Will there ever be another "Bon Jovi" for you?
 

With less than 24 hours to go until my next show in Buffalo I am ridiculously excited and just walking around counting the minutes til the guys take the stage. The excitement and anticipation that I get from the band cannot be compared to any other muscial act out there today. From the moment news comes that a new album is released we fans discuss and make our predictions to what the album will sound like, we analyze the lyrics, try our best to find a leaked song, then count he days until the album is released. Waiting for tour dates to be announced is so nerve wracking, checking each and every day (sometimes mutliple times a day) for any shred of news, then finally planning where you will go to see them. Next comes the drama of scoring tickets, and then upgrading to the best possible seats because come on you know you want the best you can get. Then the waiting game begins again as you wait for your show date to finally arrive. We sit and watch the boards, read the reviews, critique the setlist, etc. Finally your show arrives and then if you are lucky enough to do antoher show you wait again. But when it is all over all you have are the memories of your show. I know we all have great memories. My question to you isn't what are your best memories but do you think that there will ever be a band or singer who will mean the same thing that Bon Jovi does to you?

I go to a lot of concerts. I am a fan of many artists. But no matter how much I am looking forward to other shows I never get that same excited/nervous anticipation feeling that I get when I go to a Bon Jovi show. Literally when the house lights go out I get weak in the knees knowing they are in their way out to the stage and I will get to see THE BAND before my very own eyes. I know that they plan on touring a long time but let's be realisitic they will not tour forever. I am only 25 and I plan on going to concerts for a long time. Sometimes I think God when I am 45 will they still be touring? Because right now I do not think there is any single act who are going to make the impact that Bon Jovi has had on me since I was 12 years old. I am talking young bands out there now. The bands out there now who are the "hot things" according to radio and MTV. I don't have a connection like I do with Bon Jovi with any of them. I doubt that I will ever find another band like them who mean what they do to me. I hope that one day there will be another band who will touch me but I don't think for me there will ever be another band who has had the kind of effect that Bon Jovi has had on me. Of course in a few years there might be an artist who will burst on the scene that I will fall in love with. Thye might put out the most amazing album and tour and I may become a huge fan. But no matter how big a fan I may become I don't think that for me anyone could ever compare to Bon Jovi. I hope to God they will be like the Stones and tour forever. I hope to God they will continue to make music for many, many years to come. I know they have no plans of slowing down now but no one knows what the future holds. It kind of saddens me to think what will I be doing, who will I be following when there is no more Bon Jovi.

Believe me I have gone through phases with different artists. But never has there been a time when I did not listen to BJ. I literally do not think a day has passed since I re-discovered them that I have not listened to at least one BJ song in 13 years. I never get sick of them. I have never outgrown them. Am I a fan of every single song they have ever written? Of course not. Do I think that they have ever done a crappy show? Of course. But for the most part they are one band who has NEVER disappointed me and have helped me through many times. There songs have helped me through many tough times and there songs have been with me for many good times as well.

So I give you the question again- do you think you will ever find a band out there (or have you already) found a band who has had the impact that BJ has had on you? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts... thought this thread would spark a good debate too!!

I agree with you alot. I do like other artists alot and have gone through phases with some of them. But ever since 2000, when everyone was talking about this band called Bon Jovi that was "coming back" and my best freind told me all about them, who they were, sang me some of their old songs, and I started hearing It's My Life all the time, I've been connected, and it always comes back to them. I'll get interested in other artists and other things and then I'll be reminded of them somehow, hear a song, see a comercial advertising something to do with them, or see a show that theyre on, or someone talks about them, whatever, it always comes back to them.

Altho I've never seen them live, I've heard and read the best about their shows and I plan to go someday when I can. Provided they'll still be recording and touring for a long time to come.
Which I think they will. I don't know why but especially Jon, I think when I see him, there's just something in him that tells you that there's still more where this is coming from and he's not gonna be done for quite some time. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Sorry I am rambling but you gave me the oppurtunity so I took it.lol.

No! I just cant explain! Its beyond my power! Bon Jovi is the best drug you can find on Earth! :)

I'd love to have seen some of my favourate bands back in their peak such as The Who, Dire Straits, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc, but my answer to the question would be no. Listening to recordings there are a few bands/artists that have had a bigger impact on me than Bon Jovi, although I haven't seen many live gigs so I can't compare them to Bon Jovi as a live act.

