Gelsenkirchen Show - A Mess!
 

Hi Everybody out there in Jovi Land!
I gotta get rid of my anger about a couple of things happening at the Gelsenkirchen Show / Schalke Arena!
First of all: The organisation with wristbands was horrible. A lot of Fanclubmembers were blaming the local security, but it was definetly not their fault! They were not allowed to hand out wristbands before the Production Team from BJ gave their ok, after bringing up the whole stage and doing soundcheck for BJ and LIVE. So it is just stupid by the FANCLUB to name 1pm as pick up time for wristbands, because the production setup is NEVER finished by that time! Wristbands came out by 3.15pm! Offical Doors were postponed due to the large ammount of FC Members!

The ARENAS` roof had to be closed to avoid noise pollution! That was the reason for a HORRIBLE SOUND during LIVE´S performance, because all the bands that play Gelsenkirchen come along with a PA that is built to rock open Air Areas and is built in a closed venue then, which won´t work ever! Like Bruce Springsteen a week earlier, BJ had - comparing to their normal Standarts - a HORRIBLEE Sound throughout the WHOLE SET! You couldn´t hear the beginning of the guitarsolos clear, Richie´s voice was hardly to hear often, even during I´LL BE THERE FOR YOU. People sitting in the upper Seats section told me the couldn´t understand most of the lyrics due to the shitty sound.
When the band started I really thought it will be a great night. After having seen 33 Shows so far, you can tell if it´s gonna be a BIG Night after 5 Songs. The band was playing tight, Jon laughed, everything looked ok - but it just LOOKED ok. After PRAYER Jon went to the back of the Stage, went nuts, screamed at his guitar rodie, kicked the stage wall, threw his microfone to the floor, and went off stage, at any possible time, he had not to sing during songs. He didn´t even say hello to the audience. The people in the Arena were partying so hard, it was definetly the best audience I have seen since Dublin 1996 and Jon didn´t make ONE speech in 2 hrs. 20 minutes, apart from introducing Richie before THERE FOR YOU - not very polite.
First we thought Jon was pissed off because of the horrible sound, then during the set we found out, he must have had SERIOUS health problems, and the closed venue that night was not doing him any good. He tried to get his breath like a dying fish sometimes - he went back to laughing after 105 min. when he let the audience sing the "nanananananana"-verse from BORN TO BE MY BABY, shouting: "Tico, these guys are keeping me alive". Richie asked him various time during the set if he is ok, when the finished the show, everybody hit Jons shoulder, basiclly they all knew, it was a very hard night for him.
I really haven´t seen the BAND that "un-funny" in all those years, when Richie found out, Jon was not fine, he didn´t smile for more than half an hour, Tico didn´t smile the whole night, just Dave and Hugh were having real fun. Personally i would have prefered it, they cancelled to play a show that night and postponed it to the next evening, than getting Jon in that kind of trouble. I guess 99% of the people did not realize he wasn´t fine that night, but I´m sure, the die-hards found it out really quick!
I hope he will be fine until MUNICH, so we all get a real fun-packed, great-sounding BON JOVI SHOW like we did everytime over all those years-except last Friday night, which was NOT the bands fault!
In the end I´d like to admire, that the ARENA in Gelsenkirchen, is GREAT for football, but it is a NIGHTMARE VENUE for concerts!
Up the guys,
see ya,
Karl

Aloha !

Well, I didn't notice it about Jon. I know he was pissed of about a couple of things but the sound was okay. Compare it to the ArenA in Amsterdam and you'll know what a bad sound is. It's Horrible over there. The sound in Gelsenkirchen was very good.

About the closed roof : That had nothing to do with the bad sound from Live. Live equipment was not mixed the right way for some reason. Some guitars weren't even plugged in for a couple of moments.

That is absolutely not possible. Can you imagine about 100 fans from other countries who have travelled 400 km. or more to see Bon Jovi and then hear that the show is cancelled after 4 songs ?

And you can't just say to an organisation "Hey, we'll try it again tomorrow, see you then". That doesn't work. A tour like this has tight scedules.

I think Jon and the rest did enjoy it after all, because otherwise they wouldn't have given us AALY acoustic. It was really an extra song since the already had done their final bow.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

most artists cancel shows for ill health

meat loaf did it in 1999 on his UK tour... many others do also

Aloha !

I'm not talking about cancelling. I'm talking about postponing a show to the next day. And this person is overreacting since Jon did sound good.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Oh, if it came along that i didn´t enjoy it because Jon didn´t sound good, thats totally wrong.
I´ve seen them in way better mood in way better venues, thats what i was saying.
I´ve travelled 7 hrs. to Gelsenkirchen myself so it would have been disappointing, having a show postponed to the next day. I ve seen over 220 Concerts til today, 2 or 3 have been postponed because of sickness but personally i rather prefer a perfect show than seeing somebody not enjoying what he does. And Jon was NOT having fun inbetween PRAYER and BORN TO BE MY BABY, afterwards he was ok - thats right. If I´d like people like that , i would be a OASIS fan.

If you did enjoy the show it´s fine with me. I know them doing better so I complained about a couple of facts that I thought weren´t done/going well that night!

Cheers,
JK

Bon Jovi doesn't. Jon has talked about their going on with the flu, colds, allergies, and, for Jon, stress fractures in both of his legs. The ONLY time they've cancelled due to health concerns was when Tico sprained his wrist in Australia in 1995 and physically could not play.

Becky

i for one would rather have a milton keynes than a huddersfield 2001 though...

i've noticed they always play on yes, especially considering the number of shows they used to play, but i'd rather have the band at 100% on form

many people wouldn't notice the difference anyway but i can see your point.

I fully understand why they don't--too many people have to travel to make it to shows and it would not set well with fans if people drove hundreds of miles/kms or flew and then the show got postponed and they were out the expense of traveling and hotels.

I understand where you're coming from too that you'd rather have a show where they were 100%, but I'm sure they weigh the consequences against each other and opt to go on because the only people really suffering are themselves. Most of the time when the guys are sick, the audience doesn't even or, at best, barely notices. Think about it... Jon's vocal chords were bleeding on the SWW tour and some people think he sounded better then than now. You've probably seen the Jones Beach 1995 video where Jon had the flu and was on the virge of passing out part of the show and they just slowed down the set until he got his bearings back. I think the Philly 93 video is floating around where Jon and Richie both had a cold or the flu. They give so much when they're well that most people don't notice the difference when they're sick.

Becky

I know Jon was pretty sick in Philly and a little under the weather in AC but I did not notice it in his voice or energy (a little in AC he seemed subdued but like this past show the IBTFY break did the trick and he gave us two long encores). Only diehards on the boards noticed- my kids and friend at both shows thought it was the best they had ever seen. If allergies are chronic for him this time of year I am sure he has learned to live with them.