Quote:
Originally Posted by bounce442
Back when Raise Your Hands appeared towards the end of the OWN tour, I couldn't have been happier. Now, after it's been played at 9/10's of every show on every tour leading up to this tour, YES, it is indeed a sad thing that it's the silver lining. IMO the silver lining was the JBG snippet and that's equally as sad, but it's nice to think the Sleep covers section has a chance of being back for good.
For those who are blaming stagnant sets on America's ADHD problem, stop. The US crowd doesn't like or respond better to LH or WLOL any more this tour than we have on previous tours. They weren't hits. The crowd doesn't know or want them but we power through, just like we would if Jon would choose to play something else.... anything else. Yes, the US hasn't got the diversity that Europe has received and maybe we don't deserve it, but this is beyond ridiculous. In the history of Bon Jovi, I dare to say the sets have never been this stagnant. Jon has a professional rock band up there. There are plenty of other songs in their catalog he is still capable of singing. They CAN throw the diehards 1 bone per show but besides Always they have only played 1 surprise this tour... and it was "I Got the Girl"... and it was because his daughter was there. What is going on?
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I do agree... However, there are many factors to take into consideration... Jon used to be like Bruce where he could pull out any song and ride it out... Those days are done (or temporally on hold)... Jon is now doing what 95% of the industry does...
1. For starters, he lowered his playlist count to average around 23 sounds per night which is the right move IMO... Once you factor in the main hits & the new material, there is not much room left for an array of material.
2. 15/16 shows in at this point (which is half the first leg), they have played 35 songs (if you count the 2 Medley Covers)... Yes, there are only 1 offs here and there but that's still a decent amount of songs for a new band in this short amount of time... You also have to factor in the following:
3. I think he's got more preprogrammed stuff going on than we all think... It's not just the 7 guys on stage but the guys working the boards too... Almost all bands now do this... They use backing tracks all over each song... It's not just Living On A Prayer and it's not just Jon's vocals... It's used all over from the slightest ping to the background vocals on LYHOM... It's not Dave hitting the buttons, it's all computerized which makes it very difficult for everyone when Jon swaps songs out... This is why most bands stick to the same set list each night (or the same set of songs)...
4. Jon has new members up there... And yes, they are more than capable but there is no margin for error... They are not playing clubs. They are playing arenas and probably stadiums so they really need to get into the routine and master these basic tracks... They are one of the biggest bands in the world and Jon does not like mistakes. Because his voice is shot, he probably holds all the other pieces up to a higher standard. They are building chemistry... It's not the KOS up there, it has to sound like 'Bon Jovi'.
5. His voice... I'm not going to go into detail cause there is no need to. Yes, there are songs like Captain Crash that Jon can do but John Shanks and Everette Bradley might be like "what the f is this". Now they have to go learn it. And I'm sure all you musicians will say that it's not that difficult but like i said, this is not the KOS, it has to sound like 'Bon Jovi' and it has to be perfect. When they are ready, they will bring it in... The one song after the encore is Jon's rarity where a little error might be accepted if he feels the rest of the show went great...
6. Jon can't treat this tour like any other tour... There are too many moving factors... I do agree that he could replace certain songs for better ones... But I also get why he's playing it strategically safe. We are a small population of fans... He doesn't have to please us.. It's the demographics of the 20 thousand people showing up each night...
7. This is a tour that many of us questioned, including Jon himself, would ever happen. It's actually working... Attendance is there, reviews have been surprisingly positive, & fans are into it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
I'm looking forward to the new songs, I'm looking forward to seeing John and Phil interact, watching Everette Bradley is a show in itself. There are so many other things to enjoy besides hearing the same hits for the millionth time... The crowd, the energy, hanging out with friends... There is so much to still enjoy!!!