In September 1987, Bon Jovi came to Japan for the final leg of shows on their epic Slippery When Wet world tour. In an indication of just how huge the New Jersey hard rock band had become since the release of their third album in August '86, they were booked to play no fewer than seven nights at Tokyo's legendary 14,500-capacity Budokan arena, in addition to playing shows in Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Shizuoka. And yet, they were not the biggest Western artists touring the country at the time, as Michael Jackson was launching his world tour in support of Bad with a frankly astonishing 14 stadium shows in Japan.
In Tokyo, by coincidence, both artists found themselves staying in the same luxury hotel, with the Bon Jovi touring party occupying the 13th floor, and Jackson taking temporary residence in the penthouse suite above. On the afternoon of September 24, the date of Bon Jovi's opening Budokan show, Jackson summoned Jon Bon Jovi to his suite, and during the ensuing conversation, the King Of Pop agreed that he would join the rock band onstage for one song at the close of their Budokan run on September 30, as he himself had no gig that evening.
On the night in question, however, Jackson let Bon Jovi down. An hour before the band are due on-stage, word filtered through that the singer will not be making his promised appearance, much to Bon Jovi's disappointment. The group were still aggrieved about this when they returned to the hotel following an after-party at the Lexington Queen nightclub, and as they were now somewhat 'loosened up' after a night's partying, a plan was hatched to get a modicum of revenge on the pop superstar.
The prank which followed is detailed in Star Man: The Right Hand Man of Rock 'n' Roll, a 2003 book written by Bon Jovi's then head of security Michael Francis with Classic Rock writer Paul Elliott.
First, a call was placed to Michael Jackson's personal trainer, who was also tasked with the care of the King Of Pop's beloved pet chimpanzee, Bubbles, saying that Jon Bon Jovi wished to pop upstairs to say 'Hello' to the simian star. As Jackson's personal trainer was a Bon Jovi fan who had attended one of the Budokan gigs, he was only too happy to agree to the request. When he opened the door to the suite, however, he was informed that there has been a change of plan, and that Francis and drummer Tico Torres would be taking Bubbles down to the hotel bar to meet JBJ instead. Despite the man's protests, Bubbles leaves the room in Tico Torres' arms.
"Tell Michael if he wants to see Bubbles again, he can come to the bar and get him," Michael Francis says.
"In the bar, we place Bubbles in an armchair," Francis writes. "He is a friendly little fellow, and a star in his own right. Clad in a red and grey-striped romper suit, he accepts bananas from us, which we order with our drinks. For two hours, we are expecting a visit from Jackson's security staff, but nobody comes. Eventually, we come to the conclusion that Jackson's personal trainer is too scared to let anyone know that Bubbles has been abducted. So we are stuck with him: or, to be more specific, I am stuck with him."
For three further hours, Francis hangs out with the chimp in his hotel room, before deciding to return his new pal to his rightful owner, or rather the bodyguards stationed outside Jackson's penthouse suite.
"They shake their heads in disbelief as I walk towards them with Bubbles waddling at my side, his hand in mine," Francis writes. "'Don't ask', I say sleepily, patting my little friend on the head and walking quickly away, before any questions can be asked."
Michael Jackson's memories of Bubbles' abduction were sadly never made public.
