[Becky]

Here's a pre-show article from the Murfreesborough, TN Daily News Journal

Bon Jovi livin' on a wing and a prayer
By CINDY WATTS
cwatts@dnj.com


Bon Jovi is dead.

(Not really.)

But that's what some media outlets reported more than a week ago when the band's private jet skidded off the runway at Canada's Hamilton Airport.

The band took the stage to play the first of four shows at the Air Canada Center in Toronto that night.

"It'll take more than a plane crash to stop me," the "Livin' on a Prayer" singer was quoted as saying.

And not to miss a beat, the band plans to take the same Boeing 707 into Nashville Tuesday for a Valentine's Day show at Gaylord Entertainment Center.

David Bryan, keyboard player of the group, called The Daily News Journal recently to chat about the plane crash that sparked rumors of the band's death, the impending show in Nashville, and the music and fans that motivate the group to keep going.

"I'm just in the car on the way to the airport right now," says Bryan from his cell phone. "We're going to St. Paul, Minn., where it won't be warm, and then to Milwaukee and Canada. It's true (the plane did crash), but we did all right, so thank God. We're working and the plane is working, so everything is a go. We're hitting it hard every day."

Bon Jovi formed in New Jersey in 1983 on the strength of the single "Runaway." But the band didn't hit it big until 1986 with the multi-platinum success of the album "Slippery When Wet" and have managed to sell out arenas for the last 20 years. While many of the bands that were on the radio in Bon Jovi's early days have faded into nostalgia, the quartet has managed to hold its own in the changing music scene.

Bryan says that is no accident.

"I think it's really about staying current in the music and not just sticking to the way it worked and refusing to move away from that," he says. "We always stayed true to our roots and we didn't copy what the fads were. I think that's why we're current. We record songs and videos that are contemporary."

That said, the band has incorporated seven songs from its latest release, "Have a Nice Day," into its 2 1/2-hour show.

"For us, the tour is all about playing songs from the new record and supporting the new record, so we play just about every track," says Bryan. "We still play songs you know and love. It's going over great."

"Have a Nice Day" contains signature Bon Jovi feel-good themes, but also packs a few surprises, such as the band's first duet with a country band. Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland is featured on the track, "Who Says You Can't Go Home."

"An opportunity came up to do it and it was right before their record came out," recalls the keyboard player. "The song had a good vibe for country, and country now really borrows a lot from rock 'n' roll. And Jennifer can sing her butt off, so we tried it and it came out great. It was a whole bunch of fun."

So do band members plan to permanently trade their leather jackets for hats and spurs? Not anytime soon, but Bryan says Bon Jovi is dedicated to getting its music out to anyone willing to listen.

"With every new album we come out with, and with every new project, it's about trying to get as many eyeballs and ears as we can get," he explains. "We always like to think outside the box, and this was definitely outside the box. There's no substitute for being heard. There's no magic formula. You just write good songs and you get out there and play for people."

Bryan has been doing just that as the keyboard player in Bon Jovi for 16 1/2 years. He says he's lucky the band has enjoyed such success because a backup plan was never something he valued.

"I never really thought about the end game," he says. "I always thought about just doing it, and that blind faith helps. Well, I don't know if it helps, but it couldn't hurt."

However, when asked if Bryan had any ideas for what he would like to do next, he chuckles and gives a surprising reply.

"I would have Bill Gates' job," he says. "That would be my dream. I mean, he's a geek and everything, but he has a lot of cash. I don't know if you can get chicks looking like that, but I bet you can buy them."

Gates shouldn't be shaking in his pocket protector just yet. Bryan and the rest of the guys still have a tour to finish and the band shows no signs of slowing down. In its first week on the charts, Bon Jovi's tour is ranked at No. 4 behind The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2, with $1,512,524 in ticket sales.

"We're out there having a great time," says the keyboardist. "We're out there killing it every night. You'll see a bunch of guys that really enjoy being where we're at and one of the most successful tours out there. We don't take anything for granted."



Originally published February 9, 2006

http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbc...602090302/1024

[Miracle]

Originally Posted by Becky

Bryan has been doing just that as the keyboard player in Bon Jovi for 16 1/2 years. He says he's lucky the band has enjoyed such success because a backup plan was never something he valued.

Tsk, tsk...reporters should check their facts a little better LOL

Cool read! Thanks for posting, Becky

[SamboraQueen21]

Originally Posted by Becky

However, when asked if Bryan had any ideas for what he would like to do next, he chuckles and gives a surprising reply. "I would have Bill Gates' job," he says. "That would be my dream. I mean, he's a geek and everything, but he has a lot of cash. I don't know if you can get chicks looking like that, but I bet you can buy them."

LOL at this part.

Gates shouldn't be shaking in his pocket protector just yet. Bryan and the rest of the guys still have a tour to finish and the band shows no signs of slowing down. In its first week on the charts, Bon Jovi's tour is ranked at No. 4 behind The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2, with $1,512,524 in ticket sales.

