A BON Jovi tribute band that was asked to play at a fan event by Jon Bon Jovi himself will perform in Weymouth.

The Bon Jovi Experience will play Weymouth Pavilion on Friday, May 10.

In 1994 a group of friends from Crewe, Nantwich and Dudley formed a small tribute band and called themselves By Jovi.

They started out in small pubs and worked through various challenges such as band members changing and a name change to Bon Jovi Experience. They are still the best of friends yet had no idea all those years ago that they would become the number one Bon Jovi tribute band in the world, endorsed by Jon Bon Jovi himself: The Bon Jovi Experience.

Band member Tony Pearce said: “From the very beginning in the early 80s I was sitting in a rock pub called The Bitter End, in Crewe with my now keyboard player, listening to rock music, Bon Jovi quickly became my favourite.

"It was my dream even then to be like Jon though at that time there were no such things as tribute bands. Fast forward to 1994 I was asked to perform as frontman with By Jovi and as they say the rest is now history. ”

Tony continues: “ I started singing at the age of six when I was always being asked to be a member of the school choir, which as a boy I obviously hated, but in hindsight this was probably a good thing. I went on to have classical training from one of the best vocal teachers in the country who trained a number of famous singers in the West End. ”

In 2006 Jon Bon Jovi had asked the band personally to appear at an official fan club event at the Hard Rock Café in London during his well deserved induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Jon asked Tony during the evening if he could join the band on stage to which Tony replied he would be honoured.

Together they performed Who Says Ya can't Go Home to a sell out crowd.

Tony said: “It was a privilege and an honour to be asked to perform with such a legend as Jon Bon Jovi and my own personal idol."

*The Bon Jovi Experience, Weymouth Pavilion, Friday May 10. Call the box office for tickets.