What makes Jon look bad....
 

Is going to see the Foo Fighters. Saw them last night. Dave Grohl is 39 years old. I didn't see that guy stop once all night. For 2 hours, he ran up and down that arena, ad-libbed, sang his heart out, and you could tell he was having a great time.

Not trying to compare Bon Jovi to the Foo Fighters. I'm obviously a bigger Bon Jovi fan, but I'll tell ya - Jon should watch Dave for some pointers on how to show the crowd you appreciate them.

Well, Jon has always done that until very recently.

Saw the Foo's myself and I agree - some of the crowd interaction was fantastic (jumping into the pit with his guitar and letting fans play some of the strings), but I still think Jovi beat them hands down.

And could you imagine what would happen to Jon if he did something like that? It's kind of hard to compare the two acts. I know it's hard to accept, it is for me too, but Jovi is just not a balls out rock band anymore.

Aloha !

How do would they beat that, exactly? Yes, Jon shakes hands, points at fans, talks to fans, gives them an autograph, yes he does all that...in video's. Just look at the high five in It's My Life. How often have you seen him do that in concert?

The only way Bon Jovi beat The Foo Fighers live when it comes to crowd interaction is because of the big chorusses. Take away the simple "Hey Hey's!" and "Ooooh's" in Prayer and you're left with nothing.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

You know what's sad is, I remember back in 1988, Bon Jovi weekend on MTV. During an interview with Jon, he was talking about how great the band was live (they were), and how he had been to some shows where there was "an invisible wall between the band and the fans", and one thing Bon Jovi couldn't be knocked for, was crowd participation.

Every now and then, I see him pull out one of those nights, but it is far and few between.

Its what frustrates me most. We know Jon can still do it but most of the times chooses not to.

the Foos are amazing live. seen them 3 times now. and the last time in november was the best.

(UK perspective)
they are at the peak of their careers at the moment in my opinion...like bon jovi in 94/95:
they are playing a stint at Wembley which will be aired on radio one.
lots of air time across the board on stations like radio 1, virgin and local radio. loved by Kerrang, NME, Q - pretty much everyone.
i think it is their time. in 10 years the Foos may be in the same position as bon jovi.

P.S. can't wait till Wembley :D

Dave Grohl's energy puts most front men to shame, it really rubs off onto the audience too. I was incredibly impressed by the Foos when I saw them last year, they deserve all their success.

The Foos are very very good live, and Grohl has become an excellent frontman, but somehow i doubt that Dave Grohl has to worry about getting his clothes ripped off or his body parts getting grabbed poked and prodded everytime he puts himself out in the crowd, and for good or bad Jon does.

I don't blame Jon at all if he never wants to get near fans at a show, seen way to many nights where the minute he gets near a fan pit people are grabbing for body parts that no one should be touching without his personal permission.

I certainly agree the Foos have come into their own, I think they are at the peak of their careers, but they really are two very different acts, I think what grohl does with their fans is wonderful, but I think BJ and Jon in particular do a pretty fine job of engaging a crowd and making them feel like they are part of it all.

I haven't felt like I was part of Bon Jovi show in quite some time. I enjoy the shows for the music. But Jon, great frontman he still is, has lost touch with the fans. Seb is exactly right - How difficult would it be for him to throw a "rarity" in each night? Just one song that he KNOWS the fans want to hear.