The reason of all the Lost Highway songs...?

However, you're assuming the audience would be trained to appreciate that. The majority of Bon Jovi's casual audience (especially in the US) don't see Bon Jovi for 10 minute long epic rock songs. They see them for rock that veers to the poppier side. Now, I couldn't care less what they want. But the band could play Dry County 3 times a night, it's not gonna convert people who want to hear stuff like WGIGO.

As for LH songs being around, Seb hit every nail pretty much on the head. They're easy on Jon's vocals, they're from the last "hit record", and they have that poppier sound. Two LH songs on most nights would be okay with me, those being LH and WGIGO. Both go over really well live. MaM can be shifted in and out of the ballad rotation, and I don't mind WLOL every once in a while. I wish ILTT could be eradicated from the setlists, but that will never happen cause I honestly think Jon sees it as a "thank you" to cities he likes.

For me its clear that JBJ hates the first two records and the image of the band that went with it.
He is proud of the next two albums as they made the band but he still hates the image of the band around that time.
He like KTF as it was the come back album and even the band didnt expect to do so well (after a slow start) and after the temp split.
But after KTF is when JBJ saw BJ as a business and not a band anymore.
It seems as if he loves the image of BJ since Crush and will do everything to keep that image of the band in peoples minds and try and make people forget the 80s.
So now he writes songs that are easy on the vocals and songs that fit in with his image of BJ.
I hope and pray for an album with the energy and musical vibe of the first 4 albums but it will never happen. BJ have changed and imo not for the better.
Its no coincedence that (in the UK) the earlier songs go down far better than the later ones live. People (in UK) love early Jovi but unluckily for them JBJ dont seem to.

This is where many, if not most bands part ways; and I want to see what you folks think about my opinion here...

Comparing the two obvious choices, Jovi and Bruce.. Springsteen's live performances are noticeably different than his album songs, more the earlier tracks than the later ones (due to Bruce being around for so long and such; the technology wasn't as advanced back 20+ years ago.) Bruce's material adds uniqueness in a live environment to songs fans know all too well because they are exclusive to the fact that you can tell major differences between many of his songs (live) versus the album versions; more uptempo (as many live songs should be), etc.

Jovi on the hand, while there is some uniqueness, is in no way, shape, or form even in the same boat as Springsteen in terms of being innovative on the stage. Too many of Jovi's songs are performed the same exact way live as they are on the albums.

First example - Bruce's "Youngstown.." The difference between the album version and the live one is off the charts. I'll take the live version any day because it is so much more upbeat than the album one. Question: Those of you that are Bruce fans; would you accept "Album" "Youngstown" live? Or is it too mellow?

Second example - Bruce's "Lost in the Flood.." Again, the upbeat/uptempo version live is simply breath-taking. It will give you chills! The innovativeness that makes the song that much better live; not saying it isn't good off of the album though.

I can go on.. Third example - Bruce's "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.." A song beloved by any Bruce fan; the differences live versus off of the album give the innovativeness award for single songs to Bruce, and I am not only talking about adding some drum beats in the background, but the construction of the performances of the song during his live shows.

Jovi's album songs sound the same live; with some innovativeness added in there every now and then, but he is also very predictable. Predictable in the sense that he says the same things over and over and over again.. There's no improvisation what-so-ever. That also plays a factor in people's opinions.. Those that attend multiple shows hear the same exact thing.

Bruce on the other hand improvs quite well live. Nothing is set in stone with him; yet even to this day! As I am a member over on Backstreets.. People find the ways to b*tch about the sets and such for Bruce.. BRUCE!! And in my opinion, the differences between the two are not even close in terms of live energy.

I am a huge Jovi fan.. But I am also a huge Bruce fan.. And trying not to let my biasness show.. I think the post explains one of many points in terms of the innovativeness of a live show and how different a show can be if a song (that may "not" work live can work live.)

Thanks,

- JJ

Yeah, I didnt really word that well originally. It's more that the fans were already against the song because of the message and the ticket prices and all that jazz. Musically, it works. I like the song, it sounded good and I was very much into it the first time it played, although I had tiring of the silly "walking like they had shit themselves" choreography by the next few times!



Well we differ in that I believe it works- at least it did in The O2 on the times I saw it anyway and I didnt particularily like the song before I heard it live. As an improvement, a slow song like that could work better on the Circle and with a bit more sha-la-la interaction- which again could come with more familiarity like all the hand waving nonsense with Crash has evolved over time.


True, Jon does just go through the motions to get it out of the way, the song could and should be an energetic starter but it hasn’t translated that way with how they have played it to date. Listening to the studio version, you would think its a shoe-in of an opener in the vain of Bounce, but it hasn’t worked. It would be nice to see Jon ditch the guitar and put a bit more oomph into it to see if that would liven it up, otherwise it should be for the scrap heap.


