Bon Jovi Waives Performance Fee for Spanish Concert
Bon Jovi will be rocking out in Spain for free. The American rock group is waiving their fee when they perform in Madrid on June 27 so their Spanish fans can enjoy their show without spending a lot.
El Mundo reports that the band initially didn't plan to stop in Spain for their "Because We Can" world tour because they feared that there wouldn't be high demand of their show from their cash-strapped fans.
Spain has been in recession since its market crashed in 2008. As a result, a quarter of its workforce became unemployed by 2012.
But Bon Jovi couldn't just leave their Spanish fans behind. Frontman Jon Bon Jovi said that they wanted to show their gratitude to Spain for their support.
"I didn't want to let fans down," he told El Mundo.
"When we were planning the tour for our last album 'What About Now,' we did a study and we saw that due to the economic situation, Spain wasn't going to be on the road map. But I didn't want to leave out fans from a country I love that has treated me well for 30 years."
Therefore, instead of getting paid for their performance, the band decided to waive their fee. The price of the tickets for their Madrid show will now only cover the costs of staging the show, as well as the salary for the people hired to help with the show, which is set to be held at the Vicente Calderon stadium on June 27.
The tickets, which are now sold out, were priced between 18 to 39 Euros [approximately 24 to 53 AUD], unusually cheap for a show with a world-renowned band.
Bon Jovi also did a similar gesture to their Australian fans. Earlier this month, the band offered premium seating for their shows in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, and Brisbane for only $35, a bargain price compared to the usual cost of concert tickets in the country.
They will perform at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on December 7, at the AAMI Stadium in Adelaide on December 11, at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on December 14, and at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on December 17.