Jon Bon Jovi - NBC Today - 27/06/97 Summer Concert Series

LAUER: And then, of course, Jon Bon Jovi continues our SUMMER CONCERT SERIES right outside in the Plaza. The fans are here in droves already. He...

COURIC: The natives are restless.

LAUER: That's what they say. He's going to be performing for us a little later in the show.

COURIC: And a lot of people are looking forward to that. Clearly, they're here bright and early this morning. So we're going to get to all that and much more. But first, we're going to head to the newsdesk for Sara James.

COURIC: It's 7:21, we're back in a moment. This is TODAY on NBC.

KATIE COURIC: We're back at 7:30, on what should turn out to be a beautiful Friday morning here in the Northeast. The crowd outside Studio 1A is already huge and getting bigger by the moment in anticipation of a real treat. Our Friday SUMMER CONCERT SERIES this morning with Jon Bon Jovi. He'll be along in our final half hour this morning. Some of these folks have been lined up here well before 5 AM. They're lunatics, ladies and gentlemen, but they're happy lunatics.

MATT LAUER: That's Bon Jovi's brother.

COURIC: "Jersey Girls Love Matt." That's cute, very cute. Back inside Studio 1A, I'm Katie Couric, along with Matt Lauer and Al Roker.

AL ROKER: And good morning. We are out here with the crowd. And what--what the heck is Operation Bon Jovi?

Unidentified Woman #1: Well, what we do is we send E-mails out to radio stations so they'll play more Bon Jovi on the air.

ROKER: To play more Bon Jovi?

Woman #1: Yeah.

ROKER: There's not enough Bon Jovi already?

Woman #1: No!

ROKER: No.

Woman #1: No! Definitely not.

Unidentified Woman #2: We have--we have--tell them--about 400 signatures, mostly from the Internet. And we send letters with all these signatures telling the radio stations how many people love Bon Jovi.

ROKER: All right. Well, I guess you're in the right place at the right time.

Woman #1: Definitely. This is great.

ROKER: What's your fa--what's your favorite--ooh, ow, what are you looking at? What is--what is this? What--oh, look at you! Is that what it is? You pushed me out of the way so you can see you--so you can see you! What's your name?

BRITTANY: Brittany.

ROKER: Brittany. Where are you from, Brittany?

BRITTANY: New York.

ROKER: New York? Where in New York? OK. I guess I--you've run out...

BRITTANY: Ronkonkoma.

ROKER: Ronkonkoma. OK, that's good, from Long Island. And I like this hippo, very nice. What's your name?

SHERIE: Sherie.

ROKER: Are you a big Bon Jovi fan?

SHERIE: Yes.

ROKER: Are you? What's your favorite song?

SHERIE: "Hey, God."

ROKER: "Hey, God," OK. There you go. I--not one of my favorites, but what the heck, why not? I don't know any of them. So it's now my favorite. There you go. All right, let's check your weather, show you what's going on out there.

ROKER: All right. It's your birthday?

Ms. KIM NEWMAN: Yeah.

ROKER: What's your name?

Ms. NEWMAN: Kim Newman.

ROKER: OK. Where you from?

Ms. NEWMAN: Sumpter, South Carolina.

ROKER: Well, happy birthday.

Ms. NEWMAN: Thank you.

ROKER: And you're going to spend it with Bon Jovi.

Ms. NEWMAN: Yeah.

ROKER: Jon Bon Jovi.

Ms. NEWMAN: All right.

ROKER: That's right, coming up at 8:30.

Ms. NEWMAN: Yeah.

ROKER: And you--you've brought some origami for Jon Bon Jovi?

Unidentified Man: That's right, yes.

ROKER: Well, thank you very much. That's very nice.

Man: Yeah. This--pass them on to him, yes.

ROKER: Well, thank you. We'll pass these on to Jon Bon Jovi. That's right. We don't want to bug him. Get it, bug him. Let's go back inside to Katie.

KATIE COURIC: All righty, Al. Thanks very much.We decided to be very brave and come out and join this crowd. If you're wondering what all the screaming and squealing is about, it's about Jon Bon Jovi. He'll be here in just about an hour. Stay with us. I think we're going to see some flying underwear around here at any moment. Ladies and gentlemen, Jon Bon Jovi!

(Jon Bon Jovi performs)

KATIE COURIC: And we're back at 8:00 on this Friday morning. It's the 27th day of June, 1997, and the reason all these people are out jamming on the plaza is because Jon Bon Jovi is going to be jamming tunes. He's got a new album out and we'll be hearing some songs from that album as well as some oldies but goodies in just a little bit of time, I guess about 45 minutes from now, countdown. Meanwhile, these people are crazy!

MATT LAUER: We just have to say what's coming up and then we'll get to you, all right? OK.

COURIC: You sound like a stern school teacher there.

LAUER: I'm like I should have a ruler and smack some knuckles here, huh?

COURIC: They are so fired up, it's great! I've never seen anything quite like it.

LAUER: Well, your high school prom, maybe.

COURIC: Maybe when the artist formerly known as Prince was here.

LAUER: Right.

COURIC: They had some pretty crazy fans as well. Anyway, back outside I'm Katie Couric with Matt Lauer and Al Roker and as I said, Jon Bon Jovi is going to be coming up. But first we have some important business to attend to.

COURIC: And you mentioned wedgies a little bit earlier on in the program.

LAUER: Yeah, not that kind of wedgy, though.

COURIC: Not the kind you did in sixth grade, but these kind of wedgies. Hi, may I borrow your feet for a second? Yes. These wedgies, these shoes, ladies and gentleman are very popular. Do you see those? Do you ever worry about falling or breaking your ankle or wiping out?

Unidentified Woman: Yeah, but I never do.

COURIC: You don't? Well, one of the Spice Girls actually fell on her wedgy or wedge, whatever you call it, and broke her ankle. Did you know that?

Woman: No.

COURIC: So, be careful on those things especially when you're dancing to...

LAUER: You know, you get the feeling she's not worried about twisting her ankle. She's written Bon Jovi on her face, all right? You know?

COURIC: She has more important things to worry about.

Woman: Did you see my picture?

COURIC: I see your picture.

Woman: When I met him.

COURIC: Where was that from?

Woman: At his house.

COURIC: At his house? What were you doing at his house?

LAUER: I was going to say, we don't want to go there.

Woman: Going to see him.

JAMES: Coming up on 8:07. Time to go back outside to the wild crowd and Katie and Al.

KATIE COURIC: They're crazy out here this morning.

AL ROKER: Yes, they are. In a moment, Katie's going to check some new shoes a la wedge, not a wedgy. And later on TODAY, how to make playing with your kids a fitness workout. And then music for a Friday morning is courtesy of Jon Bon Jovi. They'll be screaming in the plaza. But first, these messages.

COURIC: Al gives it a big thumbs up. Anyway, Dorothea, Jon Bon Jovi's wife is here. I don't think she should come out, do you?

LAUER: No, you could create a cat fight right off the bat.

COURIC: Absolutely.

ROKER: Ooh.

COURIC: Anyway, obviously we're very excited because in this next half hour Jon Bon Jovi. So stay with us. That after your local news.

MATT LAUER: Around here we have a saying that more is better, so how about another sound check from Jon Bon Jovi.

(Jon Bon Jovi performs)

MATT LAUER: And we're back on a Friday morning, June 27th, 1997. Boy, are we back. And we're getting in the mood for a summer concert featuring Jon Bon Jovi. The rockers are out in force, outside Studio 1A in appropriately named Rock-efeller Center.

KATIE COURIC: Let me tell you, this crowd is going crazy, including our own Susan Soznecki. Susan's on our staff.
Susan, how excited are you?

Ms. SUSAN SOZNECKI: Oh, my God, this is--I've waited forever to see him to be on our show. You know that. I love him!

LAUER: Tell me, how many messages did you send me about Jon Bon Jovi this week alone?

Ms. SOZNECKI: A lot.

LAUER: Like 1,000?

COURIC: What were you doing when he was singing a few minutes ago?

Ms. SOZNECKI: Screaming and going crazy.

COURIC: Show us. (Soznecki screams.)

LAUER: She's a professional broadcaster, too. Susan, thank you very much.

COURIC: Thank you, thank you very much. Anyway, obviously coming up this half hour, we have the music of Jon Bon Jovi. Also, Kathy Kaehler is going to be here to show us how you can actually get a good workout when you're outside playing with your kids.

LAUER: Do you think because we're wearing the shades we blend in with the rockers?

AL ROKER: Oh, yeah.

COURIC: This is about as cool as we get, ladies and gentlemen. We're pretty pathetic, aren't we?

SARA JAMES: Where did you steal these from for me?

LAUER: Some lady in the crowd.

JAMES: That was really nice. Thank you, whoever.

LAUER: Anyway, Al's weather is coming up in a few minutes, and of course, Jon Bon Jovi after these commercial messages.

COURIC: Thanks very much. Well, are you all fired up. Because you know what's coming next? Jon Bon Jovi! But first...(Katie screams)...this is TODAY on NBC.

MATT LAUER: Well, he was once the star of one of the world's most popular rock 'n' roll bands. He was known for his tight pants, his high hair and his great singing voice. Jon Bon Jovi has moved on a little bit, he's released his second solo album. He's got movie offers galore, he even has a modeling stint thrown in there somewhere. His new album is called "Destination Anywhere." And he's joined us for our summer concert series. Jon, good to see you.

Mr. JON BON JOVI: Nice to see you, Matt.

LAUER: Hey, you still have the hair working, don't you?

Mr. BON JOVI: Oh, yeah, is that what it is from?

LAUER: It looks good early in the morning. This is very early for you, isn't it?

Mr. BON JOVI: It's very early for me.

LAUER: You've been awfully busy. I mean, tell me--you have this new album out, "Destination Anywhere." And a short film that goes along with it. What was the idea behind that?

Mr. BON JOVI: To push the medium of video making a bit. You know, 15 years ago, when we could all see music for the first time, I think we were glued to our TVs, and the medium has grown a little tired. So we developed a drama around the album and got Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Bacon, Annabella Sciorra to do it with me, and we made a movie.

LAUER: The fact that you're so successful as a solo act right now, does that mean the days of the band Bon Jovi are over?

Mr. BON JOVI: Absolutely not. No, the band is happy and healthy, just on a year break. You now. Just to have different experiences to bring back to the fold.

LAUER: These people want to hear music. What are you going to play?

Mr. BON JOVI: I'll play the first single, "Midnight In Chelsea."

LAUER: Let her rip.

(Jon Bon Jovi performs.)

LAUER: More with Jon Bon Jovi in a minute. This is a summer concert edition of TODAY on NBC.

KATIE COURIC: Jon. Have you had a good time, Jon?

Mr. JON BON JOVI: Absolutely.

COURIC: Oh, great.

Mr. BON JOVI: A great time.

COURIC: Jon, you've got a lot of rad songs and I can't wait for you to play again. So once again, Jon Bon Jovi, "Dead or Alive."

(Jon Bon Jovi performs)

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This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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