Jon Bon Jovi made his highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden Sunday night — days after abruptly ending his show early due to illness.
The singer surprised concertgoers over the weekend with a cameo from Bruce Springsteen, whom he introduced as “the king of the great state of New Jersey.”
Bon Jovi, 64, and Springsteen, 76, are longtime pals and both hail from New Jersey. They performed a duet to “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” before belting out Springsteen’s 1978 hit “The Promised Land.”
Sunday’s concert marked the ninth and final show for Bon Jovi’s “Forever Tour” MSG residency. The tour, which launched on July 9, was originally scheduled as a four-show stint at the iconic venue before expanding to a nine-night residency due to high ticket demand.
Last week, the “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer cut his eighth show at MSG early after he struggled to perform with a sinus infection.
“The Bon Jovi concert at Madison Square Garden ended after 90 mins tonight,” a rep for the singer told Page Six. “Jon Bon Jovi spoke from stage and told fans he has been battling a sinus infection, which led to the show’s early ending.”
The “You Give Love a Bad Name” rocker inductee addressed his fans before leaving the stage, saying,
“I’m sorry, I’m hurt, and you’re not getting the best of me.”
“Don’t throw away your ticket stubs. I’m gonna figure something out, OK?” he continued “Just hold onto it; we’ll figure out how to reschedule.”
The singer’s rep added in a statement, “Jon has said numerous times that it has been a joy to return to live shows for the band.”
“The Forever Tour,” which began on July 7, marked Bon Jovi’s first return to the stage after undergoing vocal cord surgery in 2022.
The singer shared that his vocal cords had “literally atrophied” after years of touring, with one being as “thick as a thumb” and the other being “thick as a pinky.”
“My craft was being taken from me,” the rock legend admitted.
The “Forever Tour” has concluded its nine-night residency at MSG and will continue in Edinburgh on Aug. 28.
“There is a lot of joy in this announcement — joy that we can share these nights together with our amazing fans and joy that the band can be together,” Bon Jovi wrote in a statement when the tour was first revealed.
“I am lucky enough to be able to hold a light out to the audience each night and stand in their reflection for a tremendous collective experience — I get to stand in the WE of our concerts.”
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