I have the feeling Jon just said he didn't want a bunch of happy birthday signs at the Fort Lauderdale show and Matt took it upon himself to extend it to no signs at all, ever.

Since becoming Jon's "security" on tour, Matt's ego and sense of importance has gone off the charts.

On the other hand, Richie looked/sounded pretty good during the early months of 2011 before that rehab stint.

But the guy looked like a mess. Out of shape, even in interviews he wasn't articulating very well, compare that to when he made solo interviews.

But the band had been on a month break in 2011. He went into rehab right before they went back on the road.

They are selling official merchandising without Richie now. I don't know what to think:

http://i.imgur.com/Cn4ikSjl.jpg

Aloha !

Don't be daft, that's a bootleg shirt. Stop being so overly dramatic.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

It was bought on the official stand of the concert. I'm just posting what I read.

Edit: You were right https://twitter.com/AprilE1971/statu...10396973535232

"Due to personal issues, Richie Sambora will not be performing on this upcoming leg"

I guess it´s pretty clear.


We have to get worried if he won´t appear in Cape Town.
Till that day, there are all vain speculations

Did Matt say Richie would be back for LA?

Yesterday we saw that in Twitter are people who can´t tell if the guy on stage it´s Richie or Bandiera....so....

Nice one! Last show tonight and hopefully the last one without Richie

Clearly bootleg. I wonder if that was bought from a normal bootlegger, or someone selling them to purposely try and stir up trouble.

I think people love the drama or they are just pulling at all straws.

If Richie was out, they would put out a statement, not via a t-shirt.

Matt himself said that it's a bootleg t shirt. Surprised that someone actually bought that, to be honest.

Then again, after the tweets that some people were putting about resemblances of Phil X and Richie, it shouldn't surprise me at all.

My little sister bought a bootleg N'Sync shirt after a show in 2000. It took her months before she realized it said N'YNC. Obviously we noticed that night but didn't have the heart to tell a 10 year old she got swindled. It happens.

New Interview with Jon. Covers more the Richie issue

Q: So what’s the deal with Richie not being on this tour?

A: Well. All I can tell you, without lying, is 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, I get a phone call in Calgary that Richie will not be able to perform for personal reasons and he won’t be coming. So we went to the show and I had two choices. Pack up the trucks or play. And we’ve been through this before so we played and had a replacement for him the next night. We’re very supportive of whatever he’s going through but I have yet to speak to him. That’s all I can say because I just don’t know any more.

Q: And the replacement was able to work up the whole set that quickly?

A: I’ve been through this before when he was in rehab. So I’ve got a guy that was ready to go in a day. We played last night and people loved it. Got a great review and the kid saved the day. Richie’s still the guitar player in the band until the day he says he’s not. We’ll always support him and whatever he’s going through.

Q: You seem to have a great relationship.

A: I believe we do. Yeah. Don’t believe what you read on TMZ.

Q: But I thought everything on TMZ was true.

A: Yeah. So did I until they started writing about me (laughs).

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/...se-we-can.html

Hmmm...interesting.

Feel free to tell me I'm being unduly morbid (because the mysterious nature of this Richie thing has been perplexing to me), but the sentence that actually jumped out at me was the one where Jon says Richie is the guitar player in Bon Jovi until the day he says he's not.

On the surface, this sounds reassuring. Jon has no designs to fire Richie. Richie has a job.

But then Jon floats the idea out there by adding 'until the day he says he's not.'

I don't recall any statement like this being made during Richie's stint in rehab in 2011. Yes, Jon said the band was supportive and that Richie was, and would remain, a member of Bon Jovi. But I don't recall Jon verbally giving Richie an 'out', by implying that if Richie wanted to leave, it was his choice.

Even if it's true that Jon has no idea why Richie has left this leg of the tour, adding the 'until he says he's not' to the comment to me suggests that the idea of Richie not coming back has crossed his own mind. Either that, or he knows that Richie isn't coming back, and is floating the idea so that fans can have time to mentally 'chew on' the thought of a Sambora-less Bon Jovi.

Again, I could just be exceedingly morbid and reading too much into what could well be a statement of support on Jon's part and nothing more. I guess at least a part of the answer will come if/when Richie rejoins the tour on the next leg.

