Bon Jovi Play Surprise Set at Jon Bon Jovi’s Nashville Bar Opening: Watch

The singer says he’s not ready for a full-fledged tour yet

Bon Jovi surprised fans with a five-song set at the grand opening of frontman Jon Bon Jovi’s new bar in Nashville. It marked a rare performance for the band, as the singer’s vocal issues have kept the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act from touring for the past couple years.

JBJ’s Nashville, a five-story restaurant and bar with two outdoor rooftops, opened on Saturday (June 8th). Bon Jovi gave the attendees a thrill when they appeared for the unannounced performance.

The band kicked things off with “Blood on Blood” from 1988’s New Jersey album, and followed with “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” mega-hit “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and “Born to Be My Baby.” The set closed with recent single “Legendary” from the new album Forever.

The Nashville set marked only the second Bon Jovi gig since their 2022 tour wrapped in May 2022, following a brief two-song performance at the MusiCares ceremony honoring Jon Bon Jovi back in February.

In interviews and in the recent Bon Jovi documentary Thank You, Goodnight, Jon Bon Jovi has spoken openly about his uncertain future as a singer following a vocal cord procedure in 2022. Earlier this year, he declared, “If I can’t be great, I’m out.”

In a new interview with The Guardian, Jon Bon Jovi confirmed he’s not ready for a full-fledged tour yet, saying, “It’s a work in progress. There’s no miracle. I just wish there was a fucking light switch. I’m more than capable of singing again. The bar is now: can I do two and a half hours a night, four nights a week? The answer is no.”

Watch Bon Jovi perform at the grand opening of JBJ’s Nashville in the video footage below.