Bon Jovi and Hampton Water Wine's benefit show for COVID-19 relief saw the band sip some wine and jam out to some of their classics, as well as a few familiar covers from The Beatles, The Black Eyed Peas and more.

On Friday (August 14), Bon Jovi legend teamed up with the rosé wine brand as part of iHeartRadio ICONS with Jon Bon Jovi: A Special Benefit Concert for World Central Kitchen. During the set, the rock icon offered fans with an exclusive acoustic set in New Jersey, alongside the Kings of Serbia, where he ran through his catalogue to hit classics like "You Give Love A Bad Name," "I Will Drive You Home" and "Lost Highway." "This is crazy times," he told viewers, referring to the pandemic. "It took away from us the opportunity from us to get together and make music like we do, to sing songs like we’ve sung for you. Just to be here and almost touch you makes me feel good. So thanks for being here."

While his son Jesse Bongiovi, one of the head honchos of Hampton Water, served as the host of the concert, the two came together to keep viewers simultaneously informed of their partnership and the importance of the performance. It was all in honor the wine company's initiative to donate $1 per bottle of Hampton Water to World Central Kitchen to help combat hunger and poverty across the globe, especially as the world is still feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. All proceeds will also go to minority owned businesses.

Speaking with Jim Kerr of Q104.3, the icon shared his essential interest in the non-profit organization. "The World Central Kitchen is not only in disaster relief, but in times like these and COVID, are giving restaurants the opportunity to prepare meals for those in need," he explained. "We decided to get involved to ask you folks, you kind folks, to donate to the World Central Kitchen, perhaps telling them that you listen to us on your iHeart station."

Back into the broadcast, Bongiovi shared some of the backstory about how he and his father ventured into the business. "It started like any other great idea. It was one of those late nights that kept on going," he admitted of conceptualizing the name of the wine, before his superstar father spoke about their brand's third collaborator: influential winemaker independent Gérard Bertrand. "We had a concept and when we spoke to him we were a little daunted because we were talking to someone who is an expert in the field and his response is, 'I like the concept but I have to come and see you because I have to see if I like the men behind the concept.'"

"I knew that if we were going have a connection, he didn’t care about commerce. He cared about art and the respect that we will learn about wine," the singer said, before Bertrand went into detail about the making of the rose, which is produced in France.

Elsewhere during the 11-song set, the crew brought some surprises with covers of The Beatles ("Here Comes The Sun"), The Killers ("Mr. Brightside") and Black Eyed Peas ("I Gotta Feeling"). Asked if he called up BEP prior to performing the track, Bon Jovi told Kerr that it was a first for him. "I gotta admit that is the first time I have ever sung that song. I hope I didn't embarrass myself just now, but it was fun," he said with a laugh.

Aside from the covers, it was the finale performance of the show that truly made viewers feel at one with the superstar. Without his backing crew, he delivered a fitting performance of "Livin' on a Prayer" with his guitar in-tow and in such a time of uncertainty, it felt all too right.

Ken Dashow

About Ken Dashow