This is the transcript from the Japanese TV show called "Masa Itoh's ROCK CITY". This interview was taken place some time between July 14 and 20, 2000 when BJ came to Japan for their Crush Tour 2000.
| ROCK CITY |
Q I saw the first show of world tour, and I thought that you were a little nervous on stage. Is that true?
Jon: we weren't nervous but it was so much that run into couple of days before. We went to Hide Park and Italy and coming here and trying to work out songs you know what to play...Actually I have no idea. Everybody you know asking, "you must have a set", and as usual, it's 5 o'clock and it's like "I don't know yet, let me think about it." I have no idea what songs are on the set and it will change every night. So I wasn't nervious but I was excited. And the second night was way better than the first night. Last night I assigned better. You know, it's all... more than be nervious, I remembered what I do for a living. That's more what it was. When I do a radio show in America like for last 4 or 5 weeks, you play 30 minutes or 40 minutes on stage that's not your...your stuff. When you go out there and do a couple of hours now and you know "All right! Now I remember." You know, we are a big band. We didn't remember that until .....
Jon: we've never been the kind of band that rehearses...you know I mean that the band sings and plays great. If we sat on a rehearsal hall for a month, and play the songs over and over and over, it's not gonna make any better. They've got to be great the first night and the last night. The question is get out there in front of people so that I can start call him as I see him you know OK we need new songs, we need old songs, we need acoustic songs.....and that's how I do it every night. The set list...as they were saying and adressed me last night, it's just a suggestion. It's just an idea. Because I write it and I go...yeah, yeah, yeah, let's... and I turn around and call things out. And that's what makes for the magic and keeps everyone excited. And it took a couple of hours to get up there on your own stage in front of people, so you remember what you did.
Q It's amazing that every member can follow you perfectly even if you decide the setlist just before the show.
Jon: It's like you said though, they follow me off the bridge sometimes. (laughing) We were playing "One Wild Night"...we've never played before. We run thru it at Asbury Park at the rehearsal day because we did rehearsal 2 days. And we said, OK, we know that one, next! It was put in the set list. And Hugh went to the ending and the rest of us kept going. And what Richie said was "We just follow you off the bridge." because I kept singing, and what it is was actually last quarter is wrong half of corus and we goes yeah... And so Hugh was right, but the other guys...it's...they would lie for me right to the end. So they will just keep going, you know just like the scene from...Animal House, the marching band goes down the alley way and walking to the brick wall and keep walking? That's what my guys to do. (laughing) Walking to the brick wall. Just keep walking. You know so, sometimes ---- happens, sometimes magic happens. It's like the acoustic version of Runaway...or something. That was an accident. And the accident would have made a great show. I mean That's All Right Mama, forgot on a set list, I just started playing it. And I just looked at them. I just "Go on, go with me." "Rockin' All Over the World" in the middle of "Sleep When I'm Dead", just do it!
Q Since you became an actor, it seems like your paformance, the expression on the stage improved.
Jon: That's nice. I didn't think of it. But I just think it comes from like I said the experience. Compared to New Jersey in Dublin in 1988 to now, you know there's no nervous like I said. There's excitement, there's smart, there's focus, there's a.... catalog of music. That's huge. There's you know, a band is coming together for a lot of years. On the second night, for instance I was talking in the middle of one of the songs. It was "I'll sleep When I'm Dead", and I've had no idea what I was about to say. I tryed to get out, make pull me back in cos' it makes me crazy and my heart was pounding... Now, if you can imagine, Tico is behind me, how did he see my hand is going like this. (slightly patting) Not like this, (waving widely) but like this. (slightly patting) And all of the sudden your kick drum is doing .....(patting the sofa) And I talked to him after the show, "How did you know when I was about to do?" "This is the expence 17 years looking at your real limb." (laughing) he says. "I can see right through of you." So, he was actually...you know like, he can read my mind better, you know. I mean I didn't know what I was doing. So he put up on it. And when he stops, that's exactly where I would hope him to stop. Bomb! You know, stay with the panch line. It was a comedy. It's great. It's great. So, it's just an experience.
Q You will start touring in Europe and US soon. Are they going to be similar to the show in Japan?
Jon: There's a couple of inflatables. Two arms coming grab at the top of the stage and they say CRUSH on them. It's pretty much the idea, not much else. Just inflatables and some pyro techniques that we couldn't use for the end of the show. But it's all about the music. That's it. Those little confetti things were fun, but we can't use those outdoors in Europe.
Q How is the sales of CRUSH? You can be objective by now.
Jon: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. It's NO.1 in so many countries around the world and top 10 in every country, you know including the places we are not usually top 10. From France to America, Spain, Portigal, Japan, Germany...everywhere it's top 10. It's sold just about 4 million copies in for 6 weeks.
Q What song's gonna be a second single?
Jon: Depends where. Some places "Say It Isn't So", and in another places where "It's My Life" is still gonna keep going, it's gonna go like "Thank you" which will be in September...mid September. If "It's My Life" is still going like America, it will be "Thank You". But the places where "It's My Life" is --- burnt like England, "Say It Isn't So".
Q Could you give a message to the Japanese fans?
Jon: Hi everybody, it's Jon Bon Jovi. I wanna thank you all for supporting tour. We look forward to coming back and seeing you again, so until we see you again, have a good time of the rest of the summer, enjoy it, OK? We will do the same and we will see you again!