Manchester - the gig, the fans
 

As a Bon Jovi Live Virgin, I must say, my night wasnt ruined in the slightest by the setlist. In fact, id say its slightly arrogant for people to be moaning about the setlist, The fact of the matter is that 95 % of the people in that arena dont give a damn about the setlist or the fact it was the same as wolverhampton. Bon Jovi cater to the masses like it or not- and i doubt their really that bothered - hard as it is to believe- what a few of the fans down the front think.
Course I wanted to hear bed of roses, something to believe in and these days- but thats my personal preference, but my night certainly wasnt ruined because i didnt hear it. Im not going to critically appraise everything the band did, overall i thought it was a great live show. GET OVER IT. Youre lucky enough to go to all these shows, just enjoy it.


Also Happened to run into live in the lowry centre in Manchester, grabbing a good old wholesome meal at burger king

Re: Manchester - the gig, the fans
 

5% is 2,500 people, they can't just say, well we'll let the people who come to all the gigs, who follow the band on the internet down and cater for all those who will love us whatever we do.... The fact is, if they'd have mixed it up then the 95% that you talk about wouldn't enjoy the concert any less... I'm sorry, but any band who are happy to please 95% when 100% is within their capabilities should not be on the road!!!!!!!!!!

So do buy a ticket to the show anymore. YOu seem to be just as happy sitting back from the cheap seats and commenting via set lists on the internet so clearly, you won't be missed. Here's a thought... if you look at alot of the people posting the most constant and critical commentaries on the set list, the ages barely break the 20 year barrier... so, if they're only 18 or 19, chances are they never got to see the band perform the songs from Keep The Faith or These Days live in concert in person... could THAT have anything to do with it? If I only got into Led Zeppelin after they released Coda and I paid money to see a show and didn't get The Lemon Song... is that really fair?

No it has nothing to do with it....

I've been to a lot of concerts, and I can judge what I'm hearing.... Yes I may enjoy seeing Page and Plant live a hell of a lot more than watching a Led Zep DVD, but I know the concerts Zep were doing on the DVD were a hell of a lot better than P&P. It's understanding the line between enjoyment and quality. I much prefere seeing Bon Jovi like I did last night, than watching say Giants Stadium 89, but I know that Giants was a much better show. So I want to hear things like Let it rock, Tokyo Road, Hardest Part Is the Night e.t.c based on what I've heard there. I've seen recordings of the band then, and now, and that's enough to judge.

Also I was there on These Days tour, and Hey God kicked the shit out of anything they give us on Bounce and Crush, infact so does My guitar....

If anything the band proved my point this week as well. I can't actually remember Runaway from 96, but hearing it the other night it was everything I expected it to be. It rocked more than anything else they played, and just proves that they can play like they used to, and so the songs from Slippery, New Jersey, 7800 would still rock, and still work.

It's also not black and white. I'm not saying 'the band should play Homebound Train', there are about 20 songs I desperately want to hear, of which I think one should be played. i.e it's not just me, there are lots of people who feel the same about these songs.... For instance I saw Robert Plant in a club a few years ago, and he didn't play one Zep song, everybody felt letdown... If he'd have done one or two, people would have been happy.I'm not suggesting they do an 80's set list, but just something that will please all the fans.

But that's just it. It's impossible to please all their fans. So, today's your day to be disappointed. Tomorrow, it will be someone elses.

the point
 

the point that Mike and I are trying to make is that we think the band are coasting at the moment. We both have recordings of when they weren't afriad to take chances and played a lot more varied set list than they do.

Yes, there could be an element of familiarity breeding contempt here. If I hadn't seen them 14 times, didn't own draws full of bootlegs I might just want to turn up and not mind what they play- but because we do own lots of this type of thing we have seen and heard the band perform a lot better than they currently are, lets be honest, than they have since These Days.

The Faith and Days tours were great because the band felt they had something to prove - and boy, they did. Nowadays they have nothing to prove and in my opinion have became a corporate entity rather than a bunch of talented musicians, challenging and extending themselves. There is nothing on the last two CD's that is in anyway challenging when compared to songs on Faith and These Days and that also extends to the live set.

Its because we care so much that we have these opinions - we aren't narrow minded, we aren't tunnel visioned about this band - we just know that they are capable of doing a lot more.

No band in the World is going to satisfy 100% of their audience - that is complete bull!
As the original poster said, the vast majority of any concert, will be going to see them on that particurlar tour for the 1st time. Their not going to know what set lists they've been playing. Before the internet came along, nobody would know, except the people luckier enough and rich enough to go to every show.
Some people ought to try and live in the real world.

so nothing at the gig pleased you? I think everyone at that gig saw something of what they wanted to. The band try and cater for everyone, its one of the reasons theyve toured for so long, they can appeal to the masses.

If you didnt enjoy the gig, they just dont go to the shows. No one forces you to. Count youre lucky stars youve seen so many bon jovi gigs and stop putting a downer on it for everyone else.

Think about the type of fan who goes to see Glenn Hughes, then go out and buy his new album Songs in the key of Rock. It really is an album that is for 100% of his fans, it's not saying 'I want to turn my back on all that and do something different', it's just a ****ing great rock album, probably one of the best ever recorded.

My point is, bands do cater for near enough 100% of the fans, lots do.

The thing about Bon Jovi, is if they were to mix it up with about 6 songs different, basically playing it like they were on These Days tour, and Munich, Kiel this tour, then they'd be catering for near enough 100%....

You don't need a band like Deep Purple to mix up the set, because they improvise and change the songs everynight, go and see 5 concerts from a tour and you hear the songs played 5 different ways... obviously not every song, but there's just so much improvisation in the music. Bon Jovi have very very little of this. Other than the actual individual performances, one Bon Jovi concert to the next will be identical but for set changes. That's not a bad thing that it's like that, I'm not comparing to Purple (before you start), but for Bon Jovi to be creative they need to change it around. they keep you guessing, they still like to think of themselves as a band who writes out the setlist 20mins before the show, so they need to go out and do it!

Like I've also said, if you're saying they cater for the masses, and 95% don't care what the set list is, and 5% do. Then surely by catering for the 5% you automatically cater for the other 95%!!!!!!

That's a good point! Bon Jovi have always talked about how they write out the setlist spontaneously 20 minutes before the start of the show, and how they change things around on the way to the gig and stuff, but from the looks of things all they've been doing this time around is copying out the one from the night before! I'm not gonna start complaining though, because I haven't had a chance to go to any shows this time around, and any setlist would've pleased me :wink: