I always thought "I'm doing f'ing great" was intended in the same ironic mood of "have a nice day".

September 2016: "Bon Jovi returns to the vaults with 'I'm doing great', the first single of their forthcoming new (and final) album."

When he first tweeted it (before the interview-bashing started and we knew even less than we do now, if possible), I honestly didn't give it too much thought. Now, I read it that way as well. Ironic not as in he's actually awful, though, but as in he's indeed ****in' great in a smug in-your-face kind of way. The "face" probably being Jon's, I don't know. And it does make me wonder: is he aware of the way it all looks like to us fans? Does he care about it? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's the way I see it now.

I took most of Richie's Tweets to be passive-aggressive swipes at Jon, actually. As for how it looks to us, maybe he isn't thinking of that if he's aiming them at Jon. If he /is/ thinking of fans, though, maybe he's only thinking of his Twitter fan base, who tend to shower him with compliments and devotion at every turn. That has to be gratifying to his ego: Everything he writes seems to be followed by: 'Do what you need to, Richie, your fans are behind you!' and so on.

If Richie comes back I for one will look at all the JnR hugs, smiles and back/butt pats with a cynical eye. And the duel guitars in the air, will it mean the same or will it be something done out of habit, so the fans will think everything in Joviland is perfect once again? I hope I'm wrong and the so called brotherhood can be repaired but it needs a real fix not a pretend one. This whole thing is making me jaded.:)

Lol sadly, I'll probably be doing the same thing; I loved the bromance; it certainly seemed genuine (most of the time, anyway). I'll try to refrain from posting my musings here too often, though; that's what rock band bromance fan forums are for xD

If this is indeed a matter of a falling out between Jon and Richie (the "if" is still mandatory), I don't think that scenario is something we have to fear.
Despite what some people think, I honestly don't believe they could fake it. They obviously can't, and that's why we're on this 518-page thread to begin with. They have money, they have fame, they have a career. They just (supposedly) don't like each other at the moment for some reason. If that's the case, I hope in the end they'll kiss and make up, and when that happens, you'll just know it's real. Jon wouldn't be able to pretend he likes someone when he doesn't if his life depended on it, and Richie apparently doesn't even try and just walks away in a big fashion.

Yeah... but, c'mon, he's gotta know his every tweet/move is followed by Bon Jovi fans as well. I don't know if Ava had the heart to tell him she's being stalked by people over him, but unless he's oblivious to the rest of the world, he must have a clue about how this is all unfolding from an outside perspective.

Well, yes, that makes sense, too, so I'll amend my previous statement. It's probable that he knows exactly how it sounds, and perhaps we will find out in due time what his motive was. Or maybe we never will. In any case, he's probably angled his communication to get what he wants out of this thing, whatever it is.

Yup, I agree, that's what it sounds like to me as well. I think Richie's a very, very smart man. Much more than he's probably given credit for. I don't want to say "calculating", but he surely knows what he does, why he does it and what consequences it will bring about. I'm speaking in general here, and I'm sure this drama makes no exception.

I have no doubt that both Jon and Richie know exactly what is being said on this and other popular sites, if for no other reason than to gauge fan climate. And I am also pretty sure that Richie is well aware of the fact that his Twitter Bugs (if you will) follow everyone he mentions from Ava to Denise to the guy who carries his luggage if they can get a name.

As much as I usually appreciate your voice of reason, Mysterytrain, I have to disagree with you on this. I think when Richie refers to his fans he means all of his fans... his solo fans, the Bon Jovi Darksiders, the guys who love him primarily for his guitar, and the "band" fans who just like him as a part of the band. I don't know why anyone would think that his reference to the fans would only be that select group of fans who follow him on Twitter. Because he's "letting the [others] down" by dropping off the tour, perhaps?

I have maintained from the beginning of this that whatever reason Richie has for walking is important - not trivial, not pissy, not boredom, not... whatever. Simply because he's putting too much on the line to take the stand. What so many seem to be having a hard time wrapping their heads around is the fact that it's not a devestating illness, a tragedy of some sort, his family seems to be fine, he says he's fine (either in a Have a Nice Day way or genuinely) and seems to be going on with his life, so it simply CAN'T be important enough for him to walk off and let people down. Because WE, with our limited knowledge, haven't been able to figure out what "it" is and it's none of the things that WE would think are important, ergo, it's gotta be that the ONLY answer is that Richie's irresponsible and disrespectful to his fans. There seems to be no room amongst the preconceived notions, the hurt feelings, the Jon vs. Richie bashers, the lost money and opportunities that populate our worlds for the idea that there might be something that we don't know (that even WE would consider important, if we knew it) and that whatever that is might at the root of it. Perhaps it's a conviction that anyone else would admire him for standing up for, maybe it is a dispute with Jon and they have to get it resolved before either of them can say (and in which case, they may never say - given Jovi's secrets to the grave mentality).

