1. Why did Bon Jovi rarely play These Days tracks on concerts from 2000 and up, heck even on the These Days tour itself.? Don’t they know that it’s a fan favorite?

These Days was not a hit in the US, but Crossroad sold very very well. So they did a world tour of Crossroad first.

Once the These Days album came out, and it didn't have the expected success, it seems that Jon wasn't as confident about playing too many These Days songs and leaned more on the Crossroads hit set list. All that insecurity was changing when a moderate success reached them at the international level (as Dominik says, this songs was added in the following legs). If you look at the 1996 European and Japanese setlists, you will find up to 9 songs from These Days on the setlist.

After 00, the band was renewed with Its My Life, they returned to have some success in the US, the shows were selling very well. But remember that These Days Album was not a success there, and thematically, those dark days sounded like the past. People wanted to hear more upbeat music. Even so, some songs from These Days were included in some shows of the European and Japanese tour again.

These Days was not a massive record like SWW or NJ was, nor did it have a stadium anthem song that resonated at shows like Keep The Faith. When an album is not very massive and its singles do not finish working, then the normal thing is that once it completes its cycle, they are replaced by new songs from future albums. These Days is the favorite album of many fans, but to achieve that status it has taken several years to achieve it.

2. Does anyone have any information on “Starting All Over Again” from the Box Set 2004? I absolutely love that song and think it would be perfect for a not-too-sad Bon Jovi tribute whenever they call it quits.

It's a demo recording from 1992 sessions. I think the album was going to start with this song, until Keep The Faith and I Believe came along... and this one was discarded.

3. I think I might know the answer to this one, but why did Bon Jovi lose their popularity in the US? Did that also contribute to their break from 96-00? Which other factors played a part in that break?


Its popularity declined with the explosion of new trends in the early nineties. The year 1991 was key. Lots of new bands, new sounds, established bands / artists who successfully reinvented themselves ... so Bon Jovi played that card, reinvent themselves or die. In the US, it was not convincing enough. These Days convinced even less. It's My Life hit the bull's-eye again.

The decline in popularity after the first 10 years of success is normal anyway. Bon Jovi didn't do a bad job.