The new website design just confirms what everyone has been suspecting for the past few years, Bon Jovi is no longer a band, it's a brand and JBJ is the star of the brand and the other members of the band (or whats left of it) don't matter. BON JOVI as a whole has become a coperate entity than a real band.

Why do you think Jon named the experience scheme, The Jon Bon Jovi Experience, because the brand always has to revolve around himself.

Priv message

But this is nothing new ?! Just listen to Jon in the WWWB documentary. Or look at the fan club: it's always been "Backstage with JBJ" and not "Backstage with BJ". Why? Because it's always been about Jon! At least for Jon, but also for many people, including myself.

From KTF on it's always been Jon's vision, and the input from the other band members has constantly diminished, at least since Crush. Maybe Bounce had a little more input from Richie, but other than that, even his input was barely noticeable, with the odd exception of course.

Was going to say the same thing. Every few years something happens and someone says "WELL THIS CONFIRMS IT". Every time. It's just....always been this way at varying levels. Christ, the band hasn't even had it's own fan club for years once it converted to a Jon thing.

Nothing about what is happening here is....new.

Never as a fan, even in the mid 90s when I was young enough to not consider internal politics of a rock band, have I thought this was a group thing. It was clear from day dot for me that this is Jon's band. Probably the name of the band give it away. Yes, it has changed over the years and gotten progressively worse, but each member of the band has made it clear they know the gig and knew what they were getting.

Us fans too, in a way. It has never been any secret this is Jon's ship and he decides where it goes. Even in the 80s when they behaved like a band, just watching Access All Areas makes it obvious the band and the fans are all on Jon's journey.

Nothing is being confirmed by me. Jon now only sees Bon Jovi as a cash cow or a way to express his earth shattering "touch the people" feelings. One of the differences for me compared to some on here is I am fine with it. It doesn't make me angry or sad, and I say good luck to him. He has lost me a long time ago, but clearly many are still along for the ride. If he see this as Bon Jovi 2020, it's a solid no from me and I will criticize it, but it's his ship.

Perfectly put!

More or less, yeah. The last two albums have had moments here and there where it sounds like a BAND playing but from 2000 onwards the band's style, sound and legacy in the songs have been almost sucked out of them. Some songs sound like parodies of themselves, some sound like parodies of others. I truly believe the band in the last two albums have been recording together but the marketing of that could use a lot of work.

Again, to me the difference is WHAT they are selling and the QUALITY of it. Poppy or not, in the 90s, the band emulated the Rolling Stones more than they did Bill Clinton. But the way Jon sells his brand nowadays is certainly closer to a "respectable elder statesman", only he's a shoddy used car seller, considering the quality of the product.

I am not denying that some of it is very well meant even today (Soul Kitchen), and some of it was terribly sketchy money grabbing even back in the band's heyday, but you know, they at least were a... first a rock band. Then at least a band. Then at least a music act. But it seems that for what they are selling now, music is not the priority. It's nostalgia and a shiny brand.

In my honest opinion, what Jon is selling these days is himself. He knows there are some people who will buy anything with his name on it, for whatever reason, no matter what it is.

Music used to be the product. But more and more, it's like Jon is the product; and music is just the vehicle, or the excuse, to promote and sell it

Finally had the time to sit down and watch the Los Angeles live songs. I'm sorry, but for a (digitally captured) show from 2010, the audio and video quality is really cheap. Almost glad they're not giving us full shows if that's the quality they come up with.