I agree. He made it pretty clear the band didn't want to go back out this early and he pushed it because the songs would be dated if they didn't (Which is bull, there's not a single reference on the album that won't make sense in a years time) and then looks bored on stage as if he was forced to tour. It's a mystery why he rushed the tour then acted sleepy.

Outstanding job on the rewrite of What's Left of Me! Bonus points for including these references from this iconic thread!! Well done. :D

I love this thread. So much.

Hey Jon (music and lyrics by Richie Sambora)
OK, so I'm totally ripping off RonJovi with this. But let's face it - His song was probably the greatest post in the history of the boards. I'm on my way home listening to Bon Jovi Radio when Hey God comes on. The lyrics just came to me. I know this won't be as good as Ron's, but hey, I'm just trying to have some fun:


Hey Jon, I'm just a guitar player in what used to be a band
But now you throw out all my solos
Yeah, you threw 'em in the can
The band is barely holdin' on, the sales have been like shit
Now you've kicked me out in your latest hissy fit
Our fans are workin' single moms, they're barely gettin' paid
But because they think you're so hot they throw their cash away
Our music has gone downhill, there ain't much else to say
If you'd let me write some music, Hell it wouldn't be this way

Hey Jon - Tell me what the hell is going on
It seems like all the hard rock's gone
It keeps on getting harder playin' on
Hey, Hey Hey Hey Jon, Our fans are being put to sleep
Our setlists seem like they are on repeat
I know how conceited you can be, but Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Jon
Do you ever think about me?

Born in the Jersey Shore back in 1983
Five hungry guys playing, Even if it was for free
30 years later, You seem t'have lost your balls
Your pissin' off the company, everyone of us all

Hey Jon - Tell me what the hell is going on
It seems like all the hard rock's gone
It keeps on getting harder playin' on
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Jon, Our fans are being put to sleep
Our setlists seems like they are on repeat
I know how conceited you can be, but Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Jon...
Do you ever think about me?

I'm gonna write a song or two
I'm sick of doing things your way
I'm sick of Matt tweeting to all our fans
When he ain't got shit to say
Have you read all the reviews
Can you hear what they all say
I can't take being in this band no more, I've got something to say.

Hey Jon - Tell me what the hell is going on
It seems like all the hard rocks gone
It keeps on getting harder playin' on
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Jon, Our fans are being put to sleep
Our setlists seem like they are on repeat
I know how conceited you can be, but Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey Jon...
Do you ever think about me?
Do you ever think about me?
Hey Jon, Hey Jon, think about me.
__________________

Danfan, since you posted this here, I trashed the duplicate thread in General.

Most excellent :p But I love this line the best:

Our setlists seem like they are on repeat

You forgot to add the intro:

Jon: Okay, we're ready?
Richie: No man, where's my promised break to do solo, and fashion and...
Jon: CUT!!!

After a while:

Jon: Take 2. Okay, we're ready?
Bobby: Just about...
Phil X: Let's go!

LOL - Perfect!

Considering all the JBJ interviews consist of him talking about the socially conscious lyrics... I guess he might actually think they tackle current subjects. Given he felt HAND was about Bush's re-election, who knows what WAN is really about. Obama's second term maybe?

Yeah, I seem to recall Jon specifically mentioning the album reflecting on an era he calls, 'post-second-term Obama"

"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.

There's also thing called work ethics. Depending on reasons behind, the way I see it even musicians do their thing as a job, and job must be done. Of course, sickness and s**t happens, but in general: just do your damn job and b**ch later.

Richie's case, well. Since we don't know any better... it can just as well be something "real" behind his absence or it can be just, well something else.

Human or not, audience of paying customers are their employers. Audience pays to see and hear certain combination. If that's not going to happen, the audience is very much allowed to feel like unwillingly f**ked up the ass.

Bon Jovi should offer refund one fifth of the ticket price. Ok one fourth, since Hugh isn't "in the band."

