Hi there.

I'd like to just clear up, if I can, a few things that have irritated some people about the way us aussies have been feeling. Firstly, I have to say that there probably have been some really ticked off aussies really going for it...it's not the best way to go but there is some reasons for why some people have been angry.
None of us here condone the use of managements contacts to go ballistic...it's bad for a whole bunch of reasons. Having said that [and as I said, I don't condone that particular type of behaviour], there are heaps of us here who understand where it generated from....and many of us have quietly asked and not been rude or abusive or anything like that.

Backstage has on it's home page the message about if it is isn't there or at the bands official site [BJ.com] then we should NOT believe anything we hear or see in print or cyber space. Fair enough...but it's this that the aussies who have internet access, have been extremely confused and right now, bewildered by. This is where we are up to at present:
* The tickets for RUMBA go on sale throughout Australia this Thursday, at an average cost of A$95 per ticket.
* BJ are only playing Melb., Sydney and Brisbane.
* Some fans have contacted radio stations in cities not getting the band and have been told that there are negotiations occurring now to try and get the band to include Adelaide and Perth.
* The official RUMBA site has BJ up there appearing at Melb., Sydney and Brisbane, and have had since Monday 2/9/02
* RUMBA is a 10 hour pop/dance music festival style thing put together to give fans of this style of music a festival of their own [The Big Day Out is another well known one here - alternative music...and M1 this October is a rock festival] - BJ will be most likely the last artists on and probably for about 45-50 mins.
* As this is a festival involving many artsists, there will be no backstage FC area [we understand that...can't ask all the other fans to move aside]
* The radio stations that are presenting this in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have been advertising RUMBA [and the BJ part] every day since Monday.
* I spoke with the Austereo CEO [Austereo owns just about all the FM radio stations in Australia and are the main players in putting this show together] late last week about whether there was any chance of BJ adding Adelaide and Perth - he told me that at this point it was just the other 3 cities, that it is a BJ management thing but they would welcome them with open arms to the other 2 if they decide that way.
* A TV ad campaign is about to start here for RUMBA that includes the fact that BJ are appearing at 3 of the shows [with 'Everyday' in the background].
Many aussie fans have asked over at Q&A at BJ.com about this and asked please tell us if this is absolutely official...others have asked at backstage...neither site has [up to and including today, 8/9/02] anything at all about Rumba. We are confused and 'scratching our heads' about why, because all I just said indicates that the band are indeed coming.
For the fans that live in Adelaide and Perth, trying to make a decision about whether to get tickets for their cities shows [hoping that BJ WILL come] or 'biting the bullet' and going interstate is hard because we have no definitive answer from either of the sources who have said repeatedly that they are the ones to let us know about 'official' BJ matters.
The aussies ARE happy that the band are coming...we do really understand that there are many places the band haven't been to for years, haven't been to at all. We are a very Jovi community minded lot here and frequently email radio stations in other countries [at other fans requests] to help them get a BJ song on air etc., and those of us that have seen the band sympathise with those who haven't.
I'm not saying others don't...just saying that we do so we're not just a bad bunch.
Sorry..this is a lot longer than I intended...so thank you for reading it all.

To all going to Shepherds Bush..have a great time...will be trying to drag myself out of bed at 4am to watch the web cast.

Cheers [and thanks again for reading this]
Shaz