Central Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Bon Jovi Rocks The Great Lawn

Bon Jovi in Central Park
Photo courtesy of AP

Bon Jovi brought rock and roll back to Central Park this past Saturday night, July 12. The rock group performed a free concert in front of their adoring fans on the Great Lawn.

The Great Lawn was filled to the brink with fans singing along to the Grammy Award-winning rockers, led by Jon Bon Jovi. Commissioner Benepe welcomed the crowd with "Hello, New York!" Although his subsequent greeting, "Hello, New Jersey!" seemed to encourage an even louder reaction.

The concert was organized as a precursor to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was sponsored by Bank of America.

Bon Jovi started out the show with “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and never looked back after that. Other favorites included "You Give Love a Bad Name," "It's My Life," "Runaway," "Have a Nice Day," and "Always."

The band then performed at Madison Square Garden on Monday and Tuesday nights to conclude their Lost Highway Tour.

Bon Jovi has set the bar for more than two decades as one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Globally, they have sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,500 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 32 million fans.

Now they will go down in history alongside Simon & Garfunkel, Diana Ross, Luciano Pavarotti, Pope John Paul II and others to have appeared on the Great Lawn of Central Park.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?”

Henry Ward Beecher
(1813 - 1887)

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Ice Skating Rinks
Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)
The Harlem Meer Center is closed in order to rebuild the facility to increase access to nearby communities and enhance year-round programming. For more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Rebuilding Harlem Meer Center page.
Anticipated Completion: Spring 2024
Outdoor Pools
Harlem Meer Center
The Harlem Meer Center is closed in order to rebuild the facility to increase access to nearby communities and enhance year-round programming. For more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Rebuilding Harlem Meer Center page.
Anticipated Completion: Spring 2025

Partner Organization

Central Park Conservancy

Contacts

Central Park Information: (212) 310-6600
Central Park Information (for the Hearing Impaired): (800) 281-5722
Belvedere Castle, The Henry Luce Nature Observatory: (212) 772-0210
The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center: (212) 860-1370
The Dairy Visitor Center and Gift Shop: (212) 794-6564
North Meadow Recreation Center: (212) 348-4867
Loeb Boathouse (Bike rentals, boat rentals & gondolas): (212) 517-2233
Carousel: (212) 879-0244
Fishing at Harlem Meer (Catch & Release): (212) 860-1370
Harlem Meer Performance Festival: (212) 860-1370
Horseback Riding - Claremont Stables: (212) 724-5100
Metropolitan Opera (Performances on the Great Lawn): (212) 362-6000
New York Philharmonic (Performances on the Great Lawn): (212) 875-5709
Shakespeare in the Park - The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theater: (212) 539-8655
Ice Skating - Lasker Rink: (917) 492-3856
Skating - Wollman Rink (Ice Skating & In-Line Skating): (212) 439-6900
Central Park SummerStage: (212) 360-2777
Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater: (212) 988-9093
Tennis: (212) 280-0205
Weddings, Ceremonies and Photography at the Conservatory Garden: (212) 360-2766
Wildlife Center & Tisch Children's Zoo: (212) 439-6500