I'm not sure if I should even consider a rumor like this one, but it's been posted on the Bon Jovi "Topix" thread and is food for thought, I think, since none of us knows anything about the nature of Richie's departure yet. This person (registered as "Soupy" from Colorado) wrote the following (the other comments are subsequent replies to disbelieving fans):

The contracts for the second leg of the tour were placed in a room at the Calgary arena....one got A LOT more than the other three splitting up the rest. One quit immediately.....the other two need the money and will sign anything but are furious. You've got THREE guys onstage now getting scale with nothing else. I hear Tico is getting ready to leave after the last U.S. date.

Richie went nuts with the second leg contracts. He's healthy. Celebritynetworth is a joke. Look up Chuck Zito and laugh. Jon is worth well over 200, Richie is about 25 million (he handled money like booze). Dave at 85 is a stone joke. He had to get BIG backing for his Broadway thing. The net is poor as with all Broadway financed productions with private citizens until years later. Frankie Valli was put in a screw contract with Jersey Boys cause he had no idea it would be massive. Songwriting is the key and Dave's share is peanuts. Tico at 40 is laughable. The guy hawks his artwork at small galleries and divorces crucified him. AJS is like Ace Frehley, he might be at 2 million. It'll break down the road, Jon put up the take and leave it percentages and pointed to the door. He could tour solo and get 12,000 per night with the scale musicians onstage now plus a new drummer & keyboard player. No Richie: No Bon Jovi. I like how "X" is put in the shadows.

Booked leg but not signed as early as October of 2012. No phone call, it was in person. It is 100% about the percentages on the second leg, not booze again, Mrs. Bon Jovi fed up with the 1987 Richie, dumped new girlfriend or any other personal garbage. Jon runs the show, it is his highway, you take Jon and his laws or walk. Doc was a waste, Jon was right. 3 scaled players with DB & TT is a joke now. Poor Jon has to give 125% now.

Get a clue, you don't walk on the first date of a new tour leg the afternoon of the show for booze, Mrs. Bongiovi's screaming he's pullin a 1987,dumped bimbo regrets etc: It is money. Jon gave him the thing and he ran. Can ya blame him? Giving Doc his walking papers was excellent, however; jackin his right hand gun on the cheese was stupid. It'll break down the road.

Promoters and tours are inked way before......what Richie gets has NOTHING to do with an entire tour being booked......it is what the boss man gives out that matters and it can be inked anytime. Live Nation or any big agency gives out the advance and box office, JB splits it up. He got jacked.

Topix is laughable and that gossip is laughable. Contracts are not signed by leg, end of story and they certainly would not be done at an arena.

It was at this point I stopped reading.

Had to read more. This bloke is a joke but thing is people will beleive it.

Seriously is. I guess I should clarify and say, technically the contracts could be signed by leg but it's unusual. Regardless, the cuts of the pie are negotiated well before the tour begins. Band members would never be surprised at the terms as they'd know up front before they even agree to do it.

Is this one of those ''fan fiction'' competitions? What a load of twaddle. Plus it's written terribly.

Either that or it could be some muppet from one of those paying websites out there that encourage and pay people to create their own little conspiracy theories and then go and troll certain message boards and comment features on youtube and places such as that, to drum up publicity and controversy. Trolls are actually real, in that respect.


Andi

Do you really believe that they make contracts for parts of tours? Sorry, but Jon Needs to plan at least one year Prior so he for sure makes contracts for Album plus tour at least. Probably longer. He would always take the risk that someone says that he doesn't sign the contract for whatever reason and Jon for sure won't take the risk.

IF he would make such contracts it would just be another sign that he doesn't see the band as a band.

But fans are left to guess what's going on. You want our support, don't leave us in the dark. Addiction related I'd have a different reaction then money related. He let me down big for his solo tour, and he let me down again with this. Had I had tickets to the 2011 shows too then I'd just say screw it, it's not worth it.

All I will say is watch the first couple of minutes of this clip....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=MerRhD6gb7g

I really don't get all the negativity towards Jon. Richie is his own man, if he didn't want to go on the tour then im sure he was more than capable of saying so. Jon can not force him to go!

