Summertime...Or So They Say...

Happy Tuesday y'all! Sorry its been a little hit-and-miss with me and posting lately -- been a lot going on.

Well, the countdown to Summerfest has begun!! Its less than two weeks now until the boys will be rocking the Marcus Amphitheatre in Milwaukee. And, I don't know about you, but I'm seriously ready for a little bit of summer. We've had some strange weather as of late here in the Rainy-One-Day-Beautiful-the-Next Indecisive Apple.

So, to psych ourselves up for next week, the new poll is all about summer, may it finally arrive (at which time we will all be moaning and complaining about the heat and humidity and the aromatic character of the city ... LOL)

Up first, the absolutely sublime coupling of We Will Rock You with Summertime. FANTASTIC!



Okay ... our second video is one of my favorite pairings with I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (which admittedly isn't one of my faves, but is a blast live.)



Blogger was being cranky, I had tried to upload this one - which is from one of the three amazing nights in Giants Stadium at the end of the HAND tour. Oh, what nights those were!! (I am still depressed that the boys won't be closing Giants ... but hey! there's a new stadium opening right next door ... HINT HINT!!)

Now, as for Summerfest ... just wondering what song(s) you all would like to hear? All I can say is, "Jon Bon Jovi, I have one word for you ... BOUNCE!" I'll take just about anything from that oft-neglected record (tho my preference would be Undivided.)

P.S. Word from Brothers is that they are sending me a new cd "right away" ... oh, and Rue, I agree with you. I think it sounds pretty darn good - I will even forgive them for creative editing ... still not sure everything on there was from night one ... *wink wink*

Its NOT Okay to be a Little Broken

So, after hundreds of miles back and forth, criss-crossing the country ... my Starland CD finally arrived. And, of course, it didn't quite survive all the trials, tribulations and travels. The jewel case basically disintegrated when I opened it and the insert is completely mangled.

So, now starts the arduous task of trying to get a replacement copy ... hmm, wonder what fun and exotic places this one will visit before arriving on my doorstep. Bali? New Zealand? Singapore? I swear, in my next lifetime I'm coming back as a fan club CD! LOL

Perhaps Jon Bon Jovi has a couple of extra copies at his place and I can just hop on the subway and pick one up ... (as long as I don't stop at the Kate's Paperie in Soho on the way ... that place is DEADLY ...)

P.S. New poll is going up tonight ... I PROMISE!!

Just a little something ...

Hi Jovinuts ... did you miss me? Well, I missed you. Been dealing with some pretty serious medical issues for the past few days, but am feeling well enough to write for a little bit. Let's just say ... I could really use a big 'ol Jon Bon Jovi smile just about now. And a hug wouldn't hurt either. ;-)

So, in the taxi on the way home today I was listening to my iPod in an effort to block out the noise of the city. I usually love the energy and buzz of New York, but not right now. Anyway, this version of "Its My Life" popped up and I hadn't heard it in quite some time. Once again, memories from the Borgata show were flooding my brain and it made me realize how incredibly grateful I am that this band has played such a big role in my life.

In any case, don't know what kind of week you all have had, but if its been a bit rough, take my advice ... play this video ... close your eyes, just listen ... and breathe.




Okay, I'll be back later to post the new poll and whatever craziness comes to mind.

P.S. Did you see that Jon went to the White House for lunch today ... "Mr. Bongiovi Goes to Washington" ... now THAT would be a movie I'd see over and over again. LOL (if you didn't catch it, I was making reference to the 1930s Jimmy Stewart film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...)

I Don't Like Mondays ...

I don't like Mondays. I believe I am not at all alone in this feeling.

Its not that I don't like to work (quite the contrary) ... I don't even usually mind the people I work with/for. But, for some reason its that feeling that when you wake up in the morning, you must get ready for war - battling the subway, battling the haziness from the weekend, battling other people who are all feeling the same way I am.

