Jon Bon Jovi recently revisited one of the most uncomfortable moments of his career—being unexpectedly pulled on stage to sing his band’s legendary anthem “Livin’ on a Prayer” at a wedding.
The incident dates back to 2016, when Bon Jovi was attending a friend’s son’s wedding in Florida. Content to simply relax and celebrate, he found himself in the spotlight when the wedding band suddenly launched into a jazzy rendition of his 1986 classic. A viral video of the moment, which has now surpassed 16 million views on YouTube, captures the exact second his smile faded as singer Lourdes Valentin approached him with a microphone.
Despite his obvious reluctance, the rock star eventually gave in and joined the band on stage, offering a hesitant, jazz-tinged take on the stadium anthem that’s usually belted out to roaring crowds.
Speaking in a recent interview with Magic Radio while promoting Bon Jovi’s latest album Forever, he recalled the moment as one of the most awkward times he’s ever heard his music played.
“The first one that comes to mind, which is tragic,” he admitted, “was at a friend’s son’s wedding years ago. The band wanted me to sing, and I really didn’t want to. I told them, ‘If you’re going to play something, at least pick from these songs.’ But then the trumpet player tried to mimic the bass line of Livin’ on a Prayer—and the whole band went with it. So instead of that iconic bass line—‘boom, boom, boom’—I had one lonely trumpet trying to pull it off. It was painful. If it wasn’t my friend’s kid, I never would’ve gone along with it.”
Awkward trumpet solo aside, Bon Jovi powered through the performance. Today, though, his focus is firmly on the charts, as Forever—the band’s 16th studio album—is currently in a nail-biting race for the UK’s Number 1 spot, trailing pop star Charli XCX by just 1,300 units.
