Bon Jovi gets into the Rock Hall

Bon Jovi was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2018 on April 14.

Then & now: Dave, Alec, Jon, Tico, Richie.
Photo: David Bergman.

Howard Stern's hilarious, NSFW speech included such glorious soundbites as "Bon Jovi beats sperm". After Howard's introduction, the inducted band members each got to speak. Alec John Such went first, followed by Hugh McDonald, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, David Bryan, and finally Jon Bon Jovi. The speeches ranged from the emotional to the nostalgic to the outright funny.

Everyone (the members who were inducted, plus Phil X, John Shanks, and Everett Bradley) took to the stage together, although I think Alec only played on "Livin' on a Prayer". The following songs were performed:

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. It's My Life
3. When We Were Us
4. Livin' on a Prayer

I know Jon wanted to do a new song but "When We Were Us" was still a bit unexpected and, as far as I'm aware, a pretty unconventional choice for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (artists usually stick to their hits or most influential songs). It was great to hear Richie's harmonies though, and to see him and Jon singing from the same microphone.

The official HBO telecast of the induction ceremony will air on May 5. Hopefully those of us not in the US will be able to watch it too.

In the meantime, there are some unofficial streams from fans in attendance, including this one:


"Wanted Dead or Alive" was conspicuously absent, but Richie did perform it at the Rock Hall the previous weekend to kick off induction week:

In case you missed it, Bon Jovi and the Moody Blues had made an appearance at the Rock Hall the day before the ceremony, with Jon giving a speech saying, "We're thrilled, we're honoured, and it's about f***ing time".

The red carpet, including Bon Jovi's arrival and interviews with Jon and Richie, was also live streamed: 

Now I know there are plenty of fans who have harboured varying degrees of discontent with the state of Bon Jovi over the past few years. I'd be lying if I said I was completely happy about everything. But tonight that didn't matter. (I won't speak for anyone else, but it didn't matter to me.) Tonight was a celebration of what Bon Jovi's music has meant to me for so long. All the times they lifted me up, consoled me, saved me. And that history won't change, no matter what happens going forward.