Bon Jovi: The Poster from the benefit show ON VIDEO

Many Thanks to quazym40 for getting this on video.



Sometimes I think Jon doesn't likes the adulation. He can always let himself go fat. He has other options. Right?

Anyway, we would still have the photos and the memories 'back when he was beautiful'.

Bon Jovi: The Benefit show.... with Pictures

So last nights one hour show has come and gone.

Here's a review:

Live review: Bon Jovi @ Korbel Ballroom (Colorado Convention Center)

By Ricardo Baca | January 22nd, 2011 | View Comments

When Bon Jovi plays Denver, the multi-platinum arena rock band plays the big rooms — the Pepsi Center, and McNichols Arena before that. But on Friday, the band known for genre-defining hit songs “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “You Give Love a Bad Name” played a cozy club show inside the Colorado Convention Center’s Korbel Ballroom to help raise funds for the Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation.

Frontman Jon Bon Jovi was front and center as he led his six-piece band through a party set that jogged from covers to favorites. The singer-guitarist, wearing tight black jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, was relaxed and playful throughout the set, often asking the dressy, chatty crowd, “How’re we doin’?”

They were doin’ just fine, according to the crowd’s hands-in-the-air reaction. The band’s set suited the party atmosphere inside the ballroom, which had purple, twinkling lights across the ceiling. The band led off with a cover of the Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over” that went directly into the sing-along “You Give Love a Bad Name.”

Yep, it was a feel-good set list for a feel-good night.

Patrons pushed against the stage wearing everything from designer suits to Ed Hardy T’s. An older woman wore a tiara. A teenage boy wore a backwards baseball cap. It was all good.

The Denver Broncos’ new executive vice president of football operations, John Elway, introduced the band to the excited, tipsy crowd as “not only great guys, but the greatest rock band in the history of music.”

The hyperbole was lost on the crowd — some of whom paid $50,000 for a table, their entry to Friday’s event. By the time the show started, tables full of wine bottles and schwag bags were left abandoned as everybody pushed forward, camera phones raised just so, to get closer to Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora and the rest of the crew.

The weight of Bon Jovi playing such an intimate room didn’t go unnoticed. Kids from the kitchen peeked out a side door to catch some of the show, and even the off-duty police officers snapped a couple of shots with their camera phones before sheathing them and taking up a more official pose.

And the band? They joked around like Friday was a public dress rehearsal — all smiles for the fans. One eager fan brought a sign to the front that read, “My husband hates you . . . He knows I dream about you.” After winking at girls in the front row through “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” Bon Jovi asked the fan for her sign. He held it up and read it out loud to the crowd. Catcalls ensued.

“Yeah, but after you’re done dreaming,” Bon Jovi quipped to the front-row fan, “your husband thanks me for all the attention he gets.”

It was a night of music, laughs and good times — and Bon Jovi never missed a beat

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge Day 15

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge

Day 15 - A topless photo of the guys

Non Jovi: BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE

Nice Article from Australia on New Jersey's Favorite son (Let's be honest, everyone loves Bruce).

Only Bruce could say he's "Regular Millionaire"

I'm just a regular multi-millionaire

Nick Rufford From: The Sunday Telegraph January 23, 2011 12:00AM

. Source: The Sunday Telegraph

HIS songs speak eloquently of the injustices of blue-collar America. Can Bruce Springsteen do the same in person? In a rare interview, Nick Rufford pinned him down on politics

" Most people don't want to be taking their political direction from guys that are shaking their ass in front of 60,000 people

ruce Springsteen has got the shed that every man wants. There's storage space for his motorcycles, for junk and memorabilia. There's a music room with a mixing console and various guitars, and a den with that all-important beer fridge. Recently finished, it still smells of new wood.

It's a pretty big shed, but then Springsteen has a pretty big garden: at least 121ha of farmland, accessed via a track that takes you through electrically operated gates and past a security hut.

Springsteen's farm is close to Freehold, the New Jersey town he grew up in, but it could be in another state -- or country.

Away from the backstreets and closed-down mills, there's a restored farmhouse and outbuildings surrounded by woodland and pasture. Here, he rides horses and tinkers with his cars, including a 1960 Chevrolet Corvette, a '48 Ford Woody and a Range Rover for A to B trips.

At 61, he's enjoying the rewards of his 40-year rock career which has won him 20 Grammys, an Oscar and undreamt-of wealth.

I'm standing in the music room looking at some of the memorabilia, including pictures on the walls of Springsteen with Mick Jagger and Bono, and a cushion embroidered with the cover of Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, his first album.

I don't have long to wait before he breezes in, wiry and weatherbeaten, wearing jeans, work boots and a checked shirt. He's walked across from the main house but he looks as though he could have parked his pick-up truck outside and come in for a beer after a day climbing telegraph poles.

He settled in this corner of Monmouth County because people are used to seeing him around and don't pester him.

"New Jersey is very protective," he says. "It's out of the general media spotlight you run into in big cities.

"I still like the ocean, the land around here and the smaller towns. I just go where I want to go and do what I want to do."

These days, interviews with Springsteen are rare.

When he does them, he generally prefers to do them in a hotel suite in Manhattan, where journalists get a timed slot.

One thing Springsteen doesn't need is publicity. He's sold 120 million records worldwide, half of them outside the US.

Four of the five studio albums he's made this last decade have topped the US charts.

In a recession-hit land, his hard-times music about shutdowns and lay-offs is arguably more relevant than ever.

If he never wrote or recorded again, he could carry on earning millions from royalties.

But on this occasion there's something on his mind.

He's easy-going, affable -- disarmingly so. Once we've got a little way through the interview, though, he leans forward and adopts a serious look.

"There's a widespread political consciousness that's perhaps deeper in Europe than it is in the States," he says.

"I've noticed that, generally, if I'm interviewed by writers from overseas there's a lot of interest [in politics]."

He's saying this in measured tones and there's a message building in his voice. It has to do with the US and the way certain things aren't working.

Springsteen nailed his political colours to the mast when he backed Barack Obama in the 2008 election. His song, The Rising, became a theme of the Democrats' Vote for Change rallies and was played over loudspeakers at Obama's victory celebration in Chicago.

"The climate [in the US] is very, very ugly for getting things done," he says.

"The moderate reforms President Obama fought to make are called Marxist, socialist.

"I mean, the most extreme language is put into play to describe the most modest reforms that would move the economy back towards serving a majority of its citizens.

"There's a tremendous distortion of information.

"The biggest problem we have now is almost 10 per cent unemployment, but we also have the disparity of wealth.

"You can't have an American civilisation with the kind of disparity of wealth we have. It will eat away at the country's heart and soul and spirit."

Conservative America, including some sections of the blue-collar bit that happen to be Springsteen's natural constituency, has joined up to obstruct Obama, and Springsteen's angry.

" You have a guy [Obama] who comes in, gets to be president for four years, maybe eight," the singer says.

