AP reports rocker Jon Bon Jovi returned to a Manhattan fire house Wednesday to pay tribute to firefighters marking the anniversary.
The New Jersey native was filmed singing "America The Beautiful" by an NBC television crew preparing for a special "NFL Kickoff 2011: Back to Football" show that aired Saturday evening. The joint NFL Network/NBC Sports production features football, music, and a tribute to 9/11 first responders.
He sang the same song for a performance that aired nationally on Sept. 23, 2001 prior to the kickoff of the first NFL games after Sept. 11. Bon Jovi said in an interview after Wednesday's performance that it was "as moving this time as it was then."
Jon said firefighters who were there a decade ago, as well as police officers from a nearby precinct, came to the taping at Engine Co. 8, Ladder 2. He said he felt some of the same camaraderie that he felt in 2001.
Bon Jovi said he was in his New Jersey home's gym on Sept. 11, 2001 watching the news with his wife when the towers were hit by hijacked planes. He said later that day he joined others at the shore in Seabright, New Jersey in Monmouth County, home to many of the victims.
"I want the country of Sept. 12th again, when everybody came together," he said. "We said we'd never forget and now we can live up to it."
Jon Bon Jovi – America The Beautiful
With NYC Firefighters
See also:
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VIDEO: Phil X joins Bon Jovi tour in place of Richie Sambora
VIDEO: James Durbin rocks Bon Jovi on American Idol
