News Segment

BON JOVI EYEING SHOW ON MILITARY BASE:

October 18, 2005

CLEVELAND (Billboard) – With another world tour slated to begin November 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, Bon Jovi has hunkered down at New Jersey military base Fort Monmouth to rehearse. Guitarist Richie Sambora told Billboard.com the band hopes to show its appreciation by performing a special military personnel-only show later this week.

“The Army guys were kind enough to give us their big theater they have there, and at the end of the rehearsals, we’re going to do a show for all of the (soldiers) and their families,” Sambora said. “It’s not open to the public. We’re just doing anything we can do. Really, it’s just any time you can give back to those guys who are out there fighting for our freedom, for God’s sakes.”

While it remains to be confirmed, the show could be broadcast on the Armed Forces Network and cybercast on AOL.

Sambora recently showed his support for the troops by performing at “Rockin’ the Corps,” which was taped in the spring at Camp Pendleton and is out now on CD/DVD. Among the other performers were Destiny’s Child, Hootie & the Blowfish, Godsmack, Ted Nugent, KISS and Cedric the Entertainer.

“My father-in-law was a U.S. Marine colonel, and he was stationed on the base that we played at,” Sambora said. “There were about 68,000 Marines and families. We were raising money because when these kids go away and then come home in a body bag, their family gets $12,000 and they get kicked off the base a month later.”

Guitarist Sambora, who said Bon Jovi plans to tour through next summer in support of the Island album “Have a Nice Day,” already is planning to record his third solo album sometime next year.

“About two weeks before I left (to promote the new album), God just hit the creative gas pedal on me and I wrote like 14 new songs,” Sambora said. “So I have an album sitting in my pocket.”

While a street date remains far off, Sambora plans to invite a few familiar names to participate in the project.

“I always have a great bunch of guys coming in,” Sambora said. “On my first album (1991’s ‘Stranger in This Town’), I had Eric Clapton and Tony Levin from (Peter) Gabriel’s band. And the last record (1998’s ‘Undiscovered Soul’) had Steven Tyler and Billy Preston. So it’s whoever is around that week that I’m recording in the studio. You never know what is going to happen.”

Courtesy of www.billboard.com