David Bergman www.DavidBergman.net
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Photo © 2016 David Bergman / www.DavidBergman.net -- Bon Jovi listening party for "This House is Not For Sale" at the London Palladium in London, England on October 10, 2016.
Hold onto your leather jackets, Columbus. New Jersey’s favorite rock band is making its way back to the capital city after the late 2016 release of its 13th album.
Bon Jovi will play at Nationwide Arena on March 18 as part of its This House Is Not for Sale tour, which is hitting major U.S. cities as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil.
Anyone who has listened to the radio or attended a karaoke night can name off some of the band’s megahits: “It’s My Life,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Wanted Dead or Alive.” And while those tracks will most certainly be part of the tour’s set list, the new album’s songs take on a fresh tone, says pianist and keyboardist David Bryan.
“It started with Jon (Bon Jovi),” he says. “He really saw a picture, which is the album cover of this house with the roots, and he said, ‘You know what … this house is not for sale.’ And it really represented integrity. We don’t want this to end. … (‘This House Is Not for Sale,’ the album’s title song) is like a journey of the themes in that record.”
Norman Jean Roy
This will be the band’s 18th tour, and the members are no strangers to Columbus or the Midwest region. Bon Jovi last hit Columbus in 2013, during the Because We Can tour. And the band’s favorite part of touring through the region may come as a shock to lifelong Midwesterners.
“(It’s the) weather,” Bryan says, reflecting on a February 2003 stop in Columbus. “Do you remember that show back in Columbus where it snowed like crazy?”
2003 might seem like a lifetime ago, but the band has been together since 1983. Along with Jon, both Bryan and drummer Tico Torres have been members since the very beginning, during its formation in Sayerville, N.J. It’s been a long run, but Torres says the band stays as active as possible for the fans.
“It is not the hotels, the restaurants, the sightseeing, and it certainly is not for the long distances between home and the road,” Torres says. “With a band like Bon Jovi, and the touring history we have, we do spend more time together than apart. We spend more time together than we do with our families. It’s bonding. Especially on stage, when it all comes together.”
David Bergman www.DavidBergman.net
20161010_Bon_Jovi_Album_Promo_Show_London_0407.CR2
Photo © 2016 David Bergman / www.DavidBergman.net -- Bon Jovi listening party for "This House is Not For Sale" at the London Palladium in London, England on October 10, 2016.
Bon Jovi has also learned to adapt with the rapidly evolving music industry. While the 1980s were known for hard rock and glam metal, the 2010s are all about pop rock and contemporary R&B. While navigating these new waters, Torres says, the band has been nothing but honest about its sound and style.
“(You still have to be) current, sound-wise,” he says. “You know, one of the interviewers said, ‘I heard this song … and it still sounds like Bon Jovi.’ That’s a compliment; the fact that you could still have that signature sound after so many years.”
Bon Jovi shows are known for the use of technology and screens, but the setup for This House Is Not for Sale is a bit different. Rather than a traditional proscenium arrangement, there will be seats that surround the band, giving the band members more room to move around during the show and address different sides of the stage.
“We’ve always loved … to be able to have actual fans behind you while you’re playing,” Torres says. “When you’re on stage, you see it a little differently than when you’re in the audience.”
Bryan adds that the setup aims to put more focus on the music and the band, rather than screens.
“It’s our house and we’re proud of it, and we’re going to keep bringing it around the world until they nail the coffin shut,” he says.
Q&A With the Band
David Bergman www.DavidBergman.net
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Photo (c) 2016 David Bergman / www.DavidBergman.net -- Bon Jovi in Miami, Florida on December 2, 2016. From left, Everett Bradley (percussion), Phil X (guitar), David Bryan (keyboard), Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres (drums), Hugh McDonald (bass), and John Shanks (guitar).
Q: What classic songs do you look forward to playing every night?
Torres: Two of my mine remain “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” obviously. They have transcended time, and it’s hit people in a certain way. It’s not only thematic, but it seems, if you had to sum up Bon Jovi’s legacy, that song would be probably at the top of the list. And I think that’s because of the optimism.
Bryan: “It’s My Life,” and there are a lot of great songs there. It’s kind of hard to say which is your favorite, but those are classic ones that keep going forward. We’re blessed by that. We touch a nerve within our audience, and it definitely transcends time.
Q: What songs stand out from This House Is Not for Sale?
Bryan: I would say, for me, what encompasses the whole record is “This House Is Not for Sale.” And when you look at that (album cover), and the deep roots in it, I think it’s just about what we stand for. We’ve been here since 1983 as a band. … Our roots are deep, and we keep digging in and we keep growing at the same time. So, for us, it’s a statement that we’re not going anywhere, and it’s not for sale.
Hannah Bealer is an editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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