SimplyAbuDhabi XLVIII

Jon Bon Jovi: ‘I didn’t want to compromise our legacy’. B y T h e I n t e r v i e w P e o p l e J on Bon Jovi seems to be enjoying a crash-course in Britishness while in London, even taking the Tube from central London to Wembley Stadium to announce the band’s show next summer. Then on he went to his first Premier League football match, Arsenal against Crystal Palace at the Emirates. Of course, being American, Bon Jovi calls it a “soccer game”. And being a mega star who has sold 130million albums, he was introduced to the UK Prime Minister, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, and England boss Thomas Tuchel. The final part of Bon Jovi’s British induction took place when he recorded a children’s story written by Sir Paul McCartney for CBeebies Bedtime Stories. Bon Jovi is a grandfather (his son Jake and wife, British actor Millie Bobby Brown, adopted a daughter in August). “As a grandpa, storytelling is a serious business”, he asserts. “But all in all, I’m having a wonderful time in London. I’m usually here for Wimbledon and last summer we came over for my son’s wedding at Soho Farmhouse [his eldest son Jesse married there last June] just outside the city. Magical”. Bon Jovi’s return to the fray (as well as a 2026 tour there is a new album, Forever, Legendary Edition) is perhaps unexpected. Anyone who saw the documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story will know he has only recently recovered from potentially career-ending vocal cord issues; he required acupuncture, laser treatment, and surgery to put things right. The documentary doesn’t flinch from the mental impact of all this: we see Bon Jovi (real name John Bongiovi) in tears as his 40-year-career seemed to be slipping away. “I decided: if I can’t get back to 100 per cent I’ll walk away. I still love what I do, but I didn’t want to compromise our legacy”. “Bruce [Springsteen] lives 15 minutes away from my house,” he says. “When I went through this hard time, he’d come pick me up and we’d go for these 100- mile drives just to get away from phones, emails, people and talk.” (The pair go way back. Bon Jovi was still a 17-year-old high school student when Springsteen, already a star, jumped on stage to duet with him during one of his early New Jersey shows.) “But when we go driving, we stop for an ice-cream cone or a soda, we are just regular New Jersey guys,” he says. And now Bon Jovi is every inch the elder statesman rocker in his own right. After cutting his teeth in covers bands around New Jersey, the 19-year-old John Bongiovi moved to NewYork and got a job as a runner at his cousin’s recording studio, the legendary Power Station. He swept floors and fetched sandwiches. But he also had a view into the recording booth and watched legends at work. After being allowed to record his own song, Runaway, there, then recruiting a band, Bon Jovi were on their way. Glam-metal bangers such as Livin’ on a Prayer made them global stars. Inevitably, there were casualties. But somehow Jon Bon Jovi rose above it all. His Zen calm amid rock’n’roll carnage would make a great viewpoint for a biopic. Who would play the man they call “JBJ”? “My son Jake. He’s the spitting image of me”, he says. “But I get offers every week: ‘Oh, let’s do a West End musical called Livin’ on a Prayer’!’ But nah, it’s not original. If the right story came along, maybe, but I don’t want to mess with the legacy”. And things could hardly be better already. He played the last ever shows at the old Wembley Stadium before it was demolished and next year he returns. “It will be incredibly emotional for me”, he says. And he is a grandparent. “It’s great isn’t it? There’s a lot of worrying stuff going on in the world, but you know what? I am still very good at finding the joy”. Bon Jovi’s new album Forever (Legendary Edition) is available now. Their Forever Tour will visit Wembley Stadium on September 4, 6 and 9. Tickets at bonjovi.com © The Standard Ltd Simply Abu Dhabi | 145