BON JOVI: COMMAND THE BAND
(Wednesday, October 15, 2003)

BON JOVI allowed VH-1 into the inner sanctum of life on the road when they launched the COMMAND THE BAND contest which gave one die-hard fan the change to go on tour with the band as their MANAGER. The whole megillah kicked off with the hilarious promo spot filmed on the BOUNCE tourplane, asking fans to submit their videotapes showing why they should be the manager for the band.

Those hundreds and hundreds of tapes were reviewed (please, a moment of empathy for some of the footage the folks at VH-1 had to suffer through!) and narrowed down to just twenty fans. Those twenty fans were then asked to take an online Bon Jovi quiz and e-mail their answers back under strict time constraints. They sat at their computers and phones and waited for the grades to come in. Just SIX (6) people were selected to move onto the next phase of the competition and they were whisked away to NYC. Upon arrival in NYC, they were asked to prove themseves again and demonstrate their creative thinking, problem solving, sense of humor and Bon Jovi awareness. After a long, long, long day just TWO (2) finalists were left. Those two were sent overseas to be personally interviewed by the members of BON JOVI! (And you thought your last job interview was nervewracking!)

In the end, there could only be one winner. The winner headed off on the road with the band in July to accompany them on their US run of dates through the Midwest. It wasn't unlike being hazed for a college fraternity! Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it.

COMMAND THE BAND debuts on VH-1 on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30th at 11:00PM (ET.) It repeats several times throughout the weekend:

Friday, October 31st at 11:00 AM (ET)

Sunday, November 2 at 1:00 AM (ET)

Monday, November 3 at 2:00 PM (ET)

Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 PM (ET)

Now, SOME people might already know the winner and we ask of you the following: DO NOT TELL ANYONE. Most of America will NOT know who the winner is until they actually watch the show so please try to respect this fact and not SPOIL it for other viewers. Furthermore, there are LOTS of people who were among the applicants, quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalits who have been asked not to say anything about the experience until the show airs. We ask that they continue to keep that code of silence until the show airs. Then, finally, you can tell your story! Also, the WINNER did keep a TOUR DIARY and had a TOUR SCRAPBOOK of photos taken while on the road. These are unbelievably cool and give a real behind-the-scenes look at the experience. The special is just 60 minutes long but the crews were following the winner and the band for days and days and days. Lots of footage will be on the cutting room floor but lots of info will be found in the Tour Diary.

What else can we tell you about COMMAND THE BAND?

Well, not much until you see it because we don't want to give away the details but, you'll learn even more by reading the winner's tour diary and viewing the pictures taken... and we'll try to get info to you after the show debuts (*hopefully, some outtakes of footage not seen in the show will turn up somewhere for you to enjoy and they're DAMN funny.) Jon, Richie, Dave and Tico had a great time with the winner - they didn't abuse him/her too much! - but the right person got the job because they got the job done, and it's a tough gig. So, get your VCRs ready...


Ryan