The Bon Jovi Setlist Paradox!

Like yomama said..

It's not always absurd. Nor is it always because one is going to multiple concerts on the same tour. It's perfectly valid to complain when they replace KTF with I Got The Girl! I Got The Girl is hardly a high ranking song from Crush...with die hards or the casual fan! It's a song that never should have made it past the Crush tour as far as live performances. Who's requesting it be played? Jon's daughter?? About the same ratio of people at the show would request that song be played over KTF....or other Crush songs such as One Wild Night and Next 100 Years.

Even a diehard fan can have the smarts to recognize that Bon Jovi is going to do a set list that will largely be recognizable to the casual fan....but it's not being done well because the lesser known songs they keep choosing are the ones that neither set of fans are going to give a rats ass about. They have a ways to go to maximize impact for both sets of fans.

They continue to play Sleep When I'm Dead...yet Blood On Blood is far more recognizable to casual fans and well loved by die hards. Still they only played it sporadically this tour. Just another example.

I may be tired of Bad Medicine and Shout....but I can't deny that the audience goes apesh** when they do it. So yeah....it's gonna be kept in the show....despite that it's been done for so long.

James...you put it perfectly. The band is now just a day job for all of them.

It's true... the majority of the people in any given audience DO NOT want to hear Dry County or Something to Believe In. They want to hear Living on a Prayer, Bad Medicine, and Always. The casual fan, which is the overwhelming majority of the audience, would probably be content with Cross Road live. I'm going to a show this summer with a girl who's never seen Bon Jovi before, she wanted to know if HE would play the songs she knows like Always and Prayer. People want what they know.

Becky

Becky

Becky - I'd be more than content if I got Crossroads live

that's what i know - that's what i want to hear

fire away

and D.B. I know you are exaggerating etc - but if the band ever had a major falling out, Jon would be the one who keeps his status etc not the rest... i'm sure that's in the backs of their minds regardless of how much credit they are given on and off stage

those people suck and should be banned from the shows.

YUP!!

And then the band would have to play an exclusive show for whom? The regulars at this site... plus the regulars at Backstage... It would be the most miserable collection of people lobbing insults and complaints and demands at the band! I'd rather pay good money and see some sort of caged match between the two. Now THAT would be entertainment! Pass the popcorn and the beer.

Mr Bliss i do agree with you for the first time ever

At the last show I went to they played These Days in the encore. I was happy about that but outside of the fanclub sections where I was, only like 5 people seemed to know what the hell was going on. Everyone not on the floor was sitting down and I saw several people leaving. It was pretty depressing. A setlist full of "rare" songs sounds good but if you were at a whole show where the crowd reacted the way they did during These Days (a song which isn't even THAT rare) believe me, it would suck.

I don't think they suck. In fact, they help prolonging BJ's career!

indeed