Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2013.
David Bergman/Hulu
hide caption
change caption
David Bergman/Hulu
Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, in 2013.
David Bergman/Hulu
Hulu's docuseries Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Storyspends a lot of time building the Bon Jovi legend – exploring the band's almost unbelievable four-decade run, from playing hardscrabble rock clubs in New Jersey to earning platinum albums and entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
But what moved me most in the four-part series was something more revealing: the close-up look at singer Jon Bon Jovi's struggle to overcome vocal problems, which almost led him to quit the band.
Footage of the singer doing vocal exercises, undergoing laser treatments, acupuncture and ultimately turning to surgery is scattered throughout the series, which switches back and forth between his 2022 struggles and a chronological narrative of the band's triumphs and tragedies from the early days. .
Refuse to be fat Elvis
Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank you good night.
Disney/Hulu
hide caption
change caption
Disney/Hulu
Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank you good night.
Disney/Hulu
Despite all this, the question still lingers: Will Bon Jovi ever regain enough vocal power to headline a 40th anniversary tour?
“If I can't be the very best, I'm out,” he tells the cameras, still looking a bit boyish at 62 despite his voluminous gray hair. “I'm not here to drag down the legacy. , I'm not here for the 'Where are they now?' tour…I'll never be Fat Elvis…That's not happening.”
Filmmaker Gotham Chopra – who also directed docuseries about his father, spiritualist Deepak Chopra and star quarterback Tom Brady – digs deep into the band's history, aided by a boatload of photos, video footage and early recordings provided by the group.
Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank you good night
Disney/Hulu
hide caption
change caption
Disney/Hulu
Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank you good night
Disney/Hulu
Chopra has invited people from the group's close circle to speak out, including former manager Doc McGhee and guitarist Richie Sambora, who left the band in 2013. (“Are we going to play the truth, or are we going to lie, what are we going to do?” Sambora cracks at his off-screen interviewer. “Let's find out.”)
But anyone expecting a gossipy dish will walk away disappointed. Even major scandals in the band's history are handled with care, including the 1994 firing of founding bassist Alec John Such (and the admission that his replacement, Hugh McDonald, had been secretly playing bass parts on their albums for years), drummer Tico Torres' stint in addiction treatment and Sambora's decision to quit mid-tour in 2013, without notice to the band members he had performed with for three decades.
Sambora's explanation: When substance abuse and family issues caused him to miss recording sessions, Bon Jovi got producer John Shanks to play more guitar on their 2013 record. What about now. And Sambora got hurt.
“[Bon Jovi] I had it all kind of planned,” Sambora says, “which basically meant I could do it without you.”
Building a bond on rock songs
Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil
Disney/Hulu
hide caption
change caption
Disney/Hulu
Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil
Disney/Hulu
The docuseries shows how young New Jersey native John Bongiovi turned a job as a gofer at the legendary recording studio The Power Station – owned by a cousin – into recording his first hit in the early 1980s. Run away. His song eventually caught the attention of another little-known New Jersey artist, Bruce Springsteen.
“The first demo I got from Jon was a good song,” says Springsteen, a longtime friend of Bon Jovi. “I mean, Jon's great talent is these big, powerful pop-rock choruses that beg to be sung by, you know, 20,000 people in an arena.”
Thank you good night shows that the band really took off by honing the rock anthems with songwriter Desmond Child, while simultaneously developing videos that showcased their status as a fun, compelling live band. Hits like You give love a bad name and live on prayer And Wanted dead or alive made them MTV darlings and rock superstars.
Through it all, the singer and bandleader is shown as the visionary and spark plug of the group, open about how strategically he pushed the band to write hit songs and position them for commercial success.
“It wasn't like I woke up one morning and was the best singer in school, or in the street, or at my house,” he tells the camera, laughing. “I just had a desire and a work ethic that was always the driving force.”
I saw that dynamic up close in the mid-1990s when I worked as a music critic in New Jersey and spent time with Jon Bon Jovi and the band. At the time, his mother ran the group's fan club and was always trying to convince the local rock critic to write about her superstar son. I was fascinated by the way the band shook off criticisms of being uncool and survived changing musical trends, led by a frontman who worked hard to stay grounded.
Bon Jovi was always friendly and willing to talk; he even introduced me to then-New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman at one of his legendary Christmas charity concerts. (And by some crazy coincidence, the band's backup singer, Everett Bradley, is an old friend from college.)
I think the docuseries reflects Bon Jovi's skill at leading the group through musical and other challenges — from metal's slow disappearance from the charts to the rise of grunge rock — something the singer rarely gets credit for.
Still a lot of it Thank you good night feels like an extended celebration of the band and its charismatic frontman, leavened by his earnest attempt to regain control of his voice. If you're not a Bon Jovi fan, four episodes of this story may seem a bit much (I recommend you watch at least the first and last episodes).
Most of all, the docuseries feels like an extended argument for something Bon Jovi has struggled to achieve, even amid millions of record sales and top-grossing concert tours: respect as a legendary rock band.
The audio and digital versions of this story have been edited by Jennifer Vanasco.
