This is all opinion and conjecture but...

This is a reaction from Jon. He was under pressure to put out a GH but he didn't want to do the 'nostalgia' thing. So the record company let him make TC and it bombed, with the record company putting very little weight behind it.

He did the GH and tour and with this album, I think it's very much a last-chance saloon for the band to produce a successful album alongside a the record-breaking tours their bosses are accustomed to. So there is more effort on both sides. This is why What About Now is SUCH a Jon project, he has been given artistic freedom and an opportunity to prove he remains relevant.

He sees himself as a guy with a guitar and a story to tell. He is sick of begging for respect and feels he has an album that demands it.

I said in another post, this will go one of two ways; He will realise he has to go back to being a nostalgia act and switch the style/sets mid-tour to make sure they shift tickets and get good reviews - in which case he will take a long break after this tour and probably do a solo album and tour; or he will just plough on and do what he wants; not gaining any news fans and damaging the legacy he has spent 30 years building up.

I know a whole group of people going to the Isle Of Wight this year, just for the last day, just to see Jovi. Not massive fans but couples in their 30's and 40's who feel that it's an opportunity to see a band they've heard are the ultimate bar band... who just play big bars (Jon's quote). Make up your own mind if they'll bother seeing them again if Jon sticks to his guns.

Just to add... I am more than happy to admit that it is just my opinion that they aren't as good as they were... if other people like this new direction, then great. My belief is that it could signal the end of the band as we know it, depending on how Jon weighs touring success against his desire to be artistically credible.