Jon Bon Jovi abruptly ended his performance at Madison Square Garden on Thursday as he struggled to make it to the end of his performance.
The 64-year-old rock icon was performing on the eighth night of his nine-date residency at MSG in New York as part of his “Forever” tour when he said he had to stop the show after performing his 1986 hit “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
“I’m so sorry, I’m hurt and you can’t get over me,” an eyewitness told Page Six he told the audience.
“Don’t throw away the ticket stubs, I’ll think of something, okay?” he continued. “Just wait, we’ll figure out how to reschedule the meeting.”
Jon Bon Jovi (pictured performing at Madison Square Garden on July 21) abruptly ended his performance on Thursday, July 23 at MSG. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bon Jovi
“I’m sorry, I’m hurt, and you don’t get the better of me,” an eyewitness told Page Six, the rocker told the audience. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi added before leaving the stage: “But I’ll have to cool down for the evening. I feel great.”
Representatives for the “It’s My Life” singer told Page Six in a statement: “Bon Jovi’s concert at Madison Square Garden ended after 90 minutes tonight.”
“Jon Bon Jovi took the stage and told fans he was battling a sinus infection, which led to the show ending early,” the post continued. “As part of Bon Jovi’s residency at Madison Square Garden, John said many times that it was a joy to be back to see the band perform live.”
The statement said: “Updated information will be available shortly.”
Fans on social media were quick to share their support for Bon Jovi.
Jon Bon Jovi advised spectators to save their tickets and try to reschedule the date. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bon Jovi
“But I’ll have to refrigerate it overnight,” he told concertgoers, adding that he “feels great” before leaving the stage. Getty Images for Bon Jovi
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“It must have broken his heart to have to end it early,” one person wrote, while another added: “Heartbreaking end to the show (seeing what it meant to him) but having flown all the way from the UK for it I was still shocked!!”
The “Forever” tour will be the band’s first since its frontman underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022.
“There is a lot of joy in this announcement—joy that we get to share these nights with our amazing fans and joy that the band can be together,” Bon Jovi said in a statement kicking off the tour.
“I’m lucky that I can shine the light on the audience every night and stand in their reflection, getting a tremendous collective experience – I can stand in WE at our concerts,” he added.
The music icon’s Forever Tour will be his first tour since he underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bon Jovi
Thursday’s performance was the eighth night of Bon Jovi’s nine-show residency at MSG. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bon Jovi
In 2024, he told the Sunday Times that he might never sing live again after surgery on his vocal cords if he couldn’t sing at the level he was used to.
But he told People magazine last month that he had “fully recovered.”
“It took longer than I ever expected, but it had to be right. We never lost faith,” he told the magazine.
The father of four said the health crisis had taught him to live in the moment.
“I used to always have my nose to the grindstone, always keep my head down, thinking about tomorrow, never living for today,” he explained. “It made me not only live for today, but also appreciate every moment of today that is still here.”