Queenie's Corner: 4/4/10

Something New!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Look up! There's a new Bon Jovi widget just above this post. :)

I'm sure you all probably got the e-mail, but I just thought I'd let you know that I added it to my page. You can even catch the four (give or take) songs from the Dallas show here tomorrow night. Check in at 8:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) 7:00 P.M. (Central Standard Time) for a peek at the show!

Jon Bon visits People Serving People

Friday, April 9, 2010

Jon took a little time before yesterday's show to visit St. Paul's People Serving People.

By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet
April 08, 2010

"Bon Jovi in the house!" People Serving People client Nailon Copeland stood in the lobby of the organization's downtown Minneapolis headquarters Thursday afternoon, shaking his head in disbelief as Jon Bon Jovi, one of the world's biggest rock stars, stood shaking hands and signing CDs. "This is trippin' me out. I thought they were kidding when they said this was going to happen."

Bon Jovi, in town for a two-night stand at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center with his eponymous band, visited People Serving People as part of what he calls a "fact-finding" mission he's undertaken while his band tours the country this spring. Bon Jovi has long been involved with charitable causes involving homelessness and affordable housing, and he's considering new directions for the work of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.

After touring the facility, which has been heralded as a national model for its under-one-roof integration of shelter and services for families experiencing homelessness, Bon Jovi was impressed—to say the least. "This is by far the most remarkable place I've seen," said Bon Jovi, whose experiences thus far on the tour have taken him to L.A.'s Skid Row and to a Seattle facility for homeless alcoholics.

WCCO's Jason DeRusha, interviewing Bon Jovi for one of DeRusha's trademark "Good Question" segments, got right to the point. "Right now," he said on camera to the man who's sold well over 100 million albums, "you could be sitting at home counting your money." Why take the time to visit homeless shelters?

Bon Jovi answered DeRusha's question for the benefit of WCCO viewers, but he had also addressed the issue a few minutes previously while talking with reporters and catching his breath in a conference room. "Homelessness hits everyone," Bon Jovi explained. "Republicans, Democrats, everyone. When people are afraid of the homeless, it's because they're afraid of the unknown. When you meet a woman with young children who's suddenly found herself without a home, that's the face of homelessness today."

Citing the work of his Philadelphia-based foundation, which has built affordable housing units across the country, Bon Jovi emphasized that he understood there was no single approach or magic bullet that would end homelessness. "The strokes are broad," he said, "and the needs are many." Bon Jovi praised the work of People Serving People, whose CEO Jim Minor sat smiling beside the singer, and particularly the organization's work with homeless families.

And then it was time to head off to the Xcel Center for soundcheck. On his way out, Bon Jovi stopped to pose for a photo with People Serving People staff and to greet mothers and their young children outside the facility—even holding a baby for a few moments before climbing into his black SUV and heading off to work.

source

The Visuals...

Thursday, April 8, 2010

As promised, here are the pictures I found from the show last night:

I'm beginning to wonder if the photographers ever notice anyone but Jon. There are a few other guys on that stage you know. :P

Review - Bon Jovi @ Xcel Center

From the Star Tribune:

Like your local Applebee’s, Bon Jovi cooks
By JON BREAM, Star Tribune

Even though Bon Jovi hails proudly from New Jersey, the veteran rockers are as Middle American as baseball, Applebee's and county fairs.

In fact, Bon Jovi is the Applebee's of rock 'n' roll. The comparisons were obvious Wednesday night at the band's sold-out concert at Xcel Energy Center in front of an announced crowd of 18,000.

Popularity: Applebee's is America's top sit-down restaurant and Bon Jovi is America's top rock band. The 27-year-old quartet is the only U.S. group to play two nights at the X this year and the only American band to headline in stadiums this summer.

Comfort food: You know what Applebee's serves, and Bon Jovi offers a familiar menu of 1980s and '90s good-time, meat-and-potatoes rock 'n' roll with a little seasoning of country, Broadway and blue-eyed soul.

Always something new on the menu: That's true at your neighborhood bar and grill and Bon Jovi served up some new numbers from 2009's "The Circle" that featured new flavors. "When We Were Beautiful" resonated like a big U2 ballad, and "Superman Tonight" sounded more like Coldplay than Jersey rock.

Friendly service: You can always count on the wait staff at Applebee's and you can always count on Jon Bon Jovi to be your charming best friend for the night. He accepted a personalized Vikings T-shirt from a fan and wore it for the last half of the two-hour-plus show. He strolled through the crowd, holding up a mic for fans to sing along. And he also gave a cryptic, inside-joke shout-out to Prince, recalling an encounter they'd had 20-some years ago.

Pick A Pair:. You know how Applebee's lets you select two items of your choice for one price? Well, Bon Jovi on Wednesday picked a few numbers for just the lead singer and lead guitarist Richie Sambora to do in an acoustic format. And their passionate, soulful "I'll Be There for You" was a highlight.

