Bon Jovi: Happy Cinco de Mayo

As I enjoy my margarita... Enjoy some TEQUILA.

Jonny is giving twisting lessons.  I thought Night 1 was better....  But I was at night 1 so....

Bon Jovi: Montreal Review

The original Article is 'en Francais', my French is worse than my English (which is my native tongue... I know I'm shocked too).  So the fine folk at Google have translated.

BON JOVI CENTRAL BELL

Some notes and the crowd rises

Maxime Demers

04-05-2011 | 10:05 p.m.

MONTREAL - Even without its star guitarist Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi knows how to lift a crowd. And even more so when the crowd is Montreal.

The band Bon Jovi does not have to worry about his popularity in Montreal. The figures speak for themselves: five shows in Montreal in 14 months, more than 200,000 fans at the Bell Centre last 10 years.

But it is first and foremost on stage that the group of New Jersey can measure the magnitude of the phenomenon. We still had evidence Wednesday night, when more than 20,000 people crowded into the theater to applaud the Montreal show that the group presented the same place two nights ago for less than three months.

Same show? Not quite. In fact, there was a big difference and she was on stage, to the right of Jon Bon Jovi.

In rehab since last week, guitarist Richie Sambora had left his place to Phil Xenidis, who has also replaced in Triumph and has already worked with Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. In short, not really a beginner, and he proved it a few times during this concert marked by the great success of the group ( Bad Medicine , Dead or Alive , I'll Sleep When I'm Dead , Livin on a Prayer ...) .

The show began around 20 pm to thunderous applause and screams. After a short introduction video, the group started the first chords of Lost Highway , immediately after linking with We Were not Born to Follow .

The party withdrew from the third song. Let the fun begin! launched Jon Bon Jovi before embarking You Give Love a Bad Name . The room erupted with a bound and was not stale by the end of the next title, the inevitable "Born to Be My Baby .

While Bon Jovi has lost quite a showman in Richie Sambora, the band owes much of its effectiveness on stage magnetism and energy of Jon Bon Jovi. At 49, the singer is still quite a showman who has nothing to envy the young pop stars (the Justin Bieber and others) which he mocked gently in The More Things Change .

While We Got It Going On , the rocker has even abandoned his guitar to go and dance to a platform above the stage. And when, in the middle of the show, he took off his leather jacket to let them discover his black jacket, women in the room uttered loud screeching.

In the coming weeks, the group of New Jersey will perform in a dozen U.S. cities, before continuing his tour of Europe.

Bon Jovi: A couple of articles on Phil X

Here are a few background articles on Richie's "understudy" Phil X.

Meet Phil X, Richie Sambora’s Replacement in Bon Jovi

Michael Leonard | 05.04.2011

Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora’s temporary replacment is Phil X, an Ontario-born session guitarist. The tour kicked off at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (on April 30) with Jon Bon Jovi announcing at the encore of “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “We’d like to send this out to our brother Richie.”

Phil X was born in 1966 as Philip Xenidis. He’s of Greek descent and the co-founder of the L.A. band Powder. He also has a second band, The Drills. He is used to standing-in: he replaced Rik Emmett in Canadian rockers Triumph for their Edge of Excess album (1993) and tour.

He’s also played guitar for Tommy Lee, Rob Zombie, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Chris Cornell, Adam Lambert and many more.

At Viva Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in Burbank, he’s played with country music collective the Cody Bryant Experience. According to MusicIndustryNewswire, “Phil X drops by to add his powerful guitar to honky-tonk numbers that turn into raging barn-burners that totally kick ass.”

For now, Phil X is the new Richie Sambora. Bon Jovi’s current tour ends in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 31.

Ugh Replacement makes it sound so permanent.  

Local guitarist joins Bon Jovi

Katharine Sealey

May 4, 2011

Rock on. Phil X, seen here headlining The Guitar World's annual
Rock 'n' Roll Party in Meadowvale in 2009, is filling in for
Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora on their current world tour. File photo

It's never easy being a temp, but this gig might make up for it.

Mississauga musician Phil Xenidis, better known as Phil X, is the new temporary guitarist for rockers Bon Jovi.

Xenidis, 45, joined the band onstage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 30 as a fill-in for their regular guitarist Richie Sambora, who is reportedly in rehab. Bon Jovi's current tour is scheduled to end in Portugal on July 31. The Circle Tour was last year's top selling circuit, earning $201 million.

