New on YouTube:

Bon Jovi
11 July 1993
The Woodlands, Texas 
🏟️Keep the Faith Tour

🎛️🎶🎧->
https://youtu.be/2hrnOPhdRsU?si=FrzjKg7kSxbKUmHS

For those sensitive to rhythm, logic and symbolism, there is an irresistible rhythm, to the Keep the Faith Tour.
All dates were set within one calendar year, from the snow of Canada’s opening shows in February, all year and the globe around, and then ending as it had started;
With a Canadian Tour in November, December and wrapping up with their fourth annual Christmas concert in Redbank, in December 1993

Many parts of the tour were done twice; The first early in the year, with  indoor venues, and then a second round in summer, visiting open air sites.
The Woodlands, Texas, is one of them, as North America was toured twice as well.

Although The Woodlands, 1993 was known by bootleg collectors, the recording was unknown to the general public.
But after 30 years it has now been remastered by hAnD90 and posted to YouTube on September 9th 2023.

Bon Jovi | Live at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | The Woodlands 1993

The show takes place on Richie Sambora’s birthday, which is commemorated twice:
Jon welcoming the crowd at 12:12 to “the biggest birthday party you’ll ever get invited to.”
And 1:22:15 to sing Happy Birthday with the crowd, and quite well! 
But did I just hear Jon shave off a few years, his “31st” birthday when it should have been 34th?
Or is it “21st” birthday, as kind of a joke because that is not true?

I’m known for being fallible in understanding what Jon says. Even for the tag line of this blog, They say that to really free the body, you gotta free your mind, a spoken word intro from the album version of Lay Your Hands On Me;
I think I consulted as many other fans as possible!
So maybe I am hallucinating and Jon did say Richie’s 34th.

Either way, there was a party!!

Classic 1993 setlist with Blood Money and Blaze of Glory from Jon’s 1990 album Blaze of Glory, both would stay regulars on the 1995 tour.
The Texas crowd treats us to Wanted; Dead or Alive.
They sing the entire first verse!

But hands down the best part of Richie’s Birthday show in Texas 1993, is the third (!) encore;
Two songs, entirely acoustic.

Starting with a merry cover of Southside Johnny’s I Don’t Wanna Go Home and then everyone’s favorite ballad, Never Say Goodbye. Where Jon adds such beautiful heartfelt lyrics to the outro, you may want to keep a box of tissues handy.

This third and closing encore, is so intimate you really feel like you were one of the 700 lucky ones catching them on one of their pre-tour gigs late 1992,
as mentioned in the previous blogpost.
Instead of one of the 16.500 attendees at the open-air venue of Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

Richie’s and Jon’s harmonies in the closer of this birthday show, the acoustic Never Say Goodbye, just cut through right through your heart.

To the part that will always stay 21 years old.

Newly added

Bon Jovi, The Woodlands, Texas 1993, has been added to:
New in Bon Jovi concerts before 1997

And also to:
“Part I: Bon Jovi concerts on this day 10 June – 5 December (before 1997)”
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06ScAo9UN4GyhtQWYfl3d6jMT
at July 11th