That's awesome! I bet you it would be even higher than #4 but I know that Thr Rolling Stones, U2, and Paul McCartney tickets cost more than BJ's do.....

[bjcrazycpa]

Originally Posted by SamboraQueen21

That's awesome! I bet you it would be even higher than #4 but I know that Thr Rolling Stones, U2, and Paul McCartney tickets cost more than BJ's do.....

EXACTLY Lizz. #4 is not too shabby considering the price difference in tickets of those other acts.

deb

[Becky]

http://www.rctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../1005/MTCN0303

From The Tennesseean:

He's head over heels for Nashville

For songwriter and rocker Jon Bon Jovi, it was love at first listen in Music City

By BRAD SCHMITT
Staff Writer

Bon Jovi rolls into Gaylord Entertainment Center on Tuesday for its second Valentine's Day concert there, an appropriate holiday for the veteran New Jersey rock band because its lead singer loves Nashville.

Jon Bon Jovi has been in and out of Music City since 1990 when he was turned onto it by lesser-profile New York rocker Billy Falcon, who moved to Nashville around 16 years ago.

Since then, Bon Jovi and Falcon have regularly hit Nashville songwriters venues and late-night spots, soaking in the musical vibe, songwriter camaraderie — and a fair share of alcohol.

Bon Jovi can get drinks anywhere, but it's the other stuff that keeps him coming back.

''When I go to Nashville, every kid that pumps gas is a songwriter,'' he said in a recent phone interview.

''And if you're in Hollywood, it's perhaps that they want to be actors or whatever. But this is a town that's built around the process of record making and songwriting. You can't say that about New York or L.A. or Chicago or anywhere else.

''And so that drew me to it. I enjoyed going out and hearing the simplicity of strumming a guitar and telling people a story with your words.''

That journey started with a visit to Falcon, who bought a house in Bellevue after himself being lured to Nashville by the songwriting community.

''The World According to Billy. I would come down as just a houseguest,'' Bon Jovi said. ''He would take me out to all these great bars and see all these incredible songwriters.''

Those early trips took them to Douglas Corner, Bluebird Cafe, Exit/In and other performance venues, but they always ended up at Nashville late-night Music Row hang Third Coast Cafe, a popular live music joint that attracted musicians from inside and outside Nashville. (The now-closed spot was in the Vanderbilt area around where The Bound'ry is now.)

''I remember sitting in the Third Coast and looking at their menu of food and drinks and thinking to myself that I had broken huge ground here. I was going to take the intimate storytelling of country music and integrate it with the bombast of rock 'n' roll,'' Bon Jovi said.

''And I flipped over the menu and I saw the list of the other 99 people who had the same idea before me. I couldn't believe everyone from Petty to Springsteen to Dylan to Madonna had already been there. And I thought, well, I'm not the first, but I won't be the last.''

Bon Jovi and Falcon continued walking into the back of songwriters' shows and listening quietly, but the pull of the songwriters' circles eventually became too much for Bon Jovi, who co-wrote mega-hits Livin' on a Prayer, It's My Life, You Give Love a Bad Name and dozens of others.

Bon Jovi started playing new songs at Douglas Corner and other venues.

''When people are showing off their new baby, you got one, too. You're dying to test it in front of an audience and have that interaction with the acoustic songwriters in the circle. It's definitely a classic case of, you show me yours, I'll show you mine.''

That wasn't the only Nashville songwriting routine Bon Jovi jumped into: He and Bon Jovi guitarist/songwriter Richie Sambora soon began setting up co-writing appointments with Nashville songwriters they hadn't met before.

''Ultimately, I've never used any of those songs and I don't think we've even got any of them covered. What I loved was the collaboration, the simple idea that you go in there, you've got an idea, you knock it around and it gets your juices flowing,'' Bon Jovi said.

''I enjoyed all the different times with different people. Some clicked better than others, but that's the way it is when you write a song by yourself, too. But ultimately I've used it as an opportunity to get the juices flowing.''

Overall, Bon Jovi likes Nashville for the songwriting immersion.

''It's just like cramming music, which is so great. No other distractions, no family, no other work-related things, no house, no nothing. It's just a guy with a notebook hanging out with my pals.''



Jon Bon Jovi says it's hard to write songs when he's on the road, as shown here during a stop in Charlotte, N.C., on Bon Jovi's current Have a Nice Day tour. ''I just don't have the focus. So all writing stops. And you need something to kick-start it,'' he said. ''Nashville made sense on several occasions.'' (AP)



Sugarland lead singer Jennifer Nettles joins Jon Bon Jovi on stage at a recent Bon Jovi show in Nettles' hometown of Atlanta. Nettles and Bon Jovi paired for the duet Who Says You Can't Go Home. Bon Jovi says it's a song he knew right away was a duet, and he knew Nettles was a good partner when he heard her sing. ''It was more of a risk for me taking on a brand new talent. But sometimes it's just so obvious when you hear a voice and see a smile . . .,'' he said.

