Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan headlines Stone Pony show: 'It's an honor'
David Bryan is ready to saddle up.
The Bon Jovi keyboardist will headline his own show Saturday, Aug. 17, as part of the Stone Pony's 50th anniversary celebration. The Matt O'Ree Band will open (O'Ree played guitar with Bon Jovi during the 2015 tour of the Middle East and Asia), then David Bryan and Friends will take the stage, backed by the O'Ree Band.
“We're going to do a bunch of Bon Jovi songs, some fun cover songs,” Bryan said. “I've got some special guests up my sleeve. Working on it — it's hard because everybody is out on tour. I got a lot of irons in the fire.”
More: Bon Jovi's early years in Sayreville, Asbury Park: A look back
Yes, Bryan will be singing lead vocals during the show.
“People are always surprised, 'He can sing?' I've been singing for years,” he said.
The show will mark the Pony's 50th anniversary, and the club's connection to Bryan and Bon Jovi, who are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“I've been going to Asbury Park since when I was playing with Jon (Bon Jovi) in the summer of 1978,” said Bryan, an Edison native. “We were almost 17 years old and getting into these bars and playing and enjoying it — and here it is, the 50th anniversary, and it's special.
“... Fifty years is a miracle, and after the miracle it's an honor,” Bryan said.
Bryan and the pre-Bon Jovi bands, including Atlantic City Expressway, were more associated with the former Fast Lane in Asbury Park, but they had their nights at the Pony, too.
“We were the house band at the Fast Lane, and we'd be talking to a Juke or Southside, and Springsteen and the E Street Band guys were there,” Bryan said. “We'd be bull(blanking) with Little Steven, Roy Bittan and Danny Federici. It (was) pretty God like.”
Bryan, like his heroes, is a regular on the current Asbury Park scene, hitting clubs like the Pony, Asbury Lanes and the Break. He adds a little rock star sizzle when he comes through the door.
“Asbury Park really came around,” Bryan said. “I never thought it would work again. It had so many almost starts, but it's become a thriving, wonderful place.”
More: The extraordinary life of the late Carol Bongiovi, who also happened to be Bon Jovi's mom
Bryan's multifaceted career is thriving. His Broadway and off-Broadway shows include “Memphis,” “The Toxic Avenger,” and “Diana,” which is being re-booted to make it tour ready, he said. He's also the co-host of the “Let Me Ask My Dad” podcast with his daughter, comedian Gabby Bryan.
“She approached me and said, 'Do you want to do a podcast?' I said, 'OK, what's a podcast,' ” Bryan quipped. “She explained it to me what it is and I said OK, and we have like 11 or 12 episodes out and it's great. I drive into the city, we do it together. We sit on a couch and you can watch it on YouTube, which is cool. We have a lot of fun. She's a comedian and I'm a wiseass so it goes together pretty good.”
As far as his day job, Bryan and Bon Jovi recently released the new album, “Forever,” and starred in the Hulu documentary, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” which detailed Bon Jovi's vocal problems.
“We have rehearsal every month for a couple of days, and Jon is tracking progress,” Bryan said. “He sang his (backside) off on the record. We had a big hit record. The world saw on the Hulu doc what actually happened and we opened up our bar down in Nashville, the Bon Jovi JBJ Bar, and we all flew down there and opened it up and played a handful of songs in front of the people. So Jon was in front of the people singing, and that was all good.”
Go: David Bryan and Friends with the Matt O'Ree Band, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park, $30 in advance, $35 at the door; stoneponyonline.com.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bon Jovi: David Bryan headlines Stone Pony, Asbury Park
