Why I am NOT done...

*Bon Jovi has provided the soundtrack to my life. I associate their songs with every major life event in some way or another.

*There are songs I love on every Bon Jovi album (yes, even The Circle. LOL)

*Bon Jovi is one of only two artists that consistently produce music that I love. They consistently make albums that I find more that I like about than I dislike.

*I have NEVER, EVER left a Bon Jovi concert disappointed. I have only ever left a Bon Jovi concert elated.

*Bon Jovi fans are entirely more annoying than any Bon Jovi member or ex-member so any annoyance I associate with the band is due more to their fans than to the band itself.

*The quality of their recent products have shown improvement, an upward swing if you will. The WORK book is fantastic, a artful and wonderful book and reasonably priced when you compare it to similar work by peers such as the Rolling Stones. Burning Bridges is an improvement over The Circle and What About Now. Things are looking better and better.

*With Richie gone, I think the songwriting will be fresh and renewed. If anything, his solo album and single Every Road... shows that he's as much of a hit chaser as Jon has ever been accused of being. I believe they both have been working under orders from the record company to find the next It's My Life or Who Says and that's what burned them out as a songwriting team. Those kind of songs can't be manufactured.

*With a new record company, Jon will have new energy, a renewed spirit, and something to prove. It will be like he's 18 again but with all the wisdom of his 50+ years. I think that can lead to some amazing songs.

*I, for one, am not interested in hearing SWW Part 12. So I don't care if the new record doesn't sound like Bad Name. I think that would sound dated and desperate anyway.

*I don't have the means, motive, or opportunity to go to 27 shows a tour so I don't think it's too soon for them to tour again. I'm not burned out on Bon Jovi concerts. If you are, you've done it to yourself-- no one is holding a gun to your head making you buy tickets. I look at like these guys are in their 50s and 60's--how many more touring years do they have left in them realistically, especially with Jon's legs being in the shape they're in? Also, I don't feel compelled to buy a VIP package or the most expensive ticket so I can be fine with a mid-range ticket and a decent view. I'm pretty much happy to get in the door.

*I respect Jon, Tico, and Dave all as people and as musicians and I respect that they've kept the band together.

*I still consider Jon one of the good guys even though I don't agree with everything he says or does. I don't expect him to be perfect.

*I have countless friendships that have started because of Bon Jovi and endured for years. They are the tie that has brought me together with so many people.

*I like Bon Jovi. They make me happy. If they didn't, I wouldn't spend time on this message board.

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention this: Major reason: Jon is simply my favorite singer and songwriter. That probably should have been #1.

I'm not done either. I don't have high expectations as I used to have. But I am still expecting to enjoy the music - which is always why I have been here to begin with.

I have see a LOT of Bon Jovi concerts and I also have never left one disappointed. Even the 2013 shows that were trashed here were not disappointing. I went to the Mohegan Sun "makeup show" expecting nothing and I got a great show.

Same here. I still have hope. And I will still go to the concerts anyway. I'm always looking for that one special song or note, which makes me happy.

This band has cost me a shitload of money over the years but it's still definately worth it. And I've met a lot of great people too.

Case in point... the two people who replied are two great people that I've met because of Bon Jovi. I was honestly afraid to meet Thierry, but he was really nice to me. We're two people who certainly never would have crossed paths if not for loving the same band.

At one point I swore off ever meeting anyone from online again because I had a VERY BAD experience with a Keith Urban fan, but I agreed to meet a Bon Jovi/Keith Urban fan from Mobile and she sort of restored my faith in humanity and we're still great friends and do so much together that has nothing to do with music.

My life would have taken a completely different trajectory without this band. I would have a different life altogether with different people in it.

A few years ago I think I would have agreed with almost all of your points.
I do not want Jon to be perfect but the things he did / the things his JBJ Soul Foundation did are against my moral code.
Bon Jovi were one of my most important bands within the last 15 years and they did give me great memories and I wish I were not as disappointed as I am right now.

You make so many great points but this one is my favourite. Great post Becky.

I'm not done either.

Great post Becky - totally agree with 98% of it.

Personally I'm not optimistic about the next record - I really do think it's going to be more of the same. But I'll still enjoy it a la The Circle, WAN and Burning Bridges even if I don't love it, rave about it, be inspired by it etc like I was with the pre-Crush Bon Jovi material.

I'd be very happy to be wrong though - maybe they will put something amazing out again. I certainly hope so!

nicely said!!!

if i can add sth, bj always thrived when everyone considered them done. always came back as an underdog. we cant expect this to keep happening for ever but maybe they still have a couple of rounds in them, who knows?

Like I said in one of the other threads, I see Bon Jovi the same way I do with Liverpool FC. When Liverpool have a bad game or even a bad season (like last and this season) do I stop supporting them? No chance. Why? Because I am a fan. It'd be an unbelievable feeling to see Liverpool win the league again. Something I have never seen before and after being so close a couple of seasons ago, it now feels a million miles away. That doesn't mean I will stop supporting them, though. They could get relegated and I would still support them.

Bon Jovi aren't the band they used to be as we all know but they still give me some of the greatest memories. 2013 tour was a pretty weak one, let's be honest, but I still had a great time at Manchester show. Couple of changes in the set list, better vocals than a lot of other shows on the tour I felt, bit of energy etc..

2008-2011 was probably my favourite time of being a fan. Don't get me wrong, I am not the biggest fan of LH (I know that was 2007) but the tour blew me away. I absolutely LOVED the PBP's on here. I also loved that Jon went out of his comfort zone with some songs. Although it was the first tour where I felt we seen the change of Jon as a front man with less movement (may have just been my opinion) I still absolutely loved it.

The 2010-11 tour was just as good. Lots of rare songs, the o2 PBP's were excellent because of the amount of songs they done & again, the whole band sounded great and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

It's been a pretty crap few years as a fan. 'What About Now' was a huge let down. I still say it but some of them songs had HUGE potential. I remember listening to it for the first time and I liked it. Moments like the outro in 'Pictures Of You', the whole of 'That's What The Water Made Me' and a couple of other bits really made me smile. Then I put it on again and I already started realizing just how weak the album was. That was the word I kept using to describe it. Weak. Had the potential but it was weak.

Then the tour. Shambles from the first show. Again, still some brilliant moments at times but a lot less than any other AND obviously, no Richie.

'Burning Bridges' is a really good album for what it is, in my opinion. Some brilliant song on it I think. I love the rasp in Jon's vocals in a lot of the songs and it has made me realize that somewhere in them is another great album. I know it.

I won't give up on the band. I think a lot of my change with the band is my age too. I was so young as a huge fan and things like vocals, lyrics etc... didn't bother me. It was only until maybe 2008 that I realized just how important things like that are. Just maturity I guess.

Bon Jovi have given me some of the best days and nights of my life. For 15 years out of my 22 years of living, I've been a fan. I listen to them every day still. Check up on the latest news every day. I even have my own Bon Jovi twitter page!!

I have made some incredible friends through this band too. Some who will be friends of mine forever.

Take each album and tour as it comes. It's hard but let's try and not compare them to the previous.

Or maybe we should call it why I'll NEVER be done?

Like Becky, Bon Jovi make me happy, simple as that. There's no better feeling than just sticking on a Jovi tune, whether it be Bad Medicine, Keep The Faith, Captain Crash, or That's What The Water Made Me, Teardrop To The Sea, and just, singing along and loving every second and every note. hat's good music is.

I still love the concerts - whilst my last gig was a little disappointing but only because they cut it short at the basic two hours, the one before it at Slane was 3 hours played every standard song I could have hoped for!

So many memories since I was 11 or 12 years old have been because of this band.

It's not just about the memories though there are loads of those - they still managed to give me my new favourite song in Teardrop. There's still great new songs to come from this band and I have the feeling the new album is going to give me more of those.