Bon Jovi and their setlists.

I’ve just read your comments folks and I have to say I agree with all of you and I haven’t much to add.
To answer Seb’s question I think is just laziness…except the songs with high notes there’s no good reason to not refresh the setlist.
IMO touring has become nothing more than a job to them...they got an oiled machine and that's all.
The last good set list was the 1996 one.
I hope I’m wrong but I think on the next tour we will hear the same old story plus 5/6 songs of the new record…as someone else has said, this time, for the first time in my life, I’m not sure I’ll go to a Bon Jovi show.
The only thing that can change my mind is the new album, which to me is their most important one for their career since Keep the faith.

.“How are you doin’ so far, OK?”….naaaahhhh

as becky said, chnaging a show isn't simply about changing the set. although rare songs here and there are cool, it's little flashes of inspiration which keeps the die-hard crowds alive. the main concert which highlights the greatness of this band for me is johannesburg 95. jon threw in random extra vocals, stories, dialogue etc, dave and tico played their socks off and (the highlight for me) richie changed almost every solo. even bad name was different. it's little things like this that make my ears prick up from whatever i happen to be doing when listening to the show. another example, although to a lesser extent, would be bed of roses from mk 2001. jon was doing his usual dance with a girl during the solo. she was too slow getting up there so jon made richie double the length of the solo. although he hit a bum note on the way back down a scale, it was different and raw and left me wondering why they didn't do things like this more often. i'm hoping the cheesy and, dare i say it (?), choreographed performances will leave the next tour and we can get a great show without all the predictability back.

Aloha !

That's what used to be so amazing about this band. Nowadays they're lacking enthusiasm. Even the songs that are played since they were released aren't as good as they used to be. Compare a Sleep from 96 to a Sleep from 2000. The one from 96 is much better, because the band most of the time plays it like it's their last time. They play to entertain, not to cash in.

True, however, sets developed. They became longer, songs were dropped, new songs were added. During the Bounce tour it started with 7 new songs from Bounce, and during the end of the tour it became 4, and the ones that were left off were replaced with songs they could play anyway. Also, during the These Days/Crossroad/KTF era's, it wasn't such a big problem because the band indeed put all their soul into the songs. Nowadays a show at times becomes boring because a SIIS, Misunderstood and/or Captain Crash "needs" to be played.

They bring something old back they can play anyway. They're lazy when it comes to rehearsing and just prefer to play songs that aren't too hard to do again. Believe, Blood and These Days should be the regulars, not songs like Misunderstood. There's nothing special about a BTBMB that hasn't been played since 93 and is now being played every tour.

McCartney last time rehearsed 2 weeks before going on tour, and played more than 10 songs he had not played on the last tour. Now that's putting effort in your setlists. Sure, he might not change it every night, but when you're hearing songs that have never been played before, or haven't been played live for more than 10 years ago, it doesn't matter; hearing them 3 times on the same tour makes it great, because you can be sure you will not be hearing them live again soon.

Exactly. Then it would become less predictable. Even if you know they're playing 3 acoustic songs in the middle of the set, it would be great, because they haven't done this in a while. The setlists in the USA and in Kiel were great. They were something completely different. If they would've taken the time to let such sets develope it could've been something really good.

Sure Andi. They're changing the setlists for the fans so they will not have the same night after night. When we were in Germany people were surprised we were able to tell the crowd which song would come up next. We even started singing most songs, and could tell what Jon was saying. Such things mean that a band has become predictable. Nothing more, nothing less. You are one of those persons that doesn't understand that a Bad Name can be dropped. Yes the crowd participation is great, but no one would miss it if it would be dropped for afew tours.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

But, in all honesty, what percentage of the crowd are the 'die-hards' and which are the casual fans? it the sad truth that the band do try to cater for the massess and have always been a commercialy orienated middle of the road rock band for everyone, thats just how they are nowadays moreso.
On the whole, it would be a VERY small portion of say a 40,000 crowd who actually follow the whole tour online and study the setlists from each night and collect bootlegs, probably well under the 1000 mark (at least in the U.S)
I personly would love them to completely re-vamp their sets, but it just aint gonna happen unless Jon has a revelation and realises hes and idiot overnight.
If you look over on the tour discussion forum i posted my ideal setlist last week ; http://drycounty.com/jovitalk/viewtopic.php?t=29655
which i kind of illustrates my chain of thought on the subject...

1.hey god
2.something for the pain.
3.this aint a love song
4.these days
5. lie to me
6.dammned
7.my guitar
8.its hard letting you go
9. hearts
10.something to believe in
11. if thats what it takes
12.diamond ring
13. all i want is everything
14.bitter wine

encore 1
Keep the faith/sympathy etc
Wanted
Dry county

encore 2
Its my life
Always
Prayer


im totally fine with it being dropped, id actually prefer it as you can see. But it just isnt going to happen unless the band change.


andi

That would be one shitty show. People would hang themselves by their belts during it and even the strongest ones would slit their wrists by Diamond Ring.

