Blueshadow's Bon Jovi Blog

Dragons are distracting

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:01:02 +0000

So it turns out that there has actually been stuff going on in the world of Bon Jovi over the last week or so. (I wasn’t doing my usual amount of surfing–I’ve been playing Skyrim. That game does, in fact, live up to its reputation for eating all of your spare time. Dragons are distracting. And awesome.)

David Bergman is an amazing photographer. That is all. Yes, he documented the tour, but more than that, these photos are art. Every single one of them is beautifully done. Every single one of those images is a frozen story. I’m certainly glad that he shared these photos with us–not just because I love seeing Jon and the guys, but also because the images are so beautiful in their own right.

The Miracles of Modern Science Bon Jovi/Bon Iver mashup. This isn’t my usual taste in music. I’ll fully admit that I had to look up Bon Iver. I usually prefer music of the sort that’s best performed in arenas at volumes that can be heard on the far side of the parking lot. That being said, it’s a good performance, and the harmony that they bring to the song is nice.

My Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs (January 2012)

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:55:48 +0000

It’s been a year–time to check in and see what I was actually listening to in 2012. Some are predictable, but things have shaken up a little bit this year.

Temptation
This is the unshakeable, unsinkable, all time favorite Bon Jovi song of all time. It’s at the top of every one of these lists that I’ve ever done. Every time I go in, I think that this one has to have finally been dethroned, and it never is. Kind of odd, since this sort of song isn’t what originally drew me to the band. But it is the one that sticks with me.
Why Aren’t You Dead?
This one’s moved up a notch over last year’s list, swapping with ‘This Ain’t a Love Song’. I think this one’s been getting more play because it’s different. It’s more what I might have expected from Bon Jovi, but even so, it’s rare to find a breakup song that has this degree of pure sarcasm.
This Ain’t a Love Song
A more conventional breakup song this time. But it’s a great one, and it’s probably my favorite Bon Jovi ballad of all time, and that’s what keeps it in the #3 slot. I know that I seek this one out over and over again.
Out of Bounds
I know I’ve been listening to this one a lot, especially lately. There’s something about the raw sound of this track that just speaks to me right now. That’s one of the things that I love so much about this band–they’ve done so many different things, and most of them have been awesome. There’s always a song that suits my mood–or that talks to me in a different way from before.
Runaway
‘Runaway’ is a solid classic on all counts. I pretty much never skip this song whenever it comes up on shuffle, no matter what kind of mood I’m in, and I think that’s how it’s managed to creep up the top 10 list this year.
Roulette
I had a bad habit of playing this song a lot when I would first fire up Windows Media Player on my computer. Out of all of the Bon Jovi songs that I like more than average, this one shows up first in the list of all the albums, so I tended to start with it. I’ve started making a conscious effort to start somewhere else–I’ve made myself sick of this song.
One Wild Night 2001
This song has actually dropped one slot over its ranking last year. I went through a phase where I really played this song a lot, but I kind of stopped listening to it sometime around April of last year. But it did bring me back to listening to One Wild Night more, which leads to…
Rockin’ in the Free World
I debated whether this song qualified for this list, since it’s a cover. But it’s performed by Jon and the guys, so I figure it counts. It’s a great song, and the Bon Jovi guys do a good job covering it. I wasn’t surprised that this one showed up; this is a song that I know I listen to all the time.
Something for the Pain (live)
This is the third song in a row from One Wild Night. This past year, I’ve really been listening to that particular album a lot. I’ve always liked live albums, but I often listened to other bands’ live albums more than Bon Jovi’s. I kind of rediscovered this album during the last year. This particular song I know I’ve listened to a lot. I always liked the original version, but right now I actually like this one better.
Shot Through the Heart
This one has taken a big drop over last year. It’s a decent ballad, but not one I really think about much. This isn’t a song that I ever seek out on purpose. I just listen to it on shuffle a lot–evidently enough to keep it in the top 10.

This time out, the box set has an even larger presence, and most of These Days has been displaced by One Wild Night. It’s also more dominated by the songs that I remember seeking out to listen to over the last year–way less of a surprise than it’s been in the past.

This Ain’t a Love Song (Live from London DVD)

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:25:25 +0000

This particular song is one of my all-time favorite Bon Jovi ballads. The performance here is pretty good. Not especially outstanding–but still, it’s a a great power ballad, and Jon gives it a solid performance.

But the eye candy here is downright amazing. I’m a Jonny girl, and he is downright gorgeous here. I love that long, wavy blond hair, and coupled with the bare arms and tight pants, the visuals on this song are just plain incredible. And Richie has got the cowboy hat, long coat and leather pants, which is a deadly combination.

It also makes an excellent ending to the DVD, ending the main part of the concert on a beautiful and rather contemplative note. It doesn’t leave me as pumped up as another song might have, but it does leave me feeling incredibly satisfied.

I’m back!