But I say again that I have too much respect for Richie AND Jon to condemn either one of them until the facts are in, and maybe not even then, because even if we learn more facts, unless we're there, we don't know the whole story. So I'm not sure that even then I would be inclined to blame.

Having said that, Jessy, I owe you, at least, an apology for misrepresenting both Jon and myself in my first post. You are right. I did misquote Jon. I went back and watched the video. However, I do still feel that there was a veiled threat in the "won't be performing" line. That was what made me suspect a dispute to begin with. But he did not say "anywhere". And if I implied that Jon planned the whole thing, that was certainly not my intention. I'm not sure either of them planned any of it - hence the suddenness of it all.

What I meant to say, and not very well apparently, was that I believe that Jon prepared his comments and knew full well what the implication of those comments would be. I think he's doing what he does best - selling the band. And I do have genuine respect for his business savvy, his drive and ambition, and his work ethic, and many other qualities. In all honesty, however, I don't think he's above fighting dirty; and maybe neither is Richie, but over the years I believe we've seen more evidence of that from Jon than from his wingman.

Regardless, it's all a part of what makes them who they are and I think they're probably both people I would genuinely like, despite character flaws and unfortunate behavior at times. Just because a person behaves badly at times - as we all do - doesn't make them a bad person. Usually it just makes him a good person behaving badly.

Anyway, apparently I implied otherwise and I never meant to. So I apologize.

I really just wish people would cut Richie some slack over this. To my knowledge, except for some unfortunate circumstances over the last few years, he's been there whenever called upon, for the fans and for the band, and he's had Jon's back when Jon himself was unable to give anymore. And Richie's always shown appreciation for his fans. I guess I would like for people to focus a little more on that than on their current disappointment, especially in light of the fact that we don't know the whole story and they may not be able to tell us any more until things are resolved.

Now THAT is funny! I just said almost the same thing about Jon, trying to explain my comment in my first post...

I really want to believe this is something that we as fans wouldn't find petty or ridiculous; but when I get frustrated, the cynics voicing their views on the Richie situation tend to make sense to me. Because, like was mentioned, the things /we/ think would constitute as appropriate reasons for leaving a tour don't seem to be factors here.

This might be one of those situations where the truth is stranger than fiction...

To me it seemed the only thing serious enough to blow apart the band/tour would have to be health/family related. But Richie's "I'm happy as a pig in mud" tweets and pictures, rules those options out for me. :confused:

Anything new in the last two days?

Richie has actually died and the videos and pictures that have shown up are old and previously unreleased photos.

So he is on the cover of Abbey Road?

No

.......

You'll have to ask Richie that?

5 Top Reasons Richie Sambora and Bon Jovi need to kiss and make up: http://www.examiner.com/article/5-to...ss-and-make-up

Point 5! Absolutely, point 5!

Someone on here said the other day that Richie has no contractual obligation to fans, to which I pointed out he does when Bon Jovi have taken our money. Really wish someone would remind Richie of this.

This is great stuff!

Terrific article. Thanks for sharing. Yes number 5 is the man reason.

If only both Jon and Richie would see this......

Why is it only Richie again?!?

Its both of them!!!

Only 1 walked out on his commitment.

This attitude irks me - because, IF you'd been treated like crap, had insults thrown at you/your daughter, IF you'd been belittled, IF you'd been underpaid, IF you'd been promised you could play solo songs etc....Why on earth would you keep going when you're getting royally screwed?

It comes back to the basics...we don't know jack. We're as in the dark as ever and it's nigh on impossible to take sides. But assuming Richie should just tour "because fans bought tickets" is utter nonsense and ignorant.
Jon should not be able to act like an ass and screw people over and expect them to follow him. But we don't know he's done that either.

We don't know....500+ pages in! LOL.

