Jon Bon Jovi looked as if he had barely aged since his band’s heyday in the 1980s and ’90s when he attended the premiere of a new docuseries at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
The 62-year-old rocker was joined by the rest of his eponymous band Bon Jovi to catch a screening of Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.
The four-part Hulu series, which debuts on April 26, features interviews with the bandmates and charts the legendary groups ups and downs and continued success.
Jon Bon Jovi (real name: John Bongiovi) graced the festival shortly after sharing an update on his relationship with former Bon Jovi member Richie Sambora.
The frontman admitted to Ultimate Classic Rock that he and the guitarist are ‘not in contact’ anymore now that Sambora is officially out of the band, though Sambora said last year that he hoped to kick off a reunion with the older lineup.
Jon Bon Jovi looked as if he had barely aged since his band’s heyday in the 1980s and ’90s when he attended the premiere of a new docuseries at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas
The 62-year-old rocker was joined by the rest of his eponymous band Bon Jovi to catch a screening of Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. It comes after he revealed that he and ex-guitarist Richie Sambora no longer speak to each other; seen in 2013
Jon’s hair may have been significantly grayer than it used to be, but he still had an impressively thick head of it as he arrived on the red carpet.
He wore a simple black shirt and slim matching pants that emphasized his fit frame, and he contrasted the dark look with a cool cream-colored leather motorcycle jacket.
The singer–songwriter wore chunky black shoes with vibrant red soles, and he looked too cool for school with a set of aviator sunglasses.
The premiere was a family affair, and he brought members of the current Bon Jovi lineup.
Keyboardist David Bryan rocked out in a black leather and denim jacket with matching T-shirt and jeans.
He had on chunky sunglasses and had long frizzy hair that would have fit back in the 1980s.
Drummer Tico Torres kept things casual in a black button-up jacket and matching black pants.
Phil X, who took over guitar duties after Richie Sambora’s exit, wore a thin black suit coat and a pinstripe vest with ragged black pants and matching boots.
Multi-instrumentalist Everett Bradley looked classy in a charcoal sport coat.
Jon’s hair may be grayer than it used to be, but he still had an impressively thick head of it as he hit the red carpet. He wore a black shirt and slim matching pants that emphasized his fit frame, and he contrasted the dark look with a cool cream-colored leather motorcycle jacket
Keyboardist David Bryan rocked out in a black leather and denim jacket with matching T-shirt and jeans
He had on chunky sunglasses and had long frizzy hair that would have fit back in the 1980s
Drummer Tico Torres kept things casual in a black button-up jacket and matching black pants
Phil X, who took over guitar duties after Richie Sambora’s exit, wore a thin black suit coat and a pinstripe vest with ragged black pants and matching boots
Multi-instrumentalist Everett Bradley looked classy in a charcoal sport coat
They were also joined by John Shanks (second to left), who plays guitars. He stood out in a gray jacket
Bassist Hugh McDonald (third to left) looked cool in a black leather biker jacket
Bon Jovi revelaed he is ‘not in contact’ with Richie Sambora in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock
They were also joined by John Shanks, who plays guitars. He stood out in a gray jacket.
Bassist Hugh McDonald looked cool in a black leather biker jacket.
The premiere comes after Bon Jovi cleared up his relationship with one of his formerly close collaborators, Richie Sambora.
He handled the bulk of lead guitar duties from the band’s founding in 1983 until he suddenly left the group just before a show on its 2013 tour to reportedly spend more time with his family.
But even 11 years after that tumultuous event, Bon Jovi still isn’t on speaking terms with Sambora.
‘We’re not in contact because he’s not in the organization any longer,’ the singer explained to Ultimate Classic Rock.
‘Doesn’t mean that there’s not love forever,’ he quickly clarified, ‘but it’s 11 years ago that he just didn’t show up anymore.
‘And there were emotional issues that he was dealing with as a single dad, and there were substance abuse issues that, you know…’ he added, trailing off.
Sambora departed the band with little explanation just before a show on April 2, 2013, in Calgary, Canada.
Ultimately it came down to a matter of reliability, which he illustrated with a comparison to Richie’s successor, guitarist Phil X.
‘Phil X had to show up one time, and then Phil X had to show up another time. And then, again, there’s a show that night. What are we gonna do?’
The frontman also clarified that he and Sambora didn’t communicate at all about the upcoming docuseries.
‘Doesn’t mean that there’s not love forever,’ he quickly clarified, ‘but it’s 11 years ago that he just didn’t show up anymore’; seen in 2011
‘And there were emotional issues that he was dealing with as a single dad, and there were substance abuse issues that, you know…’ he added, trailing off; pictured in 2009
Bon Jovi added that neither spoke to each other for the docuseries or filmed interviews together, and he claimed they didn’t pull strings with the director; pictured in 2009
‘Not a word,’ he said. ‘This wasn’t a puff piece and this was no bulls***. This is not us behind the scenes pulling strings. Oh, no, no, no,’ he declared. ‘They interviewed Richie in London. I wasn’t there. I had nothing to do with it. No, I still haven’t seen the [finished] product.’
Despite the former conflict with his ex-bandmate, Bon Jovi still loves playing music with his long-running band.
‘What matters to me anymore is just being here with my friends, writing the song I want to write, living the life I want to live,’ he continued.
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story premieres on April 26 on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally.