[Becky]

All he needed was a friend to show him around town

By BRAD SCHMITT
Staff Writer

So who is this mystery Nashville rocker Billy Falcon who drew Bon Jovi to Music City for regular visits?

Falcon was a talented under-the-radar New York singer-songwriter in the 1980s, but the unexpected death of his wife put Falcon into a dark place that had him unexcited about music and focused solely on raising the couple's young daughter, Rose.

Two things happened to lift Falcon out of the darkness.

A friend in Nashville encouraged Falcon to visit here for a summer, and Falcon threw himself into a welcoming songwriting community. At the same time, Bon Jovi, a longtime fan, reached out to Falcon through mutual acquaintances.

Soon, Bon Jovi was co-producing Falcon's new albums, including Pretty Blue World, which generated the 1991 hit Power Windows. And soon, Falcon moved to a house in Bellevue.

''It felt like I was breathing for the first time in six years,'' he said.

Bon Jovi asked Falcon only one favor in exchange for producing Falcon's albums: show him around Nashville.

''He really liked what I did. And he wanted to know why I went to Nashville,'' Falcon said.

''The first night we burned a hole in the ground. We went to Jack's Guitar Bar, we went to Tootsie's, and he wound up playing at the Third Coast, a writer's night.'' (Laughs) ''There were actually TV news trucks. It was hilarious. We were very popular that week.''

[Becky]

Bon Jovi rocks Nashville

A look at some Nashville Bon Jovi highlights over the past several years:

DECEMBER 1996

Bon Jovi records at Reba McEntire's Starstruck Studio on Music Row, the second time in two years the band has recorded in Nashville.

AUGUST 6, 1997

Jon Bon Jovi plays a private daytime show at the opening of the then-new Graham Central Station club on Second Avenue North. Jo Dee Messina is among fans who show. Radio personality and show host Mary Glen Lassiter tells the crowd Bon Jovi has "the best-filled pair of jeans in the world."

MARCH 1998

Jon Bon Jovi walks into a showcase at 12th & Porter for country duo The Warren Brothers, but by the time Brett Warren calls him to the stage to sing a song, the New Jersey rocker has already left with Nashville pal/rocker Billy Falcon.

MARCH 1998

A few days later, Jon Bon Jovi shows up unannounced to a songwriters' night at Douglas Corner, sitting at the bar near the restrooms — and suddenly there is a long line of lady patrons waiting to use the bathroom. Bon Jovi accepts an invitation to sing, drawing a standing ovation for his acoustic performances of Living on a Prayer and Wanted: Dead or Alive. "I just want to thank everybody for rejuvenating an old soul," he tells the crowd.

MAY 1998

After hearing Nashville comedian Beth Donahue was dying to meet him, Jon Bon Jovi stops by to surprise Donahue at her job at Zanies comedy club.

"Oh my God," Beth tells Jon, "I knew I should've brushed my teeth today."

OCTOBER 2001

Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, in town for several days, collaborate separately with Nashville songwriters Jeffrey Steele and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

Steele said he unexpectedly had friends drop by the day he wrote with the rockers.

"Suddenly everybody wanted to hook up with me," he said afterward. "Well, all the females."

Johnson said her nervousness quickly went away.

"Once I got in the room with them to write, in a matter of moments, it was like I was with friends. We were all singing and jamming with our guitars," she said.

"The harmonies were very cool. A definite 'once in a lifetime' moment."

APRIL 14, 2002

Bon Jovi joins Dave Matthews, Brian McKnight, Norah Jones, Aaron Neville, Lee Ann Womack, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and others for a Willie Nelson tribute at the Ryman.

FEBRUARY 14, 2003

Dozens of Nashville's top songwriters gather at Merchant's to meet Bon Jovi after the rockers play Gaylord Entertainment Center.

[Miracle]

Originally Posted by Becky

DECEMBER 1996

Bon Jovi records at Reba McEntire's Starstruck Studio on Music Row, the second time in two years the band has recorded in Nashville.

Whoa! I didn't know that! Reba's my favourite artist next to Bon Jovi

[RockMusic]

My girlfriend and I are flying in for this Valentine's evening gig and it is already totally sold out. She can't wait and I figure Bon Jovi will pull the stops out to impress the Nashville music biz people that will be in attendance. See what happens next Tuesday night.

Originally Posted by RockMusic

My girlfriend and I are flying in for this Valentine's evening gig and it is already totally sold out. She can't wait and I figure Bon Jovi will pull the stops out to impress the Nashville music biz people that will be in attendance. See what happens next Tuesday night.

your expectations are already too high