Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen are a couple of the most famous music artists to hail from New Jersey, and the two stars also happen to be close friends. When Bon Jovi was starting out in the business, though, the Boss was one of his biggest musical inspirations.
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Bon Jovi recently made a guest DJ appearance on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio channel, during which he shared stories about Bruce and played some of his favorite Springsteen tunes.
One of the tales the 62-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer told was about the first time he ever shared a microphone with the Boss.
As Bon Jovi recalled, the incident occurred sometime around 1978 or ’79 when he was playing in the bar band the Atlantic City Expressway. The group specialized in covers of tunes by Springsteen and another local group, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
“[A] record by Bruce and The E Street Band came out [in 1978] called Darkness on the Edge of Town, and we were performing the song ‘[The] Promised Land,’” Jon remembered. “And as I was singing the song, I turned around, and as I turned around, sitting at the microphone with me to sing along was, in fact, Bruce. Now, for a kid that was still in high school, believe me, that was a Beatles moment.”
Bon Jovi Shared a “Full Circle” Moment with Springsteen
Bon Jovi explained that his first performance with Springsteen inspired a special moment that happened earlier in 2024, when Jon was honored as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Persen of the Year. Springsteen took part in the event, and joined Bon Jovi and his namesake band to perform a few tunes.
“He came as the band performed our latest single, ‘Legendary,’ and ‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home,’ which he’s performed with us many times,” Jon said. Bon Jovi then noted, “I broke into ‘The Promised Land,’ because … in a weird way, it was full circle. Here I was with … my hero once again like it was 1979, and he’s jumping on stage with me, but he’s jumping on stage now with me and the band some 40 years on.”
Bon Jovi Also Recalled the First Time He Saw Springsteen Play Live
Bon Jovi also talked about the memorable first time he saw Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert. The show took place in 1978 at the Spectrum arena in Philadelphia, during Bruce and his group’s tour in support of Darkness on the Edge of Town.
“They had been playing some theaters, but this was their first arena that I got an opportunity to go to,” Jon recalled. “And when they were playing ‘Spirits in the Night,’ [saxophonist] Clarence [Clemons] is blowing that horn and the solo happens, and by the time the solo ends, Bruce is up in the third tier sitting in the seats. I love that trick. I used that trick myself many years later, because I was like, ‘That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.’”
Bon Jovi also remembered being so excited when the band took the stage that he “broke out in a sweat.”
He compared it to how Springsteen has described being inspired to play music after seeing Elvis Presley and The Beatles for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show.
“[T]hat was my ticket to paradise and there was no turning back,” Bon Jovi noted. “That was the beginning of it all.”
Jon Bon Jovi’s guest DJ appearance on E Street Radio currently is available on demand via the SiriusXM app.
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