They’ve seen a million faces, and they’ve rocked them all…and now it’s official: Bon Jovi will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The famed rock band, who rose to fame in the ’80s and is led by Jon Bon Jovi, joins Dire Straits, the Moody Blues, the Cars and the late Nina Simone in the class of 2018. In addition, the late Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be honored with an Early Influence award. The news was announced on Wednesday.
“Hey everybody, just wanted to say hi, wish you all a happy holiday and, oh yeah, by the way, thank you,” Jon said in a video message posted on Instagram, as Bon Jovi’s 1986 hit “Wanted Dead or Alive” is played in the background.
Inductees are chosen by fans via online voting. 2018 Rock Hall nominees who were not chosen included Depeche Mode, the Eurythmics, Judas Priest and Radiohead.
Bon Jovi has been eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2008 and has only been nominated once before, in 2011. Fans have long rallied for the group to get in.
“Thanks for inducting us into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Long time coming, but it’s finally here,” he said. “We’ll see you guys in Cleveland. Thanks for all the memories and all the history we continue to make together.”
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies often see band reunions. Fans are hoping guitarist Richie Sambora who has not performed with Bon Jovi since he left the band’s Because We Can tour in 2013, and original bassist Alec John Such, who left the group in 1994, will take the stage with Jon and the rest of the band members.
“Oh yeah,” Sambora told Variety. “I have no problem playing. None.”
“I had envisioned for 20 years, if this day had come, to call Alec Such, wherever he is—I gotta put the Bat Signal up in the sky somewhere to find him. The same invite will absolutely be extended to Richie,” Jon said on the SiriusXM show Feedback. “I think that everybody who helped me and us get to this place should celebrate the moment. He’s absolutely invited to join us onstage with the current guys.”
“They are a huge part of us,” drummer Tico Torres told Rolling Stone about Sambora and Such. “We’d love it if they played with us.”
“The idea is that it’s a celebration of what we were and what we are,” keyboardist David Bryanadded. “You’ll see the current lineup and then see the original. It should be a fun night.”
In addition, if Dire Straits performs at the ceremony, it would mark the British group’s first performance since their 1992 split.
Bon Jovi, Dire Straits, and the rest of the class of 2018 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14 in Cleveland.
Source: E News
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