Jon Bon Jovi had the support of a fellow rock legend during his recovery from surgery: Bruce Springsteen.
In 2022, the Bon Jovi frontman underwent vocal cord medialization, a surgical procedure to help his voice regain proper function. During a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock’s Matt Wardlaw, Bon Jovi revealed how the Boss came to his aid during recovery.
“Bruce [came] to pick me up every couple of weeks,” the singer recalled. “We’d take these 100 mile drives during the surgery where I could barely speak and just that vote of, ‘I’m here for you, man.’ You know, ‘We’ll get through this.’”
Bon Jovi noted that the long car rides weren’t all serious. And as you’d expect, two rock icons cruising around together turned more than a few heads.
“You got Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen driving around New Jersey. You want the state cops to pull you over,” Bon Jovi joked. “One day we were at a stoplight, and some VFW hall was collecting with the bucket of, you know, for nickels and dimes. And I rolled down the window and I had some money in my pocket and I put it out. The guy saw me and he’s like, ‘Hey!’ And then he bends down and looks in the window and he sees Bruce and he’s like, ‘Oh!’ (laughing). And then all the guys in the VFW (came over).”
Jon Bon Jovi’s Road to Recovery
Bon Jovi’s surgery and recovery is one part of the broader band story covered in the upcoming four-part docuseries Thank You, Goodnight, debuting on Hulu April 26.
“My voice was broken. And I had to go and seek someone out for something that’s not commonplace in vocal surgery,” the singer revealed. “And it was scary. So these last couple years have been that journey.”
The latest chapter in that journey also includes a new album, Forever, which comes out June 7.
Jon Bon Jovi Explains How Bruce Springsteen Helped Him