Oh the Good Old Days ...

Having done the post yesterday about Obie and thinking back on those BJTV webisodes, I just HAD to go back and watch a few. Here's one of my all-time favorites ...



Poor Jonny is so focused on getting it all right, I think he might have completely missed lunch. Every other shot of him, he's trying to work thru what seems like mostly the transitions in "Right Side of Wrong." And, what about yelling for David while he was sitting at the piano. "LEMA!"

I love Tico ... "can you get rid of the doink?"

And, then of course, there's Richie and David ... its amazing the whole group can stop laughing long enough to get work done.

But in the end, you know they do (cuz Jon would kick their butts if they didn't) AND because of their love for making music. But, as this shows ... the creative process isn't always an easy one. ;-)

Tribute to Obie O'Brien

Jon Bon Jovi has given us many gifts ... life-affirming songs, unforgettable performances, a reason to dream and hope .. hell, he's even given us a few funny movie moments.

But, one often overlooked gift has been introducing us to his friend, audio guru and wonderfully sarcastic sidekick, Obie O'Brien.

I hadn't been over to bonjovi.com in quite a while ... hard to believe, I know! But, during non-tour time things are generally slow ... and who wants to look at all the merchandise when you don't have a job? LOL

As a result, I needed to catch up on the Q&A section and see what our favorite Philly Soul Son had to say. (For those of you who didn't know, Obie is actually from the city of "Brotherly Shove.") He has brought us some fab glimpses into the Bon Jovi chaos over the years including the terrific run of BJTV during the making of the Bounce record. I will never forget the episode of Jon doing radio id's or Richie and David's impromptu version of "The Monster Mash."

So I pulled a couple of my favorite Obie responses. I love that he takes the time to deal with some of the teenage (and not-so-teenage) wackos. Anyone who submits a question just needs to be warned in advance that he has a wicked great sense of humor and has had some real zingers over the years.

But here's a few recent ones that got a laugh out of me.

Question
How far do you have to go to finish msg dvd?
Asked by bon_jovi_always1992
Answer
About 15 feet.
Answered by Obie

Question
What is bon jovi and you doing right now with the album and dvds?
Asked by bon_jovi_always1992
Answer
We are juggling them..... and a couple of chain saws.
Answered by Obie

Question
OBIE HELP!
I've lost my Lost Highway DVD!
I'm so upset, I can't find it anywhere!
Help me find it please? :)
Asked by jonbonjovilvr
Answer
Did you look over there?
Answered by Obie


and my personal favorite...

Question



Asked by 111jbjfan11
Answer


Answered by Obie.

And how about some Obie in person ....

I'm in a funk ... Legendary Performance #2

For some reason, I just can't seem to come up with anything fun or witty today so I'm taking the easy way out. Sorry.

I think it might be because the closer we get to the Superbowl, the more I feel the loss of the AFL season. I'm going to miss my Philadelphia Soul games, my friends, the players, the excitement, the heartbreak, the stinky sweaty Spectrum, the endless halls of the Wachovia Center (and my regular dose of crab fries from C&P.)

If you need a Soul fix, I recommend you go to your nearest Hard Rock Cafe and support the Foundation by purchasing a t-shirt and a pin from the new Signature Series. (And if you go to the one in NYC, don't even THINK about trying to get those huge signs ... I already asked ... LOL)























So, back to today's post. I'd like to publicly thank the Goddess Hathor for submitting her selection for "legendary performances." Thanks, Hath.

But ... ummm ... where are the rest of you?! Yes, YOU who reads this blog but never posts ... wahhh. There must be at least ONE performance that makes your heart sing ...

Well, here's another one of mine.

Probably one of the top 5 Jon Bon Jovi vocal performances. Period. I know few people who would disagree with me on this one. He's fantastic. Richie is fantastic. And, Tico ... lordy, lordy. Oops, David ... I didn't mean to ignore you. I can't say enough about this video. (its just a bonus that he's wearing my favorite jacket of ALL TIME ... ahhhh)

What I wouldn't give to hear this song live just one more time!





P.S. And we all ... every one of us around the world ... owe a huge debt of gratitude to Wowow TV out of Japan that has captured many, many a fantastic Bon Jovi moment over the last 25 years.

