Wednesday 17 August 
The soundtrack for today is:

Bon Jovi
17 August 1985
Monsters of Rock
Donington festival, England 🇬🇧
🏟️ Fahrenheit Tour

A gig that, according to Jon Bon Jovi’s unofficial (but saintly!) biography by Laura Jackson, played a critical part in firing up the band to go for the top.
Donington was one of the earliest confirmations that they were destined to become the biggest stadium band the world had ever seen, as the book says:
“Richie Sambora reckons that it was that show that gave him a glimpse of things to come for Bon Jovi.”

And if it had not been for the @jane_jbj’s photo collage of what I would colorfully describe as a wriggling, humping, on his knees in hot pink Jon Bon Jovi;
Oh well, then this post would have been entirely dedicated to Richie Sambora.

It seemed inevitable. 
Because I recently bought his two 90s cds.
And because a Richie Sambora fan reached out to me to compliment me on a piece I wrote on him, on my Rock Star Writer blog.
And because tonight there is a Richie Sambora premiere on the hAnD90 channel;
And because the fan who complimented me welcomed me to the Darkside!
A name the fans who chose Richie’s side of the stage on concerts gave themselves.

Richie has dark hair, whereas Jon has blond hair.
But the Darkside is a reference to Star Wars.
Since Richie’s departure from Bon Jovi, in 2013, there is no more luxury of such a choice between Jon’s light or Richie’s Darkside of the stage.
But the Darkside in Star Wars has become even more popular, after the sequel trilogy, released December 2015-December 2019.

The Darkside in Star Wars has really come to life since the sequel trilogy brought us “the darkside warrior Kylo Ren”, as one of the official art books  for The Force Awakens (2015) described him.
Kylo Ren, among other things, is the grandchild of Darth Vader both biologically, as well as visually in his black cloacked and helmed appearance.
But his stunning looks underneath the black apparel, are the spitting image of a Disney prince, and have nothing villain-esque about them.

So it was pretty much inevitable, that this post about Donington’s show in 1985, would feature Richie Sambora.
Inevitable, yes.
Until I saw the photos of Jon Bon Jovi on the Donington stage.

And until I saw the photo of fans climbing a blind fence, trying to get his autograph!

And heard the all-in, no holds barred attitude, that Jon Bon Jovi had brought to Donington.
And by now I ve heard enough 1984 and 1985 performances to know that he never failed to bring that.
An attitude that I knew I needed now more than ever!
Today, more than ever.

That was when I knew, not just on which side of the stage I belonged;
But also what this blogpost would be about.
Or more accurately;
About whom.

Ladies and gentlemen;
THIS is Jon Bon Jovi!

👩🏼‍💻 the story August 17

..

Tonight there is another premiere at the YouTube hAnD90 channel;
A part of fandom that above anything else, is known for its excellent remasters.
Where recordings you thought you’d never hear, can surface overnight.
With a description box so rich in information it would deserve a blogpost of its own.
All the tech specs are in there, the historical context is, and the setlists are pieces of art, with solos, speeches, covers, intros, mashups;
All separately spelled out and timestamped for your convenience.

Where team Bon Jovi is notorious for not being able to deliver live albums, YouTube fans are having one every week, from someone who is dependent on bootleg recordings and his spare time.

But a few years ago, these live premieres on the hAnD90 channel had something else;
Sexy live chats.
And they no longer have that.

Back in the day, we were not just allowed to be in admiration of music, but we were also allowed to let our imagination run wild.
To flirt, to tease, to speculate.
There was someone who would type:
“Ladies and gentlemen; THIS is Bon Jovi!” when the guitar solo was extremely impressive, Tico’s drumming pumped us up, or when Jon Bon Jovi put his entire soul into his singing.
But that no longer happens anymore either, nowadays.

In my opinion, it was the fact that the conversation could go all the way, that allowed us to fully experience and appreciate, the music.
And now that we keep it clean, we, or at least I, no longer feel it, to the degree I once did.

I don’t question today’s chat is a safer space, in particular because some of the fans are very young. So I can’t say I would want to go back, or that there is even an option for that.
But I miss the old days.

The “loose” days are no longer there, and although I have told myself I am okay with that, and still show up occasionally, on the live chat, in particular because I am appreciative of the community and the beautiful work hAnD90 delivers time after time;
Donington 1985, made me realize that I had lost that part in myself.
The loose part. 

And even typing what I just did, in the paragraphs above:
“Until I saw the photos of Jon Bon Jovi on the Donington stage”  
That was not what it said.
I cut off the second half of the sentence, because I didn’t want to get into trouble.