So Richie bails and its all Jons fault? Where as the reality is that they dont cancel any shows, they still play 26+ plus a night, and send a lot of people home very happy...thats what a band is all about !

People bitch about Jon this, set list that and everyone is entitled to their say and thats what this forum is for but you have to remember that 99.9% of the fans wont come on here, wont care what the set lists are as long as they are sent home smiling.

Yea, I'm seeing a lot of threads attacking Jon for what Richie did. Everyone's assuming Jon is behind this without a lick of evidence.

[QUOTE=Mysterytrain;1121927]I'm not sure if I should even consider a rumor like this one, but it's been posted on the Bon Jovi "Topix" thread and is food for thought, I think, since none of us knows anything about the nature of Richie's departure yet. This person (registered as "Soupy" from Colorado) wrote the following (the other comments are subsequent replies to disbelieving fans):

The contracts for the second leg of the tour were placed in a room at the Calgary arena....one got A LOT more than the other three splitting up the rest. One quit immediately.....the other two need the money and will sign anything but are furious. You've got THREE guys onstage now getting scale with nothing else. I hear Tico is getting ready to leave after the last U.S. date.

Richie went nuts with the second leg contracts. He's healthy. Celebritynetworth is a joke. Look up Chuck Zito and laugh. Jon is worth well over 200, Richie is about 25 million (he handled money like booze). Dave at 85 is a stone joke. He had to get BIG backing for his Broadway thing. The net is poor as with all Broadway financed productions with private citizens until years later. Frankie Valli was put in a screw contract with Jersey Boys cause he had no idea it would be massive. Songwriting is the key and Dave's share is peanuts. Tico at 40 is laughable. The guy hawks his artwork at small galleries and divorces crucified him. AJS is like Ace Frehley, he might be at 2 million. It'll break down the road, Jon put up the take and leave it percentages and pointed to the door. He could tour solo and get 12,000 per night with the scale musicians onstage now plus a new drummer & keyboard player. No Richie: No Bon Jovi. I like how "X" is put in the shadows.

Booked leg but not signed as early as October of 2012. No phone call, it was in person. It is 100% about the percentages on the second leg, not booze again, Mrs. Bon Jovi fed up with the 1987 Richie, dumped new girlfriend or any other personal garbage. Jon runs the show, it is his highway, you take Jon and his laws or walk.

QUOTE]

I think this guy (whoever posted this theory/rumor) has the wrong band. It sounds like the way Guns n Roses blew up (kind of). No way after 25+ years Jon would pull this d-bag move.

No way a band this big with a tour that's going to make huge money signs leg by leg contracts.

Precisely Brian...it just doesn't happen. Plus, AEG committed to multiple tour years way back when. Signing contracts leg by leg is small time.

^This.^
Maybe I'm still bitter about the last minute cancelled solo show last year, but it's bothering me how much slack Richie is getting. NOW IF it's addiction related, or family related, I have no issue with him leaving the tour. I just think a better statement could be made. It doesn't have to be insanely specific, but mod than we have now. That said, if it is about money or creative differences, I have no respect for that. It's one thing to leave for those reasons before or after the tour, but to do it mid-tour is bull.

Aloha !

Richie hadn't even made it to Calgary, unlike what people were reporting. It's kind of hard to read a contract presented to in a hotel room over there when you're still in L.A.

You should know by now that Jon is the root of all evil when it concerns this band. Starving kids in Africa? Jon. Aids? Jon. No guitar solo's? Jon. It's all the same. Oh, nuclear threats in Korea as well. All Jon, despite what Matt wants you to believe.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Heather and Ava were the Scream 5 premiere on the 11th April. Both looking healthy and happy.

And Ava was at a Rihanna concert the other day and only tweets Teeny stuff still.

Exactly Brian, I know I am still bitter about those cancelled shows and so are several people that I know. Not to mention that this is the second time that the US audience has had to put up with him being gone with practically no notice. He doesn't pull that shit for the European part of the tour. Or at least he hasn't yet.