So ... What Are Your Top 5?

Seeing this clip, don't you want to just sing...
"Jon and Richie sat on the dock ...." LOL

This made me think what my top five records would be ... lordy! I figured if Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora could do it, so can I ... right?! Geez ... I'm not sure. So, in no particular order this is what came to mind right away:

1. These Days (Bon Jovi) - I don't think I need to explain this to anyone reading this blog. It is the only Bon Jovi album from which I cannot pick one favorite song. Impossible. Between Hearts Breaking Even and These Days and This Ain't A Love Song. SO many great songs on that one record.

2. Better Days (Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes) - It was a toss-up between this and "Reach Up and Touch the Sky" which I also just love. But with songs like Soul's on Fire and Coming Back I just had to go with this one. It also has these great instrumental preludes to most of the songs which is wonderfully unique.

3. Peter and the Wolf/Pictures at an Exhibition - This was an old 45rpm of the NBC Orchestra from my father's collection and the record he used to introduce me to classical music. It obviously had a huge impact on me and I chose the bassoon after listening to Peter and the Wolf. And, I can't say enough about Pictures ... truly one of the great classical masterpieces with orchestrations that are out of this world. If you have never heard the piece, I HIGHLY recommend it.

4. Aloha from Hawaii (Elvis) - This was one of my mom's records and the one I would find myself always sneaking into the living room to steal. I remember trying to learn the words to every song and I remember sitting on the floor and playing it with my parents the night he died. I still play his version of My Way all the time. And Suspicious Minds is an all-time fave.

5. Kind of Blue (Miles Davis) - I came to know this record after moving to NYC. I remember going to some little club downtown one night and the table next to me was talking endlessly about it and I figured it was worth checking it out. It was what Oprah would call an "Aha Moment" as it opened my eyes to a much larger world of music. I spent that entire weekend in my apartment eating Chinese with this on continuous play. (I still do that sometimes ... LOL)

So, there you have it. This is at least today's list of my top 5 ... ask me again in a few months and who knows. That's the joy of music ... its ever-changing based on your environment and mood at the time.

I'd love to hear your choices.

The Era That Still Holds My Heart

There is just something about the These Days era. Hands down, my favorite full album start-to-finish where every track is a favorite for some reason or another - whether harmonically or lyrically. (This Left Feels Right is a close second in terms of a complete record.)

I know I am not alone in my love of all things These Days. So, going thru my video files yesterday, I found this interview that I wanted to share ...

Legendary Performances #1

There are certain performances that will live on in Bon Jovi lore forever. Having been to "a few" concerts (next tour, I'll hit 200 ...oyyy!), I've been blessed to have witnessed some of this magic first-hand.

I thought it would be fun to revisit some of those special moments from over the years. The thing is ... I need YOU to help decide which of those moments should be included on the list. So, send me an e-mail at bigapplejovi@yahoo.com or leave a comment here.

I will start with one I was lucky enough to experience.

#1 Livin' on a Prayer at Madison Square Garden during the Have A Nice Day tour. I was blessed with a 7th row seat on Richie's side - yes, this was the night he sliced his finger open and bled all over several of his guitars (just adds to the mystique of the night.)

The concert was electric from start to finish ... including one of the best damn covers of "Treat Her Right" ever (available here on YouTube. If you like to see Jonny "dance" ... you should definitely check it out.)

Jon was simply on fire that night. Definitely the right night for the gold pants. I honestly don't know how he didn't just pass out by the end of the show, it was THAT amazing. And its got all the right elements, including a quintessential David shirt and Richie's leopard fedora. ;-)

Besides the guys being absolutely "on", what made it special was the crowd, which played a significant part as evidenced in this clip. We were so damn loud, the guys didn't even have to really sing. Seriously, at this point, they could have just sat back and had a pizza.

Ohh...the rockstar jump at the end always gets me.

And to think ... they then did two encore sets after that.

So, were you at this show? I'd love to hear your memories of it.




P.S. Up next ... probably one of the top 5 Bon Jovi moments EVER ... Something to Believe In from Yokohama ... you know the one.

