Contest will pick opening acts for Bon Jovi tour

Who says you can’t open for Bon Jovi?

The New Jersey-based platinum-selling rockers are holding a contest to choose bands or singers to open for their upcoming tour.

Artists will upload videos of themselves performing original music, and concert promoters Live Nation will select 10 finalists.

Bon Jovi management will then pick winners from the finalists to perform 20-minute sets.

“Every great band starts small and builds their rep one show at a time,” Jon Bon Jovi said Tuesday in a statement on the band’s website announcing the contest. “That’s the opportunity we were given, and now we want to pay it forward. If you’re ready for the arena stage, submit your audition tapes and join us in playing for the best audiences in rock music.”

Formed in Sayreville, New Jersey, the fledgling Bon Jovi landed opening act gigs with some of the biggest names in music at the time, including ZZ Top in 1983, and the Scorpions, Kiss and Ted Nugent in 1984, exposing them to millions of new fans.

The band will begin its “This House Is Not For Sale” tour Feb. 8 in Greenville, South Carolina. The last listed tour date is April 11 in Toronto, but additional dates are expected to be announced.

Entries will be judged on entertainment value, creativity and originality. No-nos include profanity, nudity, violence, drug or alcohol use, commercial endorsements of products, and disparagement of any group of people.

In addition to performing live, the winners will be featured on the Bon Jovi and Live Nation Facebook pages.

Wayne Parry, AP