Jon Bon Jovi and Armin van Buuren Unveil Remix of Bon Jovi Classic at Ultra Festival: ‘Can’t Actually Believe This Happened’

The Bon Jovi frontman made a special appearance during the Dutch DJ’s set at the Miami festival on Sunday night

Ilana Kaplan is a Senior Digital Writer/Editor at PEOPLE. They have been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Their work has previously appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vogue and more.

Jon Bon Jovi made an unexpected appearance this weekend.

On Sunday night, the Bon Jovi frontman, 62, joined Armin van Buuren during his set on the main stage at 2024 Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

“I remember being a little kid and buying this guy’s album,” the Dutch DJ and producer, 47, told the crowd in video footage, before Jon walked onstage in a white T-shirt, jeans and sunglasses, exclaiming: “What up, Ultra?”

Jon Bon Jovi Performs with Armin van Buuren at 2024 Ultra Festival.ARMIN VAN BUUREN/YOUTUBE

Jon Bon Jovi ‘Still Recovering from a Major Surgery’ and Unsure When He’ll Tour: ‘Working Towards That Goal’

The “It’s My Life” artist then began jumping alongside van Buuren as he played his remix of Bon Jovi’s 1992 hit “Keep the Faith,” and then Jon stood on the decks to sing along to the remix, which featured the “Lose the Feeling” artist putting a bombastic kickdrum to the “everybody needs somebody to love” segment of the track.

“Ultra make some noise for this legend Mr. Jon Bon Jovi!” van Buuren screamed mid-song, as the electric song built up and pyro elements took over the performance.

Jon Bon Jovi performs with Armin van Buuren at 2024 Ultra Festival in Miami.ARMIN VAN BUUREN/YOUTUBE

“It’s an incredible honor to remix this track and to share the stage with Jon Bon Jovi, as I’ve been a massive fan for years,” the electronic artist told Billboard in a statement. “This track is different from anything I’ve ever released before, and no better place to first share it with you all than on the Ultra main stage.”

van Buuren commemorated their team-up on Monday with an Instagram post, which featured video footage of him introducing the rocker and them behind the decks, a photo of the duo standing behind the decks and an image of the pair in front of a high-rise in Miami.

“Can’t actually believe this happened! Thank you so much @jonbonjovi from @bonjovi for coming on stage with me to play my remix of ‘Keep The Faith’ 🙏 I’ll forever remember this moment!” the “Sucker for Love” performer captioned the post.

Jon’s appearance at Ultra might be one of the few live appearances he has for a while.

As Bon Jovi gears up to release its 16th studio album, Legendary, the Grammy winner has been considering whether it is in the best interest of his health to tour again after undergoing vocal cord surgery in 2022.

During a radio interview earlier this month on Mix 104.1 Boston, Jon explained that he’s “still recovering from a major surgery,” but the “goal” is to tour once he’s able to give fans the best show possible.

When asked about his plans to promote the forthcoming LP on the road, he admitted, “I don’t know about a tour. It is my desire to do a tour next year, but I’m just still recovering from a major surgery.”