9 May 2009

Jon and Dorothea at the White House Correspondent's Association Dinner

"Bon Jovi Saturday" at Jazzfest

Well DUH! LOL I would only have gone for Jovi, and I know lots of others did too.

From Billboard.com:



Bon Jovi Helps Boost Jazzfest Attendance
May 08, 2009 - Touring | Jazz

By Ray Waddell, Nashville

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival drew more than 400,000 this year, up from the approximately 375,000 reported last year, according to festival producers. The event’s final Saturday (May 2) drew a crowd of 90,000. Jazzfest was held April 24-26 and April 30-May 3.

"Bon Jovi's enduring appeal manifested itself in one of the biggest days ever at Jazz Fest," said Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live, co-producer of the event with Festival Production of the final Saturday.

Phillips said of the 90,000 in attendance on May 2, "probably 60,000-65,000 were in front of Bon Jovi's stage." Other artists playing Jazz Fest this year included the Dave Matthews Band, Kings Of Leon, the O'Jays, Joe Cocker, Wynton Marsalis, Drive-By Truckers, James Taylor, Wilco, Earth, Wind & Fire, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Emmylou Harris, Sugarland, Tony Bennett, Bonnie Raitt, the Neville Brothers, Neil Young, Buddy Guy, and scores of other artists, most representing the musical heritage of the Big Easy.

Phillips credits the strong run for Jazz Fest 2009 to "the strength of the brand, the fact that we widened the demographic with an artist as gigantic commercially as Bon Jovi, and the weather. We had two stars on that Saturday. Bon Jovi headlined and Mother Nature supported."

"Will that be a one-way ticket or round trip?"

Okay, now THIS is funny. Odd, yes, but random news is my favorite.

From my Google alerts this morning:

DALLAS, May 8 (UPI) -- Officials with a Texas commuter rail line said a news release typo led to a flood of phone calls from people seeking Bon Jovi tickets.

The Trinity Railway Express, which operates in Dallas and Fort Worth, said a news release for the Magnetic Hill Music Festival in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, mistakenly listed a number that links to the railway's dispatch center as the number to call for tickets to see Bon Jovi, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star Telegram reported Friday.

Bill Farquhar, chief operating officer for the Trinity Railway Express, said dispatchers have been receiving calls from eager fans for days.

"The operation of the railroad is being disrupted by fans calling for tickets," he said.

Perhaps I should give them a call too. ;)

Bon Jovi Encyclopaedia available on Amazon

The book's been slated to release for at least a year, and has finally gone on sale at Amazon.com.

From Amazon:

The ultimate reference to one of rock's most popular bands, this comprehensive reference documents more than a quarter century of Bon Jovi's A-to-Z history, including entries on every recording and bootleg, all current and former members, books, DVDs, concerts and tours, associated bands, and industry professionals that worked closely with the band. Additional entries include articles about the group, exclusive interviews, and hundreds of photographs, making this the most complete Bon Jovi fan book available.


About the Author
Neil Daniels is a writer who has contributed to numerous magazines and newspapers, including Fireworks, The Guardian, MediaMagazine, Powerplay, Record Collector, and Rock Sound. He is the author of The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith and Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page & The Solo Years.

It's not an official publication, but reviews I've heard say it's interesting, at the very least.

Check it out.

Is there anybody out there?

Pardon the tone of this post, for I'm sure it will sound whiny and mopey, while I don't mean it to.

However, after several weeks of one-sidedness on this site, a site owner/writer starts to get a bit of a complex. I post...does anyone read?

There are a select few who do, and who let me know they do, and I appreciate that more than they will know. And while I haven't been bothered by the lack of commenting or feedback or ANY form of life from the public as of yet, I'm starting to re-evaluate the projects I maintain in my life because I am just so DAMN busy.

There are 15 followers - do you follow? LOL

In a nutshell, if you read - let me know it please. Drop me a line here or there to reassure me that I'm not keeping this site up for my own benefit. I love doing it because I love the band, I love graphic design, and hell, I love to write and blog...but I don't think I want to exert much effort into something no one reads.

Again, NOT trying to sound mean, just trying to be real and practical. Thanks everyone. :)

JBJ to perform acoustic set at Corzine fundraiser

From Backstage:

Jon Bon Jovi, a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates, will do an accoustic concert in June at NJ Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), a fundraiser for Jon Corzine's re-election campaign. And though some tickets slide up to $3,400 for Host Committee participants going to the private reception before the concert, there will also be plenty of tickets priced at $50.

Event RSVP

An evening in support of Governor Jon Corzine

Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 6:00 PM

New Jersey Performing Arts Center
One Center Street
Newark, NJ 07102

ACOUSTIC PERFORMACE BY JON BON JOVI

Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis by ticket level (not by seat section). 

$3,400 Ticket (Host-Committee Member): First Four Rows, Center Seats, Pre-Show Reception
$1,000 Ticket (Host-Committee Member): Premium Orchestra Seats, Pre-Show Reception
$500 Ticket: Orchestra Seats
$300 Ticket: Side Orchestra, Grand Tier, 1st Tier Seats
$150 Ticket: First Tier Seats
$75 Ticket: Second Tier Seats
$50 Ticket: Third & Fourth Tier Seats

There is a Host Committee Open Bar Reception starting at 6:00 PM

Once again, on the wrong coast...and a few thousand spending dollars short! ;)

Jon's NJHOF Speech & Video

Here is the text of Jon's speech at the New Jersey Hall of Fame Sunday night:

I’d like to thank Governor Corzine for that wonderful introduction. And thank the board of the hall of fame for this induction.

I’d also like to express my gratitude to Lt. Brian Brennen for his bravery and for exemplifying everything that is good about New Jersey.

New Jersey is the place where I was born, the place where my father, my wife and our children were born. It’s where I first walked, talked, and learned to play a guitar, and someday, it will be the place they’ll lay my bones to rest.

Looking back, I think Jersey should have been called 'Shadowland'. Because when you're from Jersey you either have to step out of - or cast - a big shadow. With New York on one side and Philadelphia on the other we have had to scrap for just about anything.

But, when history looks back on the contributions made by the likes of Thomas Edison, or Frank Sinatra, from General Schwarzkoff to Albert Einstein, from Abbott and Costello to Jerry Lewis, Nickolson to Devito, from Yogi Berra to Bruce and Southside...come on, I’ll stack Jersey up to any place there is.

Sure we have had to take some criticism and at times been the punchline of some jokes. In fact I have friends who think they have to bring their passport and change money to take a trip through the tunnel. That’s fine by me, that’s one less Bennie down the shore to deal with.

The truth is, Jersey is a place that oher people want to be from. I was reminded of that this morning: I just now flew in from New Orleans. I was browsing along magazine street and had walked into a shop where there was this elderly lady behind the counter with the most perfect blond bee hive hairdo. She looked up and after realizing who I was called out, “Hey Jersey” so I answered "What exit?"...she was from here too.

I can’t imagine anyone calling out "Hey Connecticut", "Whoa Vermont", "Rock on New Hampshire!" It’s just not the same. No matter where you go, no matter who you are, or what you do, if you're one of us you carry that with you like a badge of honor.

Like I said, I was born here, I named our fourth album New Jersey and in 2005 even co-wrote the song that was eventually used in Jersey's tourism campaign: Who Said You Can’t Go Home.

In that song there is a lyric: 'There's only one place they call me one of their own'.

And tonight I just wanted to drop by to thank you for that.

****************


And a video to boot (I love Youtube...*sigh*)