(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images)
Four years after guitarist Richie Sambora's surprising departure from Bon Jovi, the musician is ready for a Rock Hall reunion with his former bandmates.
"It's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- it'll be a joyous occasion," Sambora told Billboard "I was there for 31 years and we sold 150 million records or something and we put a lot of asses in seats in stadiums around the world and made a lot of people happy. I did so many different jobs in that band, so, yeah, I'm showing up for that. Everybody should have a smile on their face and a smile in their hearts and it should be a celebration of what we did."
Leader and frontman Jon Bon Jovi confirmed Wednesday morning that his old friend would be welcomed onto the stage with the group. "He was my right hand for a long time, so there was never ill will, just like I told everybody," Bon Jovi said. "(He) just didn’t show up anymore. We went on, but he was there for three decades and he should be there to celebrate the moment. So he'll be invited to join the rest of the band in all of the festivities."
Sambora has yet to speak with any other members of the band about the induction ceremony, but he's apparently happy to play whatever they select. "There were a lot of great songs," he said. "The songs that touched people are the songs I imagine will be played."
The 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is set to take place on Saturday, April 14, 2018 in Cleveland. The show will be filmed and later broadcast on HBO.