Bon Jovi salute New York City and its workers in new video

Bon Jovi honour the spirit of the people of New York City during the coronavirus pandemic in their video for their song ‘Do What You Can’.

The video begins with a news report voiceover, ordering people to “shelter in place” after reaching “critical mass” with the COVID-19 crisis. “New Yorkers have the reputation of being tough, of being resilient,” reporters say. “New York will get through this. We will get through this.”

From there, frontman Jon Bon Jovi observes the city under lockdown conditions while wearing a mask. There are empty stadiums, a shut playground, “closed” signs in shop windows, and subway carriages with no passengers. Jon Bon Jovi does his best to raise morale, waving at strangers as he explores the deserted streets. The video then ends with a dedication to “the everyday heroes fighting to rise above this pandemic.”

“Shooting a video on nearly empty streets of Manhattan amid a global crisis really told the story of ‘Do What You Can’ from the place where I lived it,” Jon Bon Jovi said in a statement.

“And I know those empty streets look similar to so many parts of America battling this pandemic. But the story of everyday heroes showing amazing courage was inspiring to see, and the video, much like the song, has a great deal of hope in it too.”

‘Do What You Can’ is taken from the band’s forthcoming fifteenth studio album, the aptly-named Bon Jovi: 2020, due out October 2nd. The album was initially scheduled for release much earlier in the year. It was pushed back to its new date because of the coronavirus pandemic, however.

The band has also previously released another politically-charged song from it. ‘American Reckoning’ was a protest anthem about the untimely death of George Floyd by police officers in May.