Bon Jovi gives unsigned bands a shot at the big time

Sponsored by XM Satellite Radio and dubbed the "Have Nice Gig" contest, the competition will result in 24 bands from 17 cities rotating through the opening slot. To enter, unsigned musicians living within 100 miles of one of the selected cities must complete an application and upload a song at the contest's website.
A "panel of XM's in-house music experts" will review the submissions and select the 24 winners, one of which will also receive a demo deal with AEG Records and open a second show for Bon Jovi at Giants Stadium during a summer 2006 performance, according to a press release.

Eligible dates and cities for the first leg of the tour are noted in the itinerary below; those for the tour's second leg have not yet been announced.

Last week, Bon Jovi launched its "Have a Nice Day" world tour, which begins with two stretches of North American shows. The outing's first leg runs until just before Christmas, and the second leg is slated to run from mid-January to mid-March.

The tour takes its name from Bon Jovi's latest album, which surfaced in September and moved 201,881 copies during its first week in stores, a career-high first-week total for the group. Co-produced by band members Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora along with John Shanks (Kelly Clarkson, Hilary Duff), the set debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

Bon Jovi expects to remain on the road throughout 2006, and has already confirmed a run of European shows for next May and June. The European itinerary is available at the band's official website.