"But you have the financial institutions, you have the military, the corporations. They're in play constantly and, in truth, they're shaping the economy and shaping the direction the US is moving in.

"Those forces are huge. The money and lobbyists are pouring in to do everything they can [to preserve the status quo].

"It's a very tough time, a very hard time here in the States."

The rich and powerful have made a grab for the US, he's telling me, and it's up to ordinary citizens to seize it back.

Undoubtedly, he is moved by the worsening plight of those at the bottom of the heap who have been hit hardest by the recession.

But isn't this a bit much coming from a man who, according to Forbes magazine, earned $70 million last year?

As well as the farm, there's his house in an oceanfront area of Rumson, New Jersey, across the river from Jon Bon Jovi, plus a retreat in a gated equestrian community in Florida.

Does his money make it difficult for him to write credibly about the poor and dispossessed? He looks at me squarely.

"Here's the only thing I know: I write very well about these things," he says. "And I think about them very seriously. I take a lot of time and effort in the music that I write to try and honour the experiences of the characters I write about. That's the best a writer can do."

If that sounds like a less-than-satisfactory answer, at least it's an honest one. And its only fair to point out that in the US, rich people who believe in political reform are not dismissed as champagne socialists, as often happens in some countries.

There's no doubt that Springsteen's sincere, too.

This is no longer the Springsteen of the sleeveless T-shirt and bandana, the one who delivered those sinew-straining, fist-in-the air renditions of Born In The USA in the '80s, looking like Robert De Niro from The Deer Hunter's combat scenes.

Then, he avoided party politics, fearing, says his biographer, that his own lack of political expertise would prove embarrassing.

When Ronald Reagan used Springsteen's name to rally Republican voters (Reagan misinterpreted Born In The USA as a piece of jingoism instead of what it was -- an indictment of the treatment of Vietnam veterans), he delivered a polite put-down to the president.

So what changed his mind?

"A moment comes when you cash in whatever credibility a guy can have who plays and sings rock songs for a living, and you put your chips where you think they might do some good," he says.

"Most people don't want to be taking their political direction from guys that are shaking their ass in front of 60,000 people. That's understandable.

"So I put my two cents in when I can, to be as helpful as I can, when the moment arises."

It's a decision he acknowledges has alienated some of his fans.

"Half the people you're gonna make mad," he says. "And that has to be OK with you.

"I got some nasty reactions. People sent me busted-up CDs

or got mad if they saw me sometimes. Some people may never come and see me again, but I would hope that that's only a small percentage."

Springsteen may, in the words of Jeremy Clarkson, have made more money than God, but he made it the American way.

In New Jersey in the 1950s and '60s, his parents struggled to support him and his two sisters. His upbringing was marred by rows with his father, who had a string of jobs as bus driver, prison guard and factory worker, but couldn't hold on to any of them.

There was no going out on Saturday night, Springsteen says.

At Freehold High School in the 1960s he was at very best a mediocre student and would probably have been voted least likely to succeed.

His enduring memory is of never fitting in. He fared no better when he progressed to Ocean County Community College, where a group of students voted for his expulsion on the grounds of his unacceptable weirdness.

Weird or not, by his early 20s he was making a name for himself playing gigs on college campuses and in bars on New Jersey's coast.

His Boss nickname came from his doling out the meagre earnings to his band.

"It's been the merry bane of my existence ever since," he scolds me when I ask [adding, "And no, my wife doesn't call me the Boss"].

Reconciliation with his father, Douglas, took a little longer. When he won an Oscar for his theme to Philadelphia in 1994, he took the award to show his father, who, moved by his son's success, said, "I'll never tell anybody what to do again," recalls Springsteen.

His father died in 1998.

Last year, Obama handed Springsteen one of the highest accolades for those in the performing arts, a Kennedy Centre Honour.

Summing up his admiration for him, Obama said: "I'm the president, but he's the Boss."

He's leaning back in his chair, smiling at the memory.

Turning his back on his east-coast roots, he dissolved the E Street Band in 1989 and moved to LA, starting a family with Patti Scialfa, now his wife.

For a time he recorded with session musicians or on his own, but the shows were never quite the same as with the old line-up.

After a decade in the Hollywood Hills, he uprooted and moved his new family back east, setting up home in New Jersey, close to his extended family, and reuniting with the E Street Band.

Installed back where he grew up, he was keen to connect with the community.

His charitable foundation helped pay for the FoodBank of New Jersey (which distributes food to the hungry) and for repairs for run-down housing in his neighbourhood. Dozens had leaky roofs fixed or heating installed without knowing who their benefactor was.

In the den, he's hunkered down into an easy chair. He's pausing to let the past catch up with the present, telling me that his daily routine, when he's not on tour, now revolves around his family.

"[Being] a musician is a shiftless lifestyle, one in which you've opted out of conventional rhythms and routines for the most part until family life forces you into them," he says.

"Previous to family life, which was very late for me, in my 40s, I lived upside down and ass backwards, you know. I'd be up all night, sleep all day, do whatever came next.

"A typical day now starts with the school run. That's the first thing I do. I make breakfast; Im sort of in charge of that part of the morning. Once that's successfully accomplished, and quite a challenge it can be, I may work out a bit or sometimes I'll swim in the ocean.

"In the afternoon, I may work on some songs, or whatever I'm doing. Over the years I've learnt to write quite well and quickly in stolen pieces of time. Then there's dinner at home."

Two of Springsteen's children Evan, 20, and Jessie, 18, are at university. Sam, 16, his youngest, is still at school -- a fee-paying establishment known for rigorous courses and a dress code that would have got Springsteen kicked out in his younger days. His two older children also attended the school.

Do they listen to Springsteen's music? "No," he says. "Why would they do that?

"For your kids, it's the least important thing about you. It's just your job and its actually invasive and intrusive on their lives, I find.

"They just need you to be Dad. They don't need you to be anything a whole lot more than that. Come in our house, and with the exception of some guitars around, you probably wouldn't know musicians live there."

Has he achieved greatness? He laughs loudly.

"Yes," he says, then checks himself. "I don't know. Perhaps."

Bon Jovi: ICYMI OPRAH!

Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi gets some Karma points.

I don't know if he needs anymore with all the work with the Soul Foundation.  But Good for Jon, and Matt.  I think this story is great and very heart warming.

All I got for my birthday was Obie. Not that I'm complaining. :)

Birthday surprise may be granted: Boise woman says Bon Jovi's brother called Friday

By KATY MOELLER - kmoeller@idahostatesman.com

Published: 01/21/11

Boise woman tries to get her brother a rockin' birthday gift: a meeting with Jon Bon Jovi

The family of Justin Mitton is over the moon.

Mitton's sister and mother had hoped to surprise the 39-year-old man with a backstage meeting with singer Jon Bon Jovi when the band comes to Salt Lake City in March. They started a Facebook campaign in December, and let the Idaho Statesman tell their story in an article that was published Wednesday.

