Exclusive: Jon Bon Jovi Promises Variety, Museum and Appearances at New JBJ’s Nashville

Jon Bon Jovi has long been vocal about his passion for his home state of New Jersey. Still, when it came time to open a namesake bar, restaurant, and entertainment space, he could think of no better location to mount the venture than Nashville’s famed neon neighborhood.

Situated at 405 Broadway in the heart of Music City’s nightlife, JBJ’s Nashville boasts approximately 37,000 square feet that can be utilized for private parties, corporate events, live shows, and more. The new construction is five stories tall and has two outdoor rooftop spaces that offer sweeping views of the skyline and the cowboys and bachelorettes on the streets below.

“We could have done this in New Jersey, but we chose to come here,” Jon Bon Jovi told American Songwriter from the first floor of JBJ’s Nashville.  It’s June, but Bon Jovi wore fitted jeans and a leather jacket in true rockstar form. His signature hair is now grey and hangs loose over his forehead. “I think it’s going to make the international community want to come travel to Nashville, too. These are people that’ll come from around the globe to visit JBJ’s because it’s a first.”

JBJ’s Nashville Brings Rock Country Fusion

The facility’s theme is a fusion of country and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s part museum and part venue with a multi-level stage that the band is proud to brag has plenty of power outlets.

“We thought about how to maximize space for musicians in the least amount of room because we are a big band of seven,” Bon Jovi said. “If you wanted to have horns or other things, we’re limited in the width of the room. So, the only way to go is vertical.”

He promises to be on the stage himself “as soon as this thing works.”

The bar offers themed craft cocktails, including Slippery When Wet, Runaway, and Bad Medicine, with an eye on fine dining. Currently, the kitchen offers typical lower Broadway fare, including wings, fried cheese curds, nachos, crispy chicken tenders, fried catfish, and a double cheeseburger. More unique dishes are Italian sausage and peppers, smothered green beans and funnel cake fries.

The concept for JBJ’s Nashville was born from the singer’s long-standing relationship with the city. He even recorded the band’s new album “Forever,” released the same week the bar opened, at Nashville’s famed Ocean Way Studio. He teamed with Nashville-based BPH Hospitality to bring his vision for JBJ’s Nashville to life. They built the structure over several years on the second-to-last undeveloped piece of real estate in Nashville’s historic Lower Broadway district. Since they started from scratch, they built JBJ’s Nashville into the tallest bar on Lower Broadway. However, Bon Jovi quickly points out that Garth Brooks’ Friends In Low Places, located next door to his place, is wider.

“I need to go see some of the new neighbors’ stuff,” he said.

Jon Bon Jovi Wants to Visit Broadway Bars

The entire Bon Jovi band – Jon Bon Jovi (singer), David Bryan (keyboards), Tico Torres (drums), Hugh McDonald (bass) – were in Music City to officially open JBJ’s Nashville. They proudly stood in front of the stage on opening day, just hours before management unlocked the doors for the public.

As their eyes slid around the room surveying the birth of their work, Bon Jovi said, “If you’re going to do something, do it right.”

The opportunity to build the space from the ground up appealed to the men.    

“Because we had roots here, recorded several albums, and collaborated with so many of the artists and the writers when the opportunity came (to have a bar/restaurant), we had to say, ‘Yes,’” Bon Jovi said.

“We had to say, ‘Yes, please.’ And then, when the opportunity came to buy the parking lot here, we also thought that a new construction made the most sense.”

Bryan explained that because it was a new build, they didn’t have to retrofit anything and that all the elevators are modern. Beyond modern, the band incorporated some cutting-edge technology in the form of a multi-lingual hologram of the singer.

“There’s another one coming,” Bon Jovi said. “Go press the button on that thing because it’ll talk to you in Japanese. It’ll talk to you in Czech. In German.”

JBJ’s Nashville Offers Unique Experience

The hologram is the kind of unique experience the band wants to bring to Lower Broadway.
“You go and enjoy the whole neighborhood and stop in here, too, for something else,” he continued, adding there is a museum upstairs.  

“We’re going to make it even more personal because we’ve archived everything, and this is going to be the brick-and-mortar version of the archives.”
“We didn’t tell him yet, but he’s going inside that hologram,” McDonald inserted. “It’s not a hologram. He’s going to be there all the time.”

Kidding aside, Bon Jovi is most interested in being good neighbors in the Lower Broadway community and providing a safe environment for patrons. He sent an “amen and hallelujah” to Brooks for aiding the opening of a police substation on Lower Broadway. (The substation is attached to Brooks’ Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk next door to JBJ’s Nashville.)

“I want to know that folks are going to feel comfortable here,” he said. “All the bachelorette parties are going to be in a safe environment, and we’re going to have as much fun as we can. Well, within the limits of good fun.”

Jon Bon Jovi Hopes To Be a Good Neighbor, Give Back

Bon Jovi is known for his giving spirit nearly as much as he is for his rock anthems, including “Livin’ On a Prayer,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Through his JBJ Soul Foundation, he has helped provide support for almost 1,000 affordable housing units in 12 states for thousands of people, including youth and veterans. The foundation also opened three JBJ Soul Kitchens in New Jersey to provide warm and nutritious meals to help fight hunger in the area.
Now, he wants to bring an aspect of his charity work to Nashville, which he thinks will be tied to the mayor’s office.

“We’re going to make sure that the affordable housing kind of stuff works,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re good community servants, and we want to make sure that we’re good neighbors.”

(Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)