Previously, Xenidis was best known as the replacement for Rik Emmett in the band Triumph in the early-'90s. Now based in Los Angeles, Xenidis is a popular studio musician, having played on albums for Rob Zombie, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Alice Cooper and Chris Daughtry.

I bet Phil X hates being called a replacement. Also this article makes it seem like they plucked him from the "mean" streets of Mississauga, he lives in LA.

Non Jovi: Concert Photography

A lot of people ask me about taking pictures at concerts.  I love doing it for myself I have this memory of the event I went to.  I thought about for a long time writing up something on what to do, what I do and things that work for me.

I personally don't have a DSLR (you couldn't bring one into a concert anyway without a Press badge) so I use my point & shoot SLR (I have a Canon Powershot SX10IS) while it's bigger than what a lot of people want, it meets the size requirement at a concert and takes great pictures and videos.

Here's an article from the NY Times on Concert Photography

How to Take Concert Photos That Rock

By ROY FURCHGOTT

Glen DiCrocco Choose a skin tone and expose for the face, no matter what the color and direction of the light.

If you think it’s hard to play a Stevie Ray Vaughan-style guitar solo, try photographing one.

Capturing onstage images, whether it’s of an arena rock superstar or a middle school recital, poses difficult technical challenges. Intense spotlights, spangled costumes and exotic headgear all conspire to wreck your photos.

A concert photographer, Glen DiCrocco, who has shot artists such as Yes, Willie Nelson, Peter Wolf, Umphrey’s McGee and Kansas said “there is a lot about concert shooting that is feel.” But there are tricks to getting that feeling. Here are a few:

1) Lighten up. Most digital cameras let you adjust the ISO setting, a measure used to tell photographers how sensitive a film is to light. Films that need less light — and are better in darker locations, like, say a theater — have higher ISO numbers. By turning the ISO number higher for a digital camera, you get the same effect and suffer the same tradeoff: Higher ISO film is grainier, and higher ISO speeds shots in digital are noisier.

Mr. DiCrocco usually uses ISO 1000. “It makes shooting in low light much easier.” Better light-gathering lenses with low f-numbers also help. Mr. DiCrocco mostly uses prime lenses — not zoom lenses — because they are lighter weight, let in more light and cost less. He mostly uses a 50mm 1.4, a 35mm 2.0 or an 85mm 1.8. The goal, he said, is to shoot at 1/125 of a second or faster, “because you normally want to freeze the action without any motion blur.”

2) Scout it out.. “If it’s a place you can check out beforehand, do that. I like to know what kind of venue I am going into.” It’s even better if you can attend a rehearsal or sound check where they are trying out the lighting. That way you know just when your star will be in the spotlight and can be prepared for the photo. It also means that might get some special consideration from the AV Squad. “You can talk to the lighting guy and ask him, ‘Can you pump up the light here?’ It will make a big difference.”

3) Time it right. Know the band, play, performers or all three ahead of time. “It helps of course if you know the music, or the performance,” said Mr. DiCrocco. “It helps if you know when the lead singer walks over to the guitarist.” If shooting a completely unfamiliar event, there is another option. “The easiest thing is to just shoot endlessly,” said Mr. DiCrocco, “but then you come back with 800 shots to edit, and that’s no fun.”

4) Expose some skin. Stage lights tend to overlight what they hit and cast powerful shadows that obscure details. Don’t worry about that, just set the exposure to skin so you can capture the artist’s face. “On the Willie Nelson shot [above] I exposed for face or arm,” said Mr. DiCrocco. The biggest challenge is when the performer wears white, which usually photographs under spotlights as a featureless glowing blob. “Wait until the person isn’t in a very bright white spotlight,” said Mr. DiCrocco. Or, “Tell your kid to wear a different shirt.” Colored spots are less of a problem. “Your reds, violets, magentas, greens, they are all fine. Although, actually, green is not my favorite.”

Some white spotlights have a green tinge, which is a job for Photoshop. “You just have to correct that in post. Or wait for the lights to change.” Take a few shots, see check on the camera’s LCD how they look, then adjust as needed. Err on the side of underexposure. “I’d rather underexpose slightly,” Mr. DiCrocco said. “Once the detail is lost you can’t get anything back.”

