Tag: Jon Bon Jovi

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Culture Entertainment Music Travel

Matt Bongiovi on Runaway Tours, Bon Jovi, Joe Walsh & more

Runaway Tours’ Matt Bongiovi

Years ago, the only opportunities to meet your heroes were chance encounters and scheduled autograph signings. Nowadays, things are different thanks to companies like Runaway Tours. Founded in 1989 by Jon Bon Jovi and company president Matt Bongiovi, Runaway Tours carries the goal of “superserving the superfan.” It provides fans with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, going far beyond attending a concert. Ultimately, Runaway Tours plans customized vacation packages that offer exclusive access to artists and other entertainers through events like private shows, Q&As, meet and greets, and private parties, also inclusive of luxury hotel accommodations and detailed travel itineraries.

One example of Runaway Tours’ unique offerings is a trip running from May 6 through 8 at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis. Hosted by Joe Walsh of The Eagles and James Gang, this weekend gathering will include a private acoustic storytellers performance, Q&A, a tour of Graceland, accommodations at the new Guest House At Graceland, and special photo opportunity with Joe. Said Joe himself of what is to be expected in May: “What you can expect is me playing music, answering almost all questions anyone would ask — except the ones that may incriminate me — a big screen PowerPoint presentation put together and narrated by me, guitar shop talk, slide guitar 101, true stories of road craziness and a discussion of how to destroy hotel rooms and of course playing more music.”

Runaway Tours also regularly partners with the NFL events and has other upcoming outings planned related to Journey, Don Henley and Florida Georgia Line, which a visit to www.runawaytours.com will offer more information on. Downtown had the pleasure of speaking with Matt about what’s coming up for Runaway Tours and also how he wound up in the travel business. The New Jersey native remains an East Coaster all these years later.

How did you first know that you had a knack for tour management?

Matt Bongiovi: Growing up in the industry, it’s what I know. Started working in the management office from when I was 16 after school to going on the road starting as a production assistant. Been blessed to work with one of the biggest bands in the world, and with that comes some of the best in the business as your mentors.

What do you wish more people knew about tour management?

MB: It’s not as glamorous as people think, but it is the best way to see the world.

What’s your favorite part of the job?

MB: Travel, without a doubt. I’ve become a bit of a history nut and the work allows me to walk through history.

Had you met Joe Walsh prior to working out this tour experience?

MB: I have not met him other then phone conversations. He instantly makes you feel like you’re an old friend. Very engaging.

How exactly is Joe involved with the tour? He hosts it?

MB: Joe will be giving an acoustic performance along with doing a Q&A and some storytelling. Hearing war stories from the road from such a legend it surely will be magical.

When was the first time you went to Graceland?

MB: First time I was at Graceland was in 2001. I was driving across country from L.A. to New Jersey and decided it was a must. How can I be in the music business and not pay homage to Elvis?

What else is coming up for your company? Any exciting tours?

MB: We have just added a Don Henley 70th Birthday Experience. We also have an event in Las Vegas with Journey. In the next few weeks we are going to be announcing some amazing events with more iconic entertainers.

Does Jon have any day to day involvement with your company?

MB: Jon is a partner. With everything he is involved in he is hands-on. Having the artist perspective also gives other artists a level of comfort knowing we have their best interest in mind.

I’d assume that your company is named after Jon’s song. Is that one of your favorites by the band? Or was it just a good pun that worked?

MB: “Sleep When I’m Dead” wouldn’t have worked.

When not busy with Runaway Tours, how do you like to spend your free time?

MB: Being a dad. Nothing in the world is more satisfying.

How often do you come to Manhattan? Are you still an East Coast guy?

MB: Through and through. I live in Jersey and have no intentions on leaving. Our corporate offices are in Manhattan so I do get in often.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

MB: That’s like saying, “Do you have a favorite kid?” Best part of New York City is you can travel the world just in dining experiences.

Finally, Matt, any last words for the kids?

MB: Don’t underestimate the importance of your studies. EVERY aspect of my high school days I can use in my day to day on a tour.

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Culture Entertainment Music

Bobby Whitlock & Ricky Byrd to play B.B. King’s on Jun. 13

Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel / Photo: Todd V Wolfson
Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel / Photo: Todd V Wolfson

If you are a fan of rock & roll, you have heard Bobby Whitlock play music. Beyond his long-standing solo career alongside wife CoCo Carmel — who herself has performed with Jon Bon Jovi, Dr. John and Phoebe Snow — Bobby also played and wrote on three of rock’s most iconic albums: George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Derek & The Dominos’ Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs and The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street. He is also notably a co-founder of Derek & The Dominos, and was the first “friend” in Delaney and Bonnie. While Bobby has a new album in the works, he and CoCo have opted to travel the road for The Sparkly Shoes Tour, which hits B.B. King’s on Jun. 13.

One thing that makes the Sparkly Shoes Tour even more interesting is that each date of the tour features a special guest guitarist. The Jun. 13 show includes Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd, who played in Joan Jett & The Blackhearts for many years; he has also performed alongside Southside Johnny, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, and Mott The Hoople’s Ian Hunter, among others.

Downtown had the pleasure of speaking with both Bobby and Ricky via e-mail. Interestingly, the two have never met in-person, so day of the B.B. King’s show will likely be their first meeting. Bobby and Coco can be visited online at www.bobbywhitlockandcococarmel.com, while Ricky keeps an online home at www.cleangetaway.nyc.

How did you two first meet?

Bobby Whitlock: We have yet to meet face to face, but have talked over the telephone…

Ricky Byrd: I haven’t actually met Bobby or Coco yet. My wife Carol Kaye is their publicist, so that’s my connection. I had seen a post on Facebook from Bobby that they were playing BB’s in June and I remember my pal Godfrey Townsend — who played with them last year — said he wasn’t available this year, so I asked Carol to reach out to them and offer my services. No doubt I’m honored to play with them. I have also agreed to do a short opening acoustic set of songs from my solo CD Lifer and some tunes I wish I had written. (laughs)

Ricky, you’re considered a sideman yet have also put out solo albums. Do you like being thought of as a sideman, though?

RB: Honestly, I have more of a frontman personality. I have been up front singing lead and driving the bus for so long, it’s a natural place for me to be. With that said, the fact that I’m a professional, I understand the concept of playing a supporting role and I have been that guy many, many times as well. At this point I have quite a list of people I have played alongside…everyone from Roger Daltrey to Smokey Robinson, and now Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel
Sometimes I’m lead dog …sometimes you are there to help pull the sled. I just bring my tools and do whatever job is at hand!

What should be expected from your gig at B.B. King’s? Will you be playing any covers?

BW: We will be playing the Dominos songs that I wrote on the Layla record and some new originals that CoCo and I have written, along with a couple from my upcoming solo record.

On each date of the tour you’re playing with a guest guitarist. Did you have the cities picked out first? Or the guitarist?

BW: We have the dates and cities picked out before we get the guitarist.

How have you and CoCo been able to keep long-standing relationships as both collaborators and a married couple? I mean, few other musical couples have lasted decades…

Whitlock: CoCo and I are friends, lovers, husband and wife, and also musical partners…And we are together 24/7. We are equals in everything that we do. There is no “mine and yours.” It’s all ours. I never tell her what to play or sing. She knows what to do. We have great respect for each other and each other’s abilities. We are both free to be.

Ricky, where was the first gig you ever played in New York City?

RB: Hmm, probably a church dance in Queens. We were too young to play clubs. Eventually I made my way playing upstairs at Max’s Kansas City and other 70’s rock joints in New York City.

Do you still get out to Long Beach often?

RB: Back in the early 80s, I was out there often because Jett lived there. Over the past few years, I’ve played a few gigs in Long Beach, and you could find me at a restaurant or two there occasionally.

Gig at B.B. King’s aside, what’s coming up for you?

BW: Aside from the B.B. King date. which is in the middle of our Sparkly Shoes Tour, I am working on finishing my first solo recording in years. It has some new songs, some of which we are performing on this tour, and the band is great! Darryl Jones on bass, Colin Linden and Nick Tremulis on guitars, Charley Drayton on drums, with Stephen Barber on keyboards along with myself and of course my darling CoCo Carmel singing and playing sax. She also has about six songs that were co-written with me, and her song “Nobody Knows” is on my new solo record. I could not resist doing her song.

RB: I’m currently working on a CD filled with original songs I play at treatment facilities around the U.S. I have been in recovery since 1987 and a huge part of my world is trying to help those fighting addiction just as I was helped. The songs are about addiction, recovery, hope and inspiration. There will be some very special guests, including Bobby, but in the end the message of recovery is the special guest! I’ll be handing the CD out to patients at my groups. Knowing music is a healer, hopefully it will help save a life.

When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?

BW: When I am not singing and playing or writing a new song or working on my poetry book, I enjoy whatever comes my way by the way of the creative process. I love walking in our woods with our dogs, and simply strolling down the street in our neighborhood with CoCo. I have a passion for working with wood, namely tree stumps. I call it root art. As a matter of fact, some people came from Japan to our home several years ago and they all were captivated with my artwork. I told them that I call it “root art” and they said that it is a very spiritual art in Japan, as it gives eternal life to the root of the tree.

RB: Watching baseball. Trying to navigate around a 15-year-old daughter. And napping. (laughs)

Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

BW: I don’t really have a favorite restaurant anywhere, as I prefer CoCo’s cooking at home.

RB: Wo Hop on Mott Street. I’ve been going there since 1974.

Finally, any last words for the kids?

BW: Final word for the children…Listen…Just be still and listen for that still small voice.

RB: If you want to be a music lifer, go out and play the joints to zero people on a Tuesday night. Learn the craft, play every day, make your bones the old-fashioned way, and let rejection roll off your back or you’ll go nuts.

Categories
Health Travel

Sarah Lipton & Sean Verney on Westin Hotels & Resorts’ new partnership with FitStar by Fitbit, Westin Times Square, and more

Photo by Evi Abeler

Photo by Evi Abeler
Photo by Evi Abeler

Not all hotels have a gym, and few of the ones that do in Manhattan can truly call theirs a “fitness center.” In the case of Westin Hotels & Resorts, their gyms are known as “WestinWORKOUT fitness studios” and aim to provide guests with everything needed for their wellness. Last month, Westin announced a partnership with FitStar by Fitbit to bring guests free access to the popular FitStar Yoga app. This commitment continues off-site, as the app also offers off-site access to select work-outs.

To learn more about the partnership between FitStar and Westin, I spoke with two Westin staffers. Sarah Lipton is the Director of Global Brand Management for Westin Hotels & Resorts. Sean Verney is the General Manager at The Westin New York at Time Square. Fitness aside, The Westin New York At Times Square is the only hotel in New York City — and one of only six properties in the country — to receive the Gold Certification by Green Seal, the nation’s premier environmental certification. This is a very impressive accolade for a hotel with 873 rooms, to say the least.

FitStar can be followed on Twitter as @FitStar and via its own website. The Westin New York At Times Square is online at www.westinny.com and on Twitter as @Westin_New_York.

Photo by Evi Abeler
Photo by Evi Abeler

How did this FitStar and Westin partnership happen? Has there ever been a similar partnership for Westin?

Sarah Lipton: We cultivated this partnership with FitStar by Fitbit to answer a growing demand from our guests for flexible fitness options while they’re away from home. Westin is constantly seeking new ways to leverage trends in the health and fitness industries to inspire new programming for guests, and working with FitStar has given Westin guests yet another way to maintain their workout routines on the road.

Another popular wellness-focused partnership we offer is our Gear Lending program in partnership with New Balance, which gives guests access to our world-class fitness centers, the ability to get outside and participate in our runWESTIN program or complete a FitStar video-based workout in their guestroom without needing to pack their workout attire when they travel. New Balance athletic shoes and workout attire is delivered to guests’ rooms for use during their stay.

How does it work in terms of FitStar and Westin? Is it a yoga program that can be done from anywhere within the hotel?

