Very silly point within a Bon Jovi setlist

When you're charging what they're charging for tickets and with the concert industry the way it is now, they have to play what works live. The Circle songs need some tweaks for them to be powerful live, but even then the audience won't know the songs. They can piss of the diehards that make up 5% of the audience or piss off the other 95% which would effectively ruin their career. Bon Jovi is not a recording artist any more, they are a live band because that's what has kept them alive this long.

I would love to see them play more off the Circle. I want to see all of the songs played live at least once, if not on a regular basis. It just won't happen. However, only one setlist had 2 songs from the Circle. Generally, at least 4 are played (tracks 1-4), but a total of 6 have been played regularly (Follow, Beautiful, Working Man, Superman, Love's The Only Rule, and Happy Now).

We can debate around this subject till the cows come home:
The bottom line is that, whether I or anyone else like it, Lost Highway was a more successful album than The Circle. Does that mean it's a better album, of course not. The Circle is MILES above LH. (Though I think it's interesting that many people are saying "They have to play songs from the album they're promoting" would have jumped for joy had this amount of LH songs been dropped on that tour) But, in the band's/Jon's mind more sales = more successful = a happier majority of the audience, especially since many of them are more familiar with WLOL, WGIOGO, and LH from the LH tour.

As for The Circle songs live (of the one's I've actually seen) Love's The Only Rule is the best live song they've written in the last 15 years, WWBTF is hit or miss, and I think really dependent on the band's mood, Superman is good, not great, WFTWM is good, and I think the visuals really enhance it, and WWB is really powerful IMO, but I can see why it loses so much of the crowd.

They are playing the wrong songs, Superman is dull but I can understand it getting played. Working man and beautiful are just, IMO shite live(ESP the camp images on the screen for working man, just awful) Loves the only rule is great, why don't they play thorn in my side and BPland more. I also wanted to hea live before you die but that won't happen now

Just to defend my point a bit more, you really can't say this didn't work live:

Power of opinion I guess, I love the visuals for that song. One of the highlights to me.

I'm really tired of people saying the songs don't work live. First of all, it's a matter of taste; just because the dumbass ass fans don't swallow WWWB or TIMS doesn't mean they don't rock live; I happen to think they very much do. Ditto for LTOR- with the passion Jon puts in it live I think its hard to say otherwise. The crowds don't always swallow them; fine. They didn't swallow the LH stuff either (other than the god damn ass song), but they still played them. And still do! So I don't think the band's justified in doing it by sales. Yeah, LH sold better. I get that. That doesn't mean the songs go over well live. As a band, your job is to try and sell the songs. And Jon and Co. pretty much gave up on the Circle by January.

Secondly, the songs can be reworked to work better live. There is NO reason why Brokenpromiseland shouldn't kick ass live. If the translation from album to concert didn't work the first time (which it didn't), then find a way to make it work. Like they did with Keep The Faith, or Always, or SIBN, or the opening to Prayer. All it takes is some thought and effort and CARE for the songs. Which the band is clearly not demonstrating.

Wait till next year - they will all be dropped by them. To be honest from the Circle the only songs that work for me are: Thorn, Brokenpromiseland and Learn To Love.

How about switching round the Circle set, then? Rather than playing 'Something For The Pain'/'Someday I'll Be Saturday Night', try 'Learn To Love'. Also, don't play 'When We Were Beautiful/'Superman Tonight' back to back.

All it takes is some thought and effort to make this stuff work. 'Thorn In My Side'/'Bullet' are both fast paced, energetic songs. The crowd will be interested if they put their all into these two.

And also, by the end of this year and throughout next year, they will be including the new songs from the Greatest Hits (however many there will be). So there will be even less room for The Circle songs.

That would be good and fine but chances are if they gig a Greatest Hits tour, it would be just like any other tour. Same old same old setlist in America and diversified sets in Europe with maybe a few Circle Songs.

IS that really different from what they are doing now and have already done? Nope.

Really, this is an unjust over-simplification of a few large issues.

Agree. I was bored out of my mind everytime ST, WWWB and even WFTWM (I just watched the graphics but even that got broing). There are certainly as Carli mentioned songs that are better suited for a live setting that go over better and that being Love's The Only Rule and Thorn In My Side. WWBTF will be a given every night

No thanks. Give me SFTP and SIBSN anyday over any Circle song. They shouldn't be the songs that get "Replaced".