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:45:05 +0000

Well, the holidays are finally over, and I’ve got some free time again. That means that I’ll be able to get back to writing some posts for this blog again. I’m actually really looking forward to finishing the reviews of the last few songs on the Live From London DVD. Related posts: Come Back (album [...] Related posts:

Channel Surfing & London Calling

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:53:36 +0000

The next post (when I can get to it) will return to the review of the Live from London DVD. (I promise, I really will finish that out soon! I haven’t got much left to go.)

But tonight, I got home from work, and I was feeling pretty tired and worn out. I stuck a frozen pizza in the microwave, and turned on the TV–straight to VH1 Classic airing Bon Jovi performing ‘Always’ at the London Calling festival.

That pretty much brought an instant smile to my face.

Jon still does a great performance on the song, and Richie’s solo was really impressive–and I really like the song. ‘Always’ isn’t a song that they perform a lot, so it’s cool getting to see it–especially when I was totally not expecting to get to see it today.

All in all, one simple find while channel-surfing pretty much made my day.

No related posts.

Wanted Dead or Alive (Live from London DVD)

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:48:22 +0000

I’m not the biggest Richie Sambora girl out there. I was always, first and foremost, a Jonny girl.

So therefore, I can honestly say that if there ever was a single video clip that can make a Jonny girl sit up and take notice of the lead guitar player in Bon Jovi, the intro to ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ on this DVD is it.

Not only is Richie totally dressed for the part–with the long coat and the cowboy hat–but he’s also got the double-neck guitar out. All in black. Combine that with Richie’s longhair, and the overall look is hot.

The extended intro that Richie gives the song is amazing as well–so amazing, that to some degree it overshadows the rest of the song. Richie does deliver another good solo–an electric one this time–in the middle of the song, but compared to the magic at the beginning, it doesn’t feel as great as it might otherwise have done.

Jon delivers a good performance of the song. and it’s not like he didn’t bring the looks as well–but again, compared to that perfect moment at the beginning, it doesn’t have the same impact that it otherwise would have had. (The two guys do have a Duo Moment at the end that makes for some pretty perfect eye candy.)

Apologies

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:33:06 +0000

I know I skipped last week’s posts. My bad.

I fully intend to finish my review of the Live from London DVD– I really don’t have that many songs left to go on it. But I’m afraid that I have to put the blog on hiatus until after the holidays again this year.

I will still try to post as often as I can, but I can’t guarantee a schedule for the rest of the month.

Hey God (Live from London DVD)

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:22:24 +0000

This particular song opens with Jon talking about how These Days just hit #1 on the charts–which of course gets an enthusiastic response from the crowd. This is the kind of thing that I really love to see included in concert DVDs because it really gives me the feel of being there.

After that, they launch off into the beginning of the song, and the amount of energy in this one intro is just amazing. Then they take it down into the more restrained verses, and the contrast makes Jon’s vocals pop. That contrast instantly focuses all of my attention onto the lyrics–and in this particular song, that’s just right for this song.

Richie contributes another amazing solo, which he then follows up with a slowly rising accompaniment to Jon’s vocals during the bridge that just does amazing things. You can just feel the tension building during that part of the song, and it’s all Richie’s playing.

And after all of that, he gets to do another solo. I love the faces that Richie makes during the second solo. It looks like he’s having fun, and it’s sort of contagious. I can’t help but smile when I watch that part.

As far as I’m concerned, the band doesn’t do enough from These Days during their shows now. There are some amazing songs on those albums that are just as relevant now as they were when the album came out.

Bad Medicine (Live from London DVD)

admin — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:48:22 +0000

This is another one of the songs that I think I’ve heard too many times, especially in concert. It really just doesn’t thrill me anymore.

It’s still a great party song that works if you’re out there actually in the crowd. But for some reason, watching this one on the DVD just doesn’t feel like much more than filler. I think it’s one of those things that you just have to be there.

That isn’t a slam against this DVD, though. All told, this is a good performance of the song. Jon is in fine voice (especially when he’s showing off during the ‘Shout’ intro). And the rest of the guys are turning in good performances–I love the little flip of the drumsticks that Tico does to show off for the camera.

‘Bad Medicine’ just isn’t one of the songs that I watch this DVD for, though. It’s the songs like ‘Always’ and the ones from ‘These Days’ that make me love this particular DVD.

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Live from London DVD)

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:13:22 +0000

‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ is a song that as a fan, I have kind of an ambivalent relationship with. It’s a great live song–but it’s also one of the ones that Jon and the guys have pretty much played to death.

They deliver a version here that’s a fun live performance. I love Jon’s vocals on the first verse, and then as soon as the chorus rolls around, Jon does a hot, microphone-sharing duet with Richie that has to bee seen to be believed. (It’s almost worth getting the DVD for that moment alone–and there’s a pretty good shot of Jon’s backside during the second verse.)

Then Jon and Richie switch over to to sing ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’, and things get even better. This particular song does a really good job of catching what it actually feels like to be at a live concert. It’s all of those little moments that make live music so radically different from a studio recording.

Even though I wouldn’t necessarily pick this song in general if I was given the option, I’d definitely pick this performance of this song any day. It’s just plain fun.