For once, step into MY time machine - it's October/November 2004!
I was just about to turn five years old and had just started becoming a Bon Jovi fan. In fact, I pretty much turned from a completely ignorant car-radio listener into a diehard fan within a couple weeks' time - the first BJ album I listened to was Cross Road, but after just a few spins I changed the disc in the player into These Days, and when I heard Hey God for the first time, that was it... the first BJ release I got myself straight was actually 100,000,000 BJFCBW, so thanks for buying yourself TD back in the nineties, dad - without your purchase I wouldn't be the Bon Jovi lunatic I am now!
Anyway, back to the story. My dad found the TLFR Live DVD from a shopping center and, knowing that I liked Bon Jovi, decided to buy me a copy.
You probably couldn't even imagine the excitement - almost anxiety - of a five-year-old Jovi fan when I got a phone call from dad:
"I bought you a Bon Jovi DVD."
My first question:
"Is Prayer on it?"
Dad: "Yeah..."
Me: "Awesome, thanks! See you in the evening. Bye!"
That 30-second phone call must be one of the happiest memories I have about my childhood - literally.
Of course, the DVD was a little disappointing/confusing for me as a kid, because even though I was already a huge BJ fan - much bigger than my dad who actually "used to own" every album of the band there was back then from KTF on; after I discovered them, I decided to "borrow" them, and the poor guy still hasn't gotten them back... -, I had never heard of the TLFR album and was wondering why the songs sounded so different on the DVD than they did on CR, for instance.
Another thought that crossed my mind even back then was:
"Why does Jon sound so weird? His voice is so rough and raspy on the albums, so why does it sound like he's singing through his nose here?"
I guess I noticed something early on that some BJ fans/"fans" still aren't aware of to this day...
As the years went on, I learned to love the DVD dearly and nowadays I watch it frequently - at least 10 times a year (really!). On the other hand, I don't like the album (that I didn't get until mid-'06, btw) much, besides IML and BTBMB - maybe those kinds of intimate arrangements were kinda meant to be performed in front of an audience only.
PS. However, now that I've learned about the band's set lists through the years, I have to say that the TLFR versions of BOR, Always and especially IBTFY didn't fit the sets on the HAND tour at all. For some strange reason, the "Shoot me remix" (as Seb used to call it) of BOR sounded way better + more fitting on the LH tour, though. I still wouldn't be very happy if it made its way back to the sets now, especially as Jon has proven that he still can do the original version justice.
Here's my personal favorite from the DVD - Bad Name:
https://youtu.be/U1fn6X3E0E4
That "And I can feel it IN MY BONES!!!" gives me chills every time.
01-14-2018, 07:12 PM
I meant those fans (Backstagers and casuals) who still think that Jon is the greatest singer out there nowadays.
. Is this the last time he moved away from the mic stand and walked around during Always? 4:45-5:15 prior to the last solo is just awesome. Jon was feeling it that night!
