Bon Jovi: Bon Jovi rocked even without Richie Sambora at the New Orleans Jazz Fest

Bon Jovi rocked even without Richie Sambora at the New Orleans Jazz Fest

Published: Saturday, April 30, 2011, 8:35 PM     Updated: Saturday, April 30, 2011, 8:43 PM

 By Keith Spera, The Times-Picayune 

As part of Jon Bon Jovi's schtick Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz Fest's Acura Stage, he laid out a pop music timeline. Today it's Justin Bieber, he noted, when it used to be Justin Timberlake. It's Ice T and Jay-Z now - well, Jay-Z at least - instead of NWA, Ice Cube and Grandmaster Flash. The world is "goo-goo for Gaga" now, whereas he predates Madonna.

Matthew Hinton / The Times-PicayuneJon Bon Jovi in all his glory on the Acura Stage on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

The one thing that hasn't changed, Bon Jovi noted, is himself. His band, however, has, at least temporarily.

As news broke this week that lead guitarist Richie Sambora was bound for a rehab encore, fans wondered what would become of Bon Jovi's scheduled Jazz Fest show.

By all accounts, Jon Bon Jovi is the consummate show-must-go-on professional. With so much riding on the band performing as billed, he and his bandmates resolved to do the gig sans Sambora.

For a major rock band to carry on without a key member is not unprecedented. Aerosmith toured without lead guitarist Joe Perry back in the day. U2 logged one gig with Adam Clayton's bass tech filling in. Journey still fills arenas fronted by a former Filipino cover band vocalist.

Whether it works depends on what is more important: The music/experience, or the musicians making it. Without Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi and company needed to sell the former. And they did, in spades, even as they largely ignored the fact that a key member was missing.

Ultimately, Sambora's absence didn't much matter. For nearly two hours, Jon Bon Jovi and Phil "X" Xenidis, Sambora's more than capable stand-in, worked extremely hard to deliver a show that, on balance, was more electric and more satisfying than Bon Jovi's 2009 Jazz Fest set.

Matthew Hinton / The Times-PicayuneVeteran session guitarist Phil "X" Xenidis filled in for Richie Sambora with Bon Jovi on Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

The Canadian-born Xenidis has a long history as an understudy and session guitarist for the likes of Tommy Lee. And he wasn't on his own. Since 2005, veteran New Jersey guitarist Bobby Bandiera, an alumnus of Southside Johnny's band, has toured with Bon Jovi as its rhythm guitarist.

With Bandiera laying the path, Xenidis was free to walk in Sambora's shoes. He wasn't shy about it. He soloed in the opening "Forever Young," and busted out the talk-box in "It's My Life." He dressed up "Runaway," a thrill ride from Bon Jovi's debut album that the band did not perform at Jazz Fest in 2009, with extra licks and fills.

Bon Jovi made the most of his time in New Orleans. He spoke with at-risk youth at Café Reconcile on Friday; Friday night, he reportedly visited music clubs on Frenchmen Street. He was typically gracious onstage. "I'm so happy to be back at Jazz Fest," he said. "We wouldn't miss it for the world." (Or for a guitarist going to rehab.)

He noted he had a "great time bouncing around from tent to tent," and thanked both Jazz Fest producer/director Quint Davis and Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Later, he gave shout-outs to Irma Thomas and Wayne Toups, who preceded him on the Acura Stage.

He hammed it up in a leather vest with all but two of its snaps undone. He "put another quarter in the jukebox" and called up "Dancin' in the Streets." His Mick Jagger impersonation - hands on hips, big pout, effeminate strut -- during the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" was a hoot. During a chorus of "Who Says You Can't Go Home," he pointed out a face in the crowd and, grinning, quipped, "Nice hat!"

During "Bad Medicine," the band detoured into a "Pretty Woman" that was more Roy Orbison than Van Halen, thanks to Bandiera's lean guitar tone and lead vocals. Just as quickly, they spun back around into "Bad Medicine," playing like a polished band thrilled to be charting slightly new territory.

In a set highlight, Xenidis and Bandiera muscled through "Lay Your Hands on Me" atop David Bryan's organ fills. Drummer Tico Torres kicked into a double-time beat for a hard rock/gospel finish that dropped off into sunburst harmonies.

