It could be... or not! They didn't and won't release a proper statement and explanation so we can only express opinions and theories about this mess and that's what we love doing, don't we?!

But re/a) Jon or the BJ team did say that people could ask for a refund prior to a show if they didn't want to attend because Richie was not there. Itwas a way of announcing that he wouldn't be back, wasn't it?

b) I don't think that Richie is smart and wicked enough to come up with such a scheme... In the very first interviews he gave after his departure he clearly expressed his deception at seeing Jon going on with the show, IMO he sincerely and naively believed (hoped?) Jon would stop the machine. I don't understand why he believed such a thing because he knows that Jon's work ethic is and has always been "the show must go on" (and I agree with him, believe it or not) + when he broke his shoulder he explained at the time that he had to manage to play guitar one way or another because they couldn't cancel the tour, there were too much money and too many people involved. So I'm surprised he was surprised to see the big wheel keeping on rolling without him.