Justin Mitton, who was born with Down syndrome, has been a lifelong fan of Bon Jovi, listening to the band's music every day. He's only dreamed of meeting his idol, and it appears that may come true.

Sara Mitton Cox, a 32-year-old Boise woman, said she received an e-mail on Facebook from Jon Bon Jovi's brother, Matt Bongiovi. She passed along her cellphone number, and he called her at about 9 a.m. Friday, she said.

Cox said Bongiovi told her that he heard about Justin through three different people, including a music promoter friend.

"He said, 'I talked to Jon about it this morning,'" she said. "He said he wants to make something happen."

She was asked to show up with Justin 90 minutes before the show. Cox said she hoped that her parents and brother would be able to see Justin meet Bon Jovi, but the number of people allowed to go backstage might be limited to just a few.

The Boise area business man who helped make this happen didn't want to be named. He said he was just glad to be able to help.

Justin's mother, Susan Mitton, was in tears Friday.

"I'm just hysterical. I can't believe it," she said. "My sister said, 'This is like winning the lottery. I said, 'This is much more exciting than winning the lottery. It's Jon Bon Jovi."

Susan Mitton said she wasn't sure how she'd keep the news from her son, who divides his time between her house in Buhl and his dad's house in Twin Falls. He works at the Smith's in Twin, but was off work this week.

Justin Mitton turns 40 in February, and his family has planned a community celebration. As part of a later birthday surprise, the family bought tickets to Bon Jovi in Salt Lake City March 22.

That's awesome. I hope no one tells Justin about this article though, it would ruin the surprise.

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge Day 14

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge

Day 14 - A photo of Bon Jovi that you have taken, if any

So Many.  But this one is my favorite, just an accident really.  It looks like Jon is trying to make that sexless "marriage" legit.

But here's one I took in Gulf Shores of the Band taking their final bows ( Hmm I left out the Hobbit)

Bon Jovi: Flood Relief CD Details

Thanks to Anonymous who posted this yesterday.

Sony To Release Flood Relief For Flood Victims

By Paul Cashmere

2 hours ago (Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:43:15 +1100)

Sony Music will release the 3CD ‘Flood Relief’ set this Monday to raise money for Australia’s flood victims.

In 2009, following the Victorian bushfires, Sony was quick to release ‘Bushfire AID – Artists for the Bushfire Appeal’ and raised $1.7 million for the bushfire appeal.

Proceeds from the ‘Flood Relief’ CD will go the Salvation Army Flood Appeal via The Sony Foundation.

Amongst the artists contributing to the album are Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy. “Through such devastation it's amazing to see the Aussie spirit as people unite to do what they can for those doing it tough. That's what this CD is about,” Guy said in a statement.

Jessica added, “I think all of Australia is still in shock – it is hard to understand the full impact of these floods, but we have to do something and quickly. Each artist has donated all of their royalties from this CD. Let’s help people rebuild their lives and get back on their feet.”

The project is once again driven by Denis Handlin AM, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Entertainment Australia & New Zealand and President, South East Asia & Korea, who rallied the artists for ‘Bushfire AID’.

He said, “The floods in Queensland and throughout Australia have been devastating and affected the lives of so many people across the country. Sony Music Australia is once again proud to offer its support at a time of need through the release of this benefit CD – “FLOOD RELIEF – Artists For The Flood Appeal”.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response by both local and international artists wanting to contribute to the cause and our thanks go to all those artists and songwriters for generously donating their tracks royalty free. We also thank Sony DADC Australia for kindly donating the CD manufacturing”.

“The effect of this tragedy and its terrible toll on life, families, communities and property has touched many people both here and around the globe. On behalf of Sony Music and the Sony Foundation, our thoughts and prayers are with those affected, and our immense gratitude goes to all the emergency service people and volunteers who have so generously given in this time of need.”

The tracklisting for ‘Flood Relief’ is:

CD1

1. Midnight Oil - My Country

2. Powderfinger - Burn Your Name

3. Billy Joel - All About Soul

4. Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch

5. The Script - For The First Time

6. Foo Fighters - My Hero

7. Train - Hey, Soul Sister

8. P!nk - Sober

9. Sting - Fields Of Gold

10. Lee Kernaghan - People Like Us

11. Keith Urban - Better Life

12. Savage Garden - Affirmatio

13. Birds Of Tokyo - Plans

14. Grinspoon - Minute By Minute

15. Ben Lee – We’re All In This Together

16. Kate Miller-Heidke - Our Song

17. Jeff Buckley - So Real

18. Troy Cassar-Daley - Sing About This Country

19. Tommy Emmanuel – Countrywide

CD2

1. Kings Of Leon - Use Somebody

2. Crowded House - Something So Strong

3. Beyonce - Irreplaceable

4. John Mayer - Waiting On The World To Change

5. John Williamson & Shannon Noll - Island of Oceans

6. The Go-Betweens - Streets Of Your Town

7. Bob Dylan - Shelter From The Storm

8. John Farnham - A Touch Of Paradise

9. Adam Brand - It's Gonna Be OK

10. Adam Harvey - That's What You Call A Friend

11. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

12. Delta Goodrem - In This Life

13. Pete Murray - You Pick Me Up

14. The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

15. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

16. Jessica Mauboy - Because

17. M People - Search For The Hero

18. The Screaming Jets - Helping hands

19. Melinda Schneider Featuring The Australian Girls Choir - Courageous

20. Mark Vincent - You Raise Me Up

CD3

1. Bon Jovi - Who Says You Can't Go Home

2. Guy Sebastian - Taller, Stronger, Better

3. Washington - Clementine

4. Alan Jackson - Small Town Southern Man

5. Tim McGraw - Last Dollar (Fly Away)

6. Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet

7. Daryl Braithwaite - Higher Than Hope

8. Tears For Fears - Mad World

9. Johnny Cash - Five Feet High And Rising

10. Human Nature - People Get Ready

11. Solange - 6 O’Clock Blues

12. Stan Walker - Choose You

13. Katie Noonan And The Captains - Page One

14. Amy Meredith - Young At Heart

15. Altiyan Childs - Beautiful Day

16. Lifehouse - You And Me

17. David Campbell - You'll Never Walk Alone

18. Damien Leith - To Get To You

19. Straalen McCallum - Sometimes A Prayer Will Do

20. Bachelor Girl - Permission To Shine

I just want to say "UGH" and ask why.  It just reaffirms my thoughts that if that song was a person Jon would divorce Dorothea for it, even though Richie co-wrote it, it would be all Jon's.

If I can find the CD though I'd buy it, it's only 1 version unlike the Special Edition of Have a Nice Day which has 3!!

Bon Jovi: Australian Flood Relief

I tried to post this earlier today but I was trying from my BB, and it wasn't successful.

