Bon Jovi in 2016--Expectations/Hopes

Thanks for the warm welcome, it’s good to be back in the BJ fandom

You know, it feels like this was a marriage that fell apart after 15 years of ups and downs and we took a break which ended up in a separation because none of the parts involved made an effort anymore, and just right when we were going to sign the divorce papers, finally someone took the (baby) steps to start mending the relationship. Don’t take it too literally, it was a fun analogy, I’m in romantic mode tonight it seems lol. But I knew anyway that sooner or later I was coming back since I consider myself a loyal fan type of person (not comparing to anybody on this board, just in general, be it Bon Jovi or whatever else I like), I don’t just follow trends and jump from place to place, if I like something it’s because it touches me somehow and I stick with it until the bitter end or until I feel *betrayed* (that’s not the word but the sentiment is pretty close) and I no longer relate, care or don’t want to be emotionally invested anymore. That’s what happened since ‘09, I felt like they were just phoning in, cashing in, and had been for some years and I said “enough is enough”. But despite the disappointment, I never resented all the years I’d been a fan, I never tried to rewrite history (*cough*Richie*cough*), I continued to be a proud fan of their previous work. And as years passed, I realized that they deserved a second chance, it’s such a big part of my life to just let go after a rough patch, and I guess Burning Bridges came out at the right time for me.
But I’m obviously burned (pun intended) and I’m also very very wary. I don’t think I’ll sever ties again if the 2016 album is another turd, but our relationship is going to be very very rocky from years to come and I feel like I did my part, I came back and now it’s up to them to up the ante

So yeah, the album it’s what will seal the deal for me. A good tour would be the icing in the cake. Saw them last time in ‘08, had a blast and loved it, but afterwards decided to never go again when I *took the break* but then I got screwed in the worst possible way (they played my absolute favorite “Santa ****ing Fe” the next tour, argh!!!) and I don’t want it to happen again. I don’t want to only watch the bootlegs. I think (I hope) they have another smashing tour in them. And this time I’ll be there

Yeah, isn’t that how most of this board feels about BB? That the band wisely downplayed the album labelling it as “for the fans”, lowered expectations and seemingly moved on quickly so no casual fan would hear about it and analize it in the context of the rest of their work?
But something is a little bit fishy and that something is what proves my theory (or let’s call it *analysis* so it doesn’t sound so conspirational lol) that they (Jon basically) are afraid to depart from the norm, to escape the labels, when they are in Bon Jovi mode: since it was a *throwaway* album, the most logical decision would have been include a radio-friendly single (check), in this specific case the song or songs related to the departure from the label (check) and the rest safe, bland songs, nothing unusual. I don’t mean bad songs because I’m sure they still care about putting a minimal effort, but I kinda expected WAN type of songs, songs that go nowhere but nobody should complain since BB wasn’t going to happen in the first place.
What did we got? Lyrics, music, passion for the most part. Strange coincidence that it’s in an album only a few die-hards are supposed to buy, dontcha think? Maybe it’s because they want to prove the naysayers (basically die-hards ) that THEY CAN WRITE A FREAKING GOOD SONG MUSICALLY AND LYRICALLY. Only they are scared shit to do it in a real album. Sigh.

Well, don’t be mistaken, I don’t think BB is going to be a classic anytime. It’s in my top 5 post 2000 albums but I wouldn’t bring the confetti. Not much competition It would barely make my top10 all-time albums. But I totally agree that it's going to stand the test of time. 5 songs outta 10 made my list of favorites, not a bad rate at all...


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Does a promise really break if nobody sees it fall?

Hi, symbeline! Welcome to the board and back to the BJ fandom! I enjoyed reading your history with Bon Jovi. You have a great sense of humor!

IMO, there's no need whatsoever to apologize for long posts. But since you've been lurking for a while, I'm sure that doesn't surprise you. They really only seem to bother people who don't agree with you (or have the attention span of a gnat).

You're going to be a terrific addition to the JT community. Most of the people who post here are reasonably intelligent, often opinionated and outspoken, but totally harmless. You should fit right in. I love the way you distanced yourself from the "conspiracy theorists" among us. Very smart move. There does seem to be a low tolerance for unfounded theories (i.e., anything not supported by Jovi mythology) - at least where Jon is concerned. It's been my experience, however, that it's only the theories about him that cause problems. Anyone else (*cough*Richie*cough*) is pretty much fair game. It looks like you picked up on that, too.


I hope you find the new album and tour to be all you want them to be. Loyal fans are hard to come by. Glad you're here!

It's good how some newcomers get a warm welcome and how other newcomers such as myself weren't that well accepted.