Richie Sambora hit the stage in San Pedro, California to perform a Bon Jovi classic without his former friend, bandmate and songwriting partner, Jon Bon Jovi.

The New Jersey native appeared as a surprise guest at the Rock For Responders Concert on the USS Iowa on Thursday, February 27, where he did a version of Livin’ On A Prayer, the band’s signature hit that they co-wrote with Desmond Child in 1986.

The charity concert was held in honor of Los Angeles’ first responders, military and emergency management partners who were among the crowd of thousands, along with their families. 

While Sambora didn’t have the Bon Jovi frontman by his side, he did share the stage with the guitarist who replaced him in his old band, Phil X, as well as his ex-girlfriend Orianthi, and members of the rock supergroup Kings Of Chaos.

The show took place in the Port of LA at a maritime museum that features the USS Iowa, a retired battleship that served during World War II that was eventually made part of the Battleship IOWA Museum in 2012.

Sambora, 65, abruptly and without prior notice left Bon Jovi in the midst of their 2013 Because We Can world tour amid substance abuse concerns and emotional issues related to his divorce with ex-wide Heather Locklear and their daughter Ava.

Richie Sambora, 65, performed Bon Jovi’s hit Livin’ On A Prayer without former friend and bandmate Jon Bon Jovi at the Rock For Responders Benefit Concert in San Pedro, California

Jon Bon Jovi don’t have any ‘contact’ with Samborna since he abruptly left Bon Jovi in 2013, although they did share the stage at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018

In fact, the Stranger In This Town’s departure from band, who hit the big time with their album Slippery When Wet (1986), came just hours before they were set to perform in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which didn’t sit well with Bon Jovi at the time, and even many years laters.

‘We were all shocked,’ Bon Jovi, now 62, told People in April 2024. ‘It was a show that night … and he just didn’t show up. And then the next night, and then the next night.’ 

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The Blaze Of Glory singer and guitarist went on to explain, ‘We had 120 people on the road, 80 other shows to do. So the train kept going.’

In the Hulu docuseries, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story (2024), Sambora revealed he wished he had handled splitting from the band better in hindsight.

‘I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it,’ the rocker said, before adding, ‘So I want to apologize fully right now to the fans, especially, and also to the guys because my feet and my spirit were just not letting me walk out the door.’

Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi Jr.) confessed the former duo hadn’t had any ‘contact’ with each other since Sambora left the band in 2013, although they did briefly perform during the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame five years later. 

‘We’re not in contact because he’s not in the organization any longer,’ Bon Jovi told Ultimate Classic Rock in March 2024. ‘Doesn’t mean that there’s not love forever.’

Sambora joined Bon Jovi in 1983, which led to their self-тιтled debut album, featuring their Top-40 hit Runaway, and the mega-success of Slippery When Wet (1986), that included the smash singles Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, and Wanted ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Or Alive.

Sambora performed at the charity event In California with the supergroup Kings Of Chaos, along with ex-girlfriend Orianthi, whom he dated from 2014 to 2018

New Jersey natives Bon Jovi, which formed formed in 1983, had their big breakthrough to rock stardom with the release of their studio album Slippery When Wet (1986)

The two former friends co-wrote Livin’ On A Pray, as well as many other songs, during their 30 years together in Bon Jovi; they are pictured in July 1986

Sambora abruptly quit Bon Jovi March 17, 2013, which didn’t sit well with the band’s frontman; his departure came one month after this performance in Toronto in February 2013

In all, the songwriting duo worked on 12 studio albums together, ending with What About Now (2013), which was released just days before the Sambora split nearly 12 years ago.

Bon Jovi has since dropped four more albums between 2015 and 2024, with the most recent being Forever.

For his performance at the charity event, Sambora rocked out with Kings Of Chaos members such as Sammy Hagar, Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and Matt Sorum (The Cult and Guns N’ Roses).

Actor, comedian and Air Force vet BJ Lange served as emcee for the bill, which also included the likes of actor Steve Guttenberg and ABC News chief national correspondent Matt Gutman, among others.