Big-budgets: Applebee's pours a ton of money into advertising, while Bon Jovi splurges on live video screens, which fascinatingly changed configurations on almost every song.

Give a local shout-out: Every Applebee's honors area high schools. Bon Jovi had Twin Cities bands -- Select Three (Wednesday) and Fourforty (Thursday) -- open the X shows.

Savvy business operators: Applebee's invariably has specials, promotions and other ways of hooking you. Jon Bon Jovi is an actor, philanthropist, political activist and businessman extraordinaire. His band offers inexpensive entry prices ($29.50) but then knows how to lure the well-heeled with up-close tickets for, gulp, $502 and $352.

Free dessert: Sometimes that's the deal at Applebee's and on Wednesday, Jon Bon Jovi called for a little fun in the middle of "Bad Medicine" so the band broke into the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" and then gave two extra reprises of the "Bad Medicine" chorus. That helped the meal go down.

But there are at least two differences between these institutions.

Under 550 calories: Applebee's has a special low-cal section on the menu, but, with Bon Jovi, nothing's under 550 calories. Their songs are too cheesy. Too many tunes are full-bore, fist-pumping anthems with supersized choruses.

Repeat business: Would you eat at Applebee's two nights in a row? Bon Jovi promises to change the 23-song menu, er, set list, on Thursday, but you know it'll still be good-time music. And if it's as good as Wednesday, you'll be there for Bon Jovi.

Set List:

Happy Now
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin
Born To Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight
We Got It Going On
Bad Medicine (with the Doors' Roadhouse Blues mixed in)
It's My Life
Lay Your Hands on Me (sung by Sambora)
ACOUSTIC SET
Make a Memory
I'll Be There for You
Something for the Pain
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
FULL BAND ELECTRIC
Keep the Faith
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Love's the Only Rule
ENCORE
Runaway
Wanted Dead or Alive
Livin' on a Prayer

Check back a little later for the pictures...

Bon Jovi Odds n Ends...

Monday, April 5, 2010

As I am sure you probably all heard by now, three new dates have been added to the summer leg of the tour:

July 9 - Meadowlands
July 21 - Toronto
July 31 - Chicago

Also announced, Kid Rock will be joining the guys for most of the dates in July. If I could only get them to come back to Buffalo, all would be right in my little corner of the world. :)

Now for a couple other tidbits:

WATCH BON JOVI PERFORM LIVE IN DALLAS, TX
We brought you the first 5 songs from The Circle Tour kickoff, and we're ready to give you more! Bon Jovi will be streaming the first 4 songs of their performance in Dallas, TX on Sunday, April 11 beginning at 7:00 pm (Central). Tune in to www.BonJovi.com on April 11, 2010 to view the live stream!

WANTED: A SUPERBAND TONIGHT
Bon Jovi is looking for local unsigned bands in 8 different regions to open up for them. The winning band in each region will be able to perform in front of The Circle Tour attendees! To enter your band or vote, visit www.bonjovi.com/ourstage now!

ADDITIONAL NYC FAN CLUB TRIP ADDED!
Another show has been added to the New Meadowlands tour stop and we're offering another fan club trip! Backstage JBJ members can now purchase a package to New York which includes a ticket to this newly added show!

Our travel package tickets are some of the best seats in the house. All seats are located in sections 2, 3, and 4 and were hand picked by members of the Backstage JBJ team based on their in depth knowledge of The Circle tour stage setup.

NEW YORK CITY TRIP
JULY 8 - 11, 2010
On Sale Starts - Wednesday, April 7

PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- Three-night hotel accommodations at the NY Hilton
- Ticket to the BON JOVI concert on July 9th
- Friday pre-show gala cocktail party
- BBQ on the Jersey Shore
For more details on the package and how to order, please visit http://www.bonjovi.com/travel

Little Dog Lost...

It was a sad, sad weekend at Queenie’s castle. We suffered a heartbreaking loss in our family on Friday. Our beloved straw lab, Sandi, passed away Friday night. She was 16 and we knew that her days left with us weren’t going to be many, but this just came out of the blue and left us with a gaping hole in our hearts.

She came to us as a furry little stray puppy with no collar or tags. After posting flyers and running an ad in the paper with no response, we decided to keep her as our own. One of the best decisions we ever made. A better companion you will never find.

She was always there to greet us with a happy bark and a wag of the tail after a long day at work. She was also good for cleaning up your plate or she would just sit and look at you with those big eyes just waiting for you to drop a crumb or two for her.

Hub got home from work this morning and he called me as there was on one home to greet him when he came in the door. He has been struggling with this loss more than Little Man and I. He is an animal lover and was so attached to her. It’s going to take him a while to get past this.

Her dinner dish is still in the kitchen, her bed is still in our room and she will be forever in our hearts.

RIP Sandi… we miss you so very much!