Jon Bon Jovi recalls first encounter with pal Bruce Springsteen

Jon Bon Jovi reflected on his first meeting with his idol and pal Bruce Springsteen.

Bon Jovi, who grew up in the same state as Springsteen, reminisced over his friendship with the Boss while hosting a show on SiriusXM’s E Street Radio dedicated to the Hungry Heart singer.

“The first time that I saw The E Street Band play live was at the Philadelphia Spectrum,” Bon Jovi recalled.

“They had been playing some theaters, but this was their first arena that I got an opportunity to go to and when they were playing ‘Spirits in the Night,’ Clarence [Clemons] is blowing that horn and the solo happens, and by the time the solo ends, Bruce is up in the third tier sitting in the seats. I love that trick. I used that trick myself many years later because I was like, ‘That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.’ ”

Moreover, Bon Jovi gushed over a surreal moment he had with Springsteen, while he was performing as a young artist.

“In 1978, I was playing with the Atlantic City Expressway, which was my very first cover band playing in the bars … and we were performing the song Promised Land, ” he looked back.

“And as I was singing the song, I turned around and as I turned around, sitting at the microphone with me to sing along was in fact, Bruce. Now, for a kid that was still in high school, believe me, that was a Beatles moment,” the Livin’ on a Prayer singer added.