Official June 16, 2013 - UK - Newport -Isle Of Wight Thread

Am I blind or does it say that Phil was supposed to play the solo in In These Arms?

He played it?

In his defense, why would he know that? We've heard him say it a million times, a non fan journalist wouldn't know or car what chord Bad Name would start I don't think.

Especially considering live, it's a B.

This is the only video I managed to get from the show-85% of LOAP....

http://youtu.be/2gEcBSogw50

Definitely my last post! This is something my bro asked me to post here, so I'm obliging...

I've been a Bon Jovi fan since Slippery and have seen them live 20 times across 25 years.

My first ever gig was Tuesday 13th December 1988 at Wembley Arena in London, where as a 16 year old I was wowed by the band appearing on stage amidst a hail of fireworks and captivated as "Captain Kidd" flew out right over my head (pointing and nodding to me) on his way to perform Never Say Goodbye from a Podium in the middle of the arena. At the end of the set, everyone screaming and cheering a single spot lit up the stage and Richie Sambora walked out wearing a cowboy hat, full length leather jacket and toting a triple necked accoustic. He sat on a stool and improvised an intimate session, with just him and 30,000 awestruck fans (before being joined by the rest of the band for "Wanted"). That was the moment when I knew I had to learn to play the guitar.

Fast forward a few years and a few gigs and I was in the crowd at Milton Keynes in 1993. The Little Angels were one of the support acts and delivered a hell of a set, but it paled by comparison to Bon Jovi when they hit the stage later in the day and, once again, simply blew me away.

Now fast forward again, some 20 years and 20 gigs, to the Isle of Wight Festival 2013. Once again, The Little Angels and Bon Jovi were on the same bill, filling me with a warm nostalgia. The Little Angels came out and took the crowd by the scruff of the neck for their alloted 45 minutes, delivering a rock masterclass filled with swagger and attitude. It was their last ever gig and frontman Toby Jepson was on top form, hitting those same notes I remembered from 20 years ago, a permanent grin plastered across his face as he continually told the singing crowd "I f*cking love this sh*t".

As in 1993, later in the day Bon Jovi took to the stage...that is where the similarities, with that event 20 years earlier, end. Jon is no longer able to hit those old notes, so instead of many of the older, vastly superior, songs, we must live with the more recent and largely mediocre offerings. This is something I have lived with over the last decade or so because, hell, it's Bon Jovi after all. The only problem now is this is no longer the Bon Jovi that changed my life. Every nuance in every song is slightly off, be it through Jon's voice, Phil X or Bobby's guitars/backing vocals or a mixture of all these. The end result was that this sounded like a very good, very tight Bon Jovi tribute band...good but not quite right. I left before "Wanted".

Seeing Bon Jovi like that was like seeing a terminally ill loved one....they are sadly not as you remember and loved them and are declining before your eyes, while trying to pretend everything will be OK. Carrying on the simile, I cannot bring myself to see them like that again, but would rather remember them as they were, whole, vital and the best damn band on this planet.

Well said.

It's a shame most of these post 2000 fans haven't seen Bon Jovi at their peak. Now they'll take a half baked tribute act and rave about it. Ignorance is bliss for these people.

What about those of us (a minority I know) who like the band for their new stuff? I probably wouldn't go see a Bon Jovi show in the 80's simply because I don't like that kind of music as much as I like their post 2000 efforts. I don't mind their older music (most of the live set) but for me the new stuff are the gems.

This I agree with.

There was a period, during Lost Highway tour, the band seemed to be on track to living up to their name. The album wasn't great but they had explored something new and it sounded as though they'd loved the process. Therefore live they were trying new things again. They seemed to be having lots of fun. I think that was the biggest disappointment for me at IOW. It just didn't look like there was much enjoyment from the band.

Bon Jovi need a break from Bon Jovi, and so do we! In recent years we've had Bon Jovi overload. A break will do everyone some good. I know Jon has always said he will jack it in before they become a nostalgia act but we all know Jon will keep going until people stop paying to see him. For the benefit of Bon Jovi's longevity they need to have a rest!

You're an anomaly and therefore not worth considering in the bigger picture.