Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Jon Bon Jovi announced the event Monday. The free ticketed concert will be on the Great Lawn in Central Park on Saturday, July 12 at 8 p.m. The concert, sponsored by Bank of America, will take place three days before Major League Baseball's Midsummer Classic during the last year of Yankee Stadium.
The concert joins a series of public events leading up to the game, including the includes DHL All-Star FanFest and the All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade.
"All-Star Summer is set to hit New York City in a few weeks, and the lineup of festivities just added another future hall-of-famer in Bon Jovi," Bloomberg said. "The free concert in Central Park is going to help make this year's All-Star Summer a celebration to remember. The 2008 All-Star Game will pay tribute to the storied history of Yankee Stadium, and Bon Jovi will help us ensure it goes out in a blaze of glory, hopefully a blaze in late October."
Free tickets can also be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis, two per fan, throughout all five New York City boroughs.
Distribution begins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2 at Yankee Stadium, East 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx; Shea Stadium, 12301 Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing; Home of the Staten Island Yankees, 75 Richmond Terrace in Staten Island; and KeySpan Park, 1904 Surf Avenue in Brooklyn.
Tickets will also be distributed in Manhattan at locations, dates and times to be announced.
For more information about the concert, fans can go to MLB.com.
Bank of America will promote the concert and offer ticket giveaways through radio promotions in the tri-state area. Additional concert supporting partners, including MLB sponsors Aquafina, Sharp and Taco Bell, will be distributing tickets through radio sweepstakes, promotional giveaways and in-store programs.
In the event of inclement weather as deemed by the Parks Department, the concert will be canceled. If it is raining and fans are unsure about the status of the concert, they can call 311 for information or visit MLB.com.
Bon Jovi has set the bar for more than two decades as one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Globally, they have sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,500 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 32 million fans. The Grammy-winning band's latest album, "Lost Highway" debuted at No. 1 around the world and the resulting Lost Highway World Tour is currently the top-selling tour around the world, according to Billboard and Pollstar.
---
WEB PRODUCED BY: Bill King
