These are the performances, played on this day, by Bon Jovi for the upcoming week.

I also write reviews about these concerts, on social media. 
On Twitter, Facebook, and I am new on Instagram .

Those reviews offer more interesting stories about the concerts and come with customized art work.

Meanwhile I’ll be making my way back to my yoga mat, since this site is called #dailybonjoviyoga, and I DO crave doing yoga and to one day start combining yoga with Bon Jovi, as I always intended this site to be about.

—

Well, what can I say? It will be a short week!
Last Thursday, The Netherlands had the Christian Holiday Ascension Day,  which means that many of us are taking time with friends and family, and took Friday off as well to make for a long weekend.
My days too are different than usual and I was unable to work on this post on Thursday to Saturday.
Which means it’s now Sunday, and I had already seen I could and would easily make up for that!

I would be able to push forward yesterday’s (Saturday’s) legendary 3rd night in Yokohama 1996, to Monday.
But then I found out the recording I was going to soundtrack today, was labeled wrongly!
That it wasn’t the 21st of May concert it pretended to be.

So all in all, we now only have 5 days left, Monday to Friday.
And our weekend has been free, just like the rest of the Netherlands.

Before we begin, I like to add a section where you can see what tours are running currently, in the <1997 era.
This will make it easier to follow where the soundtracks belong. Not to mention that I am at the point of needing a map, with three different tours  all touring Japan and/or Europe. 

Touring Blueprint 20-26 May before 1997

The bold printed tours are the ones where we have full-show recordings from.

1983 🌱20-26 May Bon Jovi was still in startup phase
1984 🏟️20-26 May opening for the Scorpions in America
1985 🏟️20-26 May touring Europe, Fahrenheit Tour-closing in the UK
This first headliner tour is wrapping up this week. Late June they’ll be back opening for RATT.
1986 20-26 May hiatus, making an album
1987 🏟️20-26 May 1987 Slippery When Wet Tour, USA
1988 20-26 May hiatus, making an album
1989🌴20-26 May New Jersey Syndicate Tour, USA, 15-26 May Band is on a well-deserved break
1993 🏟️+🌴 20-26 May Keep the Faith Tour wraps up European leg 20 May Dublin, 21 May Belfast.
Only a few songs av. from Dublin and no recordings from Belfast. The band will take a break and come back June 3rd in Japan.
1995 🌴+🏟️ 20-26 May These Days Tour 1995.  No shows 19,20,21,22 small break between Japan and Europe. Starting European leg 23rd Milan, 26 May Bremen first night.
1996 🏟️+🌴20-26 May These Days Tour 1996. On the 20th of May they play legendary closing concert for the Japan leg: Yokohama 3rd night.
The band goes on a break and will resurface June 1st in Madrid.

Where the 1993 Keep the Faith Tour, has been our main distributor in the early winter months, it doesn’t give us anything this week.
Meanwhile 1989 New Jersey Syndicate Tour, 1995 These Days Tour and also the 1996 sequel These Days Tour, all have breaks planned.

Both 1995+1996 These Days tours travel from Japan to Europe, just that 1995 already starts (Milan and Bremen) whereas 1996 takes a longer break, and we won’t see them doing Europe this week already.

The 1985 Fahrenheit Tour pumps out so many concerts, we can’t even do them all!
So a shift in the Bon Jovi landscape for sure.

First let take a look at those lost (by me) Ascension weekend days, Saturday and Sunday.
And then come the soundtracks for the upcoming week.

Saturday May 20

Bon Jovi
20 May 96 -> migrates to Monday
3rd night Yokohama, Japan🇯🇵
🏟️ These Days Tour 1996

X also played on this day:
X Bon Jovi
X 20 May 85 -> not added, recording too poor
X Manchester, England 🇬🇧
X 🏟️ 7800° Fahrenheit Tour

.
Sunday May 21

Bon Jovi
1993 05 21 -> Only one song available, Alison , Elvis Costello Cover
Dublin, Ireland🇮🇪
🏟️ Keep the Faith Tour

X also played on this day:
X Bon Jovi
X 21 May 85 -> currently av. upload on YouTube is not Birmingham but Tilburg
X Birmingham, England 🇬🇧
X 🏟️ 7800° Fahrenheit Tour

About The Birmingham Mixup:
In 1985, the band was such a delicious hot mess themselves, having a Birmingham Tilburg label switched around on YouTube, is not going to break anything ☺️
So I don’t mind this bootleg being out there labeled Birmingham.

Mistake was corrected by uploader before this blog was posted, but the recording “Birmingham 1985” could be wider spread than that.
Either way, for those having paid attention last week, the recording of Tilburg 1985 is very distinctive because Jon receives banners from the audience before Get Ready.
And the Tilburg audience is so rowdy, singing the Whoo Whoos throughout the show.
So if you think you’ve found Birmingham, you should be able to hear if it’s not Tilburg.

.
Monday May 22

Bon Jovi
20 May 1996 
3rd night Yokohama, Japan🇯🇵
final concert Japan leg
🏟️ These Days Tour 1996

3rd Night Yokohama Japan was Saturday’s show, which we’re going to have as our soundtrack today.
The description box on YouTube opens with:
“One of the most beautifully structured setlists the band has ever played in my book!”

In 1996 Bon Jovi added two legs to their 1995 Crossroad/ These Days Tour. In 1995 it had been called Crossroad Tour, because the new album These Days would not be released until late June 1995.

