Rock icon Jon Bon Jovi has said he never lost faith that he would return to the stage after undergoing vocal cord surgery, and admits he feels a "deep gratitude" to his band and fans who never let him quit.
In 2022, the 63-year-old underwent surgery to repair a seriously deteriorating vocal cord - an operation that took much longer to recover from than he expected.
Speaking about the experience, the musician who is set to rock Dublin's Croke Park next summer, admits he'll be forever grateful to the people who stood by him.
"I don't think that I ever lost faith, but I had no idea that the recovery from this throat surgery was going to be three-and-a-half years. So it’s just been much longer than anticipated," he said.
"To still be here standing some 40X years later, it’s quite a thrill, and it’s humbling, and I’m grateful, and that joy that we get to share with each other and then with that audience it’s unbelievable.
"My gratitude is deep for the band, the crew, everybody that just was there through the process and just wouldn’t let me down and wouldn’t let me quit. And so it’s a deep gratitude that I feel with the band, the crew, the fanbase, because they understand that this is a tour of gratitude and nothing more than that."
The album, which came out on Friday contains a reimagined take on 2024’s Forever with a number of artists, including Robbie Williams, Avril Lavigne and Bruce Springsteen – who he described as a "big brother" – featuring on the record.
Speaking about the growing number of stadium acts, and why this resurgence is happening, he said: "I think post-Covid people wanted that kind of experiential thing. They wanted to get together again and feel that joy. So it is bigger than ever.
"There was a time 10-12 years ago that I used to hear people say rock is dead. I think rock is alive and well again.
"So the promise of what Oasis brought last year is going to give a lot of young rock bands an opportunity to shine again. So I think that it’s good that stadium acts are able to fill buildings and people are enjoying themselves there."
The rock band is best known for their hit songs Livin’ On A Prayer, It’s My Life and You Give Love A Bad Name.
Source: Press Association