What's the best remedy? Some loud, rockin' music I think. So, to tide you over until I post the next Legendary Performance poll, here's something to get your blood running a bit hotter ...



What a great cover of this song! And Jon Bon Jovi with a bit of war paint ... wonder how he feels about Mondays. LOL

Okay, Jovinuts. I'll be in touch soon.

(Don't forget to be on the lookout for new pics from the event tonight in NYC.)

$50 = 2 drinks, 3 songs and ...

You know I'm always honest - about music and about life ... so here it is. It's not always pretty being a Bon Jovi fan.

So ... I attended the Jon Corzine fundraising event last night in Newark.

It was ironic to find myself, once again, sitting in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center waiting for a Jon Bon Jovi appearance. As I mentioned in my HoF review, I really do love that venue ... its a wonderful facility and home to one of the often overlooked good orchestras in this country.

Anyway, upon finally arriving (not sure why the Light Rail line only comes every 25 minutes during rush hour ... argh) I was happy to receive a free drink ticket and went upstairs to find my friends (and a bar!) Of course, though the printed ticket said 6pm, the actual program didn't start until 7:30pm ... so the bar did come in handy. ;-)

At 7:30pm I took my seat way up close to God in the third tier where many other Bon Jovi fans were sitting. After a few speeches -- including a never-ending one from the volunteer chair for the campaign (as a friend said "22 minutes of my life I can't get back") and a rather amusing speech from the Governor of Montana - it was obvious the crowd was getting restless for Jon Bon Jovi to take the stage.

And so he did ... he sounded wonderful, with the regular musicians we have grown to love (Bobby, Lorenza, Jeff and Everett.) Its been posted everywhere what they played - Who Says, Prayer and Here Comes the Sun - and complaining and nastiness has ensued about the fact that it was only three songs (more on that later.) It was short and sweet for sure ... heck! I think Jon was already in the SUV on the way home before Governor Corzine finished speaking. LOL

Jon also spoke for a few minutes about his friendship with the Governor and, in particular, work that the Soul Foundation is doing there in Newark and an upcoming project in Camden. It really is fantastic what the foundation is doing - I still think they could use an experienced non-profit professional on their staff (...hmmm...who might I be thinking of? ... hehe ...) but they'll cross that bridge when they get there.

Much has been said of Jon's inherent ability and obvious interest in politics and how that may translate into a future run for office - well, I think he summed up his feelings last night when he referred to politics as "an ugly stage to perform on." I think the only office Jon is going to be running for is the one in his home when the phone is ringing. LOL

Anyway ... back to the event ... then Governor Corzine spoke - this is where it started to get ugly. It was apparent that fans were NOT happy JBJ only did three songs and started screaming things from various sections. It was disrespectful to the Governor and, in reality, it was disrespectful to Bon Jovi. It continued thru the majority of Corzine's speech to the point that, as a Bon Jovi fan, I was embarrassed at how people were acting. I'm glad Jon didn't see that ... I think he would have been disappointed.

In closing, it was a political fundraiser/rally -- there were going to be speeches and such. I do feel that the Corzine campaign totally misrepresented the event saying that it was a "rare acoustic concert" by JBJ. They could have said that JBJ was "making an appearance in support of ..." and playing a few songs -- but I understand ... that wouldn't have raised as much money -- a campaign staffer told me the house was heavily papered as it was (that means comped.)

In the end, I'm glad I went - gave me my mini-fix to hold me over until Summerfest and I was able to catch up with some Jovi friends I hadn't seen in a while.

P.S. I still get a laugh out of thinking how many times I used to give Corzine the run-around when he was calling my former boss. Sorry, Governor! I was just doing my job. I bet my boss would take your phone call now. LOL

P.S.2. I knew one of the girls had gotten video ... thanks for posting it M.

Rockstar Card Kit No. 1

Greetings Jovinuts!

I have cool friends ... they do cool things ... and yet every time I am looking for a birthday card or a simple notecard to send to one of them, mostly I find things with flowers and pastels and fluff. I can totally understand how Tico felt when he created his Rockstar Baby line. So a while back, I started creating my own cards ... and now, after some cajoling (ok, pressure!) from some of my friends, I'm making them available to all of you!

So, welcome to my new line of Bon Jovi/Rock-n-Roll inspired cards. Whether you are an experienced scrapbook person or craft person, or you have never created anything in your life, YOU CAN DO THIS!

What do you get? You will receive enough pre-cut, pre-stamped supplies to make 4 cards of each of the three designs below, including all the ribbon and embellishments. You'll even receive the perfect adhesive you need to assemble them. And the great thing is that the patterned paper is double-sided so that multiplies your options for creating your own design of card.

SO ... that's a total of 12 cards for $25 ... less than $3 per card!

This kit will be available thru June 20th (or while supplies last.)












































Pssst! You know ... if you take a black pen and write the name of our favorite band on the banner in the heart, it would be PERFECT for your Jovinut friends!

This kit is great for beginners (ya know ... those of you who haven't touched paper and glue since elementary school) and just want something fun and different to do for an hour ... or for those experienced with scrapbooking and stamping who might want to change up the cards some.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at bigapplejovi@yahoo.com.

You can simply click below to order the kit.

Rockstar Card Kit No. 1 - $25

plus s/h $5 ... currently only available in the U.S.
(For overseas customers, please contact me directly at bigapplejovi@yahoo.com)

P.S. Are you already a scrapbooker? Like the paper or the ribbon or the brads, but don't necessarily want the card kit. You can order your own supplies by clicking the Stampin' Up logo in the upper left hand corner of the blog.

Fixing Technology - Bon Jovi Style

Happy Friday Jovinuts!

For some reason, this seemed like the longest week known to man ... not sure why ...

Its been that "Murphy's Law" kind of week ... for example, I very rarely have to take the 4/5/6 subway line, but had to this week - so OF COURSE, this is the week its all screwed up and you have to go to Idaho and back to try to get to the East Side ... ARGH. I'm such a West Side snob ... LOL.

Or ... why is it that when I'm literally right about ready to walk out the door, THAT'S when the printer decides to go crazy. I'm usually the one everybody would come to when that happens ... they say that I have some magical printer powers ... you wanna know what I do?

I literally put my hands on the top of it and sing ... yep, you got it ...

Lay Your Hands on Me

and then restart it and hope it works. It usually does. See?! Even my printer likes Bon Jovi (though I have been known to sing "You Give HP a Bad Name" once or twice ... LOL)

So, in celebration of Bon Jovi/Jon Bon Jovi's ability to not only lift spirits and inspire, but also fix office machinery, here's the new poll ...

This is a song that has grown on me over the years. I have always loved the video ... I think it totally captured the raw excitement of a Bon Jovi show. I just think its one of those songs that's simply better live than Memorex (yes, I'm showing my age here ... remember those commercials?! LOL)

The other thing about this song is its chameleon ability ... so I chose two of my favorite performances for the poll. My other favorite is the version from TLFR which just blows me away.

(Speaking of blown away, I was not surprised that the "OMFG version" from last week won ... I was originally thinking of putting that one up against This Ain't A Love Song from Wembley, but decided that might be just a little too mean ... hehehe.)

So, here you go ... two great versions ... the first one is from, of course, "An Evening with Bon Jovi" which in my opinion, is the best all-around live performance I've ever seen ... from start to finish, pure perfection.



And, here's one from London - dontcha just love attending church?

Someday ...

The problem with having a holiday on Monday is that your Tuesday ends up being your Monday ... LOL. Its not like you just skip Monday all together and slide right into the week ... did you ever notice that?

So, I was trolling around YouTube just trying to get thru the day and for some reason, clips of "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" just kept popping up.

I do love that song. Have from the first time I ever heard it. Maybe it just really resonated with me ... the slightly sad, the slightly optimistic - dependent upon the version. (I'm incredibly partial to the slow version from the Amsterdam HAND pre-release concert, included below.)



But, sometimes you just need a good kick in the a$$. And who better to give you that than Jon Bon Jovi, right?! Because, whatever your schedule is, its most likely not quite as bad as Jonny's can be.

Well, I found this video somebody made to one of my favorite concert versions ... they even wrote out what Jon says during the vamp section ... love it! This is why I always like hearing this song live -- you just never know what he's gonna say (tho admittedly, the last few times they did this, he didn't really expound on anything ... ummm... that was a hint, Jon!! subtle, huh?!)



In any case, luckily tomorrow is already Wednesday ... and before we know it, it will be Saturday night. ;-)

Random Thoughts ... And A New Poll

So, there has been this e-mail going around ... something about Cris Angel and superstition and all that, blah blah blah. I really don't pay attention to that stuff for the most part. But, I did look at the descriptions they included of the Zodiac signs and started to think ...

Now, when was Jon Bon Jovi born? Are they sure? I don't know ... seems like he has a whole lot of Aries goin' on ... what do you think? (I bolded each characteristic that seems to fit.)

PISCES- (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Doesn't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. (ok, I'm just assuming he is ... LOL.) Beautiful.











ARIES- (Mar 21 - April 19)
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, PASSIONATE, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. (having an ego is not always a bad thing, by the way.) Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

Maybe we'll just sum it up by saying he's complicated - though I'm happy for him to join me in the Aries camp. ;-) (As a side note, I LOVE that picture from the White House Correspondents Dinner ... great shot!)

THIS WEEK'S POLL
Okay ... now onto the other business of the day ... I WARNED YOU!!!

The Bounce version of Open All Night put up a pretty good fight, but in the end the box set version pulled off the win. So, onto the next round ... up against *takes deep breath* ... the Borgata performance of These Arms Are Open All Night.





I've been blessed to have seen some remarkable performances over the years. But, this one.... oh ... just left me speechless. I didn't know I could actually hold my breath for five minutes. LOL

P.S. And I think I'll leave the "Image of the Day" up for a while ... it totally makes me laugh.

Well, Since There's No Tour ...

I had to find SOMETHING to occupy my time this summer, right? I will always be grateful to Jon Bon Jovi for "introducing" me to the Jukes. Southside's records have been a staple in my listening library for nearly as long as Bon Jovi has.

Anyway, to my utter delight, the Jukes just announced a bunch of their upcoming dates so now my calendar is filling up quite nicely and I can try to forget that after Summerfest, the dreaded Bon Jovi drought will begin.

So far, we've got ...
May 28 @ The Birchmere
June 5 in Phoenixville, PA
June 27 on Long Island (I'll be back just in time from Summerfest)
July 2 @ The Stone Pony (woo hoo!!!!)
July 30 in NYC (they are doing the oft cheesy, yet very fun Rockin' the River Circle Line cruise. And, FINALLY another show where I don't have to figure out how to get there on a train, bus, horse, spaceship, etc. - oh the joys of being a NYC girl. LOL)

You KNOW I'll give you my review of the shows ... and then my German girls have some of the European ones covered. :-)

Anyway, if you're interested in joining me for any of this fun, just drop me a line at bigapplejovi@yahoo.com

And, in the meantime, please enjoy a little SSJ ...

(I know I've posted this one before, but its just SO DAMN GOOD!)



From one of the two shows at BB King's a couple of months ago (and if you know me in RL, you can find me in the front row ...LOL)





PS Don't remember if I told you that after Jon Bon Jovi mentioned that SSJ doesn't do "All I Want is Everything" anymore, they actually did it at BB King's ... LOL

So, all summer ... WE'RE HAVIN' A PARTY!!