After 4.5 months of rest in 1996, they added two victory laps to their successful tour; Japan and Europe.
Where they would pull all the stops and go for the name as it was originally intended to be! The These Days Tour.

The third night in Yokohama 1993 is their closing concert for the Japan leg of this tour.
After this, only Europe would follow.

1996 is regarded by many as their peak year. The pressure of 1995 had dropped off, and the band was playing in a lighthearted, fun way.
Leading to their best work.

Also played this day:
Richie Sambora & Jon Bon Jovi
22 May 94
Nara City, Japan🇯🇵
🏟️ The Great Music Experience

from the BJ Tours website:
“Jon and Richie were part of The Great Music Experience, a three-night concert event held in front of a Buddhist temple. That concert was partly backed by the UNESCO in hope the event would be the first of seven annual concerts in front of some of the world’s architectural treasures.
However, this show would remain the only one.”

.
Tuesday May 23

Bon Jovi
23 May 1985
London, England 🇬🇧
🏟️ 7800° Fahrenheit Tour

Perhaps understandably, after Sunday’s Birmingham Mixup, I can no longer guarantee this is the actual show, on the actual date.
But I am going for it!
So a 1985 soundtrack, on Tuesday.

In 1985 Bon Jovi played their first ever headliner tour. Just like their two These Days victory laps in 1996, it had only two legs;
Japan and Europe.
Late June 1985 they would start touring the US, and be opening for RATT the rest of the year, and attending several festivals.

The Japan and Europe 7800° Fahrenheit headliner tour, was before their Slippery When Wet album shot them to world fame.
Which was 1986.

Slippery When Wet would not be released until summer 1986. Which explains why we don’t encounter any 1986 concerts from January to July.

Also played this day:
Bon Jovi
23 May 1995
-> 3 songs av.: You Give Love a Bad Name, Diamond Ring, Hey God, 90 seconds pro-shot Livin’on a Prayer
Milan, Italy🇮🇹
first concert of the European leg 1995
🏟️These Days Tour 1995

There are two tours wrapping up in Japan, and crossing over to Europe:
The 1995 These Days/ Crossroad tour, which closed in Tokyo, Japan last week on May 18th.
Milan 1995 is its opening concert, but we only have a few songs available.
And the other tour is 1996 These Days, closing Japan with the 3rd night Yokohama on June 20th. 
That tour has gone on a 10 day break, and will not return until June 1st, Madrid.

.
Wednesday May 24

Bon Jovi
24 May 1984
Kalamazoo, Michigan🇺🇸
🏟️ First tour, opening for the Scorpions

Aside from two nights in the opening slot of ZZ Top, in September 1983, something I should get into how that ever happened for a band that had not even released an album yet, Bon Jovi was still playing clubs in March 1984.
But it must have been on that same ZZ Top stroke of luck, that they were signed to open for The Scorpions, starting in April.
It would take them all through America.

In summer 1984 they would go to Japan, for the first time ever. And play at festivals.

Late September to early November 1984, they would join KISS, and tour Europe.

The recordings from 1984 are significantly shorter than the rest of the tours, because they were still tied to the opening slot.
They are also more rare, because obviously fewer people have taped it.
But when listening to these shows you can hear all the elements were already there.
The harmonies, the acapella cover-intros, Jon pumping up the crowd.

Like they were born ready.

Also played this day:
Bon Jovi
24 May 1985
Newcastle, England 🇬🇧
🏟️ 7800° Fahrenheit Tour

Another one from the Fahrenheit Tour!
There are too many to cover them all this week, as I try to make our week more varied and listen to multiple tours.
Which feels like what writers say about having to cull their texts:
Kill your darlings.

Thursday May 25

Again we are skipping the Fahrenheit show from today, in favor of :

Bon Jovi
26 May 1987
Detroit, Michigan
audio + video
🏟️ Slippery When Wet Tour

from the YouTube description box:
“Even though Jon’s voice was audibly damaged already, the energy and showmanship of all band members was second to none at that time! And the high vocal harmonies of Richie, Alec and Dave stunning!”

As always, this (what I call) nitty-gritty Bon Jovi touring- America-late 80s concert, is the one I have set my eyes on.
As a lover of the raw, the unconventional, and the borderline acceptable or perhaps with a preference to go beyond that, nothing beats 1987 Bon Jovi!

Can’t promise I’ll wait ’till Thursday.

Also played today:
Bon Jovi
25 May 1985
Edinbrugh, Schotland🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
🏟️ 7800° Fahrenheit Tour

This is the final concert from Bon Jovi’s first tour as a headliner. Two legs, which took them through Japan and Europe.
1985 will now drop off the radar, until they start opening for RATT late June.

Friday May 26

After the successful crossover from the These Days 1995 tour, from Japan to Europe, but unfortunately the first European concert in Milan not having been recorded in full;
This is more than made up for with the two nights in Bremen that will now follow!

The final soundtrack and Friday’s blast from the past;

Bon Jovi
26 May 1995
first night
Bremen, Germany 🇩🇪
🏟️ These Days Tour 1995

The second night will follow the day after, which will be in our next episode of this blog.

Subscribe to this blog, to receive next week’s episode in your Inbox.
The subscription button should be somewhere on the top right.

As always, all shows have been added to the playlist 
“Part II: Bon Jovi concerts on this day 6 Dec- and up (before 1997)”
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06ScbVI_oPZcf77OtrO_935JD
on 20 -26 May.

.
 ~Suzanne