Bon Jovi Interview

THE countdown to their first Australian concert is in its final hours and Bon Jovi are on stage soundchecking through new single No Apologies.

Jon Bon Jovi, the man who founded the band in his New Jersey hometown in 1983, is running his bandmates through their harmonies as dozens of security staff and ushers flow into the Perth stadium.

You can hear the whispers as everyone enjoys this private pre-show gig.

The women are raving about his clear blue eyes, mega-watt white teeth, flawless complexion and that made-for-tight-blue-jeans butt while the men are captivated by the racks of guitars and state-of-the-art mixing consoles.

Backstage about an hour later, Jon is sipping tea and joking about out his wrinkles and the pepper shades creeping into his famed blond mane.

The 48-year-old frontman may be Hollywood handsome, a rock star who survived the decade of bad hair and spandex to become the working class man and woman's idol.

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But he isn't taking the Hollywood route to self-preservation.

“Look, no botox ... and the greys are coming in,” he says. He's kind of proud of the flaws.

This rock star from the same working class roots as Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen flies in a private jet from gig to gig these days.

But that's about as far as his conspicuous consumption of wealth goes. He's not dripping in bling, his uniform remains a T-shirt, jeans and leather jacket and his most treasured guitar is an old black acoustic number which has AP 95 scratched into its varnish.

The initials stand for Al Parinello, Jon's guitar teacher who died in 1995.

“He scratched that on there after he died. It's his numero uno guitar. That's the guitar that keeps us all working,” says Mike Rew, one of the backstage bosses who keep the mini-city that is The Circle tour running smoothly.

Around the corner from the roadcase which houses Jon's six touring guitars is Richie Sambora's collection of close to 40 instruments.

The Bon Jovi guitarist's on-the-road collection is valued at more than $2 million according to Rew, with one axe, a `57 Gibson Les Paul worth $150,000 alone.

“Richie just loves playing different guitars. Each one has its own sound, a differenmt tone,” Rew says as he continues to show us around the backstage precinct.

In another corner is Jon's brother Anthony, a sought-after video director who oversees all the images which are broadcast onto the screen which serves as the band's backdrop.

He is also helming the filming of live footage for the No Apologies video clip while Bon Jovi tour Australia.

Jon sees the tour - his least favourite job on the rock star resume - as a means to an end, a way to sell new songs like No Apologies, We Weren't Born To Follow and singles from The Circle such as When We Were Beautiful.

“It's a vehicle as the other hits allow you to perform a new record. I will be talking up When We Were Beautiful; there's no need to talk about Livin' On A Prayer, you just play it. People know it,” he said.

Maybe the rigours of the road are taking their toll. Jon is emphatic he doesn't want to be performing in stadiums when he is as old as Mick Jagger.

“I don't see myself running around a stage when I'm 68,” he says.

Or maybe it's more simple than that. He admits family are a consideration in any decision to try to raise the bar set by the Rolling Stones in terms of stadium rock endurance.

Jon married his high school sweetheart Dorothea and they have four children - Stephanie, Jesse, Jacob and Romeo.

Does he ever get the “please come home Dad calls?”

“I don't get that as much; my family has been around it for so long. I've been with my wife since high school and my kids were born into it so that's not really an issue,” he said.

“I am more the one ... I am missing this and that.”

With about 90 minutes to go before showtime, Jon heads to his dressing room to get ready.

He likes to soundcheck to “shake the toxins off the muscles”, he might eat something and then figure out a setlist for the night.

Their guitar road cases are papered in dozens of setlists from shows around the world.

“Unlike a lot of bands, we don't do the same show every night,” Jon said.

Added to their Australian concert tour, which includes seven stadium gigs, is an intimate concert at Sydney casino Star City and a performance at one of the Oprah shows at the Sydney Opera House.

As a rock star, he gets the hysteria which has greeted the talk show queen's visit here.

“It's like going to see Santa Claus. Oprah has been good to a lot of people and she's a nice lady,” he said.



IN an Australian exclusive, Bon Jovi will stream LIVE the first 30 minuntes of their concert this weekend. Live stream details

On Saturday December 11 from Etihad Stadium at 8pm (AEDT), fans all over Australia will be able to have a taste of a LIVE Bon Jovi concert in their own home on The Daily Telegraph website and other sister News Limited websites in partnership with Bon Jovi, MCM Media and Movideo.

Tickets for Bon Jovi's Sydney show at the Sydney Football Stadium on December 19 can still be purchased from Ticketek.

The Circle National Tour Dates
Wednesday 8 December - Perth Patersons Stadium
Friday 10 December - Rod Laver Area, Melbourne
Saturday 11 December - Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Tuesday 14 December - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Friday 17 December - Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 18 December - Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Sunday 19 December - Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney