Bon Jovi announce Villa Park concert

The New Jersey legends will bring their Because We Can Tour to the stadium on June 9. Ticket prices are from £12.50.

The hotly anticipated gig will follow the release of the band's latest album What About Now, which is due for release next spring.

Pre-sales for the Villa Park gig begin at 6pm today on bonjovi.com where members can apply for backstage tickets and VIP packages. Regular tickets will go on sale from 9am on Friday, with ticket bands ranging from £12.50 to £125.

It will be the first time the band, led by Jon Bon Jovi, will have played the second city since performing at the old New Street Odeon and then the NEC in the 1980s. The band played at Molineux in May 2003. Theeir first hit was Runaway in 1984 but in 1986 they were catapulted to superstar status when the album Slippery When Wet topped the charts in both the US and Europe.

Hits on that album included Wild in the Streets, Raise Your Hands, You Give Love a Bad Name and, most famously, Livin' on a Prayer.

Despite such a legendary billing, tour promoter Rob Hallett said some prices were set unusually low to ensure fans were not priced out of attending.

He said: "If we are to survive as an industry we need to move away from the elitist image of high prices and even higher secondary prices. Rock and roll always was and always should be the music of the people, and that means everyone." In a career spanning nearly 30 years, Bon Jovi have played to more than 35 million fans at 2,700 concerts in 50 countries.

The latest tour will begin in North America in February before travelling through Europe, the Far East, Africa, Latin America and Australia. The first dates on next year's tour include Manchester's Etihad Stadium on June 8, Villa Park the next day, Cardiff's City Stadium on June 12, Sunderland's Stadium of Light on June 13 and Glasgow's Hampden Park on July 3.

Other acts to play Villa Park include Duran Duran in 1983, Bruce Springsteen in 1988, Rod Stewart in 1995 and Take That in June last year.