Bon Jovi surprises fans at Rock Hall of Fame

4/13/2018
BY BRIAN DUGGER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
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    Jon Bon Jovi looks at the crowd before presenting a speech on Friday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

    THE BLADE/BRIAN DUGGER
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    • Fans take pictures as Bon Jovi and The Moody Blues arrive Friday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
    Fans take pictures as Bon Jovi and The Moody Blues arrive Friday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

    CLEVELAND — Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions weekend got kicked off with a lot of squeals Friday afternoon.

    Jon Bon Jovi and bandmates Richie Sambora and David Bryan surprised visitors to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, first appearing for a studio interview, then gliding down an escalator to a ceremony on the third floor, where a plaque with names and signatures of this year’s Hall of Fame class was unveiled.

    There were bursts of howls and screams as Bon Jovi made his way through the crowd to the stage.

    After being introduced by Rock & Rock Hall of Fame CEO Greg Harris, Bon Jovi thanked the hall for being inducted.

    ”Any kid who strums a guitar dreams of making a record. Every kid who makes a record dreams of having fame. And every guy who has a minute of fame dreams of having more immortality than any of us will ever know,” Bon Jovi said. “We are thrilled. We are honored. And it’s about [expletive] time.”

     

    Saturday night, Bon Jovi will headline this year’s inductees class to the Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Public Hall that begins at 7:30 p.m. Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be honored. Bon Jovi, The Cars, and The Moody Blues are expected to perform in the concert, which will be aired on May 5 on HBO.

    Prior to Bon Jovi’s speech, Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues addressed the crowd.

    "We're all very grateful to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for being the temple for all the music we loved growing up. It means a lot to us as a group, and it means a lot to all of the people who love our music,” Hayward said. “Once they opened some of the voting to the fans, it was like a stampede. It was just a matter of time before we got in. It means a lot to us. Thank you, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

     

    Contact Brian Dugger at bdugger@theblade.com or on Twitter @DuggerBlade.