Bon Jovi will headline Summerfest's opening night

After Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band closed out Milwaukee's 2008 summer concert season by performing at Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary party, another group from New Jersey will help kick off the 2009 slate.

Summerfest officials announced today that Bon Jovi will headline the Marcus Amphitheater Thursday, June 25 -- the festival's opening night.

Bon Jovi, which is only performing a handful of concerts this summer, made its Summerfest debut with an electrifying show at the Rock Stage in 1985. The band returned to Summerfest two years ago and played to a record-breaking crowd of 22,771 fans.

The band has sold more than 120 million albums and performed more than 2,500 concerts for more than 32 million fans. The group's 2007 album "Lost Highway" debuted at No. 1 around the world.

Tickets for the show, which include Summerfest admission, cost $97, $87, $67 and $42 and will go on sale at noon March 7 at the Marcus Amphitheater box office and Ticketmaster outlets.

Bon Jovi is the fourth headliner announced for Summerfest, which runs June 25-July 5. Other Amphitheater shows include George Strait (June 29), No Doubt (July 2) and Kenny Chesney (July 3).