Keep an eye out for my next blog post, it will be about one of Bon Jovi’s greatest ever singles, a song that you will always be guaranteed to hear the fans singing along to: Wanted Dead or Alive.

Until then though, have a nice day ;)