The year was 2011, the sun was shining, the clouds were moving along, and we were underneath a big blue London sky for one of the most iconic concerts in rock n’ roll history.

I was 14 years old the first time I saw Bon Jovi live at Hyde Park, and it changed my life forever.

Who Am I?:

My name’s Adam Brucass, I’m a singer and song writer from the UK, and I have been a die-hard Bon Jovi fan since I was 14. 

Me Then (in my first Bon Jovi Tshirt):

Me Now (on the right with the beard):

Why Am I Here?:

I want to open for Bon Jovi. That’s it.

I’ve spent the last year campaigning to open for Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium in September, despite my best efforts, I couldn’t make it happen. But with the recent reveal that the band will be returning to the UK in 2027 to headline BST Hyde Park, I’ve got a second chance to make my dream come true. 

Now i know what you’re thinking, “lots of artists want to open for Bon Jovi”, and you’re absolutely right. But they’re not here asking. I am.

So Why should I get to open for them, and why should you help me? 

A: I’m pretty good.

B: I’d be a great fit.

And most importantly;

C: Why not? 

 

The Story So Far:

Like many my age, I first heard Livin’ on a Prayer while playing Guitar Hero around age 12 or 13, and I was hooked from the get-go. 

I bought every album, I listened to every track start to finish, from ‘John Bongiovi: The Power Station Sessions’ through ‘Slippery When Wet’ and ‘Keep The Faith’ all the way to the then recently released ‘The Circle’, I didn’t care what was old or new, to me it was all Bon Jovi, and I loved it all. 

In June of 2011, my Dad took me to see the band headline the Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park…

After watching Jon Bon Jovi wave that white mic stand over tens of thousands of people singing his songs back to him, I knew exactly who I wanted to be, and what I wanted to do. I wanted to do that… couldn’t be that hard, right?

Fast-forward 14 years,  a dozen bands, a 5-year solo career, one 14-track studio album, and more shows than i care to count, pubs, clubs, and eventually festivals, the day came that I finally achieved what was then my greatest ambition. I had always wanted to meet the man himself, look him in the eye, tell him exactly who I was and make sure he’d remember it.

The first dates of the Bon Jovi Forever tour had just been announced in October 2025, (‘Forever’ also being the name of the first song I released as a solo artist):

On 25th October I found myself at Foyles of London, having snagged a couple of tickets to a Q&A with Jon Bon Jovi. 

the Host of the event, Mark Jeeves of Planet Rock fame, chose a few “unapproved” questions from the audience to ask Jon, and as luck would have it, one of them was mine.

The Question? 

“CAN I OPEN FOR YOU AT WEMBLEY?!”

The room erupted, Jon laughed, I laughed, it was a lot of fun, but I knew there was no way in hell he could say “yes” there and then, and I figured he wouldn’t want to be seen to say “no” to such a request, so I quickly changed the subject, pulled out a copy of my album ‘Right Now’, and it wasn’t long before Jon called me over to take a look.

Jon holding my CD:

I finally got to live my dream, to meet the man who changed my life, and did it in a way that he just might remember. It was the most incredible moment of my life, and I honestly thought that would be the end of it. 

That is until I told the world what happened and everyone started asking the same thing… was I going to open for them?

Thats when the #GetMeToWembley campaign began. I’d already achieved the impossible once, it couldn’t be that hard to do it again, right? 

I started reaching out to the fanbase, to news outlets and anyone I could think of that could help me get the word out about what I was trying to do, from local BBC radio all the way to important names from Bon Jovi history like John Lassman, the radio DJ who gave JBJ his big break with ‘Runaway’ back in 1983.

I posted covers of 28 Bon Jovi tracks, one every day throughout February of 2026, I was absolutely determined to make something come of this. 

Did I really think it was going to happen? That I could play main support for one of the biggest bands at one of the most prestigious venues on the planet?

No.

I’m ambitious, I’m not crazy. 

But did I believe there had to be something at the end of the rainbow? That maybe I could get a 15 minute warm up slot while the place filled up? Well why not? It wouldn’t be the first time Bon Jovi had given the spot light over to an independent artist.

And would I have been able to forgive myself if I gave up? Would Jon have given up? I didn’t think so.

I eventually only saw one final option, to go for the throat. I reached out directly to the Bon Jovi Management Team, and after some discussion with Jon’s brother and tour manager Matt, it was pretty clear that it just wasn’t gonna happen this time.

I went along to Wembley with my golden circle ticket, and I brought this huge banner with me, hoping to get Jon’s attention one last time, but as I didn’t manage to get to the barrier til the last few songs, I’m sorry to say he never got to read it…

So What Now? 

In my eyes, I had done what I set out to do, and that was to fight tooth and nail to the very last minute for what I wanted, whether it mattered or not, and even though I didn’t get the opening slot, I was proud to say I never gave up trying, I was ready to let the fun of the campaign and the thrill of the whole experience be a happy memory alongside that of finally meeting my hero, and moving on to whatever came next.

That is until they went and announced Bon Jovi as the first headline act for BST Hyde Park 2027!

By some miracle, I have a second chance to chase my dream and make it real, and this time, its back to where it all began, in the park, some 15 years ago, and I don’t think I have any choice but to continue with my campaign.

Why Am I Doing This? 

The last 5 years of trying to break out as an Independent artist have taught me one thing.

The music business is broken. 

There’s no living to be made in original music anymore, algorithms have turned the only platforms we have to promote ourselves into completely unusable hellscapes, tours and festivals are being cancelled left and right, and it just seems that the industry I so desperately wanted to break into for so many years has become an empty shell of what it once was. 

Being a musician in 2026 just isn't the same game that it was 10 or 15 years ago,  for myself and a lot of others like me, the spark went out, and it just wasn’t fun anymore. Some of us just don’t want to be social media guru’s and influencers on top of being the songwriter, performer, producer, booking agent, manager, tour manger, accountant, and everything inbetween. 

But there are 2 kinds of Nihilism, one is “oh no, nothing matters” and the other is “Hooray! Nothing Matters!”. When it feels like the thing you wanted most in the whole world has slipped through your fingers and changed around you into something you no longer recognise or want to be a part of, you can be sad about it, or you can say “to hell with it” and try to have some fun. 

Sometimes if you try hard enough, for long enough, and you have the courage to take an opportunity when its in-front of you, you get to do something cool, and maybe make a memory or two along the way. 

“Success is falling 9 times, and getting up 10.” - Jon Bon Jovi

So How Is This Petition Going To Help?

I’m not messing around this time, as soon as I heard that the band were playing BST 2027, I immediately made contact with the promoters of the show, and now that I have contact with them, I need to convince them to put me, an all but unknown independent artist with an absolutely insane vision on the bill with one of the biggest rock bands in the world, and the only way I can do that is with your help.

If you are a Bon Jovi fan, then I don’t need to explain to you connection between what I’m trying to achieve, and the 40+ year long career that the band have built on a philosophy of optimism, hope, faith, belief in yourself and perseverance despite all odds, 

Or that my standing up to ask Jon if I can open for the band is a generational echo of his own story of success, of walking into WAPP Radio in New York in 1983, tapping in the glass of the DJ booth and demanding that John Lassman and Chip Hobart play his tape.

If you believe that We Weren’t Born To Follow, Its My Life and Keep The Faith really mean something, then put your money where your mouth is, sign my petition, help me get that opening slot, and be part of something awesome. 

SEE YOU AT HYDE PARK!