What a strange turn of events. Yah, that line jumped out on me too. It's like he's saying "I don't know what's going on, it's totally possible he may want out of the band"

This was pretty interesting I thought:

"A: Well, from “Runaway” to the new record. I’d be hard pressed to be playing anything from the second album because I never thought much of it but from “Slippery,” “New Jersey,” “Keep the Faith.” I haven’t done anything off of “Bounce” in a while, which in all honesty was one of those records where I would have said, “Man, I think this record’s great, start to finish.” To tell you the truth, I’ve gotta go back and listen again to hear why I’m not doing some of those songs."

Another take from my increasingly anxious frame of mind about this whole thing. Fair warning, I was an English major in college and analyzed writing for four years, so my apologies if this is too overwrought LOL:

Q: You seem to have a great relationship.

A: I believe we do. Yeah. Don’t believe what you read on TMZ.

My reading between the lines: Jon, of course, can only speak for himself, but he puts it out there that *he* believes they have a great relationship (with perhaps a silent challenge to Richie: 'What do /you/ think?'). His 'yeah' sounds like he's trying to convince himself that he has the correct perception. Since the TMZ article is so anti-Jon, of course he doesn't want fans to believe it and he's also repeating the same 'talking point' ("Don't believe what you read on TMZ") from the first time he beat down 'Jon and Richie are fighting' rumors.

Q: But I thought everything on TMZ was true.

A: Yeah. So did I until they started writing about me (laughs).

My reading between the lines: Clearly, Jon doesn't recognize the portrayal of himself that TMZ alleges. But that doesn't mean that Richie didn't experience something along the lines of what the TMZ story posits, even if it's not the full truth. Of course, Jon can't speak to Richie's truth; only Richie can do that. Most people are blind to their worst traits, or don't think they are /as bad/ as others might experience them: I remember that in an interview recently, Jon was accused of being 'a dictator' in the band and he said, 'How do you know I'm not a benevolent dictator?' It's easy to think he was joking around with this statement (and at the time, I thought it a clever answer that might account for the band's longevity) but it's also a possibility that, even if he's the boss to the extent that he seems to be, that any negative connotations of 'dictator' are squashed in his own mind because he sees himself as 'benevolent.'

The question remains: How does Richie see him?

EDIT: I should add, for all the times that Jon and Richie seem very close, and for all the times that Jon has called Richie "brother" and "my dear friend" and "my best friend" and so on, there is something like verbal tip-toeing going on here; it's as if Jon is being forced by Richie's absence to clarify his own take on the relationship ('This is the Richie I thought I knew') versus the (stranger?) (mystery?) Richie may have become since he left the tour. I suspect Jon's questioning his perceptions on some level, questioning if he really /knew/ Richie in the way he always thought he did. So far, Richie hasn't answered one way or another.

That chipmunk vid totally made me LOL at myself. xD. Maybe I should go write a novel and get all the angst out that way. :)

Not a fan of reading too much into things like this, but what jumped out at me was "And we’ve been through this before so we played and had a replacement for him the next night." which is coming out and saying we knew something could happen, and Phil was on-call.
That said, I still think Richie is in rehab or having health issues (not in the hospital doesn't mean he's not being treated for something) because if it was some kind of money-bitch fight, it would behoove Richie to be out and about showing he's fully capable of playing, making Jon/the organization look bad, and improving chances of getting what he wants to get back on tour.

Where the hell is Richieeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm getting so ****in angry!!! Is he kidnapped or what! How come nobody knows!!!! Insane I tells ya!!111:multi:

I can 100% confirm that the "No Richie" T-Shirt is a bootleg.

I was at Staples Center last night and the bootleggers were selling it outside the venue after the show for $5. I also thought it was funny that they were so up to date on what's going on with the band and wanted to have an accurate T-Shirt. Too bad they didn't Photoshop Phil in there, could've been awesome.

There was a pretty cool long sleeve shirt for sale in the merch booth, but I couldn't believe they wanted $90(!!!) for it.

There´s an Interview with David and Tico on the Krone Webside (Austrian newspaper). It´s all in german but I´ll try to translate the answers about Richie.

The link to the Interview:
http://www.krone.at/Musik/Vielleicht..._-Story-358825

The parts about Richie:

Q: How hard was it when Richie Sambora decided not to play with you for a while?
A David: It was not easy, not at all.
A Tico: It will be great when he gets back. Sometimes people have to do things and you have got to let them to that. And you have to make the best out of that. Life has to go on! We are a family and it´s important that everybody can do what he has to do and we give him that time & space.

Q: Do you have contact with him?
A Tico: Of course! It´s important for the health of a band. Of couse that doesn´t make it easier for us but Phil X is doing a good job. It´s important to continue the tour. Of course the show is different but it comes across fine and the fans like it.