I didn’t want to be too much.

The past ten days or so, I am researching my options of blogging professionally.
I’ve been writing for a long time, under a different name. Yet I never looked into blogging professionally because professional bloggers are usually NOT making money from their writing.

They make money because they sell online services on the back of their blog, and these are very often their own online services or courses.
So they are not a blogger but an online entrepreneur.
Their WRITING is not making the money; the sale of products is.

But because I believe that in theory, blogging (without selling products or services from yourself or others; and without writing promotional posts)  should be able to make money;
I am investigating my options.
And at this stage the research question is:
Can I make money from the blogging which I already, automatically, and with my full heart and soul in it, do?

And a Plan B question should have been;
“If I can’t monetize my existing blogs, then can I make money by setting up a new, easy-to-read, high-value blog?
Neutral, professional, family-friendly, and using content I already have?” 

Which were all good research questions.
If I had not gotten frustrated within the first 5 minutes of every How To Monetize Your Blog webinar, and unsubscribed from all their lists vowing I would rather climb Donington’s 1985 corrugated fence in Jon’s pink leopard legging, than to take another professional blogging course ever again.

From now on, I would not touch the subject of professional blogging with a ten foot pole.

But then what to do with all my blog posts and blogs?

This week I got a meaty matter on my plate, regarding book publishing. A matter that may influence how I will move forward.
Which side of the writing spectrum I am choosing, and also, under which name I will be working.
So that was already buzzing in my head, and in my Inbox.
I need to take action, as well as possibly course correct.

If I would describe this week, pre-seeing the Donington show photos, I would say I was leaning towards cleaning up and professionalizing my writing.
Acknowledging the fact that if I want to keep writing these daily posts, they will have to start paying for themselves.

And then I saw those pictures.
The pictures that drew from me a sexy remark that I deleted, because I thought it was too sexual.
Yet Jon’s Donington pictures, were the full-color proof that there was no such thing, as being too sexual, when it came to rock n’ roll!

And suddenly I knew that I did not, belong on Richie’s side of the stage.
I was not, the brilliant singer-songwriter, whose musicality and voice have objectively always been stronger than Jon’s.
Instead, I identified with the throwing his full body into it, touching everything he could get his hands on, the sexually teasing and dancing, Jon Bon Jovi, side of the stage!

This week I also blogged about Japan 1986, the first concerts from the Slippery When Wet Tour. An album that had not even been released.

They were playing a concert with songs the audience didn’t know, and doing a tour with a name the audience didn’t recognize. Also because the album was originally scheduled to be called Wild In the Streets, in Japan.
Promotion for this Japan leg of the SWW Tour, had absolutely been less than ideal.
Jon: 
“We went to Japan and we figured, no problem, we’ll do the Budokan.
It was a fucking stiff!
It was going to be a halfhouse.
So I did everything I could to get the kids in there.
You realize you’d give all that money back just to fill that hall.
Money doesn’t mean shit!
It was a humbling experience.”
[ source ]

There was my answer….
I did not aspire to go for the easy business model of getting paid for a half hall. 
I wanted what Jon Bon Jovi described as:
“The high is to play to a sold out arena to people who really enjoy your music.”

More than money, I want to write for people who really enjoy my writing.

People you go the extra mile for.
People you wear pink skinny jeans for.
People you crawl for on your knees, and mount the stage for in a way so sweaty and so glorious, that they can’t help but shout out;

“Ladies and gentlemen; THIS is Jon Bon Jovi!”

Therefor

17 August 1985, Donington
Bon Jovi | Donington Festival | Master Tape | Caste Donington 1985
is the soundtrack for today

.
The show is added to the playlist 
“Bon Jovi concerts on this day”
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06ScAo9UN4GyhtQWYfl3d6jMT
at August 17.

 ~Suzanne
Rock Star Writer
☕️ Buy me a coffee
🥳 PayPalMe 
🇳🇱Tikkie van de week 

From now on, this blog is ALL about Bon Jovi On this day – concerts.
But for #dailybonjoviyoga, you can check the fully updated page: Practice materials and schedules

And I will share my personal #dailybonjoviyoga yoga on my Twitter

Blogs and YouTubes
will all soon be updated and rebooted in a yoga-free, and pink tight pants-rich , way 😉

I will keep you posted!!
Subscribe to this blog and I ll see you tomorrow.

 

.

This Daily Bon Jovi Yoga blog is an element of “Rock Star” [phase 2]