Jon Bon Jovi talks first tour since vocal cord surgery, new album and Bruce Springsteen

LONDON (AP) — Bon Jovi will embark on their first tour in four years in 2026 — and it’s more than just a victory lap.

In 2022, singer Jon Bon Jovi saw a doctor who said one of his vocal cords was atrophying. He had major surgery and has been in extensive rehab since. These new shows — kicking off with four nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden in July before heading to Edinburgh, Scotland; Dublin and London — are the result of all the work.

In an interview with The Associated Press at Wembley Stadium, where Bon Jovi will close their “Forever” Tour in September 2026, frontman Jon Bon Jovi discusses the forthcoming gigs, his band and their latest collaborative album, “Forever (Legendary Edition).”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

AP: What can fans expect from the tour?

BON JOVI: It’s a lot of hits that you know. But I think more than ever, I’m really in touch with the idea of gratitude and joy, and this idea of this energy that happens between me and that audience. And it’s been so long since I’ve done it that I can really re-appreciate how much that means to me. And that’s really the only motivation for me to want to do it anymore. It’s just to go out there and say, “Touch.” You know? It’s gonna be good.

AP: I think that’s what we all want.

BON JOVI: I agree with you. I agree. You know, that optimism and tribalism but with joy as the underlying thing, you know, that fact that brings you together.

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AP: And you’re starting with five nights in New York.

BON JOVI: Well, it’s home. I get to sleep in my own bed at night, which was integral to this equation, that I would play a bunch of nights there to start it as long as I was going home at night. And then we’ll go and do these ( U.K. and Ireland shows) and that’s going to be it. That’s it for the year. Just get my feet back in the pool, you know, and get in there slowly, wait around, and after I have that joy and good health then we could talk about doing some work. But this should be about, don’t even bring a suitcase. We’re just going out for the weekend.

AP: How are you feeling?

BON JOVI: Really, really good. I could go tonight. I can tell that I woke up this morning at 7 a.m. and you’re ready to talk and you go, “Yeah, it just works.”

AP: You’ve talked about how the band has supported you. Would you mind sharing that?

BON JOVI: Well, the truth is, here’s a band of brothers who at this stage and phase of their lives could have said, “We’ve had it. We’re done. Good luck to you. We are going to go and do solo projects. We will go and join someone else’s band.” They sat in the rehearsal space to this day with me and said, “We got your back.” And how much more grateful can I be than in my darkest hours, each one of them said, “This ain’t about money, boss, let’s go.” And the bond has just gotten bigger and deeper and stronger.

AP: You build that camaraderie after such a long period of time together, don’t you?

BON JOVI: It’s amazing, and each of ‘em’s contribution has been unique. And from the newest member, Everett Bradley to Phil X, who’s just that guy that wants to play seven nights a week, doesn’t care where he plays, the guy’s nuts. He truly would play seven days a week if he could. And to see him just going, “I’m here, I am here, I’m not going anywhere else,” it’s unbelievable.

AP: And you havea new collaborative album — “Forever.”

BON JOVI: Well, the thing about the “Forever” album is that we were very proud of it, and it was coinciding with the documentary and the 40th anniversary. When I wasn’t up to it physically, I thought we could reimagine the record by having features on it. In this day and age, people know what features are. I learned about that the hard way. But in doing so, I think they took a great record and made it better. And, you know, I called Robbie Williams. He was the first call I made. He said yes, which made it easier for me to call number two, three, four, seven, eight, nine, 10. Because at first, it’s daunting. You call even your dear friends and go, “Hey, would you do this for me?” Each one of them did it. I think that joy in the record is felt and even just raised the level of the bar.

AP: Bruce Springsteen is on the album. What was it like collaborating?

BON JOVI: Oh, it’s fantastic. I mean, I’ve looked up to him my whole life. The E Street Band are our Beatles. They were just 25 miles away from where I was as a kid. You know, Highway 9 was out my window. You know, these are, these are my streets, too. And so, it was fabulous because he loved that song (“Hollow Man.”) Even when it was a demo, he’s like, “That’s a really special song.” So, when I called him on that one instead of the obvious single, he was like, “You know, yeah, I get it, I can do that.”

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AP Music Writer Maria Sherman contributed to this report from New York.