I Can't Sleep ... Again ... So, Lucky You!

Well, its 3:45am and I can't sleep ... so I'm looking thru a file of pictures I just found ... and heck, look at 'em! I don't even know what concerts some of these are from -- I haven't seen them in years. But, oh what a nice trip down memory lane ...

Obviously from the Keep the Faith tour in '92/'93 ...


















With Little Steven?! I don't even remember this! Ahhh ... Miss Saigon (some of you have heard my story about the first time I subbed in the pit for that show ... LOL)


















I'm thinking ... Jersey Syndicate Tour ....? But which show, I have no idea!
























You'd think I'd remember a hot pink guitar, wouldn't ya?

Jon's Pictures from the Inauguration

As you all know, I generally don't post pics of Jon's family ... but since he was willing to share them with Oprah, what the heck?! Looks like they had a great time. (...and look! the Michelin tire jacket makes another appearance!)
Its a shame the little ones aren't old enough to enjoy this ... hopefully they'll have their chance too.


































This is from Getty, but ... damn, talk about Rock Royalty!

Jon's Interview from the Ball

What an incredible opportunity for him and his family! I love how Katie says to thank Ken Sunshine for dragging Jon up there ... we all know the truth ... as soon as Ken said, "Katie Couric would like to ... ," Jon was running up the stairs. ;-)

Update: The whole performance can be found on The Pentagon Channel (look for the video that says Part 3): http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/

Update: Commander in Chief Ball

I'll hopefully have something more tomorrow, but here's the quick notes:

1. Jon played a very short set ... Who Says, Prayer, Here Comes the Sun, Wanted
2. He looked wonderful, but incredibly uncomfortable in his bow tie ... I thought at one point he was just going to rip it right off. LOL
3. The highlight of the night was the commentator from The Pentagon Channel who after calling him Bon Jon Vovi and then Von Jon Bobi and then Jon Bon Bovi, just finally gave up!

P.S. Tomorrow also begins "Legendary Performances" ... starting with Prayer in 2005 from the MSG concert ... you KNOW I'll have something to say about that ... 7th row Richie's side ... ahhhhhhhh.

What Is It About Italian New Jersey Musicians?!

There are two New Jersey musicians who have influenced me greatly. One of them you all read about nearly every day. The other one I met several years after Jon Bon Jovi, but he has still had that same type of monumental impact. That is my bassoon professor from school.

Well, I had an opportunity to see and hear my hero tonight after about a decade -- he was performing as a member of Windscape, an extraordinary woodwind quintet based in New York City. And when I say extraordinary, I am not exaggerating ... I have always considered them the Yankees of the quintet world because it is literally superstar musicians at every position. Unfortunately, they don't get paid as much as Jeter and company. But damn, they should. Then again, luckily they don't have to deal with Hank Steinbrenner.

ANYWAY, hearing them -- and my teacher, in particular -- made my soul sing for the first time in a long time. He has this sound that can make you melt, but also a groove that just makes you smile.

What?! You think bassoon players can't groove? Ha!

I have always believed there are people who come into your life at just the right moment for just the right reason ... I call them my Elliotts (from the Disney movie "Pete's Dragon.") My teacher was definitely one of those people and he still holds a very special place in my heart.

So, think back ... is there an "Elliott" in your life? Do you know where they are now?

P.S. Since we haven't done "My Music Mondays" here in quite some time, here's a clip that will not only fulfill that requirement, but also help in two ways .... one, provide an answer for all of you who always ask "what the heck is that instrument you play?!" ... and two, to prove that bassoonists can groove. :-) (A special prize awaits the person who can name the two musical pieces you hear on this clip.)

P.S.2. For those of you asking for yet more from the Clinton event last week (the video and my oh-so-eloquent review weren't enough for ya, huh?! LOL) ... I'll hopefully have something posted soon. In the meantime, don't miss the live stream of Jon headlining the Commander in Chief Military Ball, 7pm on Tuesday night at http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/.

We Are One (....but not really)

So, I have been playing the mp3 of "Change is Gonna Come" from the Thursday night Hillary event (thanks Rike!) over and over again. I seriously hope Jon has somehow heard it and realizes how absolutely awesome he sounded!

