Rockers Bon Jovi return to Capital in a blaze of glory

MEGASTAR rockers Bon Jovi are set to return to Edinburgh for the first time in 25 years.

The group, famous for hits such as Livin' On A Prayer and Keep The Faith, are set to kick off the UK leg of their 2011 tour at Murrayfield on June 22 next year.

The band have played several gigs in Scotland in recent years - including shows at Hampden in 2008 and 2002 and one of the first live gigs at Ibrox in 1996 - but they haven't rocked the Capital since 1986.

The band visited The Playhouse two years running in the mid-1980s while touring their breakthrough album Slippery When Wet.

Since then they have gone on to become global megastars, selling more than 120 million albums and performing more than 2600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans.

Bon Jovi are also set to play Manchester's Old Trafford Cricket Ground on June 24, and London's Hyde Park the following day.

Headed by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, the group are renowned for their gutsy riffs and devoted fanbase.

They are just the latest in a long line of megastars to come to Murrayfield in recent years.

Police will hope Bon Jovi's fans aren't as boisterous as the crowd that came to see Oasis in 2008, a gig that was marred by crowd violence and an increase in antisocial behaviour throughout the city.

Murrayfield also played host to the Scottish leg of the Live8 concerts, the 2005 recreation of the Live Aid gigs that took place around the time that Bon Jovi last visited Edinburgh.

Top acts such as Robbie Williams, The Eagles, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, REM, and David Bowie have also graced the stage.

For fans who can't wait until next year to see Bon Jovi, there will be special screenings of a recording of the highlights from their recent Circle Tour at city cinemas next month.

The movie captures the band's sold-out, four-night stand at New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, which drew 200,000 fans on the band's home turf, and began with the stadium's inaugural concert on May 26, 2010.

The movie is set to be shown for one night only in hundreds of cinemas around the world, including Odeon Wester Hailes on November 11 and the Vue Cinemas at The Omni and Ocean Terminal on November 16.

Bon Jovi will also attend the MTV EMAs 2010 on November 7, which will be broadcast live from Madrid, Spain, where the band will be presented with the Global Icon award.

Tickets for the Bon Jovi 2011 Tour go on sale at 9am on Monday, November 1. For the most up to date on-sale and ticket information, visit www.BonJovi.com.

For more information on the movie screenings, visit http://cinerock.co.uk