Would Phil stay it Richie came back

Now before I voice my opinion I would just like to say that I am a huge Richie fan. I even considered not attending the Manchester gig because of the current situation which I was disappointed in. However I went as I thought it will still be a good night and it was great! I also questioned what it would be like without Richie but I thought Phil X did a fantastic job.

I am also a well seasoned guitarist of 18 years so I feel Im in a pretty good position to offer opinion on this.

How you guys can type away on this forum saying Phil X isn't good enough etc is absolutely beyond me. The guy has learnt an entire set and show (new album also) at the drop of a hat and is up there with the pressure of thousands watching. Now Bon Jovi songs are not hard to play by any means but believe me its easy to learn to play any song on your own in the studio but get up on stage and its a different ball game. To remember an entire show in a matter of hours including backing vocals is quite remarkable.

He is also there doing a JOB and absolutely has to stay true to the song and within the style and confines of the band even when improvising. Phil X could bring a lot of creativity to the live Jams and improv sections, but he would simply get frowned upon by not only Jon but you lot as well who are questioning his ability.

Richie probably does have more soul in his playing but Phil X is more knowledgable and technically able on the guitar. Richie also has more scope to improvise and mix things up in a live show as he is one of the song writers and an original band member.

I was a doubter of how a live show would be with Phil X and having seen it I can now say he brought a lot of fresh energy to the show, was respectful to the songs and very gracious to fans and the other band members. He got this tour out of the S**t so I think everyone bad mouthing him here needs to remember that.

Also questioning his ability to play? follow the link below and you will see he is extremely versatile and nails some very soulful and fast chops (to the person saying 'I really miss Richie's fast licks').

I am that person and in reaction to that: .
I am sure he can play fast but I do not call that fast licks. I also never said he couldn't play but only that he is quite limited in his play. I don't find his solo's constructive as they hardly build up to a point but mostly just fill the time he has to do the solo. I basically miss some sort of melody in his solo's. I even dare to say that with some solo's I would believe if it was Bobby playing if someone told me so.

Runaway Slane Castle with Phil:

Runaway with Richie:

Richie's solo is way more aggressive and builds up to a certain point where I feel like Phil is filling his time to play the solo.
I do not say Phil's solo is bad but we are allowed to compare, aren't we?

Then for the point he learning the set in hours and playing it on stage. Any artists/session musician should master that ability. That's their trade as they are artists for hire. About the backing vocals I can say that they are mostly on standard places in the songs so I doubt that is really something to learn.

I believe he brings fresh energy and all that. My reply was just to question all those people on this board who thought from the first date on that Phil was way better then Richie but he just isn't. The note that I have to add though is that Richie became lazy, thanks to Jon's auto-pilot-setlists and thanks to himself.

Conclusion:
Phil X is not better then Richie but he does bring fresh energy. He does a good job filling in for Richie but I don't find all his solo's all that impressive. Exceptions are always there.

I salute you,
TS

Right. What more does anyone need actually? We should make a 1 to 1 comparison of every damn song so people have it black on white.

No one says Phil is bad (I think he is great and sometimes energy makes up for more than the perfect solo). But Richie Sambora he is not.

Yeah, you pefectly understood what I was saying! You just wrote one of the most narrowminded replies that I've seen in a long time. I am not going to bother trying to make it more clear what I meant as it's already perfectly clear. I'll leave my previous reply for the ones who actually get my point.

I salute you,
TS

Well - I did think I understood what you meant. I guess I didn't. Now I've read your post about 10 times, and I still don't quite get why my post is the most narrow-minded reply you have seen in a long time.

Where I come from is simply pointing out the fact that people actually forgot quite easily how impressive Sambora's overall sound/tone/playing is. They listen to these songs with X and go 'yes, he nailed the solo' when, in fact, he doesn't nail a single solo. He sounds 'adequate' at best. As soon as you do a comparison -one to one- of the songs, just like what you did, it is easy to observe all the subtleties in Richie's playing, how he makes those songs and those solos a lot more than what they actually are.

See - I did bother to elucidate my point. Would be kind if you could do that too. I thought that was the point of a discussion, wasn't it?

Your reply looked like a lash at me. That I used Runaway as comparison which is too black and white and we should compare each song. That wasn't the purpose of linking those videos. It was part of my complete reply about how I think Phil X is fine but do not get why people worship him so much. He plays his solo's alright but it's nothing amazing. I miss melody, a bit of blues in them and in the end I miss a build up. It just sounds like Richie is into the solo's and Phil is playing them because he is hired to do so. Do you understand what I mean?

To power my words I thought it would help to link 2 videos to show what I tried to say with words. What I got from your reply is that you 'hated' that I went the 'comparison-way' while linking those videos was only done to give people an example. I did that to, as you truely say, make it easier for people to observe where I am coming from with my opinion.

As far as I can see, we both agree on the same things that I mentioned in my earlier reply. Your reply felt narrowminded because you used sarcasm to blow something out of proportion, using a part of my reply for it which was there for a completely other purpose.

You elucidated (new word learnt) your point, and I elucidated mine. It indeed is part of a discussion so here you have it.

I salute you,
TS

There was no sarcasm in my post. I was agreeing 100% with you and I'd actually find it really interesting to see a solo vs. solo comparison of what X plays vs. what Sambora used to play.

Interesting how you thought I'd be sarcastic in that context. I guess perception slowly turns into reality, if not careful.

Using the word 'damn' helped thinking it was sarcasm.

"Right. What more does anyone need actually? We should make a 1 to 1 comparison of every damn song so people have it black on white."

It just sounded to me as if you typed this thinking:
'Oh God, now we've come so far that we are going to compare every song and look at it with a magnifying glass'. That was the thought I got after reading your reply.

If you typed it because you agreed and found it a good thing, then I hereby apologize for calling your reply narrowminded. Your intention was good and my perception was wrong.

I salute you,
TS

Phil X is a better player than Richie. The thing is that Richie's been playing these songs for many years so obviously he's going to sound better on them. If he didn't it would be just sad.

*shaking head*
Whatever. Everyone must have an opinion I guess. I repeat myself. Before he decided to play his ugly Lumpy signature models, Richie's tone was out of this world. The perfect blend between blues and metal and there is no one who could ever come close to that tone. That's my biggest problem with Phil X. After playing sooo many gigs, he still doesn't get the tone right, not even close.

As about the actual playing - it's not about how many times you play a certain solo that decides whether you play it well. For example, when Melissa Etheridge did that Jovi tribute and Phil Sayce came out doing that solo to Wanted for the first and only time, that gave me the chills. Even does today. NEVER ever did that happen with Phil X. Again, he is a great shredder, but it really stops there and the more youtube I watch/listen the less I like him (and if you look up my post history, I was initially so fond of X that I would have seen Jovi for him alone).

I guess I did make my point about 1,000 times by now. I just find it ridiculous that some people have the guts to say 'oh, he is better than Sambora' but have never ever justified why that is the case. Anyway - there's not much I can add to this, and I have got sick of saying the same stuff, I'll let it be. Just once more though: Sambora might not be the greatest guitarist of all time, but he sure is better than Phil X. And I bet you, even Phil X wouldn't disagree with that.