I was just thinking:

What if Richie just grew tired of being second-in-command to Jon? After all, he said his solo album was the most rewarding thing he's ever done in his career. He's seemed (as far as I can tell, at least) sober and happy since 'Aftermath' came out. There were the subtle digs he seemed to give toward Bon Jovi and their output at various times during the promotion of 'Aftermath.' He seemed to enjoy his solo tour (despite the canceled gigs later on, for whatever reason).

So, maybe he got back to Bon Jovi and missed the feeling of being his own boss and in charge of his own musical/creative output. Also, maybe Richie was newly confident/assertive and maybe that caused Jon and Richie to clash in a way they hadn't before. Jon had said Richie would get to perform some of his solo songs during the 'WAN" tour (Richie had mentioned this in interviews, as well), but, perhaps tellingly, Richie's last appearance with Bon Jovi was where he sang "IBTFY" as a solo in Lubbock, Texas, rather than one of his own songs). Maybe that was, in a sense, the final straw --maybe Richie simply didn't feel supported by Jon, and in the end, didn't want to come back on the next leg of the tour to more of the same.

Maybe the combination of sobriety and therapy made him re-assess his own life and the direction in which it was headed, and he had decided he had to make changes.

I know portions of this have been discussed elsewhere in this thread, but I'm curious if any of you see a possibility of Richie's leaving coming from a place of happiness/thriving/mental and physical health on Richie's part.

Oh yeah, that's a possibility - probably discussed at the beginning.

But - doing it in the middle of a tour he signed up for - somedays I hate my job too but I can't just walk out in the middle of it. Or I could, but I'd lose everything. Richie's loaded enough because of Bon Jovi that he doesn't have to worry about that.

If he wasn't "feeling it" sorry - but go through it til the end. He's been lazy as hell the last few years anyway, one more tour wouldn't make a difference.

*raises hand* THIS.

That would be interesting. He's not missing because he's ill, he's missing because... he's ****ing great!
I see your point. But there's gotta be more to this.

It's possible that he thought extensive touring was a risk to his sobriety. He did fall off the wagon on the previous two tours.

If that were the case would it be so hard to come out and say "after 30 years I decided I didn't want to do what Jon said, I wanted to be my own man and so I'm taking a break from the brotherhood." Fans might not like it but it would be something. It's the silence (well, not so silent anymore :rolleyes:) that made it all so messy and confusing. And led to this mega-thread.

Fact is, Richie bailed on the tour and isn't showing up to work. He's the one letting down thousands of people. If Jon was so bad, Tico and Dave would have bailed long ago too. Richie is the one coming across as an unprofessional twat. If he wanted to pursue solo interests, he shouldn't have signed on for the tour to begin with. If any of us with real jobs behaved like Richie, we would have been fired long ago.

Becky said twat, this is bad! And I totally agree with all of the above, I admire Jons professionalism, I can book flights, hotels to see this band knowing the shows will happen. I can tell you now I wouldn't travel far to see a Richie show again.

I used to say I admired the band's