While I agree songs like Prostitute and Hey God clearly have influences from the grunge era, These Days is an R&B album in my opinion.

I recall reading a review a couple of years agor where the critic stated that "Bon Jovi is Whitney Houston with guitars".

Well, it's still a Bon Jovi album, but that atmosphere that much of the album has chills grunge of those days. BJ added a little hope at the end of the message. I mean to the sound and the defeatist attitude.

These Days, My Guitar Lies Bleeding in My Arms, Hey God, All I Want is Everything, It's Hard... it's permeated by that spirit. The beginning of Something for the Pain, you can hear the sound of What The Hell Have I by Alice in Chains, and Something to Believe In is like In My Tree by Pearl Jam, even though this one was later.

And the cover in that ocher color screams grunge. Let's say is the most alternative album BJ has released, maybe you feel more comfortable calling it that.

I can definitely understand what you're saying and why, but to me it falls more with the way the production was conducted on the album, more so than the songs themselves. Also, whenever I listen to 'teardrop to the sea' I get this huge These days feeling!! That's also Bon Jovi sounding really alternative and I love it!!!

Jon as usual sounded better on that private show in Nashville

I thought the same! Do you think there's something in it that the big production is hampering him somewhat? When they keep it simple - ie just a band playing songs, that he finds it easier?

I haven't seen any clips from that show, so I'm going by what you guys are saying, but I would assume that he's probably less nervous about smaller private shows than he is about big tour shows where the entire public and press have their eyes and ears on him.

On the flip, private shows aren't there to see them the same way fans are. They're there to be entertained and won't know his tricks and moves he does with the fans.

I don't know if I agree about the big production stuff or else the acoustic sets would have stuck around on the tour.

Well, there's no next concert that soon either
so maybe he finds a concert once in a while more fun and easier

You would think if he can do acoustic sets for private shows he would have kept them on the tour? That being said I don't think "fans" in general really like acoustic sets. I know I personally don't like acoustic that well for BJ.

I think cost has a lot to do with it too. On fan club shows the amount they can make skyrockets ic they're not dealing with an eight piece band, lighting, staging and transportation. Plus they're dealing with a VERY forgiving audience. Most of them truly do not care or notice the state of Jon's voice. Doing it on a tour with casuals and people who are there for the hits really exposes the state of his voice and the bad timing and missed notes. Personally I think thats why it was dropped more so than flow of the show/lack of interest but who knows.