Ice

Yup - I know what you mean Ice - and I agree. I mentioned having one or two rarities per concert - not a whole damned album

Kathleen

I’ve read what everyone here has written and I agree that the core songs need to be changed. So I’ve had a little think about what an ultimate concert for me would be for me (including 5 new songs from the new album).


1. Have a nice day
2. Good Guys Don’t Always Wear While
3. Born to be my baby
4. Keep the Faith
5. New song
6. Hey God
7. New song
8. Non-core song
8. It's My Life
10. New song
11. Non-core song
12. Non-core song
13. New song
14. Non-core song
15. Non-core song
16. Someday I’ll be Saturday Night

Encore I

17. Something to believe in
18. These Days
19. Livin’ on a Prayer

Encore II
20. Wanted Dead Or Alive
21. The Distance

Non-core songs
Burning For Love
You Give Love A Bad Name
Raise Your Hands
I’d Die For You
Wild In The Streets
Lay Your Hands On Me
Living In Sin
Blood On Blood
Homebound Train
Wild Is The Wind
I Believe
In These Arms
Dry Country
Always
(It’s Hard) Letting You Go
Just Older
Everyday
Hook Me Up

What does everyone think?

Boogaboo

Personally I think they put some effort on evolving the live versions of a song. For instance ISWID was played in all possible ways. I think it's hard for them to re-invent those songs. Maybe they should drop some of the usual songs - I agree - but truth is they love playing ISWID it's a fun song. Bad Name was played over and over again but the crowd goes nuts when they play it - sure, they had better versions of it - and when I saw them in 2003 they enjoy both the song and the crowd reaction to it. As to the lack of enthusiasm, I felt they were doing it for fun - if they were doing it just to cash in they would never done the half-acoustic shows, or even the encores they did in Hyde Park. I agree the 1st North-American leg of the tour was too predictable and that they didn't even mind to change the set list. But as to the European leg I have to say that they varied on the tracks that were played - not as much I wanted, but they did vary.

Misunderstood and SIIS were played because the band released them as singles. Personally none of them are my fav songs, but SIIS was dropped as soon as the 2000 tour was over - it was played once in a while in 2001, and never played in 2003. Misunderstood is yet to be determined if it will be played again - personally I think it will not be played very often. But then again it was played in 2003 because it was one of the songs from the new album - and the band loved that song, that's why it was released as a single. Capt Crash was one of the survivors from the Crush tour because it brings a lot of interaction with the audience, as well as it is rather fun for the band to play. Maybe it was played too often in 2003, and should be dropped this time around.

The only tracks that could be replaced, honestly, are raise your hands, BTBMB, Everyday, Runaway and ISWID. I think songs like Prayer, Bad Name, Wanted, Medicine, Faith and IML will be missed if not played. I did miss Lay hands in the shows that that song wasn't played.

I'd love them to start playing I'd die for you or dry county regularly - they don't do it since 93 - just like BTBMB in 2000


I think all in all we agree, but i value some things you don't.
I'm sure they try to give their best when they are on tour - sure there are some shows that they are saving themselves , like in Manchester 2003 when they were saving energies to Hyde Park - but all in all they still can surprise us. A few examples: in Munich 2003 they played 3 tracks from These days in the same show. In Hyde Park they brought Ray Davis to jam with them. In Italy 2003 they opened the show with Rockin in the Free World....

Let's make them realise our wish to have more and more rare tracks played. Banners are great to get their atention - and sometimes they see them and play a certain song - David sung 1 verse from In these Arms, fever was played in some of the acoustic shows.


Let's be positive and think they will surprise us next tour

You cannot be serious?? I like TD as much as the next person but thats taking it a bit far.

I do think some changes need to be made to the set, like others have said its not just the songs. Its the predictablity of it all. Watching a BJ show now is like watching your favourite film which you know word for word.... I saw them on the These Days tour and one of Jons speachs before the intro to TD genuinly moved me, now it just feels like he's reading from a script and not a good one either.

For me there are 5 songs that must go in the setlist every night, Prayer, Bad Name, KTF, Wanted, Its my life. Not becos they are my favorites but for the casual fans. That leaves a hell of alot of room for other songs to be changed. Why SWID goes on the set every single night I have no idea. For instance I love hearing Raise your hands and BTBMB live but if they were dropped say, every other night of the tour, I wouldnt be too disapoointed if the set as a whole was a bit more surprising and we got a couple of rareities in there.

They will never have a better chance of changing this on the next tour, what with the new album and the boxset release. So we'll have to wait and see but im not holding my breath....