Very interesting question, Marc, and I'm amazed at the answer I'm going to give. If you'd asked me this question before the show, I'm absolutely positive that I'd have answered differently.

I'd take the show we got . . . no doubt about it.

I bet if the whole band had been there, we'd have gotten the usual songs with a few (or maybe even a handful) of gems thrown in. I really doubt that we'd have gotten the incredible trip down memory lane that was probably inspired by the Roots of Rock promotion. I thought it was a beautifully and very thoughtfully crafted setlist, and I have no complaints about the band. They were terrific. Kenny Aronoff and Everett Bradley were great fun to watch. Too bad they don't enjoy what they do! LOL And you just can't go wrong with a bunch of Jukes for the rest of the band. JBJ talks about Jovi being a "bar band" all the time. This time he was playing with a genuine bar band extraordinaire! Of course, the irony of this whole scenario is that I'm sure the "memory lane" show was much better received by the fan club than by the MC crowd! Whatever -- it worked for me.

There is one little change that I'd have made in the show, and it will sound like sacrilege. As far as I'm concerned Wanted needs Richie. There's just no way around it. So without Richie, I'd opt for no Wanted. I'm sure that's just me, though.