Jon Bon Jovi will debut a brand new song addressing the coronavirus crisis, he revealed Wednesday (April 15) on SiriusXM’s “Howard Stern Show.”
Calling in from his New Jersey home, Bon Jovi used the opportunity to promote his upcoming performance on the all-star “Jersey 4 Jersey” fundraiser. Scheduled for April 22 and organized by the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, the benefit will also feature Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Charlie Puth, SZA, Tony Bennett, Kelly Ripa, Jon Stewart, Danny Devito, Whoopi Goldberg, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock and more. The special, which airs locally at 7 p.m. and will also be simulcast on Apple Music and SiriusXM, will run one-hour.
Bon Jovi revealed that he will perform the song “Do What You Can,” which he unveiled on Instagram as a writing challenge to fans and an exercise to process this moment in time. Bon Jovi’s new album, “Bon Jovi: 2020” was set for a May 15 release, but the singer says the project is now delayed.
Said Bon Jovi: “I wrote a new song about the situation that we’re in, so I’m going to perform that in its entirety for the first time ever. And then of course I should do ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’ because it’s such an important song for so many people, and it brings us back to happier days.”
Bon Jovi added that the show, produced by Joel Gallen, who last month helmed the iHeart Living Room Concert Benefit on Fox, will be “all acoustic” performances from home. “Nobody has production. Nobody has anything. It’s me, by myself, with my guitar,” he said. “Yeah, that’s it.”
The telethon, which features stars who share Jersey roots, boasts an impressive lineup, a feat not lost on Bon Jovi. “To get Tony Bennett to do this was a huge thrill,” he said. “And to make sure that it was also diverse and young — SZA and Halsey and Charlie Puth made it well rounded. And there are guys who love and live for their roots in Jersey, like we do, and that’s DeVito and Stewart and Chris Rock.”
Adding to his charitable plate, Bon Jovi cracked that he’s the dishwasher with “the cleanest hands in New Jersey,” referring to the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen in Red Bank which he visits “five days a week.”
Asked about how Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March, is recovering, Bon Jovi said he “is doing better.”
He also shared a story about playing the forthcoming “Bon Jovi: 2020” album for Paul McCartney at his house. “I did the same thing at Christmas with Bruce [Springsteen],” Bon Jovi said.
Organized by the recently-launched New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF) under the banner “Jersey 4 Jersey,” the benefit will be broadcast on April 22 at 7 p.m. EST via Apple Music and AppleTV apps, E Street Radio on SiriusXM, local television stations WABC New York, WPVI, WPIX, News12 and NJTV as well as radio outlets including 1010 WINS, WCBS 880, CBS-FM, WFAN, New York’s Country 94.7, Alt 92.3, Q104.3 and others.
Said New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy in announcing the effort: “New Jersey is on the front lines of this pandemic, making it more important than ever for us to do what Jersey does best – take care of one another. That’s why we’re asking everyone in our state to join the NJPRF and some of New Jersey’s finest for some much-needed musical entertainment, levity and Jersey Pride during these unprecedented times.”