Bon Jovi will be touring Europe in June, and had planned to skip Spain because they were worried that the tickets would be too expensive for the crisis-afflicted country. Unemployment in Spain is at about 27% according to the BBC. Youth unemployment is even worse, with 56% unemployment for people under 25.
However, Bon Jovi did not want to disappoint their Spanish fans and instead chose to play a show in Madrid on June 27 for free, which will make the tickets cost only 18 to 39 euros, or about 25 to 50 US dollars. Tickets in the UK, by comparison, reached prices as high as 99 euros.
The ticket prices will go to the costs of running the venue for the night and paying people hired in Madrid to help with the show. Bon Jovi will not be paid anything.
In the current depression-like state of Spain, "Livin' on a Prayer" makes more sense than ever.