A compilation CD is coming out to help with the devastating floods in Australia, and Bon Jovi is going to be on it, not sure what track.

Here are the deets.  Don't know where it's for sale but when I find out I'll post a link.

Lots of great Bon Jovi fans in Australia and many of them have been impacted by the flooding.

Stars sign up again

The Daily Telegraph January 21, 2011 12:00AM

THE Boss said yes again. So did Billy Joel. Kings of Leon, Bon Jovi, Sting, Pink, Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, Beyonce -- they all wanted in.

The international music community have joined their Australian mates to donate songs for the Flood Relief compilation CD, just as they did for the 2009 Victorian bushfires.

This time the compilation -- available Monday -- will stretch to three CDs, including tracks from Midnight Oil, Guy Sebastian and Delta Goodrem.

Sony hopes to at least match the $1.7 million raised by the Bushfire Aid CD in 2009.

I hope this CD is available everywhere, lots of my favorite artists.  And it's for a great cause.

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge Day 13

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge

Day 13 - Your favorite Bon Jovi gig

Toss up, between Giants Stadium night 1 & the Bounce tour show in Tampa cause I bumped into Paul O'Neill from the NY Yankees and Joey Fatone from N'Sync sat 2 rows in front of me.  That and they did 3 encores the final song was Never Say Goodbye.  I think that's a song for many of us that makes a show super special since they rarely play it and if they played it more it wouldn't be as special to hear.

Bon Jovi: Info about CeDAR

If your interested in the facility that Bon Jovi is raising money for tomorrow night, here's a nice article about it and the struggle of addiction.

After reading this I wonder is are they doing the show Gratis?  Or is money coming off the donations to pay the band?  10% of the money in their budget is from donations.

It's still a good article.

Finding new hope, life after addiction at Denver's CeDAR

Four CeDAR grads tell stories. The CU Anschutz Medical Campus showed them they weren't alone in their struggle.

By Kristen Browning-Blas

The Denver Post

POSTED: 01/20/2011 01:00:00 AM MST

If becoming addicted is like stepping into an abyss, finding help for the addict can be an equally mysterious journey. Where to start? The county mental health center? An AA meeting? A psychiatrist's office? Residential treatment?

One local option is the Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. The 5-year-old program treats addicted adults and their families through 30-, 60- and 90-day residential programs that include detox, therapy, 12-step groups and psychiatric care. Its affiliation with the hospital gives access to psychiatric services for additional disorders, medical care and integrative medicine.

Based on university research and client demand, CeDAR recently opened a second residential cottage, which allows gender-separate living quarters and has added a coping-skills group and yoga to its clinical model.

The nonprofit center's budget is 90 percent private pay, with 10 percent coming from donations, says executive director Franklin Lisnow. CeDAR will host Bon Jovi in a sold-out benefit concert Friday night at the Colorado Convention Center.

While loved ones and co-workers might wonder why an addict can't "just quit," most researchers now agree that addiction is a disease. Treatment requires understanding the complex brain functions that cause an addict to say "yes" even when he or she wants to say "no."

Four graduates of the CeDAR program agreed to step outside traditional 12-step anonymity and share their stories.

Mike Holtzer, 56, surprised some of his closest relatives when he checked into CeDAR for an addiction to pain pills and alcohol. The former marketing vice president now works at the center.

Billy Woodward, 21, descended the ladder of addiction from smoking a joint at age 12 to carrying heroin, Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug), LSD and marijuana when he was arrested at age 20.

Caroline Fisher, 49,

Alumnus Caroline Fisher at the CeDAR center. Its chapel is in the background. ( Photos by Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post )

never touched alcohol until her 40s, when the successful consultant and athlete sought solace in a full bottle for her unexplained emptiness.

John B. Moore, 61, went from driving to his surgical practice in a Porsche to taking the bus to court-mandated Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He lost his medical license, as well as his license to drive, after three DUIs.

They each arrived at CeDAR thinking their stories were unique, a hallmark of addicts' tendency to isolate and to believe they can control their cravings.

From patient to volunteer

In a way, Mike Holtzer checked in and never left. When painkillers and alcohol ceased to numb the grief of losing his brother to cancer and the stress of a corporate

The CeDAR center at University of Colorado Hospital, Anschutz Medical Campus, 1693 Quentin St., Aurora. (Photos by Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post )

career, he told himself, "I've got to get some help because I can't do this on my own." After completing treatment, Holtzer started volunteering at CeDAR and taking counseling courses.

"The big thing for me about CeDAR is they address the whole person, physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. As a patient, I meditated there every day," says Holtzer, who has continued the practice since he began working at the center in September.

The new architecture on the 7-acre campus on the grounds of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center seems to embody the program's spirit of hope, with high ceilings and large windows that let in natural light, and a chapel that is used for prayer, meditation and family therapy. The spiritual aspect of recovery (as practiced in Alcoholics Anonymous) is an integral part of the journey at CeDAR. Which leads us to the "God" question.

"AA doesn't preach God. AA preaches a higher power, that you're not the center of the universe. The addict is a very selfish person until they get humility and have some gratitude — that's not about God at all," says CeDAR's Lisnow, who keeps two rocks in his office, one etched "Humility" and the other "Gratitude."

"I recently gave a lecture and asked people to define 'higher power.' One lady said 'Jesus Christ,' another said 'the universe,' and one said 'a belief that there's something bigger and we're all connected.' Those are three very different concepts, and all are correct."

Billy Woodward, 21, went through the CeDAR progam in summer 2009. ( | )

Lisnow takes issue with the assumption that 12-step programs tell people they are powerless. "AA does not tell people they're powerless; it tells them they are powerless over the use of chemicals. Because of how their brain is made up, once they start using, they can't stop. All you have to do is see people in recovery to see how powerful they are."

Her well had run dry

"I thought my story was really unusual. I thought I was the oddest person on the planet, but I came to realize there are a lot of folks just like me," Caroline Fisher says.

An athlete through college and adulthood, Fisher moved to Vail at 27 to be closer to the outdoor activities she loved. She earned a doctorate in organizational psychology and started her own consulting business, specializing in corporate culture.

"On paper, I'm really an unlikely prospect to go down this path. But I started to become exhausted. I was about 45 or 46, had kind of checked off all the boxes and said, "This is all there is?" It wasn't that I was not satisfied, but my well had really run dry."

She filled the well with vodka.

"I thought I was going insane. I turned to alcohol, I believe now in retrospect, to calm down, to fill some empty spaces. I was drinking every day, and it really impacted my body. I knew nothing about addiction, even though it runs in my family. I didn't understand the power of the genetic component."

The woman who ran marathons, played tennis and climbed mountains saw her performance diminish. When her assistant told her she needed help, Fisher was relieved and grateful.

With the fervor of her A-student/type-A personality, Fisher threw herself into researching alcohol-treatment centers and selected a 28-day program out of state. Like many addicts, Fisher tried another, larger program and relapsed before something clicked at CeDAR.