SL: Westin guests have the opportunity to enjoy free premium access to FitStar for 30 days, complete with video workouts that don’t require a lot of space, equipment or time. The FitStar app is accessible on mobile devices and tablets and can be synched with wearables, making it a great option for guests who want to work out in their guestrooms, outside the hotel, or in our WestinWORKOUT fitness studio. So it’s perfect for helping you maintain your fitness routine anytime, anywhere.

Guests can even continue using the app when they return home, showcasing our commitment to being a partner in our guests’ well-being before, during and after their stay. Whether someone is a Westin guest or not, anyone can access our custom Stay Fit With Westin workout on the Freestyle section of the FitStar Personal Trainer app and Stretch Further With Westin workout on the FreeStyle section of FitStar Yoga.

Sarah Lipton
Sarah Lipton

Is there something you wish more people knew about Westin hotels? How do you feel they compare to the other high-end Starwood brands?

SL: Well-being is truly in the brand’s DNA and serves as inspiration for our design aesthetic, program offerings and signature guest experiences. While Westin has been a leader in enabling wellness through hospitality since the debut of the Heavenly Bed 15 years ago, the brand continues to evolve its offerings in lockstep with the growing wellness industry and launch meaningful programming that holistically supports our 6 pillars Well-being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well. I am proud to have seen tremendous success with our wellness programs, as guests are increasingly learning about them and incorporating them into their travel itineraries.

Sean, have you ever done yoga before?

Sean Verney: Yes, I have tried yoga and enjoyed it, but I do prefer running and bike riding for workouts. I enjoy using them as a way to get outside and explore my neighborhood, or a destination while traveling.

Aside from the FitStar partnership, what’s your favorite amenity offered at The Westin New York at Times Square?

SV: The WestinWORKOUT fitness studios, which all guests receive complimentary access to, as well as our Gear Lending program in partnership with New Balance®, are some of our guests’ favorite amenities — especially those looking to stay fit on the road.

How has The Westin New York at Times Square changed since you started working there?

SV: We just recently unveiled a $35 million renovation of our guest rooms, public spaces and meeting centers, and repositioning of our food and beverage offerings. One of the things we’re most proud of is our Green Seal Gold certification that we received in 2015 for the expansion of our energy conservation practices. The Westin New York at Times Square is the only hotel in New York City, and one of only six properties in the country, to receive this designation.

Sean Verney
Sean Verney

What hotel features have changed since The Westin New York at Times Square opened in 2002?

SV: As I mentioned, we renovated all of our meeting spaces, guestrooms and lobby. The refresh was in development for three years and added elements of Westin’s new visual identity through custom furniture, local artwork and inviting fabrics. The team, however, is most proud of the improvements we have made in our energy conversation initiative. This work has allowed us to reduce our carbon footprint and work towards the objectives Starwood established to significantly reduce water and energy consumption by 2020. We have also been recognized by NYC Hotel Association for our sustainability initiatives, and are part of the NYC Carbon Challenge run by the Mayor’s Office.

Are there any special events or promotions coming up for your hotel?

SV: The Westin New York at Times Square fully embraces its location in the heart of Times Square and adjacent to Broadway, and we often host fun activations in our lobby in conjunction with different partners and cast members from various Broadway shows. We are currently planning our Fall events, and look forward to having a 15th Anniversary celebration in 2017.

What was your first hotel-related job?

SV: Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at the Sheraton Manhattan.

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Was it always your plan to work in the hospitality world?

SV: I was born into hospitality, as my mother and father are in the restaurant business. It has always been a part of my life and a passion of mine.

When not busy with the hotel, how do you like to spend your free time?

SV: I spend my free time with family.

What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?

SV: Rao’s provides diners a once-in-a-lifetime experience, serving delicious, authentic Italian food.

Are you planning on attending any concerts in the city this summer?

SV: Yes — this summer, Bon Jovi is performing an intimate concert at BB Kings, right near the Westin New York at Times Square, and I plan on attending.

Finally, Sean, any last words for the kids??

SV: One critical piece of advice to those wanting to enter into the hospitality industry is that you must have the passion to serve — serve your coworkers and serve your guests. I’ve also always told my children to follow their passion. If you are passionate about the hospitality industry, it will never feel like work. It will always be an adventure, and an enjoyable experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zlq9KsscXo