Bon Jovi plays the same crap again
 

Well as the most of you may have noticed the Bounce 2003 tour has kicked off today. After I saw the setlist I was very dissapointed. The same stuff as usual is showing up again. A lot of Crush songs like: Just Older, It's My Life, I Got The Girl and Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars. They need to stop playing all the Crush shit again. It's My Life and Just Older are enough.

And about the rest of the setlist. BOUNCE, YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME,
BORN TO BE MY BABY, EVERYDAY, THE DISTANCE, MISUNDERSTOOD,. LIVIN' ON A PRAYER, I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU, HOOK ME UP, RAISE YOUR HANDS, KEEP THE FAITH, I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD, BAD MEDICINE, SHOUT, WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE and TWIST AND SHOUT. Well i just dislike: Bad Medicine, Sleep When I'm Dead and Shout, just because these songs are overplayed. But it is cool that Richie sang I'll Be There For You..

The setlist are beginning to become predictable. They need to make an better setlist with songs that everyone likes. Dry County, Something To Believe In, These Days. How can they skip in heavenssake Undivided it is the best song of the new album. They are starting to play on the automatic pilot. Well they need to fix the setlists very fast. Play more unregular stuff and kick Bad Medicine, Sleep When I'm Dead, Shout and Twist And Shout of the setlist. They don't need to play any cover song they have written a lot of good songs. Although Blood On Blood has to be played again to that song brings me so much joy.

Well I know the tour started today but I feel a little sad when I saw the setlist. I'm gonna see them this year 4 times and i want to hear and see something special.

Well, for starters, it's the first tourdate so if you're ready to give up on the tour and the band this early in, that's your choice. I'd be more than happy to grab all your tickets to any shows you're going to. This is a sold-out tour in most places and there are probably fans who are less critical who will enjoy the night out who would be happy to have your tickets. You can stay home and listen to your bootlegs.

Why do people get so defensive if someone criticizes the band? I am a huge fan but happen to agree that the setlists are becoming way too predictable. Do we really need to hear Captain Crash or I've Got The Girl??? Those songs suck anyway. Richie signing I'll Be There For You was a really nice change. Hope that stays.

Aloha !

Well, my mate Thierry is absolutely right this time. I totally agree. Bon Jovi wants to be taken serious about their music, that they're not just a simple guitarband, but a band who can do more and tell real story's and so on. Well, they should do something about that then.
When they released Keep The Faith the critics were that they started to grown up from being a hair band. When These Days was released they were really taken serious, and the These Days tour got very positive reviews, about that Bon Jovi was more then just a guitar band and so on, and that the songs were deeper as usual. So everyone was excited and expected Crush to be very good. But instead of that they came with a very simple album. The Crush tour was just a tour, nothing special.
Now Bounce has been released and again the album is not as good as everyone hoped it was. Sure, there are some powerful tracks on it, but also again a lot of weak tracks. But they kept on telling in interviews that this album was deeper and better as usual. And that this tour was going to be very special. But now that I see the setlist of the first gig I don't see anything special about it, the only thing that surprises me is that they don't play Prayer and Bad Name after eachother, and that Richie is singing a Bon Jovi song. But I don't expect that to happen in the European tour. The Japanese always get something special on their shows.
The only thing I'm hoping for is that they play more from These Days. That album sold best in Europe compared to the rest. Last time they only played Hey God and Something To Believe In, but also a lot from Crush.
Sure, Crush did it a lot better then These Days, but that was only because of the succes from It's My Life. These Days has got much better songs then Crush, and I think that when These Days had a hitsingle on it like It's My Life, it even would have sold much better. So come on guys, bring on some These Days stuff, and some songs you don't play so often. Raise Your Hands is cool, but they did that on the One Wild Night tour too, so time for something new like Blame It On The Love or Good Guys or something.
Otherwise the critics will be the same as usual, just a good Rock & Roll concert, but nothing special...

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

yeah, i think that Thierry is right this time too. I think the setlists do need to be mixed up a bit more, and as we're the ones paying to see them, i think that we have to right to want more than the same songs played over and over again. just my opinion!! :wink:

han xXx

Setlist Repititions
 

I personally don't much care what the critics think of a Bon Jovi show. They didn't buy my tickets. But, when the fans start to uprise, that is something to take note of. I do wonder, however, if the majority of fans don't really care and that it is only a select handful of fans that really notice the repitition in shows and are crying for variety. The reason I mention that is that I don't think the vast majority of the concert goers spend a lot of time downloading/buying BJ concerts. Thus, it doesn't strike them as stale. Where as the fan who is into everything Bon Jovi starts to feel like they are watching reruns. It's hard for the band to do something *new* when what is new for one show isn't new for the fan who downloaded everything.