The answer is no, there will never be a band that means to me as much as BJ do. I could call myself a fan of Bruce and U2 but I'll never be excited for a new album or a tour of them as I am for the BJ ones

Bon Jovi is the band I've listen to the most over the years but when I sum it all up they didn't that big of an impact.
When I look at the songs that mean the most to me, it's generally not Bon Jovi. Pink Floyd, U2, Noir Désir, Radiohead, etc... will have had a deeper impact.


Ponrauil

Nope.... There will never EVER be another band out there quite like Bon Jovi. Seeing as how Metallica is my second favorite band behind bon Jovi, they still can't compare to Bon Jovi. I find myself missing last weekend a lot. It was such a great weekend and it hit me today when I was thinking about your post. Will there ever be another Bon Jovi? It's a pretty simple no. It's going to be sad when they call it quits.

Ryan

yeah when bon jovi becomes the new rolling stones like they say they would i gonna fill the gap and be the next bon jovi

there will never ever be another bon jovi for me.
and the main reason is whenever i have crap times in my life the music always lifts me up. i had a real shit end to last year and i keep listening to songs like everyday and bounce and sat night hand. because it always lifts me.
i mean i totally agree with you about the gigs and all the excitment that goes with it. you know when you get so much out of one band and the songs that get you through.
i would love to meet them all one day and just say thanks i really hope they realise how much it means to people.

It really is tough to explain, I agree. It's such a strong CONNECTION that started a long time ago and never went away. It keeps getting stronger. I can still listen to songs that I have heard a million times and literally be like "God what a great song, I love that line" and get excited. I still crank them up everytime they come on the radio and get a little excited like yup that's my band! That is why I hope that we will lucky enough to keep getting new music for many years to come. Like I said I am 25~ saw my first show in '95 and I can't help but think what would it be like if there was no more Bon Jovi? If Bon Jovi was not still around who would take their place in my life? No one would. I would still be a music fan, I would get into other bands and artists but not the way it is with Bon Jovi. I would feel like I was missing out on something because they are responsible for bringing alot of happiness and enjoyment to me. Way too many hours to add up. I just really "Get Them" if you know what I mean. The people who don't get it probably think it is weird.. i don't know the guys in the band, but the years I have spent following their career and being a fan makes me feel that there is that connection there ... I guess you either get it or you don't. I definitely get it and that is why I know I will never ever feel the way I feel about Bon Jovi with anyone else.

Yes that is what i mean. There isn't just one song of theirs that has meaning it is so many songs that touch you in different ways. And I didn't mean they are just so important to me because of the live shows. It is so much more than that... so many AMAZING lyrics that I think of many times throughout the day to keep me going when things in life suck. I don't think the guys know how much they REALLY mean to people.. it would be impossible for them to know the kind of impact they have had on people. They know they are loved by many fans but they have really made such an impact on my life and many others. The entire band is very special....

i agree with you 100% . my nan died in november and since then my life has been totally crazy i get up for work at 7am get home shower go see my grandad and i dont get a break till at least 9pm everyday. and the other day i was so screwed tired just worn out i didnt know where to get the next drop of energy from . i put on raise your hands live dvd and acted like i was there and that got me through the next few hours. i really wonder honestly sometimes what else i would get those moments from

Bon Jovi mean just too much to me, and have too much importance in my life... I love other bands, other singers, but it's not "the same". I would never do the crazy things I did (I'm doing and I will do) for anyone but Bon Jovi.
It's hard to explain it, because you can't understand if you are not a fan... I've been trying with many people but in the end...it's my secret, I know how good it is and it's just too good to share it with other fans. it always makes me happy :)
And then, I think Bon Jovi are somehow a part of my destiny...thanks to them I've met one of the most important people in my life. I'm sure it's how it was meant to be from the beginning. Call it karma, call it luck... there will never be another Bon Jovi for me, that's a fact!

I like many other bands, but Bon Jovi will always be the number 1. I don't think, that I would be find another "Bon Jovi" for me.

