So when can we expect European dates for 2016?

The new U2 album, Songs of Experience will be released in early 2016, so Jon will have to compete with a strong rival for sales. His tour will also continue in 2016, with new and different stage for arenas... and in summer will return to the Stadium shows. I wonder how this will affect to the new album of Bon Jovi and his tour.

Aloha !

For those who're wishing for smaller shows in Europe; a smaller shows means a higher ticket price, because Jon's fee wil remain the same. It's why the shows at the O2 Arena were so expensive. He'll be able to get away with those prices in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the U.K., but that's it. People in other countries just won't spend 250E on a ticket for a Bon Jovi show, and arena's won't sell like they do in America.

They've saturated the Western European market, which is why they've started to play the markets in Eastern Europe. For every show they're not doing in Holland, Germany, Belgium there's one in Romania, Turkey, Bulgary... In the end Jon wants to make a certain amount of money on a tour, which can only be done by touring other places.

Matt isn't kept in the loop like he pretends to be, he only gets offered the detailed information once it's finalized. In between the process of the rumour of a certain show and the announcement fans often know more than he does. When he got active in the social circle back in 2010 fans would often come up with rumours and he'd claim they were ridiculous, and that certain shows weren't taking place. Once they were announced he pretended to know and acted like "he wasn't allowed to talk".

The last thing I heard is how the tour starts somewhere in February in America. The only reason he knows why people need to get back at him in a few months is because he's heard he needs to keep that time off to bodyguard Jon from the evil fans. He'll get the tourdates a few weeks before we do, but has no idea of what stadiums are booked all around the world, and chances are once people start asking him if a certain date is true all he'll say is "Wait and see..." because he just doesn't know. It's the same thing every tour.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Why so concerned about U2? As Jon said, the BJ has nothing left to prove.

It must be because they recorded a song called Beautiful Day. And Jon recorded a song called Beautiful Day and he's completely obsessed with it. It's a Rolo thing.... just go with it.

The business has changed so much lately. Generally speaking, Is it normal to announce tour dates before the album is out? Are they counting on name recognition to sell the initial batch of tickets and maybe let the new album promo cycle spark some interest before the shows take place? Doesn't seem like a bad idea, I'm just hoping they try something a bit different than just the usual late night early morning talk and variety shows.

It seems like artists have been announcing shows before new material is out and selling shows based on name recognition/reputation. Garth Brooks sold out an entire tour without a new album at all (just a hits compilation). I think a lot of the big touring artists in country release albums after their shows go on sale. I pay little attention to pop acts or their tours so I have little insight into how they do it.

They've done it here and there where the tour will be before the album and have some new songs to surprise people with (These Days comes to mind) But it was never as extreme as 2013 with almost half the new album months and months before it came out. I think even the band admitted it wasn't the best idea and they slowly got dropped.

Hahahaha
I should've picked that one up!

I think they will announce both an album release date and the first batch of tour dates at the same time, with the tour starting a few weeks after the album has come out. If they want to tour stadiums in Europe in 2016, that would be the only feasible option. I remember when they announced the HAND album for September 2005 and the tour started only a few weeks later, maybe in early-November, and they sold out a lot of shows before the album had even been released. Of course, Jovi used to have much more drawing power back then so I have no idea how well the new shows will sell.
P.S. As Seb mentioned in an earlier post, a European arena tour would result in higher ticket prices because Jon's fee would remain the same as it would be for a stadium show. I think the stadium fee per show should be higher than the fee for a North American arena show, right? If so, couldn't he just charge his arena fee in Europe, as well? That would mean less revenue per show and more shows to make the same amount of money but they don't mind doing some 50 arena shows in North America instead of 20 stadium shows nationwide. I see no reason why the same approach could not be applied to a European run.

Aloha !

Whatever Jon says, it's nonsense. Jon's interest in getting big hits only stopped once he stopped having them. The same goes for sold out shows everywhere. You honestly believe he suddenly doesn't care for it anymore? He's been dying for recognition as a serious act ever since he started and always, always needs to mention how he's had the number 1 tour. That doesn't change over night, and Rolo mentions U2 as they're the only real competion Jon's got next year. Who do you reckon people with money for 1 show will buy a ticket for, U2 or Bon Jovi?

Nope, they're roughly the same. Hence ticket prices for American arena shows being so high. The ticket prices for the O2 showed quite well how the American model won't work for Europe as people over here just don't spend that much money on shows like they do in America and Australia.

Tour details will be announced after the first single has hit the radio. They won't be released on the day the album comes out. Album releases mean nothing anymore, once a single is out the promo will start and it really only peaked during last few album releases with the first single. Releasing tourdates afterwards would be silly as the general public will have forgotten about it by then.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan