Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledg...6594151621.xml

The bigger the sound, the better they get

Friday, August 01, 2003

BY LISA ROSE
Star-Ledger Staff

Performing for a crowd of 55,000 in a venue built for sports may be daunting to some artists. But it feels like home for Bon Jovi.

The Jersey rock group has, after all, been gigging at stadiums for well over a decade. They truly shine on Goliath-sized stages, thanks to their larger-than-life anthems and down-to-earth stage presence.

"Our shows are very audience involved," said frontman Jon Bon Jovi, on the phone from a tour stop in Philadelphia. "They're based on action and reaction. What (the audience) gives me I give back -- and that fuels us. I try to make the back of the stadium feel like the front row and connect with them. I'll look up at somebody on the side who'll have a goofy banner and talk to them, and that whole section lights up like a Christmas tree. They know that you know that they're there."

The coming week brings a two- night stint at Giants Stadium, where Bon Jovi has played for three consecutive summers. The band's Thursday and Friday shows at the East Rutherford venue are the last two dates on its world tour in support of 2002's "Bounce" album. Jon Bon Jovi said he feels some sentiment for the stadium.

"Having been a long-time, die- hard Giants fan, it's quite an accomplishment," he said. "And it is the biggest venue to perform in, in our backyards."

Jon Bon Jovi isn't the only iconic Jerseyan coming home to East Rutherford to end a world tour this summer. One of the singer's key influences, Bruce Springsteen, has a 10-night stand at the stadium, which began on July 15 and concludes on Aug. 31. Bon Jovi hasn't caught any of the shows and doesn't plan on attending the late August dates.

"I've been pretty busy myself," the 41-year-old Sayreville native said.

Indeed, the band is juggling tours and studio time, as they prep an acoustic collection for release in November. The yet-to-be-titled album will concentrate on best-of material, with a couple of new songs and maybe a cover or two.

They've recorded renditions of "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band, "Heroes" by David Bowie (with orchestral backing), "Have a Little Faith in Me" by John Hiatt, and an old Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show tune, "Sylvia's Mother." While you may hear a couple of those covers in concert, it has not been determined whether any of them will make the final cut of the album.

The new record was "a nice accident," according to the singer. In January, they decided to do a one- off acoustic concert in Japan. That spurred the idea to tape the show and release a live album. A simple concert recording grew into a more ambitious studio project, as the band tinkered with old hits during downtime on their European tour.

"We went in the studio on days off and started paying attention and coming up with unique arrangements and basic reinventions of the songs," said Bon Jovi. "All the Japanese time and effort went out the window because it went from being this cute little album into something that we thought was rather creative."

Don't expect the band to unplug at Giants Stadium. Though they are doing select acoustic/ electric dates for the last few shows of the tour, the group is concentrating on big sounds and big spectacle for the East Rutherford shows.

"It's not the right atmosphere (for acoustic songs)," said Bon Jovi. "There's too much adrenaline. We built a production for stadiums that's pretty enormous. We wanted to have a production that bands like the Stones or U2 -- who have spent countless hours and dollars over the years on productions -- would be proud to have as their own."

After the last splash at Giants Stadium, the band is planning on taking a breather from the road for at least two years. Their next big project after the acoustic record is a boxed set, due for release next spring. It will commemorate 100 million records sold, a mark that puts them in the same sales ranks with powerhouse artists like the Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson.

The package will include outtakes from their two-decade career that have never seen the light of record store shelves.

"We've been working on (the boxed set) actively for a year," said Bon Jovi. "I didn't realize it would be such an ordeal, but we've recorded so many songs that we've never used before. There are three albums worth of material that no one's ever heard. For the hardcore fan, it's going to be quite a collection, and I hope it will hold everybody over until we make another studio record."

The band still performs "You Give Love a Bad Name" in concert, but Bon Jovi is a long way from his "shot through the heart" days. He's a father of three, married to his high school sweetheart, Dorothea, and he now divides his time between family life, his band and a Hollywood career. During the forthcoming break from the road, he plans to pursue several non-musical projects.

He is hoping to venture into the sports arena by purchasing an area football franchise (he could not comment on details). In addition, he is reading scripts and considering new thespian pursuits. As if that weren't enough to keep him occupied, he is also dabbling in screenwriting. One of his scripts has been sold to Universal Pictures, and the plan is to start shooting early next year. Yes, there is a role in the film for the singer.

"The only reason I got involved in writing was because, like any other actor, you want a job, so I created one for myself," said Bon Jovi. "The movie's a sexual drama about four couples, not dissimilar from 'The Big Chill' or 'The Ice Storm.' They play the (spouse- swapping) key game. It's a fictional story of what happens to their lives because of it. I play this one working-class guy in it."