"Misunderstood" Video Shoot Report
by Lisa Mobus of Operation Bon Jovi
October 21, 2002

It was a great day and if anyone there didn't know the words to MISUNDERSTOOD, they know them now! LOL The shoot was well-organized with staggering call (arrival) times. My call time was 1:30PM, so my wait time was minimized.

Before going into the Bowery Ballroom where the video was shot, they screened the wardrobe of some of the people and changed them... ie: if someone wore a logo or dressed too preppy, they were given something else to wear.

Once inside, it wasn't long before the guys took the stage. There was a bit of shuffling around. For instance, I started in 2nd row center, but was in 2nd row, 3rd row right, 3rd row left, 2nd row... all great views. I was in the center section for the day and that was really cool. We could see that the fans up by Richie were having an incredibly fun time all day though... he was definitely entertaining! He was in super spirits and got on the cell phone of a few fans (2 or 3) and talked to their friends or family.

The stage setup was pretty cool. The stage itself was small and there was a section that came out into the audience. Jon's mic was in that section, then there were extras/fans to the left, left, right and center.

They didn't provide us with additional info on the video, but it looks like the live portion is a segment of the storyline. There was a principle actor (main dude) in the video who walked through the crowd to the front a few times. No info on what the rest is going to look like though.

During breaks, Richie did a few solos on the guitar... no full songs, but some great riffs and he was continuously goofing around.

There were also a few moments when Elliot, who was running the event today, held a Bon Jovi talent show. Fans from the audience were invited on stage to sing. A few really got into it and it was great to see such bravery... especially when Richie was right on the stage behind them!

I am pretty sure that the videoshoot ended around 8:30PM (the last time I had checked it was about 8PM). After the guys finished all of their takes, they did some crowd shots.

All this done, many people (including myself) thought that the band was already long gone. Before leaving the building though, I turned to my right and there was Tico! Then, I looked a little further back towards the stage and there was Richie talking to a few people. Dave was on the way out with Jon's brother Matt and I had a chance to say hello. About 2 minutes later, I was outside and there came Richie. He was very quiet and just calmly walked through the crowd. I don't really know if he stopped or not... maybe someone else could fill in on that part... but a few seconds later Jon was right there. He said hello to many, many fans and signed quite a few autographs. I had a chance to say hello and it was really nice. I was quite grateful considering what a long day it was for the band.

BTW they said that the video is due out in November, so be on the lookout for MISUNDERSTOOD!

Thanks to Bon Jovi for including the fans in this video! It was a great experience!

Always,
Lisa M.