WATCH: Bon Jovi reunite with Richie Sambora & Alec John Such at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Bon Jovi were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday night (14th April).
As previously confirmed, guitarist and co-founding member Richie Sambora and early bassist Alec John Such reunited with the New Jersey rockers at the lavish ceremony.
Bon Jovi were introduced on stage at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium by radio DJ Howard Stern, who, alongside some typical sardonic wit, heaped praise on his close friends.
Stern said: “It's an honour to be here tonight, ladies and gentlemen. I've known them since they've started, and aside from the incredible music accomplishments, they are some of the nicest men I ever met.
“No stupid rock and roll attitude, just humble and gracious. Whenever I would see them over the years, even with multi-platinum success, they each had a smile on their face in a welcoming way. An appreciation for their craft and their fans.”
During his acceptance speech, Richie Sambora said: “I gotta say thank you to everybody in this band because, the hardest thing to do, I believe, is to find four guys with yourself that will go through anything, that will work hard, that'll go crazy, whatever it took. And we did that for a really long time. But boy, was it fun. If I wrote a book, it would be the best time I ever had.”
Following words from Alec John Such, Hugh McDonald, Tico Torres and David Bryan, Jon Bon Jovi brought things to a close with a sprawling speech.
“I’ve been writing a speech like this since I first strummed a broom and sang from the top of the stairs of my childhood home,” he said at the start.
“I’ve written it many ways and many times. Some days, I write the “thank you” speech. Other days, I write the “f*** you” speech. Writing it has been therapeutic in a lot of ways. I certainly see things differently tonight than I would have 10, 20, 30 years ago. In the end, it’s really all about time.”
Jon ended his gargantuan speech by saying: “I thank my lucky stars for the time I got to spend with each of you. Alec, Richie, Hugh, Tico, David. To you, to us, to you all.
“Tonight, the band that agreed to do me a favour stands before you. So I can say thank you all for making this dream a reality.”
Following the speech, Bon Jovi performed four songs for the audience – ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’, ‘It's My Life’, ‘When We Were Us’ and ‘Livin' on a Prayer’.
You can watch fan-filmed footage of Livin' On A Prayer below: