Jon Bon Jovi Hits Stage for First Concert in 4 Years After Vocal Cord Surgery: ‘Haven’t Heard the Roar of a Crowd’

The rock icon kicked off his Forever Tour on Tuesday, July 7 in New York City

NEED TO KNOW

• Jon Bon Jovi returned to the stage on Tuesday night
• The rock icon played his first show since his vocal cord surgery four years ago
• Bon Jovi’s Forever Tour will run through September 2026

Jon Bon Jovi is back!

On Tuesday, July 7, the rock icon, 64, returned to the stage for the first time since having vocal surgery four years ago as to perform the first of nine sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he kicked off his Forever Tour.

Bon Jovi was joined onstage by fellow original members Tico Torres and David Bryan, along with Hugh McDonald, John Shanks, Phil X and Everett Bradley, as the band performed for more than two hours with a 21-song setlist of all their greatest hits.

The concert began with a pre-recorded message from the band and then Bon Jovi opened the show with a joke: Playing the iconic 1967 Beatles song “With a Little Help from My Friends,” he sang the famous lyric, “What would you do if I sang out of tune…?’ in a funny nod to his vocal surgery.

The singer performed several other hit songs from throughout his career, including “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Legendary,” “Keep the Faith,” “It’s My Life,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Lay Your Hands on Me” and “We Weren’t Born to Follow.”

During the show, Bon Jovi also reflected on his journey back to performing live.

“I haven’t heard the roar of a crowd in four years and I didn’t know if I would remember what that was like,” the singer told the crowd per Ultimate Classic Rock, adding that he was “grateful and humbled by this whole ordeal.”

Bon Jovi also told to the 20,000 fans in the arena that they were his “personal, private guests because they are coming here to give love and to support us. I’m just honestly thankful.”

In a recent PEOPLE cover story, Bon Jovi opened up about undergoing a vocal cord medialization to fix a damaged cord when his tour ended in 2022.

“I’d often joked and said the only thing that’s ever been up my nose was my finger. I never did anything to hurt the cords; I didn’t have any excesses. I’m a trained vocalist. I’ve practiced the craft,” he said at the time.

That’s why when Bon Jovi had a doctor tell him “one of the cords was literally atrophying,” it was “confusing” for him.

The “It’s My Life” musician had a successful surgery but whether or not he was going to be able to perform again was unclear.

But after working with vocal coaches, Bon Jovi is “fully recovered.”

“It was longer than I’d ever expected, but it had to be right,” he said. “We never lost faith.”

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Throughout his recovery journey, Bon Jovi also found support in his bandmates: keyboardist Bryan, percussionist Bradley, bassist McDonald, guitarist Shanks, drummer Torres and guitarist Phil X.

“They never doubted [me] and never looked for work or decided to retire,” he said. “The sacrifices that each one of them have made to be there for me is on a whole ’nother level.”

Added Bon Jovi: “They said, ‘No, we’re with you.’ Every day of every rehearsal they were there with me. My love for them has only deepened.”

Following the band’s stint at the Garden, Bon Jovi’s Forever Tour will continue through Sept. 9.