Jon Bon Jovi says he will quit touring if his singing is "not great" after having throat surgery.
The 62-year-old rock star is still in vocal therapy after undergoing surgery in 2022 and is "good" with the idea of quitting life on the road if he discovers things are not up to scratch.
He said: "It’s the parallel storyline, right? This is the first time I’m saying this. If the singing is not great, if I can’t be the guy I once was … then I’m done. And I’m good with that. There is a big difference between being in a studio and going out on the road. We have just recorded a new album. I sing in vocal therapy every day. But I want to perform for two and a half hours a night, four nights a week — and I know how good I can be, so if I can’t be that guy … put it this way, I don’t ever need to be the fat Elvis."
But the Bon Jovi star and lead singer then confessed he will be "crushed" if it does turn out that he is no longer able to perform live even though ultimately his wish is to be able to look back on four decades of his rock band with "appreciation" for everything.
The band - which also includes drummer Tico Torres, keyboardist David Bryan and guitarists Phil X and Hugh McDonald - are known for their iconic hits like Livin' On A Prayer, Dead or Alive and Always.
In the UK they hold the record for the band with the most Top 10 singles never to reach Number 1, with 18 Top 10s to their name. They also have 17 Top 10 albums in the UK and global record sales of 120 million.
Jon told the Sunday Times Culture magazine: "I can tell you that 60 is different from 50 and my current concern is that I’m going to forget how to sing. I’ll be crushed if I can’t sing live again, but what does a quarterback do when faced with the last ball he’ll ever throw?
"That’s the situation I’m in. I want to look back on 40 years of Bon Jovi, look forward to the new album and appreciate everything. That’s my hope: to find joy in it all."
Jon gave the interview as he began to promote Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, a new four part documentary series coming to Disney+ to tell the story of the band.
Despite some of the band members battling with drink and drugs, with longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora leaving in 2013, the story starts with how Bon Jovi felt compelled to leave New Jersey, New York's less glamorous neighbour, to make his mark on the world with rock music. It is an uplifting rise to the top of the charts.
Asked about his drive, Jon added: "Some of it is upbringing, because my mother was the one who said, you can do it.
"The drinking age also had a lot to do with it. Back then it was 18 in New Jersey, so you could sneak into a bar at 16, and chase the dream of being in a band without any overarching responsibilities. The third reason was simple. I wasn't the greatest singer, guitarist, songwriter. For that reason I worked harder than I had to, to be better than I was."
Jon married wife Dorothea in 1989. They have four children; daughter Stephanie, 30, and sons Jesse, 29, Jake, 21, and Romeo, 20.
The family also has Millie Bobby Brown, the 20-year-old actress who starred in Stranger Things, in its clan as she got engaged to Bon Jovi's son Jake last year.
* Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story is on Disney+ from April 26.
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