And reading the news today, it seems that many people were impressed with Jon Bon Jovi's performance during the "We Are One" concert yesterday. (And if they weren't, well that's their problem.) It was like this huge lightbulb went on in some people's heads and they realized, like the gentleman the other night, "wow ... he can really sing." Was the song selection an obvious choice for Jon, no ... but that's what made it special.

By the way ... a few more thoughts on the event yesterday ...

1. They really should have had Jon do "Shout" ... Garth Brooks was fine ... but nobody does it better than Jonny.

2. I'm with you, Fiction Mistress, we are all coveting Renee Fleming's red coat. I have always loved Fleming ... she has made being an opera diva more about style and smile than nastiness and battle (opera lovers will understand the inference ... *wink*)

3. Bruce looked and sounded absolutely fantastic. Period. Can't say much more than that!

4. Tiger Woods. Ahhh.

5. And finally, yes we are coming together as a country but the truth is we are not all one ... we are all different and that's what makes it all so great. Just look at the picture below ... (and look! its Jon's famous Michelin tire jacket ... LOL ... and, of course, he found himself sandwiched between Ashley Judd and Marisa Tomei! Good work there, Jonny.)

Well, Its Just Fine with Me

FAIR WARNING: I am going to speak my mind ... but its my blog, so there! :-)

I hope you all watched the "We Are One" concert today from Washington, D.C. --- no ... and not just because Jon Bon Jovi was singing.

(If you missed it and want to see it, you can catch it on hbo.com in repeats.)

What an amazing event!

I know some people don't like the fact that there is this big celebration and its costing all this money...blah blah blah.

All I can say is ... its just fine with me.

I see a hope and an excitement for the future in these events, something this country (and the world) actually NEEDS right now.

I see artists of all types coming together ... from Renee Fleming to Will.i.am.

I see people who are braving the cold to be a part of history.

I see an incoming First Family who sings along with the songs and comfortably laughs at the funny moments.

I was chatting online with the Fiction Mistress and all my German girls as we were watching it ... proving that this truly is a worldwide celebration. We talked about how wonderful it was to soon have a President that is an inspirational speaker ... someone, who, like Bill Clinton, will challenge us to step up and do and be better.

As for Jon and the performance today, all I can say is ... what an incredibly blessed life he has had (and I am pretty sure he realizes this.) He has performed for half a million in Times Square, is one of the few artists to have sung in Central Park, performed for a Presidential Inaugural celebration and served as a musical ambassador in the Soviet Union at a time when that just hadn't been done.

And I feel blessed to have been able to tag along for the ride.

My Word of the Year: Believe

Don't look up to your movie screens
In record stores or magazines.
Close your eyes and you will see
That you are all you really need.

I believe, I believe.
With every breath that I breathe,
You and me can turn a whisper to a scream.

I believe.
I believe.

I recently got into scrapbooking ... very much inspired by the super-talented Willow. As such, I'm working on something called "Project 52" where I do a layout per week that centers around the same word.

As you can see, the word I chose for 2009 is "believe." I think it really sums up so much of the mindset I (and so many others) need to keep. So, of course, first off ... I must post a video of Bon Jovi ... right?

Here's a clip from Twickenham of "I Believe" from this last tour. (I love how Jon goes thru the audience and sees which songs they have done at that point.)

Isn't that a great video? Here's a few things I gleaned from it:

1. I BELIEVE Jon Bon Jovi still has the pipes to sing just about anything he wants (as evidenced in the Sam Cooke cover on Thursday night.)
2. I BELIEVE the band really does love playing that "old" stuff ... look at Richie and Dave rockin' out!
3. I BELIEVE that Jon might actually have more guitar chops on electric than I originally thought. (sorry, Jon)

So...what is your word for the year? Do you have one? Think about it ...

Obviously, I will be touching on this word a lot during the year ... and certainly over the next week. Woo hoo!

More on the Clinton/Jon Bon Jovi Event

You can search YouTube and find a bunch of musical clips from the event so I didn't want to post them here. But, this was a wonderful intimate moment when Jon Bon Jovi introduced President Clinton.

