MADRID, Spain -- U.S. rock star Jon Bon Jovi and his band are waiving their performance fee for a concert in Madrid as a gesture to their Spanish fans hit hard by the country's severe economic crisis.

El Mundo newspaper and other media outlets said Thursday that tickets for the band*s sold-out concert June 27 cost between 18 euros and 39 euros, roughly half normal prices for such concerts.

The paper's website quoted the singer as saying they initially planned not to play Spain, fearing poor demand from cash-strapped fans.

But he told El Mundo, "I didn't want to let fans down" in a country he loved. So the band decided to drop their performance fee, meaning the ticket money will only cover the other costs of staging the concert.