To be honest there are probably bands I listen to more than Bon Jovi these days but I still get ridiculously excited whenever a new album comes out more so than any other band. The same when they tour, I get excited about seeing all my favourite bands but it's just something different with Bon Jovi. It's probably because I grew up with them, I started listening to them in 86 when I was 10 years old. I think I listened to Slippery every day for the next 2 years and then New Jersey the same. They were my favourite band in the world and my most important possessions. Then there was the split and I was was devastated thinking I would never get to see them. I must have watched Access All Areas about 100 times getting so jealous of all those people who got to see them. I don't think I've ever been as excited in my life as the day Keep The Faith was released and they were back.

As I say in recent years there are bands I now listen to more but nothing will ever replace Bon Jovi in my heart. When you go back to them after not listening for a while it's like going back to an old friend. It's hard to describe but Jon's voice, Richie's guitar, the Jon and Richie vocal harmonies, it's just so much a fabric of my life. There will never be another Bon Jovi for me.

my my, doesnt this thread just warm the old heart! nice to see a thread like this on this board, and it hasnt descended into backstage territory with ''i love you jonnnn'' rants. yet.

I too listen to sooo many other other bands these days, some times i might go some weeks without listning to my jovi collection, but nothing even comes close to them.

When i tell ppl my favourite songs/artists etc i always start with something like ''with the exception of Bon Jovi, my favourite songs/whatever are..'' as they are still a whole league above everyone else. Its not just the songs, as yes some of the newer stuff has been weaker, but its the connection you make with them, the memories, growing up listning to them etc etc Now dont get me wrong, the songs arent half bad either..

andi

I remember when I was really young talking like 1986/87ish being 6 years old and at my house MTV was always on in the background. It's funny because i can remember certain videos that i would sing and dance around to when I took a break from playing and coloring. George Harrison I Got My Mind Set On You and Debbie Gibson Shake Your Love were two i remember and Livin on A Prayer was one of the other ones. Of course when I was six I never knew who was singing it just knew the song as it was played a million times. Anyway when years later when I became a fan around the time of KTF I went and bought SWW heard Prayer and I was like hey I know this song .. this is Bon Jovi? It was like i knew them all along!


They never split up..... they just took a much needed break


Well said! They are like old friends- I definitely agree!

I agree! They are in a whole league above everyone else for me too.. that is why there will never be another band like them ever....

Lizz, very well said. I feel the EXACT same way as you do. I've been a Bon Jovi fan since 1985 (I was 21 then, I'm now 41), and like you, thought, eventually this intense flame for all that is Bon Jovi, the songs and the live shows will start to die down. But, here I am 20 years later, and the flame burns higher now then ever. I too love music and listen to a lot of different stuff and go to other concerts but NO ONE hits me like Bon Jovi. Like you said, even the songs you've heard a zillion times, you can still feel like they are new in some ways. It's a great feeling. Ha ha, when you are in your 40's they (and me) will be in their late 50's and 60's so who knows if they'll still be touring but for now we'll enjoy the ride while it lasts.

deb

Believe me if they are still touring in their 50's/60's I will be there.... going to concerts is gonna keep me young LOL!!! I am still going to want to do shows when I am 40 Come on ~40 is not old- Just older! By that time maybe I will even have $ to do more shows than I do now... But that is what I'm saying.. 20 years from now i just wonder what concerts will I be really exicted to see? Fingers crossed Jon stays true to his words of being like the Stones and Sinatra and playing til he's 80...

Lizz, very true, about having more money when you are older. In my twenties I had very little money and would only see a couple of shows a tour. Now that I make decent money and am single, I can go to as many shows as work will allow, lol!! So, yes, that is a plus about being older for sure!! Well, if there touring in their 60's I'll be there right with you!!

deb

i dont think i will ever listen to a band as much as i have listened to bon jovi. i still do a little but not as much as i did.

i have this image of one day of jon and the guys coming to do a gig walking out all old and singing ill sleep when im dead u know ill be there

yeah, Pink Floyd. Watching them live can make me cry, bon jovi can't do that to me.

