Jon Bon Jovi Joins in Chicago’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ Sing-Along
We've seen some great balcony performances from Italy during the coronavirus pandemic, but Saturday night (March 21) it was the city of Chicago's turn to show off their musical talents. Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" was the song of choice ... and none other than Jon Bon Jovi himself signed on to lend his support to the Facebook-launched event.
According to Logan Squarist, Rogers Park couple Rebecca Kell and Jenni Spinner planned the event after seeing some of the great videos from Italy. “My wife was inspired by the Italian videos,” Kell said of Spinner. “She also loves karaoke, and we miss karaoke a lot.”
She added that they were also looking to promote “some fun and unity in this time of stress and isolation.”
According to the event directions, Chicagoans were asked pull up the lyrics to the track and queue up the song on their player of choice, then at 7PM exactly, hit play and "sing your ass off." Word spread, with Facebook reporting that 8.4 thousand were listed as "going," while 11,000 checked in as "interested."
After hearing of the campaign, Jon Bon Jovi posted a video to Instagram, stating, "Hey Chicago! Heard we’re singing and I wanted to join in." Coronavirus has hit home for Bon Jovi, as the band's keyboardist David Bryan revealed Saturday that he had tested positive for coronavirus.
On top of what happened live at 7PM CT last night, a wealth of Chicago denizens posted video of their respective takes. Have a look at some of the submissions below and check out even more searching #chicagosingalong on Twitter.
"Livin' on a Prayer" initially surfaced on the band's breakout 1986 album, Slippery When Wet. The second single from the album became the group's first No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and their second consecutive No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 after "You Give Love a Bad Name." The song has been certified triple-platinum in the U.S.
Illinois is currently under a "stay-at-home order," but this no doubt lightened the spirits and entertained many in the Windy City.
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