Bon Jovi: Got $1500 laying around and nothing to do in Philly tonight?

Dan Gross: It's a Shoah thing: Spielberg's in town for fundraiser

By Dan Gross

Philadelphia Daily News

FILMMAKER Steven Spielberg is expected to tour the National Museum of American Jewish History today while in town for his USC Shoah Foundation Institute's fundraiser tonight at the Loews Hotel, honoring Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.

Spielberg's Righteous Persons Foundation donated $1 million toward the museum's construction efforts in 2008, and the Haddon Heights native also donated his first 8mm film camera to be displayed at the museum, which opened at its new home in November.

Jon Bon Jovi will perform at tonight's benefit for Shoah, which works to preserve memories of Holocaust survivors and those of other genocides. Tickets for the gala, at which nearly 700 guests are expected, started at $1,500.

Bon Jovi:

Congratulations, Bon Jovi is the highest grossing act ever to perform at the Mohegan Sun. Here's some background info and video done in March.

Behind the Scenes: Bon Jovi at Mohegan Sun
By Teresa Garofalo

Bon Jovi's been around a long time. The band has played almost 3,000 concerts in more than 50 countries since the late 1980s.

The band's "The Circle" tour was the top-grossing concert tour of 2010. They're still on the road now, several months into their Live 2011 tour.

Bon Jovi's tour this year included two stops at Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, Conn.: one in March and one Saturday night. NBC 10 went behind the scenes in March to see how the stage is set up.

The trucks roll in before dawn, and the crews get to work. Crew chief Make Savas said at this point in the tour, they have it all down like clockwork.

"Starts at 5 a.m., and we're set up around noon. So, it takes about six or seven hours to knock it out," Savas said.

Savas said the first step is "mark out."

"Mark the floor with chalk, set up the rigging points, the metal cables that hold everything up," Savas said. "They lift that up, and that's the lighting and video rig above your head. While that's being done, they actually build the stage at the other end of the floor. It's on 200 wheels, so they'll roll the stage in with about 30 people pushing it."

About 80 crew members travel with the band, and another 80 are hired locally, just for the day.

The set pieces are the same ones they use at larger venues. It takes 16 semi trucks to carry it all from place to place. Backline crew chief Mike Rew said it's a tight fit setting it up at Mohegan Sun.

"We are lucky we got to put our whole show into the venue. It barely fits, but we got everything in there," Rew said.

The band had special robotic video screens invented and built just for "The Circle" tour. The massive, computerized apparatus lifts the screens into different configurations, even turning them sideways, until they're flat.

"We took the robots that make cars in Detroit and stuck five video screens on five robots. They can move back and forth, and they can spin around 360 degrees and make a shelf for Jon to talk on, which brings him up about 30 feet in the air," Rew said. "It's pretty intense technology."

Once the set is ready, the crew begins an extensive series of sound checks. A couple of people work on tuning dozens of guitars. Most of them belong to guitarist Richie Sambora. He travels with more than $1 million worth of instruments.

"Between 35 to 40 guitars, of which he plays about 15 a night. He switches it up depending on what he's feeling like playing. The guy's a guitar god, as we say, and he likes the different sounds of different guitars," Rew said.

Once the crew's preparations are finished, all that's left is the band's own sound check in the early evening.

And then the show begins.

"It's arena rock, man. We're one of the few acts that can still sell out stadiums and arenas all over the world," Savas said.

Ticket sales for Saturday night's tour earned Bon Jovi a distinction at Mohegan Sun. The band is officially the highest-grossing act ever to perform there.

Bon Jovi: Wanted and stuff

So some German website is saying Richie is out of Bon Jovi.

I HIGHLY doubt that based on the way Alec was never mentioned again after he was fired/left the band.

Jon wouldn't mention Richie like he has been.

Thanks to @mezjovi for the awesome video.



And if you really want to cry watch this weeks edition of BJTV, which is at Jon's Birthday (why are they 2 months behind?).

Bon Jovi: Happy Mother's Day

I know it's late but I don't want to forget the Mom's out there with some Jon Bon Jovi mother's day e-cards I made.

If you're from Hallmark or American Greeting's Call me! 

Otherwise I hope all of the Mom's out there (and all of us who are dare I say blessed to have a Mom) have a great Mother's Day.

Bon Jovi: Mohegan Sun review

Bon Jovi at Mohegan Sun

Published: Sunday, May 08, 2011, 2:20 AM Updated: Sunday, May 08, 2011, 10:14 AM

By Donnie Moorhouse, The Republican

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi (AP file photo)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Jon Bon Jovi guessed from the stage at Mohegan Sun on Saturday night that it has been “29 to 30 years or so” that the fans have been supporting his rock’ n’ roll dream.

That fan base shows no signs of wavering.

Either does the band.

Bon Jovi played a sold out Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday, the fourth and final stop at the venue along the current tour, and thanked the faithful with a two hour and fifteen minute set of high powered rock.

The production alone was a tribute to the arena rock milieu. Everything above and behind the circular stage moved, morphed, and slid, from the hi tech video screens to the hydraulic risers that, when they weren’t supporting the lead singer, where also serving as video boards.

There may only be a handful of bands that can play an arena rock show like Bon Jovi. In fact, it is this band that might define the genre.

After the bells rung and the whistles whistled, Bon Jovi emerged from all the moving parts to ring up “Last Man Standing,” and followed with “You Give Love a Bad Name.”

The two songs made sense together but represent two very different parts of the band’s career. The latter was recorded when critics were putting Bon Jovi in the same hair-band category as Skid Row, Warrant, and Cinderella.

Anyone know where any of those bands were playing this weekend?

The latter song was also the first spotlight moment for fill-in Phil X, the guitarist who is taking the place of Richie Sambora while the longtime band member is doing a stint in rehab. Phil X is a well-known session player (Daughtry, Avril Lavigne, Alice Cooper) who seemed to fit right in with the group.

After anthems “Superman Tonight,” and “Lost Highway,” Bon Jovi rolled a little country flavor into the mix with the yearning rocker “Whole Lot of Leaving.” Again the newer song was paired with a classic, serving as the prelude to “Bad Medicine.”

It was during “Bad Medicine” that Jon Bon Jovi took leave of the set list and with prompting from Jersey pal and former Cats on A Smooth Surface (and occasional Asbury Juke) Bobby Bandiera wrestled in Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.”

With the lights down, Bon Jovi made his way out to the center of the arena via the circular catwalk and gave acoustic versions of “(You Want To) Make a Memory,” and “I’ll Be There for You.”

He returned to the stage for “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night,” subtly dedicating the song to Sambora.

“I can hear your voices,” he said. “You’re all pulling for our friend, right?”

Sambora’s absence seemed to affect the mystique of the band more than the music. Phil X was a formidable replacement and Bandiera, a longtime friend and occasional collaborator with Bon Jovi provided stability as well.

The band closed with “Living On A Prayer,” and put together a strong four-song encore that included “Wanted; Dead or Alive,” with Bon Jovi again thanking the crowd for supporting the band “even when we’re down a man.”

Hartford band Lakshmi earned and opening slot on the show thanks to winning a radio station battle of the bands and handled their half hour set like they were used to playing arena stages.