"I think they've taken the best of what is known out there and moved to something very progressive and very customized for the individual. It's not just about running people through but about helping people thrive and grow, even long after they leave."

Patients leave with an after-care plan that can range from support groups to halfway-house placement.

"Coming out of the clouds"

A year and a half into recovery, Billy Woodward, 21, has reversed the course of his past nine years. He's studying psychology, contemplating law or medical school and speaking with evangelical delight about how he got sober.

"Being arrested and facing prison time is very humbling," Woodward says. "I realized at that point I was no longer able to run the show. When I ran the show my way, I got loaded. I was no longer afraid of dying; I was afraid of staying alive."

After a month at CeDAR, "coming out of the clouds, waking up to reality," Woodward spent nine months at a residential program in New Mexico, putting what he learned into practice. For Woodward, the AA aphorisms ring true.

"This is a daily thing for me, but it's not that I'm starting over; it's building on a foundation. People think, 'This is for the rest of my life,' and they end up with a rig in their arm thinking about the rest of their life," says Woodward. "We are not bad people; we are good people with a bad disease."

Driving a ruinous path

When the clerk at the neighborhood gas station told John B. Moore he didn't have any leftovers for him to take to his chickens, Moore saw himself through the clerk's eyes: a scruffy man who takes the bus and rides his bike, who begs for old hot dogs from the convenience store, someone to be shooed away.

"I went from a star trauma surgeon to a guy without a driver's license," says Moore. "The character traits that made me achieve — my pride, my ego, my arrogance — all of those things were my demise."

"There was never balance in my life. It was very up and down, like an EKG," says the doctor. On his way "down," Moore became addicted to Oxycontin after a gastric bypass, went into a 90-day treatment program and "kicked the opiates" but started gambling and binge- drinking. He lost his job and spent 10 days in jail for driving under the influence. After he got out of jail, his wife left him.

He checked into CeDAR and stayed for three and a half months. "I became a dishonest person; I lied to my wife. I was insane, I had no job, nothing to do, I felt sorry for myself. It's been a humbling experience, but it's also been good."

Moore raises chickens and peacocks now, and he hopes to get his driver's license back after completing the year-long Inmate/Outmate Program in Jefferson County.

"I've got to make living amends. I've got to live a straight life. You've gotta understand, I've been lucky. My whole identity was being a trauma surgeon, but I'm still smiling, I'm happy now. You can make behavioral changes. At least I can can recognize now if I had a bad day, if I'm angry, isolating — the signs of leading up to relapse."

Is relapse a sign of failure, that treatment didn't work?

"That's only one piece of a puzzle," says Anne Felton, CeDAR associate director. "In a chronic relapsing disease, it's almost like faulting a cancer patient for having their tumor come back. If you put into place a good relapse plan and you've addressed some of the shame and guilt, if the patient slips or starts to slip, and they are comfortable coming back and saying, 'Help, I'm here,' that is, I think, one of the big definitions of success."

Caroline Fisher has spent her career defining success, and she sees her time in treatment as part of her personal triumph, as well as a professional challenge. "It wasn't about beating me down, but building me up, reconnecting with my personal purpose in life, the best parts in me that got lost along the way," says Fisher, who turns 50 in February. "It's kind of like I've been in training for the rest of my life."

One might think that a corporate consultant would prefer not to share her personal rehab details, but Fisher has found a renewed sense of mission.

"How can we help people with recovery and healing in the workplace? It has opened the door for real conversations with people, the minute we think we can leave all our personal stuff at the door of the office, then we leave the best parts of ourselves out there, as well," says Fisher. "I actually would go through it all again to get to the place I am now."

Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com

Learn more about addiction and treatment

• The Signal Behavioral Health Network offers a list of treatment providers and research at signalbhn.org, 1-888-60-SIGNAL (607-4462).

• The Center for Dependency, Addiction and Recovery, University of Colorado Hospital, Anschutz Medical Campus, 1693 N. Quentin St., Aurora, CO 80045, 1-866-464-0052.

• "Pleasure Unwoven: A Personal Journey About Addiction" is a one-hour DVD that clearly describes the landscape of the brain. Dr. Kevin McCauley Institute for Addiction Study in Salt Lake City presents a clear, research- based answer of "yes" to the question: "Is addiction really a disease?" Available through amazon.com and instituteforaddictionstudy.com, 801-456-0765.

How much does treatment cost?

At the Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation, 30 days of inpatient treatment costs $22,500. That figure may sound high, but CeDAR director Franklin Lisnow says it's "the low end of private — that's what treatment costs."

The fee covers room and board, psychiatric care and medications at the nonprofit center, a department of the University of Colorado Hospital. "It's not cheap to treat someone for 30 days," says Lisnow. "If you compare that to a hospital stay, that's pretty reasonable."

Why not just go to an AA meeting or a community mental health clinic?

"A lot of people try that," says Lisnow. "You need to learn how to use AA. To get into recovery, there are a lot of other elements you have to look at in your life. Most county mental health centers see people once a week for an hour. When people get to the level of unmanageability in their lives, they need to get away from it all, from the street, friends, family and focus totally on themselves and their recovery."

Look at it this way, says Lisnow: "People will pay $30,000 for a car; we're spending that to save a person's life."

Bon Jovi: OPRAH!

Remember set your DVR's if you're in the States and Canada, Oprah is in the middle of her Australian adventure.  Today's episode features our Favorite band.

Bon Jovi

If you don't know what Channel Oprah is on check out this link and she'll tell you:

Click this link and Oprah will give you a car (JUST KIDDING)

Bon Jovi: Laissez les bons temps rouler

Bon Jovi is playing Jazz Fest again, like they did a few years ago. This doesn't look like Jazz fest to say traditional Jazz music. But if Kid Rock sells tickets, good for them.

New Orleans Jazz Fest unveils 2011 lineup (with full list)

Published: Thursday, January 20, 2011, 12:05 AM

By Lawrence F. Specker, Press-Register

This year's pop headliners at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival include Bon Jovi. Above, Jon Bon Jovi performs at a Concert for the Coast held in Gulf Shores in October. (Chip English/Press-Register)

Organizers of the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival have unveiled a lineup that includes Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Kid Rock and Arcade Fire among its biggest names.

As is its tradition, the massive, 7-day festival features scores of smaller acts playing musical styles distinctive to Louisiana, from jazz to funk to zydeco. Its top draws, however, usually come from rock, pop and other genres.

Other top acts announced Thursday include jazz legend Sonny Rollins; rock acts John Mellencamp, Wilco, Robert Plant and the Strokes; R&B singer Lauryn Hill; country classic Willie Nelson, and hip-hop group the Roots.

High-profile visitors will also include Cyndi Lauper, Tom Jones, Jason Mraz, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Ricky Skaggs, Jeff Beck, Michelle Shocked and Lucinda Williams.

