Courtesy of Rock & Roll hall of FameBon Jovi fans were upset when, five years ago, guitarist Richie Sambora left the band mid-tour. But Sambora will be rejoining Jon Bon Jovi and the rest of the guys on April 14, when the group is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Richie says everything’s cool with his former band mates.
Speaking to Billboard, Sambora says, “It feels great to see everybody. We already rehearsed and it was wonderful, it wasn’t awkward. The chemistry came back very quickly; it’s matrixed into our muscle memory at this point.”
He adds, “If you’re on the road performing and touring for 30 years, [the Rock Hall ceremony] is just another cycle — and it’s a good one, so here we go.” As for whether he misses that busy cycle he experienced as a member of Bon Jovi, Richie says, “No — but the memories are good.”
Bon Jovi’s reunion at the Rock Hall ceremony in Cleveland also will include former bass player Alec John Such, who left the band in 1993. “Everybody falls back into place,” Richie notes.
Bon Jovi is being inducted along with The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, and the late Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. This year, Bon Jovi received more fan votes than any other nominee, and Sambora is aware that his band would be nowhere without the fans.
“This award is all about them, because without them, there would be no Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. There would be no music business,” he tells Billboard.
An HBO special featuring highlights of the 2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will premiere May 5.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, Sambora will be releasing a collaborative studio album with his girlfriend, Australian guitar whiz Orianthi, called Radio Free America on May 11.
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