Bon Jovi gets no respect as USA Today leaves them off summer top tour list

Can't Get No Respect: USA Today omits Bon Jovi from must-see summer tour list
May 22, 9:41 AMBon Jovi ExaminerGlenn Osrin

There must be times when Jon Bon Jovi---the iridescent intergalactic force that fronts one of the World’s Greatest Rock-N-Roll bands---feels like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield. You see, try as they might, Bon Jovi just can’t seem to get no respect. The latest smash in Bon Jovi’s kisser was leveled at the year’s top-grossing tour so far by none other than USA Today, who left them off the recent Friday feature, “Five To See Live This Summer”.

Why are we in JoviNation not surprised?

USA Today’s ‘Summer Music Preview’ was allegedly put together by their ‘music writers’ and was billed as ‘five tours you shouldn’t miss’.

They included Rhianna (she of the football-shaped head), American Idol’s greatest voice Adam Lambert, Justin Bieber (who will be a distant memory once he hits puberty and his voice changes); Carole King and James Taylor (this year’s nearly-dead-but-dig-em-out-just-like-The-Who-at-the-Super Bowl), and The Eagles appearing with the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban.

Huh?

The closest thing to a rock band on the list are The Eagles, who can be more appropriately tagged ‘country rock lite’; how on earth do ‘music writers’ leave off the World’s Hardest-Working Rock-N-Roll Band, who are touring behind their third album in five years, fifth this decade, and were the Top-Grossing Tour of 2008?

Oh, and did I mention that Bon Jovi’s live shows put out more uncontrollable power, passion and vibe than all five acts combined?

Even though I’m not a ‘Music Reviewer’ and only play a writer on the Internet, USA Today’s lack of appreciation and endorsement of true rock and roll this summer is troubling.

One suspects that if U2 or the Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen were touring behind a record, they most definitely would have made the summer’s Must-See-and Do list.

It begs the question, wouldn’t a true music reviewer be expected to have done a little research and been more fair and balanced in their summer hype?

For example, had they looked, they would have discovered that not only was Bon Jovi the top-grossing tour in 2008 in addition to being this year’s top-grossing tour to-date for 2010; but they are Number Nine on the Top Ten for the Decade list.

According to Billboard.com, Bon Jovi in the past ten years has earned over $419 million on the strength of 224 sold-out shows out of a possible 249, and performing in front of 5.3 million fans.

Curiously, not ONE of the acts highlighted for this summer is anywhere near the Top 10, which include the Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Kenney Chesney, Dave Matthews, Elton John, and Billy Joel.

For worldwide fans in the global community known as JoviNation, USA Today’s sin of omission is both a blessing and a curse: it pains the fans that once again Bon Jovi gets no respect; yet the good news is, USA Today just poked the 800-pound gorilla of rock n roll in the eye with a stick, and now Jon and the boys will polish that chip on their shoulder that’s seen them through close to 30 years of disrespect and kick USA Today’s disregard up one side of the street and down the other.

Memo To Bon Jovi: send USA Today’s ‘panel of experts’ some tickets and let them see what they’ve been missing.


www.examiner.com