For the encore, Bon Jovi donned a No. 11 Saints jersey emblazoned with his own name and chanted "Who Dat." He and Xenidis intertwined chiming acoustic guitars on "Wanted Dead or Alive." Xenidis broke out the talk-box again for a final, most excellent "Livin' on a Prayer." Bon Jovi dedicated it to "our brother Richie."

It was the first time Sambora was mentioned. Or missed.

This man is a writer not a fan, we all missed Richie... It's not the same.

Bon Jovi: Pictures from Jazz fest

On the Vanilla Scale the set list was imitation (imitation being weak, McCormick's being Ok, and Nielsen Massey being OMG Best show ever) but what do you expect from a festival show?

Some pictures from the AP, none of "The Replacement".  All of Jon and his aviators.  The eyes are the windows to ones soul and Jon doesn't want us to see his.  :(

Bon Jovi: Richie's Replacement is....

Well Richie didn't show up and is in Rehab, I'm glad if he needs help he needs help.

It appears his replacement may be Phillip Sayce, Phillip plays with Melissa Etheridge and played Wanted with Melissa at an event Jon & Richie were at, Jon seemed very impressed.





Or is it @therealphilx
Phil Xenidis

Bon Jovi: Richie Sambora might still make it to the New Orleans Jazz Fest???? Really???

Richie Sambora might still make it to the New Orleans Jazz Fest

Published: Saturday, April 30, 2011, 9:15 AM   

Updated: Saturday, April 30, 2011, 9:37 AM By Keith Spera, The Times-Picayune

Reports that Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was bound for rehab this week seemed to indicate that he would miss the band's Saturday performance at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. The band confirmed as much with a posting on its web site that read in part, "Although he will be absent from upcoming shows for the time being, we very much look forward to his healthy return. In the meantime, we will keep our commitment to our fans and continue our tour."

 

Matt Hinton / Times-Picayune archive 

There is still a chance Richie Sambora will find his way back to the Fair Grounds for Bon Jovi's show at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday. 

However, as I left the Fair Grounds around 8:45 p.m. on Friday after filing my last reviews, the Bon Jovi road crew was already assembling the band's gear on the Acura Stage. Tico Torres' massive drum kit was in place; it will be moved to the back of the stage as other bands perform Saturday.
Interestingly, at stage right stood a standard microphone and the tube device used for "talk box" guitar solos.

A member of the crew confirmed that this was Sambora's guitar rig. So would Sambora actually make the gig at Jazz Fest? "We'll see what happens," said the roadie, declining to elaborate further.
Jon Bon Jovi was in New Orleans on Friday; he met with at-risk young people at Café Reconcile, part of his duties for the White House Council for Community Solutions.

If Sambora jets in for the gig - either taking a break from rehab, or delaying his admission into a program - he would likely receive a hero's welcome from fans who count him as an integral part of Bon Jovi's appeal.

If he doesn't make the gig, the question remains who Bon Jovi would use as a stand-in. If it's an unknown, then a surprise appearance by a guest star or two would go a long way to mitigating disappointment at Sambora's absence.

But the best substitute for Richie Sambora would be...Richie Sambora.

Bon Jovi: Jon Bon Jovi meets with at-risk youth in New Orleans

Jon Bon Jovi meets with at-risk youth in New Orleans

Katy Reckdahl, The Times-Picayune By Katy Reckdahl, The Times-Picayune

Singer, philanthropist and sex symbol Jon Bon Jovi was the center of much of the attention today during a roundtable with at-risk young people at Cafe Reconcile, which hosted the event with other youth-program strongholds in the city: Liberty's Kitchen, the Youth Empowerment Project and the Tulane Youth Drop-In Center.

But despite a near mob scene afterward, when kids and their advocates posed with the star for photo after photo after photo, the rock star was quick to shine the spotlight on those he'd just listened to as part of his work for the White House Council for Community Solutions.

When Cafe Reconcile graduate Carl Harris, 20, needed to leave to get to work at a steakhouse, Bon Jovi stood up, shook Harris' hand and thanked him.

Harris didn't know who Bon Jovi was until Friday afternoon. "But now I do," he said, recounting how the star had asked questions about the cafe and listened as Harris bragged about his advocates at the Youth Empowerment Project.