5) Paint it black (and white). Black and white has two primary uses, said Mr. DiCrocco. One is to lend a gritty feeling to a shot. “If it’s a Tom Waits kind of guy, it lends itself to that kind of feeling.” But it can also help out in really low lighting. “In low light there is no color to speak of, so it makes much more sense to visualize it in black and white.” Photos under red light are especially hard to see and lend themselves well to black-and-white conversion, which he prefers to set in the camera rather than adding the effect later. “It gives you better sense of what is going on.”

6) Treat kids differently. It is actually more difficult to photograph kids than rock gods, said Mr. DiCrocco. “Professional musicians know how to move on stage, they do half of the work for you,” he said. One counterintuitive thing to try with nonpros is to take in more of the stage. “Shoot wider and closer to the stage to emphasize the action by showing four or five kids doing something instead of two,” said Mr. DiCricco. Keep the camera at your eye and keep shooting through the big scenes. “It is a matter of being more patient and thinking ahead about the big crescendo in the song or the big finale,” said Mr. DiCrocco. “There is a little more emotion and movement in those parts of the song,” he said, even for the stiffest of amateurs.

But he doesn’t mean your kids. Your kids are great.

Here are some of my tips.

1. Your SD Card should be a minimum of 8 GB, if you intend on doing video make it a minimum of 16. Amazon has cheap SD cards. I like Transcends 16 GB ones.
   
2. If you go see Bon Jovi learn to use the continuous setting on your camera. Jon does not stand in one place for long. You take 10 pictures and 3 of them are good, score, whereas if you took one at 1 moment, it may be blurry.
   
3. Play with your camera in different light settings. Make sure you see a few minutes of the opening act to take some throw away pictures to adjust your light settings.
   
4. You don't need a flash at a concert. If you did the light settings right you have no need of a flash.
   
5. Buy spare batteries. It sucks to get the battery light in the middle of a song (unless its Who Says You Can't Go Home and then BONUS!). Amazon also has batteries if your camera takes lithium rechargeable (remember to get those in advance they need to be charged BEFORE the concert).
   
6. Read the owners manual. Read reviews on-line. Use your camera before the concert. Take pictures of your dog, the tree on your front yard, a flickering candle at night. PRACTICE!
   
7. Use the different settings. WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE SHOULD BE SHOT IN BLACK AND WHITE. I'm telling you this because it's true. 

Here are a few concert shots I've taken over the years.

Elton John & Billy Joel Face to Face 2009

Joe Perry from Aerosmith

Lars Ulrich from Metallica

Bono

I'm not a professional, I never have claimed to be one, but I have fun and that's the most important thing.

Bon Jovi: Wanted: The band you actually paid to see

I'll leave my comments to the end of this.  Some of you may not agree with my opinions and that's fine everyone is entitled to them.

Wanted: The band you actually paid to see

Andy Vineberg, staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 12:00 am

Bon Jovi (from left) Richie Sambora, David Bryan,
Jon Bon Jovi and Tico Torres are photographed in Brooklyn.

Concert tickets for a major act almost always cost in the triple digits these days. For that price - for any price, really - you ought to be able to expect a handful of givens.

Such as the band you bought tickets for being the band you actually get to see.

Doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?

Last week, Bon Jovi announced that guitarist Richie Sambora was headed back into rehab and would miss at least part of the band's spring/summer tour of North America and Europe, which began Saturday in New Orleans and includes a show this Friday on Long Island.

According to a statement from the band, the shows will go on without him: "We will keep our commitment to the fans and continue our tour."

Commitment to the fans? More like a slap in the face.

This isn't about whether or not Sambora should have gone into rehab. None of us know the details or the severity of his problems, just that he's "been drinking too much, and wants to get his life together" according to what a source told Radar Online.

Nor is it about the credentials about replacement guitarist Phil X (an accomplished session man and former member of Canadian rock group Triumph), who, by some Internet accounts, handled himself fine in New Orleans.

This is about offering the fans something totally different than what they paid to see.

There are two superstars in Bon Jovi. Jon Bon Jovi is one of them. Sambora is the other. Take either one out of the mix, and you've suddenly got a totally different band.

Postponing shows seemed like the right move here. Sure, it would have been a logistical nightmare, and the band might take a hit financially (trust me, they can afford it), but plenty of major acts have managed to reschedule shows for various reasons over the years.

Another option would have been playing the shows but offering refunds to fans who don't want to go. Again, it'd be a huge logistical headache, but it would probably be the fairest solution.

You pay to see a certain band, you should have the right to a refund if that band no longer exists.

