AH! Nice work! This might have been one of Bobby's last shows!

I completely forgot this happened once upon a time:

New sound remaster:


Unfortunately the Japanese crowd was clapping a lot, but other than that I actually like this version more than the one on the album! Jon's and Richie's voices do harmonize so well here.

Thanks!

However, as weird as it sounds, I actually prefer the 2015 fanclub performance. The combination of different instrumental arrangement (that I feel is more fitting to a pop ballad like this one), Jon not sounding so nasal and simply a much better audio quality, takes the cake for me.

This is exactly the stuff that Jon should be doing more - solo act, small die-hard audience, deep cuts that diehards know (but most likely haven't heard live), not really demanding vocally, and no Bon Jovi The Legendary Band legacy being tarnished.

But then again, I have a soft spot for well-written pop ballads with great choruses - I also love Mystery Train, Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore and Open All Night.

I'm actually torn on this one. For starters, I think both versions are better than the one on the album which feels so sterile and "played safe".
On the Yokohama version I really like the string arrangement in the background, the depth of the recording and Richie's harmonies (which are sorely missing on the 2015 version).

However, I do agree that the 2015 performance was one of Jon's finest moments as a performer in the last 5 years. He really should stick to this kind of stuff more often since it seems that he actually enjoys doing it much more as well nowadays.

Let's talk a bit about Sydney night #3 in 2010:

https://youtu.be/67ySaGogCK0 (Something To Believe In)

https://youtu.be/Pz57oNnKTO8 (Happy Now)

https://youtu.be/hSqDW6LQZp8 (Saturday Night - holy freaking shit, Jon's voice is amazing here! Those ad-libs after the solo are one of the things I miss the most about Jovi in concert.)

https://youtu.be/U28c4-6rr-c (Dry County - and yes, I do miss Richie...)

https://youtu.be/q9RPebGaVyM (These Days - probably Jon's best vocal performance on this song overall since 1996)

Oh, how I wish Richie never left the band and Jon never lost his voice because of the stress he gained after the departure... and oh, how I wish this show was filmed/recorded professionally! The best we have of this show is this bootleg:

https://youtu.be/o7mFF5T-SDA

Really nice version! Reminded about this performance of Open All Night. He really seemed to enjoy singing it.

Pardon me for linking a few videos of tribute bands, but these two groups are REALLY good - for me, they're even better than the real thing nowadays, as their singers are actually able to do pretty much the whole catalogue justice:

https://youtu.be/X8-vombGmIY

https://youtu.be/Dobv4qY67dU

Especially the latter band, These Days (Brazil), is awesome. They've paid attention to the slightest details of a '95-'96 Jovi concert in a way that's rarely been matched - just watch and be amazed... They even perform Midnight Rider before Wanted!

PS. Plus, they've thrown in some cool stuff from the post-2k gigs as well, such as the "jukebox" section of BM (with "Hugh" singing Pretty Woman!!!) and "Richie" singing These Days. Also, the full BJ concert experience feels particularly realistic when you get "Jon" straining his nuts off on Prayer (gripping the mic on the high note before the solo and everything)! However, the guy moves a lot more on stage overall than JBJ does these days (no pun intended)...

The former band, New Jersey (Italy), is great as well, and certainly recommendable watching, but unlike the latter guys, they've unfortunately got some of the less-than-stellar, post-2k songs in their set, too - so those of you that are frightened to hear BWC, WWBTF and Who Says at a real BJ concert, by all means do yourselves a favor and don't watch the first video I posted.

PS Vol.2. And yes, I agree with all of you that the real thing (even at their worst gigs - maybe Hull '06 excluded) used to be a lot better in concert than both these bands combined until as recent times as the summer of 2011. However, now I really don't know what to think about the band live... maybe Jon should really stick to those acoustic (or semi-acoustic), diehard-type-of shows from now on. I also don't mind the KOS thing as long as he keeps Always out of their sets - as no matter how embarrassing it is to even think about it, Jon will probably keep on trying to do the big ballads for the rest of his performing career, even after the band will be buried in its current form.

The best and most authentic cover band was Kon Chauvi. It's sad that they retired in 2008 though. I remember Jon and Richie saying in a TV interview around the millenium that "they play our stuff better than we do".

Yep. Best show of the 2010/11 tour!