YOU won't be alone if you are struggling to identify the real Jon Bon Jovi from the doppelganger in the photo.

The man himself was so certain that a picture of Bon Jovi Experience frontman Tony Pearce was him, he had to check with a friend to make sure it wasn’t. No wonder JBJ endorses the tribute act from Stoke-on-Trent, who will replicate the Americans' stadium rock at York Barbican tonight.

Not only JBJ has been confused by Pearce's uncanny resemblance.When Tony attended a Bon Jovi gig in Manchester, fans were so convinced he was THE Jon Bon Jovi, he was mobbed and had to be escorted to safety.

"It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life," he says.

"I walked in and as I knew the head of security, I went over to talk to him and my friend, who I was with at the time, said, ‘Tony, I think you’ve got trouble here’. So I turned around and there were hundreds of people leaving their seats in the stadium and coming towards me.

“My friend said, 'Just keep it going and put on an American accent’, which is what I did. Massive mistake. I like attention but what it must be like to actually be Jon, I don’t know. It must take some getting used to. In the end, the head of security just grabbed me and got me out of the way.”

Perace's band have been together for around 21 years, having formed before the explosion of the tribute-band scene.

“We first started doing pubs and clubs and didn’t even have enough money for a kebab at the end of the night and now we’re doing national theatres and touring together all over the world," says Tony. "The line-up we’ve got now is better than any we've had.”

Jon Bon Jovi rates The Bon Jovi Experience as "the best Bon Jovi tribute ever".

Apparently, JBJ had been aware of the tribute band for years, but it was not until 2006 that he met his double. Pearce initially thought he was the subject of a wind-up when Matt Bon Jovi, who runs the backstage fan club, called to say Jon wanted The Bon Jovi Experience to play at the Hard Rock Cafe at his induction into its rock'n'roll hall of fame.

“I thought it was just someone winding me up,” Tony says. “When we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, Jon came over and said, ‘Hi Tony’ and I thought; ‘Jon Bon Jovi knows my name’.”

In the defining moment of Pearce's’s career, the pair then sang Who Says You Can’t Go Home? together. Will he perform it without JBJ in York? Find out at tonight's 7.30pm show, when the set list is sure to include Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, Keep The Faith, Bed Of Roses, Always, Bad Medicine and It’s My Life.

Tickets are available on 0844 854 2757; at yorkbarbican.co.uk; at the box office on the day from 5pm and on the door from 6.30pm.