The Official June 15 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland Thread

Shanks just looks really arrogant. Especially when he puts on that cocky smile. I have nothing against the guy, I'm sure he's a nice guy in the real world but he just Isn't for Bon Jovi. He is a limited guitarist, even Bobby was better, at least he could sing. Shanks looks like a Mexican drug dealer with that facial hair.

HOw an earth would you know this??

He doesn't, but I do. And it's correct.

Didn't Bobby do an interview afterwards when he basically dished the dirt on Jon and the band? That's probably where this infor came from? I don't think there's any way that he's ever going to be invited back....

It didn't come from there, but just confirmed what I had heard before. And I don't think there's a need to keep this story off the radar any longer, it's been three years since it leaked. One of the members of the current Bon Jovi line-up (obviously not Jon ) met one of the members of the band Bounce back in 2016 at an event. They were introduced to each other and the member seemed to be really jetlagged, but also very interested in a chat. They talked for nearly an hour about everything from instruments to how to play with other musicians to how to do certain elements of a Jovi song and so on. Near the end, this story slipped out:
Bobby had been with the band and a great person to hang around with, pretty funny and doing essential and great vocals (no word of his guitar playing). As we know from the 2014 Red Bank video, he had gained tons of weight after the BWC tour, looking like Santa Clause. Simply because he had been going through some real rough times as he was getting divorced. That's why he was absent from the work on Burning Bridges and that's why Matt played the Asian Mini tour in 2015. After the contract situations for THINFS got resolved and the band was gearing up for that cycle, Jon allegedly told him to "get his shit together and start losing weight", to which Bobby flipped him the finger, telling him to "take care of his own crap".
That's how it ended. After having told the story, that jetlagged member seemed to realize that he had just aired some dirty laundry and was a bit uncomfortable having done so.

Interesting story. It's crazy how people who've known each other for so long can just cut ties in such a quick exchange.

Bobby had worked with Jon since the DA album. It would be a shame if their friendship truly ended like that.

If you're talking about the podcast Bobby did shortly after Richie left, I know he spilled a lot of beans, which probably didn't make Jon happy. So, you may be right. He may have burned some bridges with Jon by talking about band stuff.

In the podcast, Bobby said Jon told him he would have to to "convince" the band to go along with him bringing Bobby on-board; and that when he joined them, Richie was the least happy about it, for obvious reasons. He also said Jon and Richie weren't seeing eye-to-eye by that time, and Jon bringing in another guitarist didn't help the situation.

So my guess is that, along with the friction that was already there, they both probably played a part. Bringing Bobby in may have been the spark that lit the fire. Then Shanks' joined the team; and watching Shanks' increasing involvement, as his own role diminished, probably added more and more fuel to it. When you add conflict over Richie's drinking/drugging, the relentless touring, getting called back in early and touring again too soon, then not getting a chance to promote AOTL on the tour as promised, it's possible things just built up, over time, until they exploded - or Richie imploded - depending on what you believe happened.

(And, of course, after reading your last post, now I'm gonna wonder if this could be part of what Bobby referred to in his parting shot.)
Things that make you go "hmmm..."

Imagine how bad Bobby's solos would have been with fat fingers?

I doubt it happened that quickly. I don't doubt the story. I just think there's probably more to it.

Bobby always seemed too laid back to let one comment set him off like that; and it's hard to believe that Jon would let go of a friendship, especially as close as the one they seemed to have, over one Jersey salute. I would imagine there had been more going on between them before that happened, stuff that whoever told the story may not even have been aware of (or cared to share). Stranger things have happened, I guess; but I suspect that one exchange was just the final straw.

Still, it's sad... I always liked Bobby.