What will Richie sing during the GH Tour ?

I recall that .. Jon playing the end of IBTFY , he does that to be able to CATCH the attention back and take the control again ....
this happened several times (but to me the most impressive one was in Mannheim 2003) ... those chants when Richie does IBTFY show that Europe and more specifically Germany (compared to UK for example) are very much open to the whole band thing versus the <Jon and his musicians> system that is much more common in north america ... You can hear eventually Dave sing a verse of ITA over here in europe more than in north america I think.
I have seen the crowd going nuts for Richie often in europe while I feel like he gets a polite attention during his one song in the few shows I have seen in the usa for example (well potty break is impossible technically as we don't have a seat allocated to each of us in europe , but I honestly think the concept of leaving the place to do some other business doesn't exist much here ... I may be wrong it's open to discussion but I think we don't do that at all here we stay focused on the concert happening on stage for the whole duration of the show )
If IBTFY is a big hit it is definitely not usual to have it performed by Richie... That way to accept uncommun situation toward a big hit (not performed the usual way by switching the singer) is more well accepted in europe and even it's even seen as a treat .... (an audience wanting the big hits only will be more tempted to react bad saying .. WTH is that version ? bring back Jon !!)

In the US I have seen both reactions, at times I felt angry and sorry for Richie that giving it all, was mostly "rewarded" with people leaving for more drinks, or during the HAND tour rushing to catch Jon in his way to the platform, and lately during the Circle, same thing when Jon was supposed to go to the circle, Richie became invisible.

BUT, I also have seen crowds going totally nuts for Richie, to the point that Jon didn't look very pleased having to wait to start. I specially noticed the very special welcome, after his divorce and the problems he had for some time, very touching moments.

Whatever Richie sings I will welcome with open arms.

Of course it happens too in the us to have a great response to Richie ..I think like Philly after his came back from rehab was impressive ... Richie has huge fans in the usa too of course but it's less often that the whole attendance of a venue shows him the attention and the respect he deserves ...I truly believe it is a whole different band in the usa.At home BON JOVI is really about JBJ 's musicians.If you have the biggest huge Richie partial fans in the usa too the percentage of casual fans thinking BON JOVI is not just about Jon is lower.
I love any performance by Richie But I think LYHOM is flat and a bad choice.

Unfortunately seems to be true that you get what you deserve, and the Bon Jovi overseas is a different one from the one at home. The "die hards" make the show, with their participation, begging for certain songs and in general the whole crowd supports THE BAND.
In US, many die hards (not all), seem to be there just for Jon, and not for his music, but to get the smile, get to touch him, get the perfect pictures, etc.. if we consider the FC a representation of the so called die hard fans, their reviews of the shows seemed to focus on whether or not they were be able to touch Jon or get a smile, etc.. correct me if I am wrong, because I got this from friends that used to be members.

I am not trying to offend anybody, I am just generalizing, so if you don't fit the category then no problem, right?

For the record and I can speak personally of this, there was more of a potty break/exit for your boy Jon signing (You Want to) Make A Memory at Giants than there was for Richie doing Lay Your Hands On Me. In fact, I thought it was a perfect time to relieve myself.

All hail Jesus Jon.

http://www.drycounty.com/jovitalk/sh...90&postcount=1

13 July 2008
Richie Sambora Scores In Central Park

By Roger Friedman

It’s not taking away anything from Jon Bon Jovi’s amazing performance in Central Park last night to say that Richie Sambora almost stole the whole show with one song.The occasion of course was Bon Jovi’s ebullient free concert in the park put together by Randy Phillips and AEG Live, and sponsored by a bunch of people like Bank of America. (They had huge white balloons with their logo emblazoned on them bouncing around.)

My old pal Mark Shimmel from Arista Records was there as part of the team to film the show for TNT.

There weren’t many celebs in the crowd as most were spending another summer Saturday in the Hamptons or Europe. But director Penny Marshall was rocking out (and crabbing too, ‘natch), and designer Kenneth Cole was spotted in the crowd.

And the crowd could not have loved the show more, except for Jon Bon Jovi. The movie star good looking rocker had a gigantic smile plastered across his face for the full two hours of his unyieldingly athletic, knockout show. If you want to lose weight, just reproduce Bon Jovi’s work out from one of his shows. He must lose ten pounds a night!

He also sings and sings and sings. Bon Jovi’s songs may not be particularly topical—they’re love songs—but they are wordy, old fashioned constructed numbers with real choruses and verses. And he sings almost all of it—from the declarations of “It’s My Life” to the cha cha of “Keep the Faith.” And in between he throws in snippets of “Shout” and “Twist and Shout.”

But then there’s Richie, sporting a fedora, looking and sounding healthier than ever. And maybe it will come out in the filmed version of the show, but his lead vocal on “I’ll Be There for You” (not the Friends theme!), was the surprise highlight of the night. Richie has a beautiful rich R&B-like voice, very different from Bon Jovi’s. When it’s showcased, the fans go wild. And that was the case last night.

One interesting thing about Jon Bon Jovi: his songs and his performance just keep getting better with every year. You can’t say that about most rockers. But songs like “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” “Keep the Faith,” and “Have a Nice Day” are two decades older than his original material and better built to last.

Bon Jovi is a scrapper, too. Cast a little in Bruce Springsteen’s long shadow, he’s like the New Jersey Tony Bennett to the Boss’s Frank Sinatra. Unlike Bennett, though, Bon Jovi hasn’t had to wait — thank goodness — until his predecessor kicks the bucket to reap his deserved rewards.

Source: FOX News
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Okay, so one reviewer listed Richie's song as a highlight. That's still hardly a general consensus among fans and reviewers alike that his songs are THE highlight of the shows from the Bounce and Circle tours which is what the statement I was arguing against said. It's still a reach to say that his songs are THE highlight of the show because to most people, they're not. Most people don't go to a Bon Jovi show to hear Richie singing anymore than they'd go to an Aerosmith show to hear Joe singing.

Aloha !

On the Bounce tour it most certainly wasn't Jon who was giving the highlight of the night as that guy couldn't sing for shit anymore. You'll have to realize that in Europe people go see Bon Jovi, not Jon Bon Jovi like in America. And when the guitarist of that band delivers a band classic like the lead singer just simply can't anymore that is considered a highlight, especially when Jon comes back and on the crowd doesn't start to cheer but just keeps on singing along to Richie's rendition.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Right on!

I have never moved when Richie sang, I got some great shots at times, because he realized I was one of the few people there that didn't have their backs turned, or went flying over chairs to get closer to Jonny boy path.

Since my... yes I think 6 or 7 time, WSYCGH has been my potty break. So long Jon and your great alright song.

In general I think it's totally rude to ignore Richie (or trash his performance), because he is singing instead of Jon, but of course... I am one of those that love Bon Jovi the band.

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest over who's better Richie or Jon. I prefer Jon singing IBTFU because of what it meant to me as a 13 year old when Jersey came out. Yes I am showing my age. I was blown away by Richie signing it but my preference is still Jon. If Richie reclaimed the song then I am okay with that. I go see them because of Bon Jovi, I get bothered by the people who only compliment Jon for what he's wearing or how sexy he is. The music becomes before the man.Yes a highlight for me was Jon grabbing my hand but that has been a dream for over 22 years. I am entitled to feel good about it. In fact at one show Richie and I had eye contact thorough the show being I was on his side. I don't discount the man and I never have taken a potty break when he or Jon sing. I will just show my displeasure when they play a song like Crash or I Love This Town.

I just had to give my opinion.