From Backstage:
October 2005
So there you have it. Have a Nice day is sitting on store shelves around the globe.
It’s a reality. I can’t take it back; I can’t tinker with it anymore. It doesn’t belong to us anymore. It’s yours. Like it, Love it, talk to it, and let it talk to you. Hell, water it. Sleep with it; just like any relationship you only get what you give to it. We began the process with the video for have a nice day. It was shot in NYC by Eric Hirschberg. He usually does commercials. I think he got the point across and made it fun too. Which, after forty videos or so, is important. The cover is the logo because it was hard to get a shot of four guys telling the story in the frame. The smirk was a no brainer.
Next was a world promo tour. I realize that these tours and interviews are in fact therapeutic. They help me understand what a record means and help me understand what you think they mean. It’s interesting. Our first stop was Chicago for the big Oprah moment. We went to Chicago the night before to break in her new studio with some loud rock music. The crew was fabulous but definitely never had anything as loud as Bon Jovi. The show is shot at 9 a.m. You arrive at seven for a sound check and don’t get a chance to meet her until you’re on the air. We sat around waking up and as the band took the stage Oprah came out to a huge ovation. She has had many of those but I dare say never as loud as it was when she announced the band. I don’t think she knew what she was in for. Truth is I had been so moved by what was her take on hurricane Katrina that the day before I asked the band if they wanted to make a huge difference. In retrospect it’s one of my proudest moments. As you know I have been very involved in community for years either with the team, with my family or with the band. But in light of this catastrophe I thought it was our chance to make a statement. Let actions speak louder than words. Let a white rock band and a black woman remind the Country that skin color is not the reason these poor people were caught in the aftermath of the storm because there were those who would go on to say that. This, folks, is not about color but class issues. It’s about the people whose entire lives were there in those houses. There was no escape in the SUV to the summer home there was no bank account for emergencies there was in fact nowhere else to turn. I’m not going to preach politics but this is no administrations fault, it is a system that is flawed. The only savior right here, right now is YOU. That’s right. YOU, ME, US, the private sector. The idea that government is going to have all the answers is not reality. The idea that we as a people can and should help one another needn’t be an idea but should be an ideal. We need to get over the prejudice that defines us by race, creed, color, or affiliation, who’s a democrat? Who’s a republican? Who’s a Giant fan? Who’s a Jet fan? Who cares? Christian, Muslim, Jew. GET OVER IT. The world is too small to keep fighting. I will say this. Help someone and do it with the passion of somebody helping you. Not everyone can have a camera in front of them but everyone can be a star. Find a cause, any cause that moves you. You can’t do them all so pick one that moves you and get moving.
O.K. So from there we went to Japan feeling pretty good. The Japanese press really thought the title was to be translated literally. They were surprised and I think maybe disappointed that there was a cynical side to the song. That said, we went to #1 and were only the third band ever to have had more than three number ones on the charts as foreigners. Domo, to all those in Japan who continue to support us through everything. From there we went to Holland and did a show for radio. I thought it was going to be a club but we walked into an arena. Surprise! We did well and I think the audience sensed a magic when it came time to hear the new stuff. We learned and opened with LAST MAN STANDING and never looked back. We also played Who Said You Can’t Go Home and, of course, Have A Nice Day. I’m looking forward to playing a lot of new songs this tour.
From there we flew to N.Y. for the Nokia Theatre show. It was broadcast on the web in the theatres and on XM Radio. I hear the theatres rocked. That sounded good to me. The promotion schedule was crazy even by our standards. I had to get up quite early the next day with Richie to do radio but didn’t last too long. I crashed. It was fine as Richie, my trusty right hand, more than picked up the slack for this slacker. We did cancel Ellen and Leno though…come Friday we rose before the sun on the plaza of the Today Show to another record crowd. In light of what was another Hurricane approaching Texas and Louisiana we kept the talking to a minimum and played three songs before running off to the airport for another flight to Germany for, among other things, a television show where some poor guy tried to break the world’s record for staying under water with out any additional air. He didn’t make it and said he got nervous seeing Richie and me on the panel. I felt pretty bad. Next day it was England and even more of the above-mentioned Promotion. I’m still tired just reading about it. Thanks to all of you who have supported the release of the record and helped it rise on the charts worldwide.
So from here we look forward to the tour. It’s on sale so I’ll be packing a bag and bringing the circus back on the road. We’ll be doing a video for Who Says you Can’t Go Home this weekend and continuing to do things in the community. Look close; you’ll see Soul players and Philadelphia personalities helping us build four houses for Habitat for Humanity. It’s a great cause that gives families the opportunity to have their own homes. We, along with some great sponsors, will build and pay for the houses. We’re going to do more with them during the course of the year so maybe you’ll join us in helping.
So that said, I hope you all Have a Nice Day wherever you are...see you soon
JBJ
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Ноябрь 08, 2005, 03:12:23 am
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