In this case, yes. Change the arrangement to try and fix the fact that it isn’t working. If only they would try this rather than either dumping a song with potential, like Brokenpromiseland, or staying with something that isn’t working, like WWBTF in its current state.


Probably the fact that the casual fans aren’t giving the new stuff a chance, thanks to radio and television not bothered with any of it and down to the record company too. As they have decided Bon Jovi is a nostalgia band, the concert-goers are not picking up the new stuff. If I’m going to see a band I’m a casual fan of, I would get their greatest hits and the current album so I’m up to speed for the concert. If they can’t be bothered to do that then tough shit on them really. The fact some of the songs aren’t as good a reaction as they should is not always down to the bands- I mean Dry County or Richie singing often gets a whole load of blank looks and silence and there’s definitely nothing wrong with them!

No, with WGIGO I can see at least a reason for keeping it in as its visually pleasing and gives the people in the behind-stage seats a moment. That’s not to say it couldn’t be done with any other song (Bounce, OWN could easily fit) but if Jon uses that song for that reason then I’ll let it fly. Keeping WLOL in doesn’t serve those purposes.

Lost Highway has us all debating more than TLFR ever did!

LOL I never heard that description before ...It's perfect .....

I don't think Jon "hates" anything except 7800. I do think however, he feels disconnected from some older stuff. Jon isn't in to nostalgia, he wil trip down that road for the songs he thinks are classic and timeless, but for the rest he's more into what is closer to the here and now. Vocally he's better in the last two tours than he was the whole decade, but his voice is different now and he writes for that, but then don't most artists?? LH was successful here and in Canada, people in general, ie casual fans like those songs, and for the most part i think Jon feels he is up there to please the audience in front of him, and if playing LH, WLOL,Memory and WGIGO do it, then thats what he's going to play.

The sound of the first four albums was great for when it was, but I have to say it would feel a bit silly to me to hear that sound coming from the band as a new record today. They aren't those twenty something kids with that view of the world anymore, the world is a very different place than it was then, and a ton of bands that thought they could keep that sound are playing nowhere at all or in a very different market than BJ is now.

Not disagreeing that Bruce takes more artistic license live with his music than BJ, but Bruce and E street have always kind of been that way, a semi jam band live. Bruce doesn't take it as far out there as say Dave Mathews, Ive been at DM shows where the jam part went so far fro the song they started with that I forgot the song before they got back to it.
Jon , I think got the message from fans loud and clear with TFLR, which I like by the way,because it was different, DON"T MESS WITH OUR SONGS!!!! Jovi gets crucified if BM. LOAP< BOR< ALWAYS< aren't exactly like people remember them. I think Jon plays it "safe" most of the time, because well the fans have let him know that not doing so isn't a good thing overall. Doing a one off like in Toronto with Superman, goes over great but BJ fans in general want their songs the way they are. Could Jon say **** it and do it anyway??? Sure and I think the one offs like Superman in Toronto, Santa Fe at the O2, MGLB at the O2 , TTP in Toronto and Chicago are him doing that, but night in night out he knows most fans want it the way it's always been so he gives it to them.

Great points. And DMB shows are truly amazing, so I have heard. I have never been to one, but know a lot of people that have told me how great they are.

I have been to a bunch of shows however, so based on the shows I have seen, nothing has come close to the "innovation factor" that Bruce provides at each show. Let's also not forget that Bruce doesn't focus on any one set-list. Nobody can disagree that. Every set is incredibly different from one night to another..

Anyhow, let's not steer too far away from the original topic, as I was beginning to "write a story," lol.

I think what it comes down to is focusing on the different styles between both bands. Jovi and Bruce are two totally different artists in the sense of musical style. Many of Bruce's songs on his albums are more mellow; slower; but have such great lyrical value. His live performances of the songs then go over very well because of the added innovative differences of "said" songs.

Jovi's songs on the albums; many of them are "live-ready" or ready to be performed as they were on the album because there aren't many songs like Bruce's "Youngstown," or "Lost in the Flood" on a Jovi album. This is obviously in-part due to the two being completely different.

I am just throwing out some possible points that can add to the discussion. It is very intriguing to learn of what others think of Jon's innovativeness, or lack thereof on stage as compared to other bands.

How about this one? What songs, off of a Jovi album, can be changed similar to a Bruce song off of an album at a live show?

- JJ

I also laughed like crazy when I read that part and thought I couldn't have described it more perfectly if I tried....lol (it's very much like a "toddler with a full diaper" look)

honest I never heard about it before but it is so the most perfect image ...full diaper .. ROTFLMAO