Watch Bon Jovi Play ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ From ‘Live in New York’
Madison Square Garden is Valhalla for most rock bands, but it’s practically become a second home to Bon Jovi over the years. Now, in a preview shared exclusively with UCR, you can watch the band rip through “Livin’ on a Prayer” from an HD version of its 2008 Live in New York concert film, which will be available to stream in full on Qello Concerts next week.
You can watch the clip below.
Qello, a streaming service that specializes in concert films and music documentaries, will air Bon Jovi’s Live in New York next Monday through the end of the week as part of its Qello Concerts World Tour series. The three-week showcase comprises an array of live performances across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas, featuring Elton John, Madonna, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Kiss and many more.
Bon Jovi previously released the Live in New York footage on the 2009 Live at Madison Square DVD. Various versions of it exist on YouTube, but this is the first time the concert is readily available to watch online in HD.
The preview clip from Bon Jovi’s Live in New York shows frontman Jon Bon Jovi leading a packed Madison Square Garden crowd in an a cappella sing-along of the “Livin’ on a Prayer” chorus. “It don’t get any better than that,” he says, flashing a megawatt grin as the full band breaks into the chart-topping anthem.
“Livin’ on a Prayer” was the second single off Bon Jovi’s landmark third album, Slippery When Wet. Both that song and its preceding single, “You Give Love a Bad Name,” shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and turned Bon Jovi into one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
Amusingly, Bon Jovi didn’t even realize the potential of his band’s signature song at first. "I remember walking out of the room with [guitarist] Richie [Sambora], and I said, ‘Eh, it’s okay. Maybe we should just put it on a movie soundtrack,’” the singer recently told The Irish Times. “Richie looked at me and said, ‘You’re an idiot. It’s really good.’"
The singer clearly came around to the smash hit, which he said "bought a lot of people houses." He added, "I’m sure happy my name’s on it!”