The numerous New Orleans mainstays in the lineup include Trombone Shorty, the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Better Than Ezra, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Galactic.

This year’s festival takes place April 29-May 1 and May 5-8 at the New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Track.

In a special twist, organizers said this year’s festival “will also host the largest celebration of Haitian culture in the U.S. since the devastating earthquake one year ago.”

Because New Orleans shares a “deep cultural connection” with Haiti, “icons of Haitian music” will be showcased. Wyclef Jean, formerly of the group the Fugees, is the most widely known of these performers.

In a statement announcing the lineup, organizers also said Haitian culture “will be illustrated throughout all aspects of this year’s Festival” through activities including arts and crafts demonstrations, “traditional Vodou drumming performances” and panel discussions.

Tickets can be purchased through www.nojazzfest.com and www.ticketmaster.com. Single-day adult passes are $45 in advance, $60 at the gate; single-day passes for children ages 2-10 are $5 at the gate.

A limited number of discount weekend ticket packages will be available. These are $120 for the first weekend and $160 for the second weekend, or $40 per day. Several levels of VIP packages also are available at higher prices.

For full festival information, visit www.nojazzfest.com.

Organizers of the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announced Thursday that the following acts will appear at the festival.

A full breakdown of performance times and locations was not yet available. Organizers typically release that information, often referred to as “the cubes,” in the weeks before the event.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29: Robert Plant & the Band of Joy, Jeff Beck, Wyclef Jean, The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Keb’ Mo’, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Justin Townes Earle, Ron Carter Trio with Mulgrew Miller and Russell Malone, Donald Harrison, Tab Benoit, Jon Cleary, George Porter, Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners, John Mooney and Bluesiana, the subdudes, Mia Borders, Anat Cohen Quartet, Los Hombres Calientes featuring Bill Summers and Irvin Mayfield, The Bahamas Experience, Ti-Coca and WangaNégès of Haiti, Germaine Bazzle, The Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste, Jr., Haitian — New Orleans Connection featuring Emeline Michel, Dr. Jean Montes, and Dr. Michael White, Warren Storm — Willie Tee and Cypress, Shades of Praise, Henry Gray and the Cats, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Red Stick Ramblers, Coco Robicheaux, Danny Barnes, Otra, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, New Orleans Spiritualettes, Corey Ledet, Derek Douget, Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers, Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, Dave Lemon and the Flow, MASHUP featuring Terence Higgins, Ike Stubblefield, and Grant Green, Jr., Clive Wilson’s New Orleans Serenaders with guest Butch Thompson, Happy Talk Band, Meschiya Lake and Dem Lil’ Big Horns, Connie Jones and the Crescent City Jazz Band, Hadley J. Castille Family and the Sharecroppers Cajun Band, Comanche Hunters and Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians, Real Untouchables Brass Band, Rocks of Harmony, Morning Star Mass Choir, Chris Clifton, Louis Ford and his New Orleans Flairs, Voices of Peter Claver, Los Astros de America, Tulane Jazz Ensemble, Jonno and Cajun Experience, Mount Zion Pilgrim Baptist Church Choir, Sister Naomi Washington and Group, Smitty Dee’s Brass Band, Dillard University Jazz Ensemble, Black Mohawk and Black Foot Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Keep N it Real, We R One, Zulu, and Big Nine Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Louisiana Sketches with Carl LeBlanc presented by Young Audiences, Gray Hawk, Young Cheyenne and Geronimo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians

SATURDAY, APRIL 30: Bon Jovi, Jason Mraz, Fantasia, Irma Thomas, Robert Cray, Amos Lee, Ahmad Jamal, Rance Allen, Ricky Skaggs, John Boutté, The Dixie Cups, Jeremy Davenport, Emeline Michel and DJA-Rara of Haiti, Hot 8 Brass Band, Big Freedia and Sissy Nobby, The Low Anthem, Anat Cohen Quartet, The Bahamas Experience, Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory,Ti-Coca and WangaNégès of Haiti, Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, Pine Leaf Boys, Rotary Downs, Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, Shannon McNally and Hot Sauce, Wayne Toups and Zydecajun, The Savoy Center of Eunice Saturday Cajun Jam, Panorama Jazz Band, RenardPoche, Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders, Andrew Duhon and the Lonesome Crows, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Orange Kellin’s New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra, The Johnson Extension, Ted Winn, Lars Edegran and the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, Kidd Jordan, Midnite Disturbers, Gospel Soul Children, Jockimo’s Groove featuring War Chief Juan, Brice Miller and Mahogany Brass Band, Erica Falls, J. Monque’D Blues Band, Willis Prudhomme and Zydeco Express, Young Tuxedo Brass Band, The Tenor Sax Woodshed featuring Christian Winther and Clarence Slaughter, Tyronne Foster and the Arc Singers, GrupoSensacion, First Emanuel Gospel Choir, Po’ Henry and Tookie, Kid Simmons’ Local International Allstars, DJ Bomshell Boogie, UNO Jazz Allstars, Big Chief Walter Cook and the Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians, Xavier University Jazz Ensemble, Nine Times Men, Single Men, and Single Ladies Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Les Getrex and Quick Change, Craig Adams and Higher Dimensions of Praise, Pastor Tyrone Jefferson, Lady Jetsetters, Dumaine Gang, Divine Ladies, and Family Ties Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Red, White and Blue and Wild Mohicans Mardi Gras Indians, Highsteppers Brass Band, Mo’Lasses, Miss Claudia and her Biergartners, Curtis Pierre with Samba Kids, River Road African American Museum Drum and Dance, Golden Comanche and Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians

SUNDAY, MAY 1: John Mellencamp, Tom Jones, John Legend and The Roots, Dr. John, Alejandro Sanz, Arlo Guthrie, Kenny G, The Decemberists, Vickie Winans, Pete Fountain, Terence Blanchard, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Boukman Eksperyans of Haiti, Deacon John, Zachary Richard, Classic New Orleans Revue featuring Frankie Ford, Jean Knight, and the Blue Eyed Soul Band, Glen David Andrews, Partners-N-Crime with 5th Ward Weebie, Honey Island Swamp Band, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians, The Wiseguys, The Boogie Men, Astral Project, Red Baraat, DJA-Rara of Haiti, Anders Osborne, John Fohl and Johnny Sansone, Jake Smith, Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88’s, Sherman Washington and the Zion Harmonizers, Lil’ Buck Sinegal Blues Band, Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, Storyville Stompers Brass Band, Fredy Omar con su Banda, Golden Star Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Mark Braud, Lil’ Malcolm and the House Rockers, Los Po-Boy-Citos, The Tommy Sancton New Orleans Quintet, Jo “Cool” Davis with guest James “Sugarboy” Crawford, Kristin Diable, Free Agents Brass Band, Driskill Mountain Boys, Tom McDermott, Michael Ward, Keith Frank, New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra, Traditional Jazz Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, Furious Five, Untouchables, Big Steppers, New Look, The First Division, and Olympia Aid Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Reggie Hall and the Twilighters featuring Lady Bee, Jesse Lege, Joel Savoy and the Cajun Country Revival, St. Joseph the Worker Choir, Jazz and Blues featuring Luther Kent, Phillip Manuel, and Big Al Carson, Ninth Ward Navajo, Golden Blade, and Carrollton Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Jeremy Lyons Delta-Silly Music, Val and the Love Alive Fellowship Choir, Voices of Distinction, The Last Straws, Big Chief Kevin Goodman and the Flaming Arrows, LeRoy Thomas, Donnie Bolden, Jr. and the Spirit of Elijah, Delgado Community College Jazz Ensemble, Young Pinstripe Brass Band, Uptown Music Theatre, New Orleans Young Traditional Brass Band with the Heel to Toe Steppers, Ayla Miller Band, Young Guardians of the Flame

