‘I still aspire to be Irish, that’s why I keep coming back’ – Jon Bon Jovi on influence of Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison and plotting a return to Croke Park
IT’S not every day you are invited into the presence of rock royalty, but that’s exactly what happened last week when the Irish media got the nod to meet Jon Bon Jovi at Croke Park for an official press conference in support of his band’s first Irish gig for six years.
Full disclosure: I have not enjoyed any of the New Jersey-born rocker’s music since Bon Jovi’s 1992 hit Keep The Faith. However, 10-year-old me was totally obsessed with their album Slippery When Wet, and would never have forgiven the 47-year-old version if he hadn’t hit the road south for an audience with the man who sang Livin’ On A Prayer and Lay Your Hands on Me.
Having undergone successful surgery on his vocal cords in 2022, next year’s Forever tour – four dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden, followed by shows at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Dublin’s Croke Park and Wembley Stadium in London – will mark JBJ’s return to the road for the first time since going under the knife.
Bon Jovi Forever Tour 2026 dates
Part of me – and pretty much every Bon Jovi fan on the planet – was hoping that coming so perilously close to losing his livelihood might have precipitated a sudden outbreak of peace between Jon and erstwhile Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, who made an Irish exit from the band in the middle of a major tour almost 15 years ago.
Had the frontman chosen the Croke Park event to announce that next year’s tour would feature a fan-pleasing reunion with the band’s original guitar slinger?
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Jon Bon Jovi greets the media in Croke Park last Friday (Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. Instead, what we got was 30 minutes with a pretty humble guy who apparently feels like he’s got to prove himself as a live performer all over again – and that coming back to Ireland is a vital part of that process.
“Ireland is the most special place,” enthused JBJ (63) to the Irish press who assembled in the Croke Park media suite last Friday afternoon, just 24 hours after the ‘comeback’ Forever tour was announced.
“There’s a feeling that I get when I come here – maybe it’s because I was smart enough to marry an Irishwoman – but [Bon Jovi’s] history takes us back to every venue that there is here in Dublin.
“It makes me want to cry, because it’s been three-and-a-half years since I’ve been on a stage.
“I had a massive surgery with no idea that the recovery was gonna be so long. It was a big surprise to me, I didn’t know what was happening – although I never lost faith that [my voice] would get back to what it needed to be.
“But I’m 100 per cent healed, so that’s why I can come back now and say that we’re playing Croke Park.”
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Bon Jovi will tour again next year
Of the aforementioned family connection through his wife, Dorothea, whom he married in 1989, JBJ explains:
“Her maiden name is Hurley and her paternal grandfather’s family was from Cork. I’ve always jokingly said my wife is Irish, my children are Irish and I’m still aspiring to be Irish. That’s why I keep coming back here.”
When asked about why Bon Jovi have made such a strong and enduring connection with their Irish fans, the singer explained that this is partly down to the connection they feel to the Irish artists who helped inspire their music.
“You know, initially I was drawn here by other bands,” he admitted.
“There was something about so many of the [Irish] bands that I came up with in the mid-70s: Thin Lizzy broke in America, and I was introduced to Van Morrison because of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
My wife is Irish, my children are Irish and I’m still aspiring to be Irish. That’s why I keep coming back here.
— Jon Bon JoviJon Bon Jovi performs during a rally for Kamala Harris on Saturday (Mike Stewart/AP) (Mike Stewart/AP)
“Then, of course, U2 came out just before we started making records and I also fell in love with with their music as the years went on.
“And then, when you think about Damien Rice or the young Mr Hewson’s band, Inhaler, the storyteller was a common thread there – and I was always drawn to the storyteller.”
As for the significance of Croke Park itself, which Bon Jovi last played back in 2006, JBJ says it ranks among his favourite venues in the world.
“Having had shows at The Point, the RDS and Lansdowne Road, this was the first big ‘cement structure’ – the big one on the street that you aspired to,” he enthused, before admitting he really doesn’t have a clue about Irish sports.
“I’m not familiar with hurling – today is going to be my first lesson,” admits the frontman, who was presented with a commemorative hurley to mark the occasion, along with the opportunity to try it out on the hallowed turf.
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Jon Bon Jovi was at Croke Park to announce his band’s return to Ireland with a headline show on August 30 as part of the band’s Forever world tour (Photographer/Photocall Ireland)
The Bon Jovi leader was also very keen that we all listen to the new Legendary Edition of the band’s most recent album, 2024’s Forever – released to mark their 40th anniversary – which features him duetting with a selection of guest singers including Bruce Springsteen, Lainey Wilson, Joe Elliott, Jelly Roll and Robbie Williams tackling its songs.
“It was incredible, and I was grateful for each and every one,” he enthused of collaborating with musical friends old and new.
“Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll I had just met at the beginning of 2024 when I was the Grammy’s honoree at the Music Cares event.
“With Bruce, he had heard the demo [of Hollow Man] prior to us making the album. The next day, he had called me saying, Hollow Man’s a really special song. So a year later, I could guilt him into singing on it.
“And with Joe Elliot, one of my oldest friends, he yelled at me and said, ‘it’s about time!”.”
And, for those wondering if the band might add extra dates at Croker if tickets should sell-out, JBJ was not ruling it out – provided the already announced shows go well, of course.
“Let’s get Johnny’s feet wet and then bring him back into the pool one step at a time,” he joked.
“That’s kind of where I’m at now, and we’re going to do this together: I need to get back out there, and I need you to get me back out there – because I’m looking forward to sharing these songs again just for the simple joy of it.”
Bon Jovi, August 30, Croke Park, Dublin. Tickets via ticketmaster.ie
