Bon Jovi to play Hayarkon Park in October

This ain’t a gig for the broken- hearted.

By LIOR PHILLIPS
Jon Bon Jovi (photo credit: REUTERS)
Jon Bon Jovi
(photo credit: REUTERS)
This ain’t a gig for the broken- hearted.
The Bluestone Group and international promoter Marcel Avram, responsible for bringing an eclectic mix of artists such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and One Republic to Israel, made it official on Tuesday, announcing that legendary American rockers Bon Jovi will perform for the first time in Israel on Saturday, October 3 at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park.
At a press conference at Tel Aviv’s Dan Hotel, the promoters said that tickets ranging from NIS 350 (grass) to NIS 950 (Golden Circle) and NIS 1,100 (VIP) go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, from 6 p.m.
With an solid career spanning 30 years and 12 iconic studio albums spurring a whopping 130 million records sold, the New Jersey-based band led by vocalist Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora have emerged out of the Garden State shadow of Bruce Springsteen to become one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.
According to the promoters, the band will be performing its chart-toppers, including “It’s My Life,” “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Livin On A Prayer” and the Grammy award-winning “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”
In a statement prepared for the press conference, Bon Jovi said, “We’ve toured around the world performing over 2,900 concerts in more than 50 countries and today I am excited to announce that for the first time ever we are performing in Tel Aviv. See you on October 3.”
“I’m sure it will be the show of the year,” said Avram. “I have had the honor to present Bon Jovi for 25 years, and while I thought my previous show bringing Robbie Williams to Israel was the show of the year, that was the past and now we look to the future.”
When asked about the boycott pressure brought on performers who are signed to come to Israel, Avram stated that Jon Bon Jovi was happy to come, because he had always wanted to perform in Israel.
“Jon Bon Jovi couldn’t care less. He is not the first or the last one to come to Israel... We are a proud country where a lot of people enjoy music, everyone wants to perform in Israel,” said Avram, adding that the band changed its touring schedule to accommodate the performance, starting out the tour in Asia and ending up in Tel Aviv.