WATCH: Bon Jovi & Red Hot Chili Peppers cover ‘Johnny B. Goode’ in tribute to Chuck Berry
The rock legend died on Saturday
Bon Jovi and Red Hot Chili Peppers both paid homage to the late-great Chuck Berry by covering his timeless classic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ on Saturday night (18th March).
One third of the way through Bon Jovi’s 24-song set at the Nationwide Arena in Columbia, Jon Bon Jovi told the 20,000 capacity crowd: “The first time I ever sang in a talent competition, in the mid-’70s sometime, it was this song. Mr. Berry, thank you for everything. God bless you.”
Jon, David, Tico, Phil and Hugh then launched into a highly polished version of Berry’s 1958 anthem ‘Johnny B. Goode’ to a rapturous response from the audience. See fan-filmed footage here:
Similarly paying their respects to the rock n’ roll pioneer, Red Hot Chili Peppers tore into ‘Johnny B. Goode’ eight songs into their show at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. Check out a video below.
Elsewhere, on only his second ever full solo gig, KISS bassist Gene Simmons also played a version of the very same track at The Agora venue in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Demon told the crowd ahead of the rendition: "It's a very sad day today. One of the founding fathers of rock and roll has passed on. If it wasn't for Chuck Berry, there wouldn't have been rock and roll.”
Chuck Berry died on Saturday afternoon aged 90. A statement from the St Charles County Police Department said Chuck was found unresponsive at his home in Missouri 12.40pm on Saturday. Medics administered life-saving techniques but sadly he could not be revived and was pronounced dead at 1.26pm.
Testament to Chuck’s legacy and his profound influence on rock music, tributes have been flooding in over the weekend from artists including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Ringo Starr and Slash.