Bon Jovi to kick off 2019 European tour in Moscow, first show in Russia in 30 years

The American rock band Bon Jovi will launch their 2019 European tour with a concert at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on May 31, head of the SAV Entertainment concert agency Nadezhda Solovyova told TASS.

The band will be coming back to Moscow for the first time in 30 years, she stressed.

"Finally, we can announce Bon Jovi’s concert at Luzhniki on May 31. We think that this is an absolutely historic event, because they were here (in Moscow) only once and that was 30 years ago," she pointed out.

According to her, Bon Jovi’s management insisted on holding the show at the very stadium where the musicians performed in 1989 as part of the Moscow World Music Festival.

The European leg of the band’s 2019 world tour will include 42 concerts. The set lists will vary depending on the popularity of particular songs in a particular country, the agency’s head said. In Moscow, Bon Jovi promised to perform such hits as "You Give Love a Bad Name", "It's My Life", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Bad Medicine" and "Livin' on a Prayer."

Tickets for the Moscow concert will go on sale October 31. Their price will be from 3,000 rubles ($46) to 20,000 rubles ($305) for VIP spots.
Bon Jovi then and now

Founded in 1983 in New Jersey, the band was named for its vocalist Jon Bon Jovi.

In 1986, the rockers earned widespread success and global recognition with their third album "Slippery When Wet," which sold over 20 million copies.

The band’s original lineup that also performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989 included: Jon Bon Jovi on vocals, Ritchie Sambora on guitar, Alec John Such on bass, David Bryan on keyboard, Tico Tores on drums.

The current lineup is made up of only three original band members - Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Tores and David Bryan. Bassist Hugh MacDonald has been with the band since the mid-90s, first as a session musician and in 2016 he became an official band member. Guitarist Phil X (or Phil Theofilos Xenidis) replaced Ritchie Sambora in the band in 2013. The concert lineup also includes second guitarist John Shanks and percussionist and backing vocalist Everett Bradley.

"We’ve become a new, rejuvenated Bon Jovi. A refreshed line up that kills every night. We sound better than ever and we’re enjoying every minute," the agency quoted Jon Bon Jovi’s statement.

Bon Jovi’s discography includes 13 studio albums. The latest one - "This House Is Not For Sale" - was released in 2016. In 2018, the renowned musical group was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.