James Bay played Wembley in a wheelchair two days after breaking his ankle

“Pain is temporary. Wembley is forever”

The singer was due to support Bon Jovi at a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Wednesday and was determined not to miss the opportunity. After injuring his ankle while playing football on Tuesday, he arrived with his leg in plaster and had to be wheeled onto the stage.

That did not stop him from completing his entire warm-up set as Bay performed while sitting down, with his injured ankle still in plaster, as thousands of fans watched on.

The effort went down particularly well with the crowd, who praised him both for turning up and for putting on a performance that had the stadium singing along to his songs.

Wembley summed up the situation perfectly afterwards on an Instagram post, writing: “Pain is temporary. Wembley is forever.”

Bon Jovi’s Wembley show was already an emotional night

Bay’s own career began with a moment of luck in London. In 2014, a video of him performing at an open-mic night caught enough attention to help him land a record deal, eventually turning the then-emerging songwriter into a familiar name.

More than a decade later, he found himself on one of London’s biggest stages, supporting one of rock’s biggest bands, although probably not in the circumstances he had imagined.

Bon Jovi brought their Forever Tour to north-west London for three sold-out nights on Friday, Sunday and Wednesday, with Bay joining them for the final show despite his ankle injury.

The night was already an emotional one for Jon Bon Jovi, who has reportedly been visibly moved during performances since returning from throat surgery in 2022, an operation that had raised serious questions about whether he would be able to continue performing.