THURSDAY, MAY 5: Wilco, Cyndi Lauper, Lucinda Williams, Galactic, Maceo Parker with special guest Pee Wee Ellis, Ivan Lins, Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste, Ruthie Foster, Michelle Shocked, Charlie Musselwhite, Djakout #1 of Haiti, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Amanda Shaw, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, The Iguanas, Lisa Knowles and the Brown Sisters, Charmaine Neville, Banu Gibson and the Allstars featuring Bob Havens and Randy Reinhart, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Christian Scott, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Leroy Jones, Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove, James Booker Piano Tribute featuring David Reis, Joe Krown, Josh Paxton, Tom Worrell, and Tom McDermott, Delfeayo Marsalis’ Uptown Orchestra, Gov’t Majik Dirty South Afro-Beat Arkestra, Sasha Masakowski, Brice Winston, Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole, Little Freddie King Blues Band, Lino Patruno of Italy, Linnzi Zaorski, Spencer Bohren, Original Royal Players Brass Band, Belton Richard and the Musical Aces, Roots of Music Marching Crusaders Band, Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue, Paul Eason, John Rankin, Flatbed Honeymoon, Robert “Bilbo” Walker, Ovi-G and the Froggies, Dukes of Dixieland, BRW, Paulin Brothers Brass Band, Kumbuka African Dance and Drum Collective, Fi Yi Yi and the Mandingo Warriors, 7th Ward Creole Hunters and Cheyenne Mardi Gras Indians, Young Fellaz Brass Band, Lyle Henderson and Emmanu-EL, Black Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians, The Help, McDonogh #35, O. Perry Walker Charter, McMain, and Joseph S. Clark High School Gospel Choirs, Stooges Brass Band, Heavenly Melodies Gospel Singers, Pastor Terry Gullage and the Greater Mt. Calvary Voices of Redemption Choir, Tornado Brass Band, Bon Temp Roulez, VIP Ladies, Men of Class, and Ladies of Unity Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, Clearwood Jr. High School Chorale, Adams Middle School Players

FRIDAY, MAY 6: Arcade Fire, Willie Nelson, Lupe Fiasco, Better Than Ezra, Jamey Johnson,Gregg Allman Blues Band, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Buckwheat Zydeco, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, 100th Birthday Celebration for Mahalia Jackson featuring Irma Thomas with guest John Boutté, Edie Brickell, Eric Lindell, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Bonerama, Mingus Big Band, Luther Kent, Bob Wilber and the Crescent City Cats, Bobby Cure and the Summertime Blues with guest Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, James Rivers Movement, Roddie Romero and the Hub City Allstars, Tim Laughlin, The Steel Drivers, Leah Chase, Djakout #1 of Haiti, The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars’ 20th Anniversary, Alex McMurray, Kourtney Heart, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, A Centennial Celebration for Lionel Ferbos with the Palm Court Jazz Band, Yvette Landry, We Landed on the Moon!, Sharon Martin, Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Jamil Sharif, Jambalaya Cajun Band, Ingrid Lucia, Big Al Carson Blues Band, Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony, Joseph Torregano, Guitar Slim, Jr., Gina Brown and Anutha Level, Andy J. Forest NOtown Band, Blodie’s Jazz Jam, Ivoire Spectacle featuring Seguenon Kone, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Ensemble, Michael Skinkus and Moyuba, Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Connie and Dwight with the St. Raymond/St. Leo the Great Choir, Kevin Thompson and the Sensational Six, Archdiocese of New Orleans Gospel Choir, Fleur de Ladies Brass Band, Young Magnolias, White Cloud Hunters, and Red Hawk Mardi Gras Indians, Forgotten Souls, The Wimberly Family Gospel Singers, New Wave Brass Band, Original Big Seven, Original Four, Scene Boosters, and Ole N Nu Style Fellas Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, Young Cherokee and Ninth Ward Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Rev. Jermaine Landrum and Abundant Praise Revival Choir, Rose Anne St. Romain, Nineveh Baptist Church Mass Choir, New Orleans Indian Rhythm Section, N.O.C.C.A. Jazz Ensemble, Metropelican Opera,Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue presented by Young Audiences, Bester Singers and Dynamic Smooth Family Gospel Singers

SATURDAY, MAY 7: Jimmy Buffett, The Strokes, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Mystikal, Bobby Blue Bland, Fourplay, Marcia Ball, Aaron Neville’s Gospel Experience, RAM of Haiti, Nicholas Payton, James Andrews and the Crescent City Allstars, Jesse Winchester, MyNameIsJohnMichael, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Voice of the Wetlands All Stars, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs, Khris Royal and Dark Matter, Ruby Wilson, New Birth Brass Band, Dr. Michael White and the Original Liberty Jazz Band featuring Thais Clark, Vivaz, C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Jeff and Vida, Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show, The Jon Batiste Band, Wanda Rouzan’s New Orleans Rand B Revue, Bill Kirchen, R Scully Rough 7, Ernie Vincent and Top Notes, Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie, The Sammy Rimington International Band, D.L. Menard and the Louisiana Aces, Pfister Sisters, David Torkanowsky’s Fleur Debris featuring George Porter, Jr., 101 Runners, The Revealers, Kora Konnection featuring Morikeba Kouyate of Senegal and Thierno Dioubate of Guinea, Ashe Son, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, Tribute to Walter Payton and June Gardner, DJ Soul Sister, Watson Memorial Teaching Ministry, Brother Tyrone, Baritone Bliss featuring Roger Lewis and Tony Dagradi, Smithfield Fair, Troy Turner, Kirk Joseph’s Tuba Tuba, The Electrifying Crown Seekers, Greater Antioch Full Gospel BC Mass Choir, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys, Black Feathers Mardi Gras Indians, Golden Voices Community Choir, Tonia Scott and Anointed Voices, Julliard Jazz Ensemble, N’FungolaSibo West African Dance Company, Minister Jai Reed, Kinfolk Brass Band, Ashe Cultural Arts Center Kuumba Institute, Stephen Foster’s Foster Family Program, Baby Boyz Brass Band, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church Choir, Cherokee Hunters, Wild Red Flame, Trouble Nation, and Mohawk Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Westbank Steppers, New Generation, Undefeated Divas, Pigeon Town Steppers, and Valley of Silent Men Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs

