Bon Jovi: It's Their Life

of conducting individual phone interviews from the road - known in the job as "phoners" - band members instead will hold one teleconference call with music journalists from all over the country. While the teleconferences are sure not as familiar or in-depth as the single one-on-ones, there is normally quite a lot of interesting information disseminated that never makes it into print.

In respect of tonight's Bon Jovi show at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, I thinking I would share some quotes from a teleconference in late January with music writers and Bon Jovi members Richie Sambora (guitars) and Tico Torres (drums).

On talk that lead vocalist and band namesame Jon Bon Jovi might do another solo album during a lengthy band break planned at the close of the current tour:

"It gives us a break," said Sambora. "Everybody gets to be an individual, if that's what's going on. He's the leader of the band, and you've got to observe that, and, you know, like I said, I had extensive conversations with him ended the final match of weeks, and who knows what the hell he's going to do. But it's OK with all of us. You know, we're all loss to bind together. I mean, we're like a gang."

On whether band members have much interaction with fans when they're not on stage, including whether or not they do meet-and-greets or choose to stay more isolated:

"We've never, never neglected that," said Torres. "And so we still stay friends with the fans that we make all over the world. And it's been, you love what, 50 countries or something."

"We make friends all over the world, individually and collectively," said Sambora. "So, it's crucial to pay attention to that, and we ever have because we get from that multiplication of people that makes that important. You live what? Not but is it as significant as friendship, but it's important as businessmen, too, and that's what this band, you know, besides our music and besides everything we've done and our philanthropy and everything we've done."

Regarding how band members hold their energy levels up through all the major shows they've done:

"Love of music, love of each other, you know, respect and chance that . we're one of the few bands in the earth that hold that opportunity," said Sambora. "And we're, you know, I don't really wish to brag, but we're a lot of good guys, you know, and we know each other. We're brothers. And we go out there and we feel at each other, and it's . I don't need to work with nobody else, you know?"

On the conflict between smaller and larger shows:

"You know, the smaller gigs are only as much fun," said Torres. "Obviously the gross is different."

"And, you know, for me, I love the big ones," said Sambora. "I love it. I believe it's fantastic. I enjoy the vitality and the fact that Bon Jovi makes a stadium intimate, and we can do that and we have been doing it for years. And we've learned how to do that and that's, you know, just a piece of what this circle is at this point."

On how they have big stadium and stadium shows seem intimate:

"The personal antics that we do as musicians, you know, Richie, David [and] Jon know how to reach a big crowd intimate," said Torres. "And we take a half-circle that goes out into the audience where we do acoustic stuff together. Again, it makes it more intimate, you know, but it takes a lot for a frontman to produce a big place look like your living room, and we make everybody sing."

"It's extraordinary, the guy's extraordinary," said Sambora of Jon Bon Jovi. "And, you know, it's like when I pass on stage with him, I'm going, 'What's next?' And all of us do the like thing. And we don't practice that much, so it's very, very spontaneous, and that makes it fun for us and keeps us fresh. And, you know, after 14, 15 albums, we take a lot of cloth to choose from."

On what advice would he return to younger artists trying to abide in the line and stay relevant:

"Well, you know, I had the joy of meeting Justin [Bieber], and I introduced my girl to him, and, hopefully, she won't be leaving out with him any time soon! Although I thought he was a great guy, I actually did. I guess he's a nice boy. And, you know, now the patronage has changed, and you've only got to write great songs that get to people. I mean, that's the advice. . I mean, you know, and you've got to run with people. You've got to get in the circle with people that make your same passion. I mean, if you don't give a love for something, you know, then there's a problem there. So to keep the passion, continue to be better because every sentence that this band gets on stage we try to get better. Every time I sit down with Jon, we try to save a great song, you know, and try to run it, try to do something and evolve."

On the various peaks in the band's career:

"I remember all through our career . from the first picture we did in a big station at Madison Square Garden with ZZ Top, supporting them, I mean, when you're a band, you believe you've made it right there," said Torres. "You know, when you learn your call on the wireless for the 1st time, you believe you've made it. Everything has ever been, it's a journey, I mean, and if you're in the present, and you go that journey and you love it, you work harder for the next enlightening moment. I don't remember any of us would ever, in our wildest dreams be, you know, even smart enough to mean that we would be this far in our careers and [have] been so successful as a group. So, to me, it's just gifts, you know, every sentence we go by [various towns], so I can't really answer that any better than you get to make it as it comes, and be glad when it does."