Doc McGhee Denies Jon Bon Jovi Performing in Moscow Was Part of a Plea Deal

Behind every successful singer or musician is a manager who consistently works to make sure their client’s career continues to grab the spotlight. For Doc McGhee, the 1980s were a time of historic performers. At the time, he represented icons like Motley Crue, Scorpions, Skid Row, and Jon Bon Jovi. While enjoying the success that seemed to follow him, McGhee found himself on the wrong side of the law in 1982. And according to Bon Jovi, he had to perform at the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival in order to keep the manager out of jail. 

While speaking with Conan O’Brien about the incident, Bon Jovi explained how law enforcement caught McGhee trying to smuggle a great deal of marijuana into the country. With the manager looking at 30 years in prison for his crimes, apparently, he had an idea of keeping himself out of prison. “To keep him out of jail, I had to go to the Soviet Union,” the singer explained. “Somehow his plea bargain was to take the young, cute kid and throw him to the wolves and the judge. And then he says, ‘And I’ve got an idea: We’ll go to the Soviet Union and promote peace and harmony. And please, your honor, don’t put me in prison.’”

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Doc McGhee Claims Jon Bon Jovi Performed To Help Fight Drugs

Appearing on The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn, McGhee decided to clear the air and offer his side of the story. While denying the claims presented by Bon Jovi, the manager said, “The real truth of the matter is it had nothing to do with it. Period.” Noting that his legal troubles happened years before the Moscow concert, the manager also pointed to how ludicrous the entire story sounded. “What judge in this world would say, ‘OK, I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna let you off, you just have to do the first show in the history of the Soviet Union.’ Nobody’s going to say that.”

While not looking to keep himself out of jail, McGhee suggested the Moscow Peace Music Festival focused on keeping children off drugs and supporting his non-profit Make a Difference foundation. “Before that show, I had Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, we had everybody in rehab. I was very into keeping people, trying to get them to understand where they fit in life without drugs and alcohol. So this was one of the ways, with the Make a Difference foundation, that I could bring doctors from the West to Russia to teach them how to treat drug and alcohol abuse.”

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)