Bon Jovi in Winter

Bon Jovi has been one of the biggest bands in the world for four decades. Now, they’re telling their incredible story in the Hulu four-part documentary, Thank you, Goodnight–The Bon Jovi Story. It’s compelling stuff, chock full of nostalgia, insider band info and rollicking anthems. If you’re Jovi-head, you probably know most of the stories, but you’ll enjoy hearing them again in this fancy format. And yes, Richie Sambora, Jovi’s Keith Richards, finally tells his side of things. It has been more than a decade since Richie abruptly left the band for personal reasons. In 2022, sadly, founding bassist Alec John Such died of a sudden heart attack. They dedicate the doc to him.

Thank you, Goodnight is a victory lap, albeit a very sobering one.

The doc jump starts in 2022, still in Covid’s flame. But Jovi is soldiering on, preparing for a 15-city tour, a dry run for a 40^th anniversary mega tour, hopefully. At 60, Jon Bon Jovi, the band’s founder-CEO-lead singer, is feeling his age. He’s grayer, slower and his voice isn’t cooperating. Jon’s receiving all sorts of vocal therapy, including laser treatment, but it’s not enough. Surgery is a possibility but so is retirement. The doc jumps back and forth between preparation for their milestone tour and their past glories. Throughout, the nagging question is: will Jon Bon Jovi ever be able to tour again?

Jon Bon Jovi, the son of a barber, was born into modest means in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. After a no-nonsense neighbor taught him to play guitar, Jon set his sights on rock stardom. Before he was of drinking age, he was energetically performing Southside Johnny and Bruce Springsteen covers at the Fast Lane on the Jersey Shore. One glorious night, Bruce joined him on stage for a rendition of “The Promised Land.”  But singing covers was a dead end, so Jon started writing his own material.

Jon landed a gopher job at the Power Station, the legendary recording studio, where a distant cousin was a producer. In between errands, Jon produced the single, “Runaway,” which he hand-delivered to DJs. Soon, Jon had a record deal. Now, he just needed a band. He knew keyboardist David Bryan from his cover bands. Guitarist Richie, bassist Alec and drummer Tico Torres were respected veteran Jersey musicians. Jon’s last name became the band’s name because, well, that worked for Van Halen. Also, Jon Bon Jovi was Bon Jovi and vice versa.

Bon Jovi toured relentlessly, but there were hiccups. They bombed their Garden debut, an opening slot for ZZ Top, and their first two albums sold but didn’t dominate. For their third album, they made key adjustments. Jon brought in a new producer (Bruce Fairbairn) and a killer co-writer (Desmond Child).

Slippery When Wet and its follow-up New Jersey made Bon Jovi a household name.

Platinum albums and sold-out stadium shows became the norm. And it was all relatively scandal free, at least compared to say Motley Crue. However, there was some turbulence. They let go bassist Alec for performance issues. And the band had to bail out their manager, Doc McGhee, arrested for drug smuggling.

Isn’t it the band manager that’s supposed to bail the band out?

As part of a plea deal, Bon Jovi participated in something called the Moscow Music Peace Festival, yes, in Russia. All that aside, Bon Jovi was primed to peacock like Jagger into their golden years.

But in 2013, midtour, the bottom fell out.

Richie quit. He says he wanted more time with his daughter. The doc also mentions alcohol abuse and a tiff over a guitar solo as contributing factors. Another reason, which it doesn’t explicitly state: Richie was just flat out tired of playing second fiddle to Jon. Remarkably, the band didn’t postpone or cancel a single concert  because of Richie’s absence.  Jon has always found a way to keep the trains on schedule and the shows popular–without the crutch of phony farewell or reunion tours.

Next month, Bon Jovi releases yet another album, Forever. However, it’s unclear if Jon’s voice, even after surgery, will be up for touring. At the very least, Thank you, Good Night is an impressive addition to their already lengthy resume.