"Always, every step, they were with me," Harris said. With their help, he made a conscious choice to step away from trouble, he said.

Others praised staff at the Drop-In Center and Cafe Reconcile for similar devotion. "They pretty much rescued me. Pulled me out," Reconcile grad Vauven Loiseau said.

The singer summed up the struggles he'd heard about during that afternoon's roundtable, most of which was conducted behind closed doors and not open to media. "It's not easy for disenfranchised and unemployed youth," Bon Jovi said, steering questions away from himself.

Had he been interested in at-risk kids since his hit "(She's a Little) Runaway"? a reporter asked.

"I don't think any one song motivated anything," he demurred, adding that "music is what I do, not what I am."

Still, when compared with the blond 48-year-old rocker with the deeply unbuttoned shirt, the other members of the White House Council -- Tulane University President Scott Cowen and New Jersey public-relations executive Michael Kempner -- were basically "chopped liver," Cowen quipped.

As cameras aimed at Bon Jovi flashed behind him, Kempner said that he was impressed with roundtable participants. "They were insightful and articulate and had a real grasp of the issues," he said, calling it "a life-changing educational moment."

In December, President Barack Obama charged the council to conduct "listening tours" to find out what communities need and what kind of programs work best. The council will then advise the president on how citizens, nonprofits, the private sector and government can best work together to address important issues. New Orleans is the first stop for the council's youth roundtables; similar forums are planned in Atlanta, Houston and New York City.

Early groundwork for the council partnership was laid here a few years ago, noted Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who participated in the roundtable. In 2009, when Landrieu was lieutenant governor, he visited Cafe Reconcile with Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

Barnes wrote a blog about the experience titled "Innovation with Crawfish Sauce: What a New Orleans Nonprofit Can Teach the Rest of the Country." In it, she noted that Landrieu had created the nation's first statewide Office of Social Entrepreneurship and that he'd told her that the cafe was an example of how "the answers to America's problems are coming from the streets of New Orleans."

Bon Jovi for six years has helped those in need through the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which has financed homeless shelters; hundreds of affordable houses, includes two dozen in Houma after Hurricane Katrina; and a "Robin Hood" restaurant that has no prices on the menu. Those who can't pay come by and volunteer in the soup kitchen or food pantry. Customers who can afford it pay for their meals, as a way of affecting social change.

"Sometimes people want to help and don't know how," Bon Jovi said on Friday, as he discussed the White House Council's mission. Some potential contributors may also be more willing to give to private entities rather than to government where they fear that their money will get caught up in red tape, he said.

Social-entrepreneurship enterprises can both do good work and have a broader effect on areas like Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City, where Reconcile is located. "These mom-and-pop places bring back neighborhoods," Bon Jovi said.

Here's another story with video:

Bon Jovi on a White House mission

Reported by: Natasha Robin, Reporter

Bon Jovi connects to at-risk youth

Jon Bon Jovi poses for a photograph. He was in town as a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions listening to how programs helped turn young people's lives around.

New Orleans- Smiling teens posed with rock star Jon Bon Jovi, but their visit with the famous musician was about so much more than a quick picture.

Young men and women, who have been rescued by community-based programs, sat down for a candid conversation with the Grammy-winning star.

Bon Jovi is on a tour of sorts, not to perform, but to listen as a member of a White House Council for Community Solutions.

“The president entrusted us with this opportunity to listen to the youth and each of these stops will be unique. New Orleans is very different from Seattle and New York, but they are all challenged because the opportunities are few and far between,” says Bon Jovi.

The teens talked to Bon Jovi and the other council members about their past and what life is like for them growing up in New Orleans.

“We have different issues like prostitutions, also drugs,” says participant Rashad Jame.

The teens told Bon Jovi how organizations like Café’ Reconcile, Liberty’s Kitchen and the Youth Empowerment Project have changed their lives.

By learning how the local programs work, the White House hopes to duplicate the success around the country.

“If I wasn’t introduced to this program, I would probably be hanging out with a gang or probably still on the corner doing things I shouldn’t do,” says participant Carl Harris.

The council took note on how the programs made a difference for the youth.

New Orleans was the first stop for the White House council. They will visit three other cities and then write a report on their findings in June.

The completed report will be handed over to President Obama.