Jon Bon Jovi on how he 'kept the faith' during vocal recovery with four shows a week at home

26 October 2025, 19:00

The Bon Jovi frontman discussed getting his voice back to its best following vocal surgery and what to expect from the band's upcoming Forever Tour dates.

Jon Bon Jovi has opened up about getting his voice back to his best after vocal surgery and admitted that although he “didn’t lose faith” his voice would come back he didn’t realise how long the recovery would be.

Radio X Classic Rock attended a press conference with the Livin' On a Prayer at Wembley Stadium this Friday (24th October, where he talked about the band's 2026 Forever Tour, which will mark their return to live touring.

The singer suffered from an atrophied vocal cord, which required him to undergo a reconstructive surgery called with a plastic implant, followed by journey of recovery, which as well documented in the docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.

Asked about whether he was able to keep the faith amid his vocal troubles, the 63-year-old singer replied: "I didn’t lose faith but I had no idea how protracted the recovery would be. The surgeon did an incredible job, but he had said to me: ‘I promise you nothing. Stay the course.’

“And when we put out this Forever album last June to coincide with the 40th anniversary and did the documentary, I fully anticipated being able to be support it, but as the record was coming out and we started to rehearse, I just wasn’t at the standard that we were accustomed to and there was no way that I would go out any less than 100 percent. So I had to pull the plug and therefore pull the plug on a very joyous record. One that I really wanted to go out and share…”

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The New Jersey rocker went on to explain how he put himself in personal training, which saw him delivering stadium-style shows “four nights a week” at home until his vocals steadily progressed.

“So we went back to our woodshed and I’ve been playing Wembley Stadium for four nights a week for the last three and a half years, but only to an audience of me," he laughed. "I sing along and play and I have a whole set up too with the band coming once a month, then I go on for the three weeks. Then we marked the progress and now it's ready to go."

Quizzed on whether he's thought about the setlist yet, the singer - whose full name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr. - revealed: "The thing is that I do think of the setlist, cause I’m not kidding I really have rock shows at my house four times per week, so I have number of them and the beautiful thing is this catalogue his so deep there could be multiple nights without repetitions of songs that would be still chock-a-block of hits".

The singer also credited Oasis getting back together with inspiring young rock bands.

“I think that post COVID people wanted that kind of experiential thing, people wanted to get together and feel that joy," he mused. "So it’s bigger than ever. There was a time I think 10, 12 years ago that I used to hear people say, ‘Rock is dead.’ I think rock is alive and well again."

Referring to the Gallagher brothers and their reunion announcement in 2024, followed by their Live '25 tour, he added: "The promise of what Oasis brought last year is gonna give a lot of young rock bands the opportunity to shine again.

“So I think it’s good that stadium acts are able to fill buildings and people are enjoying them again.”

Bon Jovi will embark on their Forever Tour next summer, kicking off their string of dates with four shows in New York's Madison Square Garden, before visiting Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, Dublin's Croke Park and London's Wembley Stadium.

On the announcement, the frontman previously said: “There is a lot of joy in this announcement – joy that we can share these nights together with our amazing fans and joy that the band can be together. I am lucky enough to be able to hold a light out to the audience each night and stand in their reflection for a tremendous collective experience – I get to stand in the WE of our concerts. And I’ve spoken extensively on my gratitude but I will say it again, I’m deeply grateful that the fans and the brotherhood of this band have been patient and allowed me the time needed to get healthy and prepare for touring. I’m ready and excited!”

See the full dates and ticket info below...

For tickets to Bon Jovi's New York shows, fans can sign up now at bonjovi.com to access the artist presale, powered by Seated, which begins on Monday 27th October at 10am ET. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday 31st October at 10am ET.

For Bon Jovi's UK and Ireland dates, fans can pre-order FOREVER (Legendary Edition) at shop.bonjovi.com to access the presale, which starts on Monday 27th October at 9am local time. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale, which takes place on Friday 31st October at 9am local time via bonjovi.com & LiveNation.co.uk.

Bon Jovi's 2026 Forever tour dates:

• Tuesday 7th July New York, Madison Square Garden
• Thursday 9th July New York, Madison Square Garden
• Sunday 12th July New York, Madison Square Garden
• Tuesday 14th July New York, Madison Square Garden
• Friday 28th August Edinburgh, UK, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
• Sunday 30th August Dublin, Ireland, Croke Park
• Friday 4th September London, UK, Wembley Stadium

News of the band's tour came on the same day as the reissue of their last album Forever.

Forever (Legendary Edition) includes collaborations from Bruce Springsteen, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Jason Isbell, Carin Leon, Joe Elliott, Robbie Williams, Avril Lavigne and more.

Speaking to the album process Jon Bon Jovi said: “This album is more than just a collection of collaborations, it is an album borne out of necessity. My vocal cord surgery and subsequent rehab was a well-documented journey that played out while releasing Forever in June 2024. I was singing well enough in the studio for the recording, but the vocal demands and rigors of touring were still out of reach for me. Without the ability to tour or promote an album we were all very proud of, I decided to call on some friends to help me in my time of need. All are great singers, artists, and also just great people. The result is an album with a new viewpoint and new spirit -- a collaboration album that proves we all get by in this world with a little help from our friends. I feel tremendous joy and gratitude releasing this album and I think it shows in the music. I can say with certainty that there is always something bigger than ME, and that’s WE".

See the artwork and tracklisting for the album's special edition below:

BON JOVI: FOREVER (LEGENDARY EDITION) - tracklisting:

1. Red, White, and Jersey
2. Legendary (with James Bay)
3. We Made It Look Easy (with Robbie Williams)
4. Living Proof (with Jelly Roll)
5. Waves (with Jason Isbell)
6. Seeds (with Ryan Tedder)
7. Kiss The Bride (with Billy Falcon)
8. The People’s House (with The War & Treaty)
9. Walls Of Jericho (with Joe Elliott)
10. I Wrote You A Song (with Lainey Wilson)
11. Living In Paradise (with Avril Lavigne)
12. My First Guitar (with Marcus King)
13. Hollow Man (with Bruce Springsteen)
14. We Made It Look Easy / Hicimos Que Pareciera Fácil (with Carin León)

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