Am I the Only Person Who Still Likes Bon Jovi?

All the comments on Christian's recent Bon Jovi live review got me thinking: am I the only person who still likes Bon Jovi?

Now, that statement is a sweeping generalization and of course, the answer is no...but still. The negativity - on this site especially - really stunned me. Bon Jovi as a band are known to have some of the most loyal fans...period. They continue to sell out venues around the world and above all else, they've remained relevant since the 80s.

I am not of the persuasion that the guys in Bon Jovi steal songs although I do think they charge way too much for concert tickets. I don't think the band has necessarily “sold out” to other genres to stay famous. After all, music is a business and Jon Bon Jovi is a capitalist. If that means making some country tunes, well, I guess I don't have to listen to those particular songs.

So what is the main beef with Bon Jovi? Song theft? Ticket prices? Non Metal songs? Just curious on this cold Thursday.

Comments

[spence]

I am 21 and die hard. I probably have 6 shirts that get regularly worn. I have seen him 3 times and feel that is 20 times too few. I love cranking Bon Jovi when hitting the highway, when partying, and "in the bedroom".

I chalk it up to my mom playing it on repeat when I was in the cradle. Call me crazy, that band can do no wrong.

I just can't get enough.

[spence]

@ Gary ... Get the full story on why the band decided not to add another bass player. Hugh is well taken care off, that I can guarantee.

[Mike]

Hey spence, I'm just curios... what are your top 3 favorite songs?

[Liam]

Bon Jovi is a sellout and he is changing genre all the time.
I don't know anyone who is a hardcore fan to Bon Jovi.

[SMKnotSMF]

After much thought, you are not the only one who likes Bon Jovi. You are the last cool one who likes Bon Jovi. LOL

[Gator]

Bon Jovi ruled 1987 for me, but there are a lot of reasons for this: Great songs, senior year of high school, all my buddies and our girlfriends loved 'em, great live show (Slippery tour w/ Cinderella opening - amazing), etc. Never Say Goodbye felt like it was written about my crew!

Fast forward to late 1988 - I was getting into other types of music (Metallica, Anthrax, some progressive bands), yet anxiously picked up New Jersey and... was very disappointed. Vastly overrated, and a bit lackluster. After listening to that CD several times, I came to the painfully inevitable solution that going forward, any new Bon Jovi songs/records/videos will consist of the same 4 themes:

1) We're gonna make it after all...
2) I love my girl
3) I love my band / my friends / my bros
4) I wanna be a cowboy.

That sums it up neatly for me. I did like Keep The Faith and It's My Life, but to me, Bon Jovi was just an average to (at times) above-average rock band. They ceased being glam / metal a looong time ago.

Now do I respect Jon and the boys? In a roundabout way, yes... They are fierce capitalists, and routinely put out new music and tour the world, obviously successfully. Hell, BJ was even eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction this year, and I've gone on recond in the past as to what a farce the selection / induction process is.

So the bottom line for me is: congrats BJ, you guys are clearly a success. But I stopped caring 20 years ago.

Happy new year to all!

[Rhodeislandrock]

I was a Bon Jovi fan from the beginning with that first album and 7800 Fahrenheit and I saw the band live in Providence, RI supporting both Slippery When Wet and New Jersey. They kind of lost me until Crush and Bounce but after those two albums I thought the songs started to get stale. The latest album isn't good at all and I really wanted to like it.....if the songwriting is bad then there's going to be some backlash.

I can tell you when I started my Bon Jovi decline - Wednesday July 25, 2001. That was the night the band played to a sold-out Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA on the Crush tour. Everything was fine, set was good until the band started playing cover songs for an encore instead of playing some more classics. I knew it was the beginning of the end for me and I have never seen the band live since even though I've even been offered free tickets.

My wife loves them though and she's seen them every tour since that Crush show.

