Where is the real Bon jovi?

Made me laugh. A lot.

Thanks.

Any man that names himself after a dog biscuit cannot take himself seriously

Any band that names his band off of something that sounds like French candy can't be taken seriously either.

I think the downward spiral started with Crush.
For me it's patchy and from then on all albums have beenn more filler than killer.
But that said I like what I've heard (not a lot really) from WAN so I may be liking this one best since KTF - you never know!!

The real Bon Jovi is in Columbus, Ohio tonight.

It's incredible, I've only started following this band since HAND and I feel the quality of music has improved with each post-2000 record and that the band is going from strength to strength.

I really hope they blow my mind, because they put me and my friends to sleep twice on the 360 tour.

I agree with you 100% that the songs are suffering because of Jon’s vocal range. Those days of Bed Of Roses and Always are completely over. That's why I'd love a Box Set 2 due to the high hopes of getting just one more of those gems somewhere. Even if the song isn't all that great.

Thank You For Loving Me was the last real attempt. I think this song would have been a sure fire hit if it was sung 5 years prior. Jon's voice killed it though. I knew it was over in '98 when I heard the remake duet of Bang A Drum. That 20 year old voice was over.

As time goes on, Jon is continuing to rediscovering his voice. In the past his voice could carry any song to greatness. Now he needs to rely on the songs to carry his voice. That's why there were no bad songs until Crush.

Talking strictly this current album, his post 2k voice is actually pretty good and I'm satisfied with the album. Note: Imo this album is an 80% Jon solo album.

Anyway, here is where I have a problem with this board right now. Half the board is split between the people liking the album trying to convince the people who hate it, to like it and vice versa....

I think too many people are living in the past and looking at the glass half empty.

In the history of the music industry there probably isn't one artist that has managed to have the same continued greatness 30 years into their career as they did in their prime. There aren't many bands that even make it to 30 years.

Jon has a 50 year old man’s voice now and from what I've been hearing, he is really coming into fruition with it.

Music is entertainment and entertainment is fun. I don't live to analyze these stupid YouTube videos. All I care about is having fun at the shows that I'm going to. If Jon misses some notes here and there, it's not the end of the world for me.

Taking everything into account, I'm really satisfied with this new album. I'm reading a lot of other opinions on different boards / YouTube and it's generally getting positive responses. It probably won't stand the test of time but I plan on walking away with 2 or 3 favorites.

If I had a choice, A. saying goodbye to Jon after '00 or B. grabbing a few favorites from each album since and put together my own 20 song kick ass compilation, I'd take option B

Concerts:
In NJ we get a lot of casual fans at the shows... It's the place to be. They don't overanalyze it like we do. A lot of the negative stuff we discuss goes over their head. When Jon hits that stage and the place explodes while he kicks off that first hit, I just take a step back to observe it all. I take the die-hard out in me, take a look around at 50 thousand people going nuts, adrenalin goes through me like I'm the one on stage, and I actually feel proud that I've been a part of this since the beginning. It's just a cool 3 second feeling that I take it.... That to me, means so much more then Jon hitting every ****ing note in Bed Of Roses.

I'm a simple guy..... All I ask is to have a blast at the concerts and to get some decent albums. If technology has to take over a little to help Jon get through some song patches or whatever, I'm all in.

I know I'll never get a TDs again but that's okay at this point. I get it, I understand it, and I accept it. 30 years in and 50 years old, I'm still impressed.

I liked the new material. The band had to evolve back in 1992 and then in 2000. They'll do it again, they'll do it again and if they are lucky they'll do it again

I'm a fan of both Bon Jovi and U2. I know that after 30 years (and slightly longer than that in U2's case) artistic evolution would necessitate you'd be in a 'different' place than you were at the beginning of your career.

The one thing I especially like about U2 live -- (and I'm basing this on YouTube vids of live shows; I haven't seen either band live myself) --is that the band doesn't shy away from the early stuff. Here is one of my favorite performances by U2 in 2005, doing the song "Electric Co" from their first album, released in 1980. The tempo is slowed down some from the early 80s performances of it, but the fire, the energy, the passion is still there -- you can hear it and feel it. There's a hunger there, even if it's tempered somewhat by time. Even if they don't actively feel that way anymore, they still /remember/ it and can still summon it:

This is what I wish Bon Jovi would do more often with their older music. They have 30 years' worth of material. I don't dislike new music or going in a different direction, but acknowledge the journey, at least, and dig deeper into the back catalogue. If casual fans don't know it, then they'd get an education. I was casual fan of both Bon Jovi and U2 until I explored their deeper album cuts, and found I liked them better than the hits.