So when can we expect European dates for 2016?

I think that in my next life, I want to come back as a drummer. People never notice you except when you're beating the hell outta stuff, which you get to do on a regular basis, and you don't age!

Tico was Jon's age 11 years ago. I'm not a drummer, so I can't be sure about this, but I'd think his job is at least as physically demanding as Jon's. Yet people rarely wonder if Tico would be able to do another tour.

(Then again, I'm not surprised that people don't seem to consider Tico's age when they comment on Jon's. They seem to overlook both his and his wife's ages when it comes to Richie and Ori's 26-year age difference. Completely understandable, I suppose, since there's only 25 years between Tico and Maria Alejandra. My, my, my! What a difference one little year - and a lot of pissed-offness - can make in the minds of some people. If Ori is a "teenager" or a "toddler" at 30, Maria must have crawled down the aisle in diapers when she married 48 y.o. Tico - at the ripe old age of 23! That's 4 years older than you are now, isn't it? Oops! My bad.)

I'm teasing you, Lucas, really. I'm not minimizing you, or your contribution to this community, because of your age. You make some very insightful comments.

I just said all that to... well, to say all that, honestly; because it does bug me... But mainly to say that when Jon decides to hit the road again, I'm sure the band will be ready. Bad knees and voice issues have been there for a while now. And truth be told, probably the gray hair, too, for all of them.

That's not the biggest problem Jon faces. IMO (and that means that this is an opinion for those who may not be paying attention), the main issue Jon has to deal with is the big f'n hole to his right, which Phil-X doesn't come close to filling. And before anyone writes this off as another rant from a "Richie fan", let me explain.

It's not that I like Richie or think he's a better guitarist or vocalist than Phil. It's not because he co-wrote a lot of their hits or that he covers for Jon when his voice does give out.

What I saw from the BWC tour, and the shows in 2011 while Richie was in rehab, was a distinct change in Jon's stage-presence. He didn't seem as confident. There was no one to "play off" of, to crack jokes with, or make side comments to, no comic relief for his straight man. He can only stare into the eyes on the first few rows for so long before he needs somewhere else to look. In the past, most of the time, that was Richie; and Jon never seemed to find that with Phil, or any of the other guys on stage. And he rarely seemed to be enjoying himself. The one exception that comes to mind was WDOA with the little kid, Marco. During those few minutes, it seemed the old Jon was back and having a good time.

https://youtu.be/QtnneDRnIV0

So whether it's Richie himself, or simply Jon's discomfort with change, that's what I think has to be fixed. The missing wingman, his sidekick, the Gracie Allen to his George Burns (or perhaps more appropriately, the Dean to his Frank) and his own passion that Jon needs to recover. He needs to figure out why his "give a damn is busted" and fix it.

Maybe he could hire Marco! It would be a double-whammy. Marco could make Jon laugh again and, at the tender age of 12, he might also provide a nice balance for all those decrepit old men on stage.

Except the ageless drummer, of course!

BTW, while I'm sure playing bass is a relative walk in the park, Hugh is 65. Just sayin...

Aren't Tico and Maria Alejandra divorced now?

I remember when he married Eva, since she's 2 years older than me, joking that I was practically "too old" for Tico when I was an undergraduate in college. I thought it was pretty disgusting then, actually. There's a vast level of maturity difference between a college age kid (or model as the case may be) and a 40-something year old man. Icky.

If they are, I haven't heard anything about it. I just checked Wiki and it doesn't say anything about a divorce, for whatever that's worth!

Age has never been a big factor to me, one way or another. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

http://www.drycounty.com/jovitalk/ne...st1185754.html

Here's one post that references Tico going through a divorce in the last few years. I know I've seen others. There was one about him going through lawsuits and a divorce too, but I can't find it.

I've always found older men with much younger women repulsive.

For what it's worth I thought they split years ago. Hmmm

I haven't found anything online to that effect, but here's a recent pic of him at a benefit with no Maria in sight. That's Gabrielle "Fiona of Burn Notice" Awar he's hugging -- but she was there with the husband she married seven months ago.

http://www.drycounty.com/jovitalk/bo...0/#post1199847

Before we derail this thread any further..... a thread for Tico's love life.