Steve
Heavy Metal Addiction
http://heavymetaladdiction.com/

[Gary]

Spence,
I was joking with the minimum wage crack. I'm sure Hugh is adequately paid for his services. But it just seems odd the way he is omitted from pics,interviews,etc. For Christs sake, he's kind of like the Spinal Tap drummers....8>)

Don't get me wrong however. As a life long frustrated guitarist, I'd give my right gonad to be in his shoes. Touring the world with one of the most sucessful bands out there. Even being treated as the red headed step child of the group it would still be my dream gig....

[spence]

Mike - My top three songs is tough. I would have to go with "It's My Life", "Wild in the Streets", and "Tokyo Road". However, it is extremely had to choose. Some other favourites include the big three, Raise your hands, Bad Medicine, and dare I say ... Runaway!

Gary - He is kind of like spinal tap. Ha! Alec had a falling out with Jon, which he leaked to the press. Jon always considered everyone in the band to be his family and therefore felt any issues should have been dealt with within the band. The band decided not to add another family member after that.

[Metalboy!]

Phew! All you have to do is read all of the comments to get the ugly truth on Bon Jovi.

Not only are they total sellouts...

They absolutely S*CK!

Except, of course, for the 3 songs I always sight as their best, tho the band were merely vessels for Desmond Child to use for the delivery of his killer trilogy, "Livin' On A Prayer", "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Wanted: Dead Or Alive".

[i'mtheone]

Yes. Never liked them though, even back at the height of their popularity in the 80s.

[Christian]

I can cite three other killer BJ songs. Bad Medicine, Keep the Faith and Lay your hands on me. It's not really as bad as you say, although the core point is true, NJ was a stinker of an album, which showed how bad they were at consistently writing good songs at the time without out side help. Keep the faith was a killer album IMO, it's just that after that, the trends moved away from what I like, and BJ followed.

[looksthatkill]

Yes they are a "business" and that's whats wrong with the picture. The "Music" has taken a backseat to the "business" the good old days of "rock n roll" are gone. Musicians are not getting signed "acts" are and you don't need any talent we have computers for that.
I will still listen to the first 3 albums of BJ but can do without the rest.
RIP Bruce Fairbairn

[looksthatkill]

That should be the first 4 albums

[Metalboy!]

Just cuz they are "hugely successful" duzn't mean they are any good.

Xcept for the Desmond Child trilogy off of "Slippery When Wet", there really isn't much goin' on here.

U-N-R-O-C-K !!!

[MEWIZEMGIC]

Lost relevance to those who liked them for their music years ago. Now, they sell an image to millions of women who were listening to Thompson Twins and Kajagoogoo while thinking Bon Jovi was too 'hard rock' back in the day. BJ fans are now more trend followers than music followers.

[Mike]

I still enjoy their music. I havent seen them in concert for a few reasons, one tickets are way too expensive, and 2 they never seem to hit southern Indiana or Northern Kentucky. Last time they played Indy was in 2003 with the Goo Goo Dolls. If they come near, Ill probably try to round up some money to go but that's a long shot.

[Rita]

I still like them a lot. Have seen them a ton of times. About 4 times in the last few years alone. BUT, I'm becoming less and less interested in them. I find their last few albums way too mellow and I never listen to them.
They need to get back to Rocking. They haven't done that in a while.

[nirVrana]

Yes.

They have gotten less and less "rock" from their first album on. Their current fan base is not us, well at least the menfolk. Apparently, the women still think JBJ is cute and will keep going to shows, whereas the men think the music is more and more wuss, and even my former hero Richie Sambora has stopped innovating and cheated on Heather Locklear so he is also still on a downward spiral.

[Rockfighter]

Fast forward to late 1988 - I was getting into other types of music (Metallica, Anthrax, some progressive bands), yet anxiously picked up New Jersey and... was very disappointed. Vastly overrated, and a bit lackluster. After listening to that CD several times, I came to the painfully inevitable solution that going forward, any new Bon Jovi songs/records/videos will consist of the same 4 themes:

1) We're gonna make it after all...
2) I love my girl
3) I love my band / my friends / my bros
4) I wanna be a cowboy.

so they have stayed true to their theme after all. All bands have themes that they base their songs on, be it lord of the rings, or hating anything but metal. Musically they have evoloved... and you've found in me a hardcore fan