It was funny ... in the beginning when he's joking about being rushed off the stage, that's how it really felt, but that was because the event was running late - all this activity was going on around him and Jon was just standing in the middle of it.

In any case, I love to hear Jon speak. Its always so calm and humble and inspired.

And how perfect was it that Jon was in the middle of singing "Here Comes the Sun" as President Clinton is making his way to the stage. Perfect. In my opinion, he is the biggest "rockstar" there is.

(whoever took this video had the same view I did but from the other side. I was lucky to be able to see a little of what was happening in the wings ... but that's for another time)

P.S. If you missed the review/recap, simply visit yesterday's post.

Quick Recap of Clinton/Jon Bon Jovi Event

Okay ... its getting late but wanted to post quickly my thoughts/comments/review of the Clinton event.

First off, WHAT A REMARKABLE DAY ... "the miracle on the Hudson" -- I can't believe not a single person died in that plane crash! Smart pilot. Great rescue effort. NY pulling together like it always does in times of trouble.

Met JerzyJovi at Penn Station. Had lunch with her and her sister. Fantastic time!

We got in a cab and walked straight into the venue at about 6pm (event started at 7pm) ... we didn't wait in line ... didn't freeze our tushes off ... and I STILL got a seat in the 7th row on the aisle!

Event started a bit late ... they were trying to wait as long as possible because Senator Clinton ... well I guess soon-to-be Secretary of State Clinton couldn't fly in because the airports were closed after the crash - so she took Amtrak up from DC.

Anyway, since you all are waiting on the Jon Bon Jovi part ... I'll recap that quickly ...
Personnel: Jon, Lorenza, Bobby and Jeff
Setlist:
Help
Who Says
Prayer
Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)
Here Comes the Sun

Jon sounded absolutely frickin awesome on Change ... a real departure for him musically and I absolutely applaud it ... he did a GREAT job!

Bill Clinton spoke (and I got to shake his hand ... ahhhhhh ... those who know me in RL know I'm a big Clinton fan), Chelsea spoke and then Hillary spoke. Inspired, heartfelt. Great.

More to come tomorrow ... but in the meantime ...

P.S. The one annoyance of the night was after Jon left and got into the car ... as is the case with NY and traffic, the SUV couldn't just pull out and drive away ... and there were all these crazy women chasing the car down the street. Get a grip people!

P.S.2. Oh and I forgot ... afterwards we stopped by the Hard Rock to get some t-shirts. You should see the awesome signage they have for the Soul Foundation - woo hoo! We had met up with another fc member and ended the night with cheesecake from Junior's. (If you don't know Junior's cheesecake, you don't know cheesecake! LOL)

P.S.3. I keep adding more ... ha ha. One of the nicer moments of the evening ...

So, in front of me was this handsome middle-aged man who had attended the event by himself. With the event delayed, people were just chatting with those around them and he turned around to me and casually asked if I had seen Bon Jovi before. (I thought "ok ... lets not scare the nice gentleman ... don't want him to think I'm a wacko.") So, I casually said yes, I'm a fan and that I have seen Jon solo and the band Bon Jovi several times. We continued to talk a bit until the event started. About halfway thru Jon's set, the man turned back to me and simply said "Wow! He can REALLY sing!" ... a huge smile broke out on my face. Yes, he really can.

Looking Forward to Tonight!

So, yesterday was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ... I got an amazing package from my German girls (I LOVE YOU GUYS!) and then I found out about the death of a dear friend and good colleague. So my head is all over the place.

You know what I could use right now?! A little live Bon Jovi (or at least some Jonny)! And, I'm in luck, because tonight is the Hillary Clinton/JBJ event. Can't wait to hear what he's got ready for us!

A lot of talk has gone around about Jon Bon Jovi possibly entering the political arena and running for office. One little thing ... if he were to campaign, most of it would have to be by bus ... whatdya think about that Jon? LOL




update: its snowing like crazy here in NYC ... maybe lots of people will cancel and I'll get to move up from my "heavenly seat" down a bit to rejoin society ... in any case, will post tomorrow all the news ...

