Bon Jovi have added New Jersey native Matt O’Ree to their live lineup.
Radio station WRAT FM confirmed the news that he’d been brought in to replace Bobby Bandiera for the band’s upcoming shows in the Far East – but Phil X, who plays on Bon Jovi’s “fan” album Burning Bridges, will remain the group’s main axeman.
The blues-based guitarist formed the Matt O’Ree Band in 1994 and last month joined Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan on stage at the Rock The Farm benefit gig in the US.
And while the majority of Bon Jovi’s gigs will take place over the coming weeks, their two scheduled shows at Macao’s Cotai Arena in China later this month have been cancelled by authorities.
Chinese officials have given no reason, but the BBC suggest it could be because the band used an image of the Dalai Lama as a stage backdrop in 2010.
China has previously banned Bjork, Maroon 5, academics and politicians who have supported the campaign for Tibetan independence.