I am a big fan of some other acts like RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS but BON JOVI
will always be my favourites.
These guys are good musicians & I think they have made their career on their own.
They have never been press darlings like some of other bands like COLDPLAY are.

no way. I`m 24 and I know that I might still want to go to concerts from time to time when the guys are dead or retired. but there are so many bands I liked in 92 when I became a fan but something about Bon Jovi was just magic and made me a fan so that I wait for every new release every little news everything about BJ. I`ve been to a U2 concert this summer and there were good but it`s just not the same there`s never gonna be another Bon Jovi to me.

I wonder if nowadays there`s any newer band that can get die hard fans and followers like Bon Jovi did in all those years.

For me Bon Jovi is the one band that has stuck with me since the first time I heard Runaway on the radio. There are other bands I really like, other bands and artists that I listen to and go see, but BJ is the only band I actively try to see mutiple times on any tour. There is nothing quite like the all inclusive church where everyone participates vibe that BJ pulls off live, and no other artist has consistently had songs that "matter" to me, that I connect with as much. BJ shows are to this day and many, many shows later still the most fun thing that I do. I'm in for the long haul, may it go on for a long, long time yet.

Davefan, I too wonder where these young, hot acts think their audience is going to be in say 10 years??? Bands and artists don't tour like they used to which is where a fanbase that sticks is built. It's in that "connection" that comes from seeing and hearing an artist live. Having a great song or a hit single is great but in the long run people remember what they feel connected to and if you don't go out and perform and interact with people that just doesn't happen and people move on to other things and bands.

Would I go see any other band more than 3-4 times on the same tour??? I dont think so. To me I highly doubt theyll be another "Bon Jovi" im not saying they are one of those bands what have ever changed the face of music or wrote life changing songs. I dunno I just seem to do far more for this band than I would for any other artist. I do think BJ attracts very loyal fans who seem to stick with them through thick and thin (or Keep the faith and TLFR as I call it ;))

That's a hard one for me. I was a Bruce fan way before I was a Bon Jovi fan and I was a Led Zeppelin fan before I was a Bruce fan. The Beatles were huge when I was a teenager but I never really connected with them - so it isn't my teenage years that I remember my favorite music from. Since I haven't been able to see Zeppelin since the late seventies except for Page and Plant a few times in the nineties - I am reduced to listening to the bootlegs and albums. It's not the same as a live show but those of you that never saw Led Zeppelin live cannot imagine what their live shows were like - very, very intense.

Then there is Bruce who is still going strong. His run of 10 shows at Giants Stadium in 2003 was some of the best music I have ever seen. This is a longtime relationship for me (he's the original Jersey Boy) and it almost equals my Bon Jovi passion (and it actually sometimes surpasses it if I'm honest). Objectively, I think Bruce and the E St Band are better musicians.

But with Bon Jovi there is a personal connection that never seems to go away. I can criticize the music all I want (and I do sometimes) for being simplistic and a bit too much on the wrong side of pop. There is however a magic to the live shows that never goes away for me. I was not thrilled with the Bounce tour and was afraid that this tour was going to do me in. I really prefer their earlier music - before Crush. However this tour just sucked me in once again and here I still am - 4 shows down and 1 to go - until they announce the summer shows :)

So those are the thoughts from an older and longtime fan.

Kathleen

Alright, so it's settled, 20 yrs from now, if theyre still out there, I guess I'll be seeing some of you guys in different places.

You know, I thought whoever said that the music lifts them up and makes them feel better when they have shit times, is totally right. Well other music can do that for me but not much. Bon Jovi is one of the few. Like when I'm worried sick with thinking about where the hell my life's gonna go, what's gonna happen to me in the next ten years, or even what's gonna happen to me in the next few months, when will I have a cool job that I love and I'm good at. When will I get married or have kids, when will I get to see those places in the world I always wanted to see. I put in a Bon Jovi album and I'm not much worried about that stuff, I'm just chilling mentally, and listening to good music.
And I think the ones like Have A Nice Day, Every Day, Bounce, Welcome To Wherever You Are, etc...I think those can contribute to helping a person build confidence in themselves and in life and have more faith in themselves. I like how music can change your attitude.

Bon Jovi is where my love for music started. I'll never be able to thank an other band for influencing me like they have.