But maybe I'm making too much of this. Judging by the multitudes of veteran bands that continue to draw decent crowds on tour without key members in the lineup, maybe fans just want to scream along to familiar songs and don't care who's playing them. (Of course, if that's your thing, the corner bar hosting karaoke is a hell of a lot cheaper than the glorified tribute band packing the amphitheater.)

But in those cases, fans at least know beforehand who is - or isn't - in the band when they buy their tickets. That wasn't the case here, and penalizing fans by offering a significantly different product - especially at these prices - is borderline stealing.

So what else should fans have the right to expect when they buy their tickets to see a major act in concert?

In a perfect world, these five guarantees would come with every ticket purchase:

1. Full disclosure of concert format

If you're a solo artist who normally performs with a band but is going it alone on tour, let people know. Likewise, if you're a loud, electric band planning an extended acoustic set, promote it before tickets go on sale. Maybe the hardcore fans will come to your show regardless of the format, but casual fans ought to have some idea what to expect before they fork over a week's salary for two tickets and parking.

2. Full disclosure of setlist plans

No, acts shouldn't reveal their specific setlists in advance. (Surprises are great!) But if they plan on devoting, say, half the show to new material, they should be upfront about it, so fans who only want to hear the decades-old hits won't whine about hearing new songs during the show. (Oh, who am I kidding - they'll still whine, but at least they'll have only themselves to blame.)

3. A little diversity

Speaking of setlists, the same ones every night get old in a hurry. Is it too much to ask for acts - especially ones that have been around for a while and have a huge back catalog - to mix it up from night to night, even a little? Like I said, surprises are great. Every show should include at least one "OMG, they played that!?!" moment.

4. Two-hour sets from the headliner + minimum

When fans spend more time in their cars getting in and out of the parking lot than they did in their seats watching the show, there's a problem.

5. An honest effort

I don't care if it's your 17th show in 20 nights and you're mentally fried. For some fans, it might be the only night they'll ever see you. Sing and play like you actually want to be there - even if you don't.

And while you're at it, do something about those ridiculous service charges, would you?

This is my take on everything. 

How would you feel if you had an 18 month contract with an employer and were told at month 15, oh yeah well we're cancelling the contract.  In this economy jobs are scarce and you're in a specialized field where you have a job lined up 4 months from now, but that's four months away.  What are you going to do for those 4 months to make ends meet?  The economy sucks.  Jobs are scarce and is an employer going to hire you and train you so you can leave in four months?  Essentially that's what Bon Jovi would have done to their crew

How do you reschedule events in arenas when you don't know when you're going to be able to reschedule?  I mean no one know how long Richie's going to be gone or when/if he comes back.

How do you tell all the Fan Club members who have booked airline tickets that you're not going to help them with their airfare, but they can call the airline.

How do you tell other fans who have made plans.  Oh sorry.  Your hotels (if you pre-paid) gas, air fare, etc.

There are very few shows Jon Bon Jovi has cancelled, if you want to talk to people who have been left disappointed talk to Guns N Roses fans who year after year have watched shows get cancelled or watch Axl walk off 2 songs in.  That too me is complete and utter bullshit.  You build a bad reputation that way and I have never thought that Jon wants to build a bad reputation (its bad for business and bad for charity).

If you think that this "show must go on" mentality was easy for Jon watch the last 2 performances.  If you think you're upset that Richie isn't there and that Jon is letting his ego get the best of him, you need to watch those videos and think again.  I'm sure this wasn't the easiest decision for him to make and I bet he drinks a bottle of wine every night wondering if he made the right decision. 

Also go back and watch When we Were Beautiful.  Who's the CEO and who's the employees?  That should end the whole thing, but it doesn't.

If you think, I'll just get back at Jon by not going to the show, at least sell your ticket to another person who wants to go.  If you bought a $125 ticket and waste the ticket by not going & not selling it, who's the fool?  You or Jon Bon Jovi (who by the way is $125 richer and didn't have to do squat for you).

Remember there's this thing call royalties.  Jon & Richie co-wrote most of the Bon Jovi catalog, Richie still gets money when those songs are played.  By not getting those songs played you're therefore denying him money too.

Those are my thoughts. Feel free to share yours, the comments field is below.  But don't tell me how you're a huge fan and Richie not being there won't make a difference because its all about Jon, because we all know its not.  I will respond back to you and I won't be nice about it either.