No Richie on current leg of the tour

Originally Posted by DestinationJovi

1. In 2007 Richie's stint in "rehab" was actually just a one week detox at a hospital in LA. The announcement of him not touring this leg was on April 2, a little over 3 weeks ago. He could have just entered the same type of 7 day detox program followed by therapy, which would explain him being around and available to drive Ava to school today.

2. We know from past history time off for Richie leads to trouble. When he entered rehab in 2011 it was at the end of a one month break from the road. April 2 of this year was the end of a 2 week break from the road. Not the month long bender requiring a 30 day rehab stint, but a couple of weeks hitting the bottle warranting a 7 day detox. At 1:15 he even admits being on the road isn't the problem, it's time off that is the problem.

3. The fact that Matt has insisted that the TMZ article is completely off with this one, explicitly said Jon and Richie are not fighting, said it's up to Richie to make an official statement and he "WILL be back on the road" squashes the whole gag order theory. I know Matt is theoretically a nobody, but he still works for the organization and cannot make statements like that (whether they be true or false) if there is some sort of take our secrets to the grave clause. He would simply say "personal reasons" and leave it at that, not reassure his twitter followers that the fighting rumors are bullshit and that he'll be back for the European shows.

Originally Posted by Stranger11

This.

Plus wouldn´t Jon look like a total fool when he says on Ellen that Richie is still his guitar player ("absolutly") and then it would turn out that he isn´t anymore?
Because that question from Ellen about Richie surely was something he expected so I guess he would have come up with a different (prepared?) answer.

Originally Posted by † ÀžžÀ †

On a side not, do people honestly believe Jon and Richie are as close as they make out on-stage, in interviews etc?

For a good few years now I've assumed that is a bit of a show, for the whole 'brotherhood' idea. They are after all very different characters and Jon has grown extremely arrogant in recent times. Much of Bon Jovi's image is based on that duo and they present it as such but that could well be an act.

Don't get me wrong I'm sure they love each other deep down - I mean, this band has been going for 30 plus years - but away from their 'job' I can't imagine them socialising a great deal.

And maybe Richie has just grown tired of the business-like direction and misses the organic approach of a group of friends making music they believe in - as was the case with Aftermath of the Lowdown.

Originally Posted by Beaky

We've covered that... somewhere on here...

Jon can say he is still the guitar player because Jon hasn't moved the goal posts, Jon hasn't changed the game. The door is open, Richie is the guitar player in Bon Jovi until HE says otherwise. It puts the ball firmly in Richie's court. Jon is out there, fulfilling commitments, he's not done anything wrong... Over to you, Richie... That is what the Ellen appearance accomplished.

Originally Posted by MrNickel

The plot thickens, according to this somewhat believable source a new replacement for Europe has been arranged, in the name of Jimmy Reilly. He looks creepily like Sambora as well. It would appear the Jovi train has truly crashed.

http://tinyurl.com/cvaxd49

Originally Posted by MrNickel

The plot thickens, according to this somewhat believable source a new replacement for Europe has been arranged, in the name of Jimmy Reilly. He looks creepily like Sambora as well. It would appear the Jovi train has truly crashed.

http://tinyurl.com/cvaxd49

Originally Posted by MrNickel

The plot thickens, according to this somewhat believable source a new replacement for Europe has been arranged, in the name of Jimmy Reilly. He looks creepily like Sambora as well. It would appear the Jovi train has truly crashed.

http://tinyurl.com/cvaxd49

Originally Posted by TheseDaysEra

i trust you're joking, right ?