Now, I don't think there is anyway they can pass off the ISWID/Bad Medicine/Shout as new. They've essentially been doing that since the KTF tour and it is so old now. It was cool the first time... a hundred times in though... <shrug>. My other gripe would be the "Twist and Shout." I took my brother to a BJ concert with me not to long ago and his most memorable comment was: "Great show, but they totally lost me when they did the Twist and Shout thing." I totally agree.

But, I would say give it time. I don't think a "true" formula for the setlist will emerge until a few weeks in. Our discussion can be much more informed then.

-eric

thierry- i'm totally with you!
i've said it a 10000 times: the worst thing they could do is PLAYING THE SAME SHIT AGAIN which they play now the 5th tour- it's starting to make me damn angry- but maybe i can't go to the bj concert in vienna: chances are good that i have to spend in the section hall at the university- good bless that other acts are coming also which are not that boring

OK, but most of the fans on this site are NOT average fans... they're the most devoted. And like it or not, although sometimes we feel like we deserve some sort of special reward for that, the band can't cater to us! They can't cater to the fringe element who have every fart ever recorded on every bootleg making the rounds. If you want to wear a badge of merit noting to all how many shows you've been to or how many bootlegs you have, that's fine but this band has a lot of fans who will never visit these message boards and never be as die-hard as fans on this site are... the band has to factor that into their shows. They have to. As much as I'd love to hear b-sides and demos and songs they've haven't performing live in years, I'm not the majority of people at a Bon Jovi show.

I think all arguments in this thread are valid. I understand that the majority of the audience aren't the 'hardcore' fans. However, there are less than 10 BJ song that absolutely cannot be dropped (you gotta live with these):

1. Bad Name (1st #1 hit)
2. Prayer (probably their finest moment, another #1 hit)
3. Wanted (their 'national anthem' - whatever the reason is. i suppose it's because this wasn't written with DC and it charted decently)
4. Bad Medicine (another #1 hit, most memorable anthem from NJ)
5. Keep The Faith (title track of their 5th album that showed their musical growth)
6. It's My Life (their comeback hit)

And these are pretty much it!

I understand if those cannot be dropped. However, I see no reason for these songs to remain in the setlist (which, unfortunately, they have, most of the time):

1. Sleep When I'm Dead (yes it's a fun, rockin song, but it isn't outstanding whatsoever... many other rockers can replace this)
2. Shout (this is a cover song!)
3. Blaze Of Glory (I wish they'll keep their solo materials for their own solo tour)
4. Lay Your Hands On Me (besides giving the spotlight to Tico and Dave, this song has somewhat lost its luster)
5. Wild In The Streets (i actually gagged when Jon said they haven't played this song for a long time, just before the giant stadium show in 2001, he must've smoked something funny earlier. it is a fun rock song but i think it can be replaced by another rocker)

I understand that they have many classic ballads, but seriously 2 ballads are enough per rock show. Although I'll Be There For You is a #1 hit, it can be substituted by the other ones.

So, if we have 6 indispensable tracks, plus 2 ballads, plus 5 new songs, that will bring us to a grand total of 13 songs. If they want to play one or two cover songs, that will add up the total to 15 songs. A standard BJ concert has approximately 20 songs. There are 5 slots available for the band to satisfy the diehards. I think the band should at least consider this. I'm not saying that they can suddenly pull out King Of The Mountain (it takes time for a band to prepare for tour - they need time to rehearse and it is impossible to relearn all songs from all studio albums), but they surely can pick some rare stuff!

The following songs are actually excellent album tracks and in some cases became minor hits and I think their inclusion in the setlist will be good to satisfy part of the 'hardcore' fans:

1. Runaway (old skool BJ fans will love this one, and without this, there won't be BJ as we know it)
2. These Days (the BEST track in the album often praised by fans. i don't care much for the album but this track is one of their finest ever)
3. In These Arms (i know it's probably hard to sing but this is much catchier than Sleep When I'm Dead)
4. Just Older (well this actually has remained in the setlist, which is good. the 2nd best track in Crush)
5. Blood On Blood (an excellent album track from NJ)
6. Born To Be My Baby (this has worked itself into regular rotation after falling out during TD tour, which is good. very catchy)

Yomamosofat -

I think Wanted is the 'National Anthem' because it is many ppls favourite track (according to Polls we do on here) & also one of their most well known.

It was interesting reading your breakdown though & I agree with the back bone pretty much. Although I think Just Older could be included here.

In actual fact, Lay your Hands, Wild in the Streets etc.. were dropped from this show - which is a shame as I really like these two live.

I however am a bit bored of BTBMB now, & wish they'd replace it.

I guess it is all down to opinion, however I do agree with having a basic 6/7 songs, 5-6 new ones (a cover or 2) a couple of Ballads (Always please). & then 3-5 rare ones - which change through every show, so that ppl are privilaged to be at a certain gig (due to having heard a very rare song & the Boots r worth collecting) - that the dedicated fans will appreciate.

Hence - Everyone is happy.

Mike