MTV has announced plans to bring back its popular Unplugged program this summer after a marked absence, with new episodes also appearing for the first time on VH1, CMT, and MTV.com. Unfortunately, even though there's no shortage of modern-rock acts who seem tailor-made for this kind of thing (Sufjan Stevens, The Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Wilco, Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins, The Decemberists, on and on and on), the roster so far sounds pretty yawn-inducing: The Police, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Mary J. Blige, and Unplugged O.G. Bon Jovi, who helped pioneer the format with its stripped-down performance at the 1989 MTV Music Video Awards. Um…yay?
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