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

New on YouTube:

Bon Jovi
25 August 1993
Bayreuth, Germany🇩🇪
🏟️Keep the Faith Tour

🎛️🎶🎧->
https://youtu.be/Jy_SYC5EzsQ?si=gEEIiA1b8FrT-o-L

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 countries hosted both a series of indoor concerts, as well as an open air leg in summer.
And one of those countries, was Germany.

So when Bon Jovi visited Bayreuth, a town North to Nuremberg, it was part of that summer leg of their Europe tour.
There were 7 (!) other Bon Jovi concerts in Germany, between 18 and 29th of August, and among them a concert at the Kanzlers Weide (a meadow) in Minden, which comes with the best story, of the band being stuck in the mud with their limousines. 

But another legendary one was Bayreuth, because judging from the fact Bon Jovi only visited once, this means it wasn’t a regular venue for big concerts.
But we never had that concert! It was not on YouTube.
Until now.

“But is it any good?” I hear you wonder.
Fortunately, it is!
Retrieved and restored by YouTube channel hAnD90, it was made public this month.

Bon Jovi | Legendary Concert at Städtisches Stadion | 30th Anniversay | Bayreuth 1993

from the description box:
“What I like about these shows is the inclusion of the Beatles’s classic “Help!” and Jon’s attitude of adding massive additional lyrics to their In These Arms performances. “

Help! opens the encore, after what feels like an eternity of waiting for the band to return. Building up the tension, and making this piano-driven coversong like it came straight from the heavens. Not in the least due to their harmonies, and Richie Sambora stunningly delivering the second verse.

After Help! Richie Sambora continues to strike a chord, or a lot of them, because he gets to do his own guitar song;
An improv play that sounds particularly fresh and that is deeply intertwined with the cinematic Wanted; Dead or Alive, tonight.
Not two separate songs.

After Wanted they move into the two closers of what was supposed to be the only encore: 1. In These Arms and 2. Livin’ on a Prayer. 

Before In These Arms Jon thanks the audience, on behalf of the band, of Billy Idol, and “Little Angels”, which was the actual band name of the second support act!
Not a creative way of referring to the rest of the band or the crew 😉 

The outro to In These Arms seamlessly crosses over into an acapella intro to Livin’ on a Prayer.
And then the concert was supposed to be over, if it had not been for the band returning!
Probably because the German crowd does not yell “We want more”, but stick to German “Zugabe!”.
I think that did the trick.

The band returns and Jon asks if they don’t need to go home, and go to work tomorrow (just to be sure they want it!) and then says:
“Somebody bring us a pizza from back there I’m starving.”
Before their final song of the night kicks in: “This is for you my friends.”
It is indeed the cover song: With A Little Help From My Friends.

And there ends the only concert Bon Jovi ever gave in Bayreuth, Germany.
It was a night to remember, and now with an actual audio recording;
We can.

Bon Jovi Bayreuth, Germany 1993 , was uploaded on 22 August 2023

My (way) better halfs

I want to thank the hAnD90 channel for his prolific work, as well as Jane who diligently keeps an “On this day” archive on Twitter.

Although I have definitely found my own unique voice and way to contribute as a writer within the Bon Jovi fandom, I will be always be less consistent in my content creation and am forever indebted (and inspired!) by their magnificent and consistent contributions.

Thank you guys!
I would order a pizza for you!

ABOUT THIS SERIES

From May 2023 and up, there have been many new uploads on the hAnD90 channel;
Multiple of which were previously unavailable, which I will highlight here.

Which is how “Bayreuth, Germany 1993” resurfaced after 30 years.

After creating an overview of all concerts 1983-1996, I have not yet committed to a new project.
My current fan work is to keep those two playlists up to date:

Part I: Bon Jovi concerts on this day 10 June – 5 December (before 1997)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06ScAo9UN4GyhtQWYfl3d6jMT

“Bayreuth, Germany 1993” has been added to this one.

And:

Part II: Bon Jovi concerts on this day 6 Dec-9 June (before 1997)
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGoDE3C06ScbVI_oPZcf77OtrO_935JD

.

~Suzanne
🇳🇱 Tikkie 
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playlist:
New in Bon Jovi concerts before 1997