Take 2 for Bon Jovi in London

Bon Jovi took to the stage at Wembley for the second of three London shows. I was expecting, or at least hoping, for a couple of switch-ups after three identical set lists in a row on the Forever tour, but here's what was played.

London, England - Wembley Stadium #2 - 6 September 2026

1. With a Little Help from My Friends - The Beatles cover
2. Beautiful Drug
3. We Weren't Born to Follow
4. Lost Highway
5. You Give Love a Bad Name
6. Born to Be My Baby
7. Legendary - featuring James Bay
8. Whole Lot of Leavin'
9. Bed of Roses
10. Have a Nice Day
11. These Days
12. This House Is Not For Sale
13. It's My Life
14. Livin' on a Prayer
15. Raise Your Hands
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
17. Hey God
18. Keep the Faith
    
    Encore:
19. I'll Be There for You
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Bad Medicine
22. Always 

Not identical, but very, very close. Though I guess doing a duet with James Bay is technically a switch-up. And I'm glad "Hey God" and "These Days" have survived.

Videos from Wembley #2

Legendary - I sometimes sound like I dissing this song because I think "Living Proof" should have been the lead single...  but "Legendary" is perfectly fine on the album, and it's fun live. James Bay does have a better voice and tone than Jon though, especially now, but it was still an enjoyable performance.

I don't know if everyone is thinking this is the end of the road, or if it's just the vlogger/content creator world we live in, but people keep recording full shows for the 'tube:

Thinkin' on a prayer

There's still one more London show to go so I'll share more thoughts then. 

 

Maybe more tour dates to come in the new year, maybe not. But night 3 in Wembley is, at the very least, the final show of this leg, so let's go out with a metaphorical bang.

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Unexpectedly emotional - Legendary and Thank You, Goodnight premieres

Bon Jovi dropped a new single, "Legendary" on March 14 and... it was unexpectedly emotional for me. The song isn't going to change the world, but I didn't know if we'd ever hear new Bon Jovi music again, given Jon's vocal situation and jadedness with everything. So seeing the joy on his face just made me smile. And I like the song, although a ripping guitar solo would've Phil'd the track out more. (See what I did there? Your girl's got dad jokes.)

Bon Jovi's new album, Forever, will be out on June 7. Hugh McDonald's wife Kelli posted a big tease back in January saying she'd heard the album and it was awesome so... fingers crossed. I mean, obviously she's not gonna say it's terrible, but she also didn't need to say anything at all.

The full official trailer for Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story has also been released. Interesting to hear Richie Sambora say he regrets the way he left the band, though not the actual leaving:

Thank You, Goodnight had its first screening at the SXSW in Austin on March 14. The rest of us will have to wait until April 26 when it drops on Hulu, Disney+ or Star+ (depending on where you are in the world)... but here are some of the SXSW red carpet interviews and the Q&A with the band members and filmmakers:

The video above features red carpet interviews with producer Alex Trudeau Viriato and director Gotham Chopra, as well as Jon Bon Jovi, Phil X, Everett Bradley, Hugh McDonald, Tico Torres (in order of appearance). The Q&A was moderated by Deepak Chopra and features the remaining founding members of Bon Jovi (Jon, Tico, and David Bryan) and Gotham Chopra.

I'm pretty keen for the documentary; it looks like it'll be gritty enough to be worth our while, but obviously I'll have to wait and see!

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Life begins at 40: the second coming of Bon Jovi?

Okay, that title sounds a bit dramatic -- but it is the 40th anniversary of Bon Jovi's self-titled debut album this year. And things are happening! 

First up, Jon Bon Jovi was honoured as the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year. The benefit gala was a ticketed event that wasn't streamed, but credit to Brian Baumwoll who took some videos on his phone so we could catch a glimpse -- and a listen.

Here's Bon Jovi performing "Legendary" (the expected lead single from their upcoming album), before Bruce Springsteen joins them for "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and "The Promised Land" (the latter being from Bruce's Darkness on the Edge of Town album). Jon sounds decent in his first live performance in two years, and looks in good spirits -- and seeing him pull out the harmonica is such a vibe! 😀

Richie Sambora was rumoured to make an appearance at the MusiCares event, but he didn't show. (Orianthi did, performing with Sammy Hagar.) People Magazine reports that needing to care for his mother after a fall was the reason Richie didn't make an appearance, but given the apparent frostiness between him and Jon in the last decade, it's possible he wasn't planning to attend anyway. Then again, Richie keeps alluding to a possible reunion so who knows?

Jon also addressed his vocal issues during a Pollstar Live! Q&A with music executive Rob Light (who also happens to be the father of Jesse Bongiovi's fiancee, Jesse Light). Here's what Jon had to say about getting reconstructive surgery on his vocal cords:

More info is set to be revealed in the upcoming documentary series Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, which will premiere on Hulu in the US on April 26 and Disney+ internationally.

Here's the teaser trailer for Thank You, Goodnight:

The band minus Jon also talked about the docuseries on the MusiCares red carpet, with David Bryan doing most of the talking, plus a bit from Tico Torres. Apparently all past and present members of the band took part in the doco, so hopefully it will be an interesting watch.

Until then, Backstage with Bon Jovi is a virtual exhibition of various band-related artefacts from the past 40 years, available now to explore on their website.

You can also download or stream a deluxe anniversary edition of Bon Jovi, the album that started it all.

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