On Friday, October 24, Bon Jovi released Forever (Legendary Edition), a reimagined version of the band’s 2024 studio effort, Forever. The new album boasts duets with various guest singers. One of the tracks, “Hollow Man,” features frontman Jon Bon Jovi joined by longtime friend and fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen.
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Springsteen trades verses and harmonizes with Jon on the track, and also contributes some harmonica.
The Bon Jovi frontman recently was interviewed for a special about the new album for SiriusXM’s Bon Jovi Radio channel. During the conversation, Jon discussed the writing of “Hollow Man” and how Bruce wound up contributing to the updated version.
The singer explained that “Hollow Man” was the first song he wrote for Forever. He also shared that he played demos of the tune and some of the other tracks he wrote for the album for Springsteen looking for some feedback.
“On ‘Hollow Man,’ [Bruce] called me the next day and he says, ‘I can’t get that one out of my head,’” Bon Jovi said. “And he goes, ‘There’s something really special.’ Now, you know, you’re talking to not only your childhood hero, but one of the great American songwriters of the last half century. And so that really stuck with me.”
Jon noted that when it came time to put together the Legendary Edition of Forever, “there was only one choice for me to ask … to do [‘Hollow Man.’]”
As he recalled, “I said [to Bruce,] ‘I’d like you to play a harmonica part, and I want it to be like that. You know, come and join my story.’ And so he said, ‘I got it. Just leave it to me.’”
More About Forever (Legendary Edition)
As previously reported, Forever (Legendary Edition) came together after Jon was forced to take a hiatus from touring while undergoing treatment for damaged vocal cords.
Bon Jovi enlisted Springsteen and other guest vocalists to sing with him on the updated Forever tracks. The 14-track collection includes contributions from Jelly Roll, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Lainey Wilson, Avril Lavigne, Marcus King, James Bay, and other noteworthy artists. It also features the new tune “Red, White & Jersey.”
Forever (Legendary Edition) is available now on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set, and via digital formats. Bon Jovi’s online store is selling two exclusive limited-edition versions of the vinyl set. One is pressed on blue vinyl and the other features a bonus 15th track titled “Fight Somebody.”
The original Forever album was released in June 2024. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The song “Legendary” was a Top-10 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Bon Jovi’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Earlier in October, Bon Jovi announced plans to finally tour in support of Forever in 2026.
The trek kicks off with a multiple-show engagement at Madison Square Garden in New York City that includes a just-announced fifth date. The concerts are scheduled for July 7, 9, 12, 14, and 16. The other tour dates are scheduled for August 28 in Edinburgh, U.K.; August 30 in Dublin; and September 4 in London.
Tickets for the New York City shows go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 31, at 10 a.m. ET at BonJovi.com. An artist pre-sale started on Monday, October 27.
Tickets to the U.K. and Ireland concerts go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 31, at 9 a.m. local time at BonJovi.com. Fans who order the Forever (Legendary Edition) album at Bon Jovi’s online store will have the chance to buy pre-sale tickets to the overseas shows starting Tuesday, October 28, at 9 a.m. local time.
Other pre-sale opportunities also will be available for all of the concerts, leading up to October 31.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
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