IF all that was the case then he shouldn't have started the tour. I am sure evil Jon didn't just emerge right before Ccalgary. Once he signed on he accepted whatever terms were in place. Sorry, but I could give at least 50 reasons why I don't want to go to work today ((bad pay, shitty boss, promised a promotion I didn't get etc) but I made a commitment when I accepted the job. If and when I choose to leave I will give them plenty of notice and not leave them hanging
And yes, because people keep buying tickets for his unreliable ass, he should play.

Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? "just because you paid for a product, don't get mad when you don't get that product"

The difference is, if your boss was abusive or rude then you'd be able to take them to a tribunal. Everyone assumes that as a musician your biggest priority is the fans. That's bullshit. Sure, you should always do what you can to please the fans who spend their cold hard cash. But NO job ever comes before yourself and your happiness.
Come on people, let's get a grip and some perspective here - at least until we know who the bad guy is and the circumstances.

OR...you could look at it that the tour should've have continued. All depends who is to blame. We don't know.

Maybe that's the case where you live, but not in the US for the most part. If you don't like your circumstances, you look for a new job. Possible exceptions are sexual harrassment and physical abuse. Neither of which are issues in this case. Unless of course you think evil Jon is capable of that too?

Funny how you Richie fanatics believe every word written about Jon but when it comes to Richie we have to wait and see. Talk about something that's irking! I know he's probably a jerk to work for, I don't wear rose colored glasses and I am a fan of the band, not a Jon or richie fan. However, I can tell you which one has let me down on more than 1 occasion.

Look, it's okay. There's no need to apologize or else.

What I fail to understand (and I'm not talking about you specifically, I mean in general) is why in order to "cut Richie some slack" over what's happening (and I have all intentions to, since we don't know shit), it becomes necessary to clearly or implicitly bash Jon, and vice-versa.
We're all more or less adults, I think we all stopped believing things are either black OR white a long time ago. We know there are infinite factors, implications and sides in every story. Even if we DID know what's going on, we still wouldn't be able to fully comprehend and have a clear view and opinion on if and who there is to blame.
They've been together for 30 years, got along, became best friends. They surely have much more in common than differences, so I just find the obsessive need to identify the good and the bad guy in this situation to be pathologic.
There's a line from Bon Jovi that I think fits perfectly and is probably able to convey my point better and in much fewer words:
"why does someone have to lose, for someone else to win?"

You're right Jessy - there's nothing to say any one person has to be the bad guy. But I just find finger-pointing and blame so ridiculous when nobody - NOBODY here - knows the facts.

Yes, it's awful that Richie isn't at the show. Terrible for the fans. Terrible probably for the band and RS himself.

I'm not in either Jon or Richie camp (although the RS album did demonstrate more musical integrity, IMHO, than the past few BJ albums) - I know what it's like to be a performing musician with expectations on your shoulders, though obviously not to this level! The pressure with millions of fans must be immense.
But what sort of person kids themselves that one world tour is more important than your own happiness?!

Turn the finger and point at yourself first, dear Jon fanatic. Turn back a few pages, read the comments about the "doing well with my fashion project" statement...

Group hug?

THIS. ANd the fact that the rest of the band is still playing and did not walk away. Maybe Dave would stay he and Jon have been friends the longest but Tico does not seem to be the kind of guy that just sits back if someone was really as horrible as they try to make Jon out to be.

And if he is - calling him out in the middle of a tour is not going to work. I am not in their inner circle, but even I can see that is not the way to deal with Jon. He says it - he is a fighter and he wont lay down and guess what he is on stage busting his butt and Richie is grabbing coffee and tweeting open ended say nothing Tweets.

Lol, ok :)

Why on earth do you think Richie was belittled, treated like crap, underpaid and had insults hurled at him? All that is just speculation. Jon is not the devil for crying out loud, and Richie is not a victim.

You are correct when you say "we don't know jack."

Like I said, not a Jon fanatic. And if you want me to look at something a few pages back, quote it.

Erm. Hang on. I admitted we don't know anything. I'm saying that until we do, we can't blame either side. It might be Jon, in that theoretical scenario based on tabloid speculation and rumour, or it could be Richie, based on the same thing.
How can YOU say Jon is not the devil and to blame, and Richie is not a victim?! Do you know something we don't?
What a contradiction.

If you kids don't stop, you're all going up to your rooms!!