A Little Something Special for the Goddess

I was going to wait til tomorrow to post another episode but here's a little Richie Sambora for the Goddess who, thru some divine intervention and positive karma, fixed my internet problem this morning.



I didn't think Lorenza even ATE dessert! And I love Tico ... we had a good time, even with the songs we don't know!

The Joys of Being a Musician

So, I was sitting at a bar the other day watching the Giants lose, and got into a conversation with the guy sitting next to me. It was my old Juilliard watering hole (read: cheap beer and endless supply of peanuts) which has now somehow become the hang-out for all the cast members from "One Live to Live" and "All My Children" ... go figure!

ANYWAY, this guy and I were talking about being in the arts and I was sharing some stories of my travels as a classical musician. I really have been so blessed being able to go around the world from Taipei to Trujillo (a city north of Lima, Peru.)

But, the truth is ... as much as musicians are lucky to travel, there is a price you pay ... the days often run together and sometimes you have no idea what town you're in!

The conversation reminded me of the great "On the Road" stuff that has been done over the years with Jon, Richie, David and Tico. So, I thought I'd revisit one of my favorite fireside chats with David Bryan from the recent Lost Highway tour.

P.S. I thought that most people knew about these ... but it seems most don't? Do you want me to post more of them? If so, just leave me a comment and I'll post more over the next week. I particularly like the episode of Jon getting on a tour bus ... now THERE'S a rarity! LOL

I'm Just Sayin' ...

During the "great reorganization project of 2009" I came across this photo of Jon ....
























Just in case its hard to read, the shirt says "expect no mercy" ... and I thought ... damn, we should have all worn shirts like that during the U.S. leg of the tour because all of us wanted to hear them do Mercy, but alack and alas we learned not to expect it!

So, to fill that void, here's an awesome video from my friend Taschi in Europe ... (it has a little Start Me Up thrown in too! And bonus, Jon is wearing my favorite jacket from this last tour ... ahhhh)



for more of Taschi's amazing videos, visit here.

It's Cold Out There!

Well, winter is now here in full force. We've had snow ... a lot for NYC actually ... and now the cold has settled in and its just going to get worse over the next week. Hmm...what I wouldn't give for a little summertime .... ;-)


courtesy of Maxmouth

some "interesting" sliding around there at the beginning Richie ;-)

P.S. I know you were all expecting a post today about the Giants, but I'm still too flabbergasted by their lack of play to comment right now. As my friend P said, "who was that guy dressed in Eli Manning's jersey?!" ARGH!

Seriously, they could have put Jon in! Though he may have gotten a penalty flag for those pants. (just kidding, Jon!)

























But as we mourn the end of the season, here is at least some Jonny in Giants garb ... isn't that just a great smile?!

























I guess now we just wait for baseball ... perhaps a game of Bon Jovi vs ...?

Just Another Reason Why I Love NYC

So, I was on my way home from an interview today (it went very well by the way ... keep your fingers crossed, its an awesome job!) and went down into Penn Station to catch the subway.

Down in the station - right in front of the McDonalds - was an absolutely kick-ass jazz band. The sax section absolutely rocked and everyone from the bass player to the trombonist could play ... and I mean really PLAY. I ended up standing there for a good 30 minutes listening to them. Anyone in/around NYC try to catch them on Friday nights at Penn Station and on Thursdays at 42nd Street. The Alex LoDico Ensemble. I tried to find a good YouTube clip of them but those I found just didn't do them justice.

But, here's one of a group of another group I've seen before ...




Its part of the Music Under New York program. When I was a student, I actually subbed (filled-in) a couple of times for a bassoonist in an ensemble that often plays at Grand Central Station. It was so much fun - we made some money, not much - but we played a heck of a lot of great repertoire and hung out with some interesting (and talented!) people.

So, what do you think it would take to get Bon Jovi to do a gig in the subway? LOL (Can't you just see security having a heart attack right now?!) Though, actually, I bet Richie Sambora would love to play with that band I saw today. He'd have a blast!

P.S. Oh ... and another reason I like NYC ... gloves+hat+long underwear for $10!! We are supposed to get slammed with snow tomorrow ... woo hoo, its winter!

The picture chaos continues ...

