Sunday, November 11, 2007

Can I Have My Old Bon Jovi Back Please?

For as long as I can remember, I've been in love with Bon Jovi. When I was in middle school, I remember trading my Debbie Gibson tape for Slipper When Wet. I remember crying and throwing a tantrum when my parents wouldn't let me go see them in concert. I remember getting New Jersey on vinyl for my birthday. I remember going to Las Vegas a couple of years ago and freaking out when we found the Graceland Wedding Chapel where Jon Bon Jovi got married.

Luckily, I've seen Bon Jovi live three times. Unfortunately, the last time I saw them in 2001 was heartbreakingly disappointing. They didn't play one song off their first album...not one! Plus, I paid an assanine amount of money for my ticket and had the worst seats in the place, and I was surrounded by a bunch of 17 year old girls who had no idea Bon Jovi even existed prior to Crush. Since then, it's been a struggle to sustain my love for them.

The struggle isn't with old Bon Jovi...it's with new Bon Jovi. I will always and forever love and respect old Bon Jovi. There's no doubt about that. However, new Bon Jovi is really questionable for me. It feels like they're moving towards an adult contemporary feel, and I'm having a hard time dealing with that.

So last night, I watched the Bon Jovi A&E special hoping and praying that it wouldn't be as disappointing as their most recent MTV Unplugged performance. I sat down in front of the TV and tried to keep an open mind.

They opened up with Wanted Dead or Alive, and it was great. OK, so far so good. After that, it was nothing but new songs, nothing prior to 1999. What's up with that? I understand that they're pimping a new album, but they've got an hour time slot, so couldn't they throw me some Living On A Prayer or Bad Medicine?

And I'll admit, I haven't bought the new album, so I wasn't 100% positive what to expect. I heard some of it on MTV Unplugged, and didn't love it. I heard some of it last night and still didn't love it. It didn't suck, but I just didn't feel it; it wasn't for me. It's reminiscent of songs that are played on a light rock station that soccer moms listen to at work. And they've also got a slight pop country undertone these days, and if there is anything I can't fucking stand, it's pop country (except for you Keith Urban, I will always love you). So when Jon stood on that stage and blurted out that they had co-written a song with their country brothers Big & Rich, I gagged. We Got It Going On sounded like the first cousin of Gretchen Wilson's Here For The Party, and it sucked. At that moment, I was officially heartbroken. It felt like my lover had left me for someone uglier and fatter and not as cool as me.

I understand that they're older now and grown up, so they're musical tastes have probably changed and they want to try new things. Plus, most of the ladies who listened to them in the 80's are soccer moms now, so I'm sure Bon Jovi still wants to appeal to them. Unfortunately when I grew up, I grew up in a totally different direction than Bon Jovi, so we may have grown apart a little. It's a hard time in our relationship right now, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. Will I always love Bon Jovi no matter what? Yes, because they're older songs are amazing and no one can write a ballad like Bon Jovi, no one. Do I have to love what they're doing now? No. Absolutely not. Will I tolerate it like some of my boyfriend's bad habits? Yes, yes I will.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I agree with you fully but I'm the type of fan that still enjoys his new stuff even though it's not as good as "Roulette," or "Tokyo Road." It's disappointing to know that they now sound as pussy whipped as they are. Jon is a husband and a father. Maybe he looks back on his '80s days and thinks it was silly? Think about it - Warrant and Skid Row still put out new albums but they never actually hit the mainstream. Those bands were staples of radio at one time! I feel that I have to just give in and realize that the mainstream will never accept the music I loved in the '80s such as metal and pop metal aka "hair bands." Above all else Jon Bon Jovi is a business man and he treats band like they're employees of his company. There's nothing wrong with that except the gang persona that alot of these bands had in the '80s disappears. Jon knows how to keep his band relevant which gives him the opportunity to continue writing songs at his free will. It seems that he gets bored doing the same thing all the time and now that he's an adult he seems to feel that he must make more mature music. Sucks for us! It's always my wish that they go and make a kickass rock album on par with Slippery When Wet but for the present.