SUNDAY, MAY 8: Kid Rock, The Neville Brothers, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Sonny Rollins, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The Radiators’ farewell, Cowboy Mouth, Tabou Combo of Haiti, Papa Grows Funk, Rebirth Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sonny Landreth, Ellis Marsalis, Henry Butler, Playing for Change, Anders Osborne, Glen David Andrews, Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, RAM of Haiti, Fisk Jubilee Singers, Arthur Clayton and Purposely Anointed featuring special guest VaShawn Mitchell, Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, Treme Brass Band, George French and the New Orleans Storyville Jazz Band, The Bluerunners Reunion, Rumba Buena, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Dee-1, Mem Shannon and the Membership, Tommy Malone and Blvd Jr., Bobby Lounge, Feufollet, TBC Brass Band, Leo Jackson and the Melody Clouds, The Generationals, DJ Captain Charles, Bob French and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Gregg Stafford’s Jazz Hounds, Jesse McBride presents The Next Generation, Russell Batiste, Jr. and Friends featuring Jason Neville, Tribute to Clyde Kerr, Goldman Thibodeaux and the Lawtell Playboys, Betsy McGovern and the Poor Clares, Julio y Cesar, Robin and the Bluebirds, Da Souljas Brass Band, Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, Wild Tchoupitoulas and Wild Apaches Mardi Gras Indians, Bamboula 2000, Pinstripe Brass Band, Veal Brothers, Zulu Male Ensemble, Heritage School of Music Band, Jonté Landrum Thomas, Original New Orleans Lady Buckjumpers, Prince of Wales, Nine Times Ladies, Original C.T.C., Lady Rollers, and Secondline Jammers Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, SUBR Jazzy Jags, Johnette Downing, Mt. Hermon BC Mass Choir, Golden Sioux and Apache Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, N’Kafu Traditional African Dance Company, Dragon Master Showcase presented by Young Audiences, Erik McAllister and the N.O.C.C.A. Mime Theater Troupe, Black Eagles Mardi Gras Indians, KIDsmART Student Showcase, Sunpie Barnes with Louisiana Creole Music

Bon Jovi: Jon likes Billy Falcon

This was posted on FB earlier today:

Billy Falcon is not only one of my favorite guys, but he was—and is still—one of my favorite songwriters. i dare you NOT to be moved by his lyrics. we have collaborated many times not only for my records but we have written songs for other artists who have found that special something in the song. Find Billy's new album "WHEN". you can thank me later...jbj

Billy is opening up for Bon Jovi at the RBC Center in Raleigh.

And here's some info on Billy:

Billy Falcon celebrates new album by playing with Bon Jovi

Nashville singer-songwriter Billy Falcon is set to appear as rock band Bon Jovi’s special guest during a Feb. 21 tour stop in Raleigh, N.C., in celebration of Falcon’s new solo album, When.

“Billy Falcon is not only one of my favorite guys, he was — and is still — one of my favorite songwriters,” said friend Jon Bon Jovi. “We have collaborated many times, not only for my records, but we have written songs for other artists who have found that special something in the song.”

Falcon has co-written more than a dozen songs on the past six Bon Jovi albums, and Jon Bon Jovi and band member Richie Sambora contributed to songs on When. The solo album is available digitally now on iTunes.

Falcon and The Sowing Circle play regularly at Nashville's Blue Bar (1911 Broadway); their next scheduled appearance is tomorrow (Jan. 20), starting at 9 p.m.

For those of us who have been fans of Bon Jovi for decades Jon was on his album Pretty Blue World (I even think Jon released it on his now defunct record label JAMBCO [Jon Anthony Matthew Bongiovi, Get it!])

This was the song I remember:



 Here are some of the songs you may have heard:

When We Were Beautiful [Billy Falcon Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora]
Superman Tonight [Billy Falcon, Jon Bon Jovi]
Love's the Only Rule [Billy Falcon, Jon Bon Jovi]

And When we Were Beautiful is on his new release.

If your interested in Billy Falcon's music you can buy it from Amazon (shameless promotion),

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge Day 12

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge

Day 12 List all the times you’ve seen Bon Jovi live, if at all

1. March 1993 - USF Sun Dome, Tampa FL
2. July 2001 - Giants Stadium Night 1
3. February 2003 - Continental Airlines Arena 
4. February 2003 - Continental Airlines Arena 
5. March 2003 - St Pete Times Forum , Tampa FL
6. January 2005, Charlotte NC
7. April, 2005, St Pete Times Forum 
8. April, 2005, St Pete Times Forum 
9. January 2008, Auburn Hills MI
10. March 2008, Tampa, FL
11. April, 2010 Tampa FL
12. May 2010 NMS night 3
13. October 2010, Gulf Shores AL

Bon Jovi: Live in Wembley 1995

Here's the allegedly full show from Webley in 1995, Richie sings Stranger in This Town.

Enjoy!

Wembley 1995

Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi and friends - Destination AnywhereJon

Jon talks about taking acting lessons, getting shit from the band and taking the actresses from M & V to see the Rolling Stones:

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge Day 11

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge

Day 11 - Your favorite cover or B-side

This is an easy one.

This song was the B-Side to Livin' on a Prayer

I will honestly tell you Always isn't Bon Jovi's #1 selling single of all time because of Always.  But because of the B-Side.  Many of us long term fans who grew up listening to Bon Jovi in the late 80's early 90s remember this song being played every once and a while on different radio stations late at night (I remember Z-100 playing it around or after 11 PM a lot).



I still love this song, it puts me in a great mood.

Bon Jovi - Notes From New Jersey

I remember these from Bon Jovi weekend in March 1989 when they gave away Jon's childhood home on Robin Hood Lane.

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge Day 10

Bon Jovi: 30 Day Bon Jovi Challenge

Day 10 - Your favorite song from Have a Nice Day

 Well you sure as Hell know which song AIN'T my favorite.

I love HAND.  The thing is HAND had some great tracks that were not released in the US, so I will give you my favorite track off the official US release I will also give you the ones that were I guess in the Band's eyes (or should I say Jon's eyes) not suitable for US audiences.




I love this song. I GET it.  I don't say Have a Nice Day to people I know anymore because I don't want them to think I'm telling them to Fuck off.

This is my favorite song off HAND, I do not understand why it wasn't on the CD everywhere.  Unless Jon didn't want to do the whole, "I haven't been a Saint..." thing in interviews.    Enjoy, this is a fan made video, it will be out Dirty Little Secret.