If music were a tree, Bon Jovi, for me, would be the trunk. It's got to be thanks to Bon Jovi that I've discovered other bands. I've gone back to their influences (the roots ;)) - Thin Lizzy, The Beatles, Bruce, Led Zeppelin. I've fallen in love with their contempories (erm, the bark - I'm starting to loose this metaphor) - Van Halen, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses. Even bands linked with Bon Jovi like support bands (the branches) - Live, Goo Goo Dolls, Skid Row.

That wasn't too bad, really.

That wasnt bad at all, that was a totally cool analogy, made me smile. I got it all the way.

THERE WILL no another bon jovi for me!!!

Same here. There won't be another Bon Jovi for me, although I love Van Halen more than I do Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi was there first. That's why, even though their last 4 albums are sort of hit and miss to me (there are great songs accompanied by real turds), I always bought the albums.

No, I doubt I'll ever have another Bon Jovi.

I listen to music all the time, so when I have some huge event in my life I tend to tie it to whatever I'm really into at the time. Bon Jovi music has gotten me through two deaths, graduating high school, my mom getting cancer, starting college...I was conceived to Slippery When Wet (I could have lived without knowing that). So even if at some point I find a band I like better, there's stuff I connect Bon Jovi with that just isn't going to happen again.

No, there's only one Bon Jovi. They're the music-makers who have provided most of the soundtrack for my life since I was 11 years old. They're music has been there during most of the good and bad times in my life. Being a Bon Jovi fan has opened doors to friendships that go far beyond music, yet there never would have been an initial connection if not for Bon Jovi.

I got away from them a bit after my father died. I couldn't find comfort in their music because there were too many Bon Jovi memories associated with my father--from our trips to the way he sang "Green Medicine." That's when I found another world through Keith Urban's music and concerts. His show in April 2004 was the first thing to make me really SMILE and lift a burden since my dad had died the previous December. He has a couple of songs that helped me immensely through that grief. It shocked no one more than myself when another artist came along and captured my attention and put on a good enough show that I would travel to see him (the next weekend as a matter of fact).

After seeing the kind of performer Keith is, I have to admit, I honestly wondered if Bon Jovi would still be the most impressive live act I had ever seen when I went to see them in Omaha last November. I was afraid that they would not be. The real test was going to be 3 weeks later when I went to see Keith in the same venue. The end result was that I'd pick a Bon Jovi show over a Keith show, but that's partly due to the fact that Bon Jovi does much fewer dates and there's less opportunity to see them.

If you had asked me 3 years ago if there could be "another Bon Jovi" for me, I'd have laughed and emphatically answered, "No." There still is not "another Bon Jovi" and I don't want another Bon Jovi. I love them for what they are. They have a special, irreplaceable place in my heart. But I'm not closed to the idea of someone else giving them a run for their money performance-wise or even reaching me on an emotional level the way Bon Jovi has or opening doors to other friendships and adventures. But Bon Jovi will always be first. They did get a 20 year start on the "competition" after-all. ;)

There are other bands that I like very much and where I visit more than one concert per tour but I don't think that there will be another band that I follow as much as BJ with collecting stuff, always keeping up-to-date with what is happening etc.

Well Bon Jovi has always been my first favourite band and they have stayed that way until I found out about Def Leppard who in my opinion are right up there with them. So its Bon Jovi and Def Leppard for me, both bands seem genuine down to earth guys, great musicians and superb frontmen and their live shows absolutely rock. The thing with Bon Jovi though is that they create rock anthems that you can sing your heart out to, their songs are can be fun, emotional, uplifting among various other feelings, they have great choruses and Richie is just a master at every aspect of the guitar and importantly their music has changed with the times yet it still retains that Jovi feeling. The only thing I can complain about is the albums have dropped in quality after These Days, with Have A Nice Day in my opinion being the weakest probably made worse that they kept saying it was gonna be an all out rock album. I will always buy their albums, see them on tour and state them as one of my prime influence's for buying a guitar and wanting to be a musician, I just hope they can pick up form for whats in store for us in the future.

I'm thinking no. I've had those two-three month worship periods for other bands and artists but none of them ever came close to Bon Jovi. Their lyrics, their music, and their determination will always run with me.

Damn... Proteus, you have awesome taste in music...