“Hi, everyone at Modern Drummer, it’s great to be here! It’s a pleasure hanging out with you.”

Tico Torres and his longtime drum-tech, JD Derosz, stop in at soundcheck to show us Torres’ brand-new DW kit and talk about thirty years of life on the road and playing for the song.

“I never take the song out of context, that’s the key,” Tico says. “I always believe I’m not a drummer’s drummer, but more a drummer for the song. There’s time for a drummer to be a drummer.”

Torres and Bon Jovi are currently on the Because We Can worldwide tour, promoting their latest release, What About Now. It’s Bon Jovi’s third consecutive studio album to enter the charts at number one. Visit www.BonJovi.com for up-to-date information.

Check back for parts two and three of this video.