Jon Bon Jovi, 64, marks comeback as he returns to the stage four years after throat surgery derailed his career

Jon Bon Jovi triumphantly returned to the stage on Tuesday night, four years after he underwent surgery to fix a damaged vocal cord.

The 64-year-old rockstar took the stage at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City, kicking off his namesake band's Forever Tour.

According to an account from People, the collective performed for over two hours and had a 21-song set list.

Bon Jovi is due back on stage at MSG for eight more shows throughout July before heading to the United Kingdom in August. 

Jon took to Instagram this week ahead of the opening tour date. 

'A lot of hard work and talented people helped get us here.. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in building the Forever Tour,' he wrote to his nearly three million followers. 'Now it's our turn to do what we do best Let's do it boys!!'

At the beginning of Tuesday night's show, Jon sang the first line of the 1967 Beatles song With a Little Help from My Friends, per People.

Alluding to his surgery, he sang the line, 'What would you do if I sang out of tune?'

Elsewhere in the concert, the beloved singer reflected, 'I haven't heard the roar of a crowd in four years and I didn't know if I would remember what that was like.'

He added that he was 'grateful and humbled by this whole ordeal.'

Jon gave fans an update about his voice less than one month ago, after previously saying in 2024 that he did not know if he would be able to tour again following the ordeal.

The Bon Jovi frontman revealed to People in June, 'I'm fully recovered. It was longer than I'd ever expected, but it had to be right. We never lost faith.'

He recalled the shock of finding out his cord was impaired.

'I'd often joked and said the only thing that's ever been up my nose was my finger. I never did anything to hurt the cords; I didn't have any excesses,' he shared.

'I'm a trained vocalist. I've practiced the craft,' the entertainer explained. 'So when a doctor had to explain to me that one of the cords was literally atrophying, it was confusing.'

At the time, he told People, 'We performed last night in Nashville, and everything was very good. So step by step, I'm getting back to it.'

That same year the performer got candid about the vocal surgery during a cover story for AARP's June/July 2024 issue.

While speaking with the outlet, he shared his initial reaction to potentially suffering permanent vocal loss.

'People had to talk me off the ledge, because you're like, 'I didn't do anything wrong! What's wrong?'' he said.

He ruled out lip-syncing and auto-tune when it came to live performances, emphasizing, 'I'd rather get hit by a bus on the highway.'

The New Jersey native had been weighing his options when fellow musician Shania Twain recommended her doctor after she suffered voice issues of her own.