"Post first-term Obama"

He is currently serving his second term. ;)

*smh* Excuse my brain tonight lol

YES!
And I will get another recap ready.

Not surprised but a little disappointed. I got VIP passes on Tuesday in Denver but don't really feel any excitement, not only because of this Sambora thing but also because some of their recent TV appearances showed how bad and old they sound these days... Well Jon in particular.

I know Jon said "Don't trust TMZ", but I think there's probably some truth to Jon being a dictator and Richie not wanting to play along anymore.

I think Richie is pulling a sicky so that everyone forgets about this competition he has going so he doesn't have to give one of his precious guitars away!

Crafty...

Well i'm a big Richie fan, his show last year ranks amongst my best ever but I have lost a lot of respect for him over this and his silence. I initially had sympathy for him but If every band member took 3 weeks to deal with a "simple personal issue" the fans would get screwed. If there are internal problems then as much as "its not what BJ do" I think something needs to be said. This coupled with letting the US fans down last year, well lets just say I wouldnt be making any big plans to see any of his own shows in future. His rep is taking a big hit.

This exactly.

Lets not forget the band are human. Its not the first time a band member (of this band or any other) has dropped out on tour
During the 90s and early 00s I used to see the Wildhearts on every tour and on 75% of the tours the bass player would pull out due to his demons (heroin).
They got another bass player and were better than they ever were then he has to pull out when his son is diagnosed with autism and his wife cant cope with him being in a band on the road so he has retired for a few years.

As I said. These guys are human. I think we all need to remember that.

Every fan was right behind Richie when he went to rehab in 11. This is now the third year in a row, fans are going to lose patience.

I said at the start of the thread that if this is related to his addiction, if Richie is simply taking some time, making sure he doesn't slip back off the wagon, then it isn't something Richie should be fired for and by the same token, I could completely forgive him if he's not there for the Isle Of Wight.

Will I be gutted if he's not there? Totally. It won't be anywhere near the same experience. But this is his life and his health; when I weigh that up against my enjoyment of a gig, there really is no comparison. As I said, it could have just been handled better.