More than 20 years since their first—and only—concert appearance in Honolulu, the members of Bon Jovi return to the islands next week for a pair of shows at Blaisdell Arena.

Nothing much has changed for the band over the ensuing decades, other than expected tweaks to hair and clothing styles. Led by the songwriting skills of singer Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora (who were enshrined into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year), they've continued to tour the world and release new music.

“;The Circle,”; which arrived in stores and online in November, was Bon Jovi's fifth release in the 2000's after “;Lost Highway”; in 2007 and “;Have a Nice Day”; in 2005. Fans and critics continue to enjoy the new material, despite what some have characterized as a lean toward country music with their overall sound. Billboard also named them among the top 10 highest-grossing touring artists of the previous decade, having earned more than $400 million from nearly 250 sold-out concerts.

The Star-Bulletin spoke with Sambora last week via telephone from Los Angeles, shortly after the guitarist had finished rehearsing for the band's upcoming shows on Oahu.

QUESTION: Is Bon Jovi ready to get back out on the road?

ANSWER: Absolutely, man. We're very excited about this record, and obviously everyone else is.

The tour is going unbelievable, selling out everywhere. Big places, like three nights at Giants Stadium, sold out in, like, two days, so we're thinking about adding four and five. And Chicago sold out really quick ... and Boston sold out quick, so we'll probably add (shows) there.

I don't know about your dance card, but mine is full until August of 2011. My daily planner is the size of a Bible, man! And it's only gonna grow.

People are asking us to play some bizarre places.

Q: Is there anywhere Bon Jovi hasn't visited yet?

A: Yeah, there are a couple places we wish we could play. Like in Israel (or) Egypt, some of those places where it's too dangerous to go. We tried a lot of times and had a couple of offers to play places like that.

Q: So the band is a well-oiled machine when it comes to touring?

A: We manage ourselves, basically. We have a manager who does the record side of things, but overall, you know, we kind of rule the roost. We know what to do, and we hire the right people to do the right things. We've been doing this for so long.

But the best part of it is obviously the performing part. Jon is an amazing front man. Every night I walk on stage with him and I just go, “;Wow, this guy is just amazing!”;

He can make a place with 70,000 people feel intimate. It's a very special thing. There's not many people who know how to do that.

Q: Is it hard to keep coming up with new material for Bon Jovi's albums?

A: For “;The Circle”; the record company had slated it to be a greatest-hits (album). So Jon and I were going to write five songs ... to put on the greatest hits.

We started to write, and we hit such a vein that we kind of just kept on going. We weren't writing anything political. We were writing about people, and that's what we always do. We write songs that mean something to us, and it somehow becomes this universal thing.

Q: Where do you look for inspiration these days?

A: There's a story on every street corner, my friend. All you have to do is open your eyes.

With Jon and I the songwriting always starts with a conversation, how we're feeling and what's going on with our families or in the world. It's been that way from day one—we sit in the same room with two guitars and a tape player. It's very old school.

Q: It's been a while, but you've done solo work in the past. Do you enjoy that stuff?

A: I loved it. I went on tour and had a blast.

That's very important with this band, that we all have individual stuff that we do. It's very important to the enrichment of the individual, and it also gives you a little space to do your own thing and have your own dignity so the band isn't the only thing that you do.

And then when you come back to the band, you come back with so much more. That's the great thing about working with other artists.

Q: Are you looking forward to returning to Hawaii?

A: The first time I was in Honolulu, we were supposed to spend a week. I spent three weeks and bought a piece of property on Kauai! And when I got married, I honeymooned in Hawaii. As a matter of fact, I just came home from Hawaii.

I was in Kona for Christmas, and I was out there three months before to get in shape. I swear to God ... this is my favorite place in the world to go. When I go on vacation, that's where I go to just relax and enjoy. It's a magical place.