Bon Jovi ReturnsTo New Orleans For 2009 Jazz Fest

Bon Jovi will rock the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the first time this year, returning to Louisiana after donating $1 million in 2005 to build homes for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm thrilled," Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis said Thursday, calling the group "one of the greatest American rock bands of all time."

In the wake of Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Bon Jovi gave $1 million to help build 28 homes for low-income families displaced by the storm. The homes were built in Houma, a coastal community roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans, through Habitat for Humanity and Oprah's Angel Network.

"That really says something about this group's sense of humanity and responsibility," Davis said. "It says that they're unique and extraordinary, that they have a spirit and a soul ... to be that generous."

Bon Jovi formed in the early 1980s with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

How I desire I’m staying near in that place so I can witness that tremendous performance. I wish…