Edited By Jonathan Cohen. October 18, 2005, 11:10 AM ET

Bon Jovi Eyeing Show On Military Base

By John Benson, Cleveland

With another world tour slated to begin Nov. 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, Bon Jovi has hunkered down at New Jersey military base Fort Monmouth to rehearse. Guitarist Richie Sambora tells Billboard.com the band hopes to show its appreciation by performing a special military personnel-only show later this week.

"The Army guys were kind enough to give us their big theater they have there and at the end of the rehearsals, we're going to do a show for all of the [soldiers] and their families," Sambora says. "It's not open to the public. We're just doing anything we can do. Really, it's just anytime you can give back to those guys who are out there fighting for our freedom, for God's sakes." While it remains to be confirmed, the show could be broadcast on the Armed Forces Network and cybercast on AOL.

Sambora recently showed his support for the troops by performing at "Rockin' the Corps," which was taped in the spring at Camp Pendleton and is out now on CD/DVD. Among the other performers were Destiny's Child, Hootie & the Blowfish, Godsmack, Ted Nugent, KISS and Cedric the Entertainer.

"My father-in-law was a U.S. Marine Colonel and he was stationed on the base that we played at," Sambora says. "There were about 68,000 Marines and families. We were raising money because when these kids go away and then come home in a body bag, their family gets $12,000 and they get kicked off the base a month later."

While Sambora says Bon Jovi currently has plans to tour through next summer in support of the Island album "Have a Nice Day," the guitarist is already planning on recording his third solo album sometime next year.

"About two weeks before I left [to do new album promotion], God just hit the creative gas pedal on me and I wrote like 14 new songs," Sambora says. "So I have an album sitting in my pocket."

While a street date remains far off, Sambora plans on having a few familiar names attached to the project.

"I always have a great bunch of guys coming in," Sambora says. "On my first album [1991's 'Stranger in This Town'], I had Eric Clapton and Tony Levin from [Peter] Gabriel's band. And the last record [1998's 'Undiscovered Soul'] had Steven Tyler and Billy Preston. So it's whoever is around that week that I'm recording in the studio. You never know what is going to happen."



Phil