Jon Bon Jovi to Do Eco-friendly Stanley Park Gig

The rock star will headline the first of many Urban Forest concerts.

Dennis MacDonald, president and executive producer of concert production company Paper Rain Performances, began a highly anticipated press conference today (June 12) by thanking the Vancouver Sun for leaking his news the day before he could make an official announcement. Though rumours had been flying around the music scene for months, MacDonald and event partner (and former Canucks owner) Arthur Griffiths gathered with local media in the penthouse suite of the Residences at Hotel Georgia to confirm it: Jon Bon Jovi is to headline the first concert of the Urban Forest series, at Stanley Park on August 22.Running in partnership with Tourism Vancouver, the series aims not only to bring international stars to Stanley Park and other venues in Vancouver and elsewhere, but to be the most environmentally friendly concert production to date. The Bon Jovi concert will be held on the lawn at Brockton Field, with an audience capacity of 14,000.Speaking to the green goals of the concert series, Griffiths explained: “We want to showcase environmental technology to set the pace for other concerts going forward.” Tentative plans include power generated by wind turbines, shuttles to lower carbon footprint, and compulsory recycling. Taking the opportunity to introduce the series’ charitable partner, imagine1day, MacDonald revealed that the entrepreneurial charity—focused on establishing a sustainable education system in Ethiopia—will be the beneficiary of $100,000 as a result of the concerts.General-admission tickets are $39.95. (There will also be a limited number of VIP tickets, which include catering and a full bar in Stanley Park’s Grand Pavilion—yours for a mere $595.) When asked if any public funding had gone into the event, MacDonald laughingly replied, “If my credit card is considered public.”Bon Jovi, who will be performing with the band Kings of Surburbia, has a long history with Vancouver, having recorded three of his best-selling albums—Slippery When Wet, New Jersey, and Keep the Faith—in the city.