Q: How does the audience react?
A Tico: The are cheering and we have to look forward.

Q: There´s a lot of support on Twitter & FB for Richie.

A Tico: It´s not about that. He has to take care of his things and we have to wait til he comes back.
A David: The fans support him and us. I have read all those comments and I´m glad about them - it shows that we have great fans.
A Tico: We can only wait and are looking forward to his return.

Q: Will he play in Vienna?
A Tico: I have no idea.
A David: It can happen any day.

That´s all about Richie. My English is not the best but I hope you get the picture.

So bottom line is they don´t know when he´ll be back but are certain that he will be back.
Over the last weeks I wasn´t sure what to believe but now I think he really is in rehab.

$5? They were trying to sell to me for $20. They were so fake looking, and then after the show I actually saw people walking around in them.

Back in 2011, the Richie issue was about his addiction and his going to rehab, that's why they never talked about Richie leaving back then.
In this interview Jon talks about the possibility of Richie leaving to gainsay the rumours popping here and there about the despotic front man firing the well-known guitarist.
Again, I don't know if Jon knows or doesn't know about Richie's issues, but asserting he doesn't is the best way not to have to talk about ans keep it private.

The girl herself who posted the photo said it was bought outside the venue from a bootlegger.

Hmm, still not much to take from these quotes. It's not looking good but we still don't really know anything new. Just seems to me that they have no idea when he will be back like us, in all honesty. I do think that Richie is in rehab now. I didn't at first as I did think it was something to do with his family but as time is going on, I am starting to think it is another stint in rehab. If that's the case then I think the band should definitely have a long break. I know that might not be best as it seems to be on the breaks when Richie goes through this stint, but it's ruining the bands look now.

Like the quotes about Bounce but I hope that it isn't just Jon meaning 'Open All Night' and crap. I hope he does bring back songs like 'Undivided', 'The Distance', 'Bounce' and even 'Everyday.'

I, I, I, I....

Just f**king drop the band name already and perform solo if it is that difficult to include band in anything you say.

I agree. I've spent years correcting people who say he instead of them, def the JBJ and his buddies show now. Jon didn't come across at all well in the WWWB documentary, the patronising pep talk he gave to the band before MSG was total cringe.

Ha yeah I remember, everyone is all standing around in the corridor joking and chilling till JBJ comes out of his dressing room and they all literally shut up and stand to attention like the Headmaster's just walked into the classroom!

Andi

"We've been through this before" makes it sound like rehab again.

Also, it sounds as though Dave and Tico are in touch with Richie, and it sounds like Jon is not. Wasn't that the way it was when JXR had their falling out in the "New Jersey" era?

I don't think we should be reminiscing about what happened in the past, IMO. these are completely different times !

anyways, seems like neither tico or david want to put their hands in the fire regarding the exact date when Richie will be back on the road.
I'm curious weather or not he'll be back for the gigs in S.Africa. If he's not back for the first European gig that's it, he won't be joining it at all for the remaing of the tour. I can't imagine him being back on the road in the middle of a European tour. I just don't see it happening. and if that's the case, I know for a fact I'm not paying to see Jon Bon Jovi & Friends in Lisbon.

Richie co-wrote most of the songs of Bon Jovi, and gave him a powerful sound with his guitar.

Jon is too egocentric, this is not new, but now add that is an idiot.

Without Richie and the boys, Jon would the powerstation guy, remember Atlantic City Expressway?

Even "Runaway" success owes to George Karak.

Richies website say "Richie is currently on the road with Bon Jovi, touring the world in support of the band's new album What About Now, which recently debuted at #1. CLICK HERE FOR TOUR DATES AND TICKETS! "
And the tour dates include the 23rd and 25th.
Please don't tell me this is old information!!

It worries me that not even Tico and David know when Richie will be back, despite being in contact with him. This can't be rehab, because a patient knows how long it will take. The average rehab stay is 30 days.

If it's truly rehab then it wouldn't matter how long he's in there for. He may need time to recover at home before throwing himself back on the road. That's what he did last time and it didn't seem to work with him. But I know next to nothing about alcohol addiction or whatever it is he's in there for.

I really thought he was doing this because he wanted to promote his own stuff but by taking himself out of the band picture he can't really go out and shill Aftermath. At least stateside he has no audience. The Bon Jovi fan base is his bread and butter and he knows it so doing anything to piss off the organization would bite him in the ass.