By MARKO JOVANOVIC
FOOTAGE of Jon Bon Jovi’s September 16 guest appearance at actor Matthew McConaughey’s Poems And Prayers Book Tour at The Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, has surfaced online, sparking debate whether the singer still has the vocal capacity to deliver a full-on concert at a top level.
As widely reported, the singer underwent vocal surgery back in June 2022 after wrapping up Bon Jovi’s North American trek.
Since then, the band took the entire 2023 off and then only performed four shows during 2024 and one in 2025 on June 14 at the Marathon Music Works.
The latest gig saw the fans divided, with some happy to see Jon back on stage and others commenting on the state of his voice.
“That’s what happens to a singer who doesn’t take care of his voice. He did a lot of shows in his youth and didn’t think that his voice needed rest,” one fan wrote in the YouTube comment section, adding, “I’m not a hater – actually a huge fan of his.”
Another fan chimed in, “Was there last night, what a special event that was, pretty much once in a lifetime. Matthew is so anti Hollywood and I couldn’t imagine any star doing something like this. A real genuine human being. [McConaughey’s book] Greenlights was an amazing book if you haven’t read it.”
Jon Bon Jovi underwent surgery to deal with his atrophied vocal cords, which were a result of overuse from intense touring schedules since the eighties. The frontman underwent a cutting-edge procedure that placed a vocal fold implant to strengthen his damaged cord.
As Jon explained in last year’s Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story documentary, he is now capable of singing but the recovery process has been slow. The singer also pointed out that the surgery will likely prevent intense tour schedules he had maintained for the past 40+ years.
Bon Jovi addressed this issue during the latest performance, saying in a fan-filmed video that he “had a really difficult surgery some three years ago, so I’ve been on the edge of reserve”.
The singer added, however, “I have recovered, thank the Lord. My faith, listening to [Matthew McConaughey] talk, was not tested. It really wasn’t tested, but I sure do wish it [the recovery] could’ve been sped up some. The process is part of the journey, really. I mean, at this point in my life, how do you measure success if you don’t measure it by living life?”
Bon Jovi unveiled their 16th full-length studio album Forever in June 2024 via Island Records. Co-produced by Jon himself, the record marked their first studio effort recorded and released as a seven-piece, featuring Jon on vocals, David Bryan on keyboards, Hugh McDonald on bass, Tico Torres on drums, John Shanks on rhythm guitar, Phil X on lead guitar and Everett Bradley on percussion.
Fan-filmed footage of the entire acoustic performance is available in the embedded player below.
READ AND HEAR INTERVIEWS WITH DOZENS OF ARTISTS VIA OUR PATREON PAGE. EAVESDROP AS WE CHAT TO THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ROCK AND METAL – FROM 1987 TO THE PRESENT!
Features:
Johnny Diesel and the Injectors
Audio interviews:
