I think it is an interesting point about the effect listening to and watching bootlegs can have on your experience. I think that is right... but if I had only ever watched Live in London, Zurich and One Last Wild Night then I would still be well aware of how most of the songs are played. I am not sure the songs have changed that much at all. Maybe one or two. But, yes, obsessively listening to bootlegs might affect how you feel about the shows, although I think the feeling that came over me at Hyde Park was really me comparing it to previous shows I had been at. It made me quite sad and I really didn't want to pay £75 for a Wembley ticket just to experience the same stuff (albeit the ocassion will be massive).

It's also interesting that a couple of people have commented how much their friends enjoyed the show. That's good, and very enjoyable seeing that in itself, but it is also a bit sad that a newbie has a better time than a long-term fan. I think there are genuinely ways to accommodate both in terms of rotation etc. Going back to the Springsteen example, I just checked and he did 138 songs across 71 shows in 2005, with 30 of them only being played once. Obviously Springsteen and Bon Jovi are different artists, at different stages in their careers, with different back catalogues but it does show what can be achieved with a bit of hard work. And Pearl Jam have been known to completely change a setlist from one night to the next. Completely change it with no repeats whatsoever. Can you imagine Bon Jovi doing that?! They seem to follow the lead taken by the more Rolling Stones with minimal changes and more emphasis on the stageshow. The Stones are very successful of course and are attracting huge audiences but they are 60+ years old so it is a little more understandable. Nothing wrong with that if you tour rarely but Bon Jovi have done 4 tours in 6 years! I appreciate Bon Jovi are not meant to be the most demanding rock band or be trailblazers but I do think they could offer more artistically and shouldn't be relying on gimmicks like walking through the crowd to mix things up.

As for the point about LOAP, I think that is very revealing. I would not suggest they don't play it or shouldn't play it but Jon's comments reflect, perhaps, a certain boredom and that there is a feeling there are songs they HAVE to play. I was listening to Farenheit last week and thought how great it would be to be at a concert when "Only Lonely", "Silent Night" or "The Hardest Part Is The Night" were played. Just one of them amongst all the other usual stuff. We'd be talking about if for weeks!

And, yes, definitely possible to outgrow bands. I think that is what might have happened here to be honest and I find myself listening to artists who have more to say and have shown a "progression" in the material. I guess that progression helps sustain a fanbase over a long time. Always be room for Bon Jovi on my Ipod but I just don't get much of a kick out of the live shows anymore