Since everyone seemed to enjoy yesterday's photos, I thought we'd just continue with this whole labeling thing ...

How about "cranky and perturbed Jon thru the years..." (I actually seem to have a lot of those LOL)































And then there's "indecisive sports fan Jonny" ...





























How about "consorting with the enemy Jonny" .... ha ha



















All this is giving me a headache ... perhaps I need a few pills ... ya know ...

An Organizing Dilemma ...

Like I said yesterday, I am attempting to organize my Bon Jovi collection ... including images and photos. (Remember when my computer crashed and the Geek Squad guy warned me that my back-up only had room for 285,000 photos ... there's a legitimate reason why he said that ... LOL)

Anyway, so here we go ... do you organize by year, by record, by stage outfit (yes, separate folders for the blue gauze shirt from HAND and the infamous red shirt from the LH tour) ... or maybe by some other similar trait ...

...like "Jon holding his shirt up" ...




















































Or maybe, "Jon giving the peace sign" (tho I have heard it means something else in other parts of the world ....)









































How about OTHER people giving the peace sign ....
























Hmmm .... where should I put this shot? ha ha
(I love how Paul is just trying to ignore this is even happening...or he's giving someone the evil eye ... LOL)


























How about "Jon sitting on modes of transportation" ...
































(dang! I gotta find that one of him on the John Deere tractor ... and the one on his dad's horse ... that would be perfect! LOL)

So what is the point of today's post? If I was trying to be introspective and esoteric, I'd say "don't put a label on things ... very few things in life fit into one category."

But, because its Wednesday and its raining and all the laundry machines downstairs are taken, I'll just say "damn, I like this project!"

Tuesday Musings

One of my many New Year's resolutions was to finally organize my Bon Jovi collection ... ha!

The Detroit Lions have a better shot of going undefeated than I have of finding some semblance of order in my Jovi collection.

The good thing about this little project is that I need to actually LOOK at a lot of Bon Jovi. So, I found this picture from the Philly HAND concert at Citizens Bank Park.

It was hotter than hell that day ... seriously, it was the only Bon Jovi show I could ever remember thinking "guys, can you just stop singing now so we can go home?!" The other thing I remember from that show (besides the proud unfurling of the Soul flag and an appearance by the Soulmates) was they did "Bells of Freedom" - of course they HAD to - its Philly! I swear I was the only person in the pit happy to hear that song ... what is wrong with you people?! Its by far my favorite track on that record.

But, I digress (well, there's a surprise!) ...

What makes me laugh about this picture is how Jon looks in that hat ... for some reason it makes me think of him as a cast member on "Gilligan's Island."

The picture also reminded me that we haven't done Tuesday Trivia in a while. So, in light of the hat picture, here we go...
QUESTION: What supposedly happened to the great cowboy hat that Willie Nelson gave to Jon?

clue: allegedly it has to do with my other favorite Jersey musician

So, Jonny ... whatcha doin' with that Dolphins Pin?

From yesterday's game ... where the Dolphins, by the way, played like ... well .. let's just say "not so well."

Makes me wonder what's going on there Jon? Friendship with Parcells aside, I know you're looking at ownership possibilities in the NFL. Considering you're wearing a suit ... hmm ... maybe there for a couple of meetings?

Just don't forget ... you still have a football team ...

Nonetheless, glad to see him looking rested. Ready to go back to work? Good - cause you promised a loud, rockin' record for 2009 ... and well, its already January 5th, so where the hell is it? LOL

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So, what else does 2009 have in store ...? Only time will tell.

But, so far, looking forward to the Hillary event at Town Hall - which is actually one of those overlooked older venues in Manhattan - like City Center (which I love.) I played a couple of times at Town Hall ... hopefully they upgraded backstage .. I remember it was a bit scary. In any case, I'll be sure to give a report.

And, then, of course is the infamous fan club concert. Can't wait to see my Jovi girls and to see what "friends" will be joining Jon. (Can I please put my vote in for Uncle Southside?!?!)

Miscellaneous

First, turn the sound off on your computer.

Now, play the video ... don't you sometimes feel confused just like this ...? (Especially when reading thru the message boards online at Backstage with Jon Bon Jovi ... LOL)