Jon Bon Jovi has revealed he had major surgery done on his vocal cords. The revelation, which came after fans and critics wondered about the state of his voice on Bon Jovi's 2022 tour ,came during the Pollstar Live! conference on Wednesday.
Bon Jovi told the conference, "I've had major reconstructive surgery in my vocal cords, and I never had anything like this, ever. So it's been a difficult road, but I found a doctor in Philadelphia who did something called a medialization, because one of my cords was literally atrophied." That means having lost effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect.
Medialization is when a paralyzed or damaged vocal cord is moved to the middle so that the healthy vocal cord can regain normal function. He said he needed the procedure because his "strong vocal cord was literally taking what was left of the weak one. So they put a plastic implant in, and for the last two years now, I've been in this rehab, getting it back together. But I'm getting very close."
The four songs that Bon Jovi sang at the MusiCares tribute last Friday night were the first he's performed since the surgery. He added that while he's on his way to recovery, he's not sure if he'll be able to return to touring. "We have a brand new record that I'm very excited about. And the hope is that I get to go out and celebrate it this time, because I'm so excited by it. But if I can't do it at a level to which I've grown accustomed, then there's no harm in that."
You can see video of one of the performance below where he was really struggling.