Consequence of Sound is reporting something that will either fall into the pop culture bin marked Amazing, or tip over into the Sweet Jesus, This is Bad box. Ray Davies, former frontman of the late, great Kinks is recording an album of Kinks covers/ duets with a myriad of artists including Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.
Last night was the big night for the music industry. The 52nd Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles’ Staples Center and everyone from Justin Beiber to Jeff Beck showed up for the special event. Also, like usual, they managed to cram in 16 performances into a three hour show.
Although, we have to admit, with the exception of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, The 3-D Michael Jackson tribute, and Mary J. Blige/Andrea Bocelli duet, the show didn’t live up to the hype last night. Whether you tuned in or missed out last night, we’ve got all the performances for you to watch below!
The B in NBC stands for Bon Jovi. At least for the month of November.
In a deal unveiled by NBC Universal this week, the band will perform on the Today show, The Tonight Show, The Jay Leno Show and Saturday Night Live — and even an interview on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Jon Bon Jovi will appear on Inside the Actors Studio on the Bravo channel.
The artist-in-residence gig for Bon Jovi coincides with the release of the band’s new album, The Circle, out Nov. 12. The promotion throughout the NBC Universal kingdom should be quite staggering. Somehow this feels like a harbinger of network stunts to come.
A world without at least one documentary about Bon Jovi just seems…incomplete.
When We Were Beautiful will fix that. Showtime has just acquired the Bon Jovi documentary, which will premiere Oct. 24. Directed by filmmaker and photographer Phil Griffin, the documentary was filmed on the road and behind the scenes during the band’s 2008 Lost Highway World Tour, which closed with a big concert in New York City’s Central Park..
You want more Tico Torres. You got it!
Bon Jovi were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame along with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jason Mraz and Sir Tom Jones on June 18th in New York. Bon Jovi told Rolling Stone:
“If you write one song that comes across decades, you’re lucky. If you write a body of them and you’re recognized in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, it’s prestigious.”
After being honored by Daughty, Bon Jovi performed their hit, “Wanted Dead or Alive” for audience members. More details on the inductees and those who presented the awards is available. (RollingStone)
With the current economic stranglehold, prominent musicians and their record labels are suing left and right for copyright or trademark infringement. It’s come to the point where harmless homemade videos of music fans lip-syncing to their favorite artists are being systematically removed from YouTube… as if they’re really profiting from their webcam shenanigans.
Now that the lip-syncers have been silenced (?), big-shot artists are beginning to strong-arm cover bands and tribute groups. Antimusic reports that Bon Jovi has sued the all-female tribute band, Blonde Jovi, because their name “creates a likelihood of confusion with [Bon Jovi], and capitalizes on the goodwill and reputation of its well-known marks.” If Bon Jovi is worried that five middle-aged women with mediocre cover capabilities are a threat, other tribute bands are bound for trouble.
Pollstar, the leading authority on the subject of concert news, has released monetary figures on 2008’s concert tours. Leading the way is Madonna, who brought in an astounding $105.3 million with her Sticky & Sweet tour. It seems like the older the act, the better the revenue. The only groups/musicians who began their careers in the past 20 years are country acts Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts.
Here is the full top ten (numbers are in millions of dollars):