Nashville showed up to honor Jon Bon Jovi at annual pre-Grammy MusiCares event

Jon Bon Jovi was the honoree at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala held Friday night in Los Angeles, but it was Nashville that stole the show.

Bon Jovi opened the show with his band and a little help from, "my mentor, my friend, my brother, my hero," and fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen. Next, seated between Springsteen and Sir Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi took in performances from Nashville favorites Larkin Poe with Melissa Ethridge, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Shania Twain, Jason Isbell, The War and Treaty, Marcus King and Brandy Clark.

Also performing Bon Jovi songs were Train front man Pat Monahan, Maneskin's Damiano David, the Goo Goo Dolls and Mammoth WVH, fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen and Sammy Hagar.

Keeping the evening real was host, comedian Jim Gaffigan, who seemed to have a blast poking fun at old photos of the honoree and his band with their big '80s hairdos and once-trendy outfits. He even came out wearing a teased-up wig and cut off denim shorts — the exact outfit worn by Bon Jovi in one of the photos.

"This is not a roast of Jon Bon Jovi. Or his hair styles. Or those ridiculous outfits he wore in the '80s that were frankly frightening. I mean, I wonder how you get a jacket covered in Monopoly pieces through airport security?" Gaffigan joked, referencing a photo on the screen. "Note the multiple necklaces. Jon must have thought, 'how will people know that I am Italian and from New Jersey?'"

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Kicking off the evening's musical tribute section was Melissa Etheridge backed by sister duo Larkin Poe playing "Blaze of Glory." Larkin Poe's Rebecca Lovell delivered a powerful backup vocal while Megan Lovell wowed Bon Jovi and the rest of the crowd with her slide guitar work.

Larkin Poe was asked by Etheridge to be part of her performance, Rebecca Lovell told The Tennessean before the show.

"This is huge," she said. "We're huge fans of hers. To have her say she wanted us to be here was pretty fantastic and to be able to honor such an iconic artist with such a great song is going to be amazing."

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Lenny Kravitz took the stage next to introduce Jelly Roll, who sang "Bad Medicine." Before leaving the stage Jelly Roll nodded to Bon Jovi and said "You inspired me my whole life!"

Lainey Wilson rocked a green pant suit and braids as she sang "We Weren't Born to Follow." Next up, Shania Twain serenaded Bon Jovi with a bluesy, sexy version of "Bed of Roses."

Jason Isbell played the double-neck guitar and nailed the vocals on "Wanted Dead or Alive."

But the show-stopping performance of the night would come as the husband and wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, better known as The War and Treaty, took the smaller in-the-round stage in the middle of the room and turned "I'll Be There for You" into something of their own.

Not to be outdone, Brandy Clark also did a stripped-down version of her tribute song, "(You Want To) Make a Memory" with just her vocal, an acoustic guitar, cello and piano. She and Nashvillian Marcus King, who sang "Born to Be My Baby" while playing his red flying V guitar, were also show highlights.

At the end of the night, Bon Jovi took the stage to make a brief speech and explain why MusiCares is important to him, before being joined by all the artists for a massive version of "Livin' on a Prayer." In addition to selling millions of albums as a musician, Bon Jovi also founded the JBJ Soul Foundation and the JBJ Soul Kitchen, which now serves meals at free and reduced prices to those in need out of four locations.

"Tonight and every night I know how blessed I've been," Bon Jovi told the crowd. "There are millions of other musicians who set out on the same journey, but for whatever reason, their paths took them in different directions. Some may have needed help along the way. As musicians, we don't have any safety nets. When the song is over, it's over. Some musicians need basic assistance and that's when MusiCares comes to lend a hand."

He added, "Music moves us when we're happy, and it comforts us when we're sad. It brings us together, and when we may not have much else in common, there is still that common thread: the song."

Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources and tailored crisis relief efforts. The organization offers preventative, emergency and recovery programs.

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at [email protected], on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Larkin Poe and Jason Isbell honor Jon Bon Jovi at MusiCares event