He sang to us, iconically, that he would never say goodbye. And he is suffering from not fulfilling his promise. Yes, at 62 years old, with more than 40 years on the road and being one of the great “definitors” of the sound and images of the 1980s, Jon Bon Jovi, lead singer and leader of the band Bon Jovi, must be retiring. What knocked him down? Your vocal cords. Furthermore, he remains intact, beautiful, and active.

Millions of fans worldwide feel the news hard, but he confirms his farewell with the beautiful series Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, now available on Star Plus. “If I can’t give 102%, then I might as well say thank you, good night,” he says emotionally.

In four delicious nostalgic episodes, we follow two parallel journeys through time, linked to the singer’s reverse journeys. At the same time that the archive images take us to the 1980s when a certain teenager is determined to become a rock star, in the current pictures, taken from the 2020s and on, we see him faced with problems with his vocal cords that lead him to a possible retirement from the stage. You don’t need to be a fan to be moved by the honesty and transparency of the documentary which follows him throughout his pre- and post-surgical treatment.

I know I repeat myself several times when I talk about the 1980s and what it was like to live in them. In the case of Bon Jovi, it’s even more personal because it became my soundtrack when I first lived in the United States, with all the hits from Slippery When Wet playing ad nauseaum on the radio and on MTV. The band became a fever (quickly, worldwide) with those tacky looks of the decade of torn clothes, tight leather pants, and flowing hair. And particularly Jon Bon Jovi had it all: he was handsome, he sang well and he had a string of pop-rock hits. And yes, all the hits play in the documentary and make us sing and want an immediate playlist to rescue the past.

Faced with so many biopics ultra-edited to paint a sympathetic narrative for the characters, one of the highlights of Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story is not falling into that trap. None of that. There are honest testimonials, and never-before-seen scenes (even a song that the vocalist rescues from his archive for the first time) and thus it is a very interesting study on several issues, including the maturation and aging of rock and its stars.

The whole aim of the doc was to record the preparation for his band’s 40th-anniversary tour, but suddenly, Jon Bon Jovi is faced with a vocal cord injury that could determine his unexpected farewell. The already introspective singer then opens the doors to his home and his soul, with long and honest reflections on his choices, whether artistic or personal. Yes, it includes the fight with guitarist and partner, Richie Sambora who left the band more than 10 years ago. All the ups and downs gain a refreshingly transparent perspective precisely because they are shown in parallel. Every time we see images of happy, almost inconsequential young people, and them today over 60, with the same joy and energy, it makes us wonder why, like music, our idols don’t freeze in time.

Avoiding any cliché, even in the use of songs that could make us cry (more), Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story is nothing short of wonderful. Think about it, these are not social media musicians, who share every second of their personal lives with us, it is a rare access that they grant us because they understand the importance of showing what words would not be enough to describe. There is no information as personal as the gossip columns insist on highlighting, but that’s not what they want to talk about. As Jon Bon Jovi mentions, it’s about the legacy they left for generations.

I recommend every second. If you weren’t already a fan, you’ll certainly come out of this with an aching heart, but extremely grateful.

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