See what Jon Bon Jovi said when he and the band toured JBJ’s Nashville for the first time

Jon Bon Jovi is set to have a big weekend in Nashville.

In addition to opening his long-awaited five-story Broadway bar, JBJ’s Nashville, on Saturday, the band will also release the new Bon Jovi album, “Forever” on June 7, which was recorded at Ocean Way in Nashville.

Bon Jovi and bandmates Tico Torres, David Bryan and Hugh McDonald were on hand Thursday for a media preview of the massive 37,000-square-foot entertainment space and got to see the finished product for the first time.

“It’s like Christmas morning,” he told The Tennessean. “I knew this space as a parking lot. We came once during the construction, but we haven’t seen the finished product until today.”

The five-story space welcomes visitors into its open floor plan with all levels opening up to the three-tiered stage on the ground floor. Walls are wallpapered with Bon Jovi photos that span the band’s decades-long history and lyrics are emblazoned in neon throughout the space. There are two outdoor rooftop patios with views of Broadway and 4th Avenue.

The restrooms are even labeled “Tommy” or “Gina.”

“It’s cool that the space is brand new,” Bryan added. “It has elevators. We didn’t have to try and retrofit anything. It’s like we design it and make it.”

Bon Jovi oversaw the design process and collaborated with developer BPH Hospitality, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nashville-based Big Plan Holdings, on how the space would end up functioning. He also provided all of the memorabilia that lines the walls of the space.

When asked how his space will differentiate itself from his country music neighbors such as Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places next door and Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row across the street, he smiled and said “We’re rock and roll.”

A photograph of Jon Bon Jovi hangs on the wall at his new JBJ’s rooftop bar and restaurant on June 6, 2024 in Nashville, Tenn.

JBJs is new to Nashville, but Bon Jovi is not

While JBJ’s is the newest neon sign to light up Lower Broadway, Bon Jovi the man and the band have been coming to Nashville to write, record, visit friends and hang out for 35 years. Bassist McDonald even lives in Nashville.

“I always jokingly say ‘these are my people.’ If Hollywood is known for the acting community, Nashville is known for the musical community. When you go to the Bluebirds and the Exit Ins you see a lot of the rock edge country stuff and I just fell in love with Nashville. Everybody’s a songwriter and they know the most important asset the town has was the song and that drew me in.”

Jon Bon Jovi performs one of Bon Jovi’s hits during their “American Brotherhood” tour for a sold-out crowd of more than 12,000 fans at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center on Feb. 20, 1989.
He tells a story of how back in the day the band would stay at The Hermitage Hotel which would leave a legal pad and stack of pens on the desk in the hotel room for one sole purpose.

“They know why you are there and they encouraged me to write in these hotel rooms. Many a song has been written at The Hermitage.”

The band recorded several songs and albums in Nashville through the years including the newest one, “Forever” which Bon Jovi calls a “return to joy,” after the last record “2020” was made during Covid.

“We had a blast making this record,” McDonald added. “We usually love every baby that comes out, but this one is something special. We felt like we were at home in the studio and I actually was at home. I got to drive to work, which was really weird for me. I’ve never done that before.”

Backstory: Jon Bon Jovi to open JBJ’s Nashville on Lower Broadway this spring

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Jon Bon Jovi working with the city to implement a charitable arm

Bon Jovi also founded the JBJ Soul Foundation with his wife Dorothea and the couple own four JBJ Soul Kitchens in the northeast that operate as non-profit community restaurants that serve both paying customers and those who are in need of a hot meal but cannot pay.

He said he wants to implement some sort of charitable entity in Nashville and has been working with Mayor Freddie O’Connell to come up with the best avenues to continue his generosity towards hunger and homelessness here.

“I’m trying to find some commonalities with the mayor to do something unique,” he said. “The way Garth built the substation for the police, which I think is fabulous… I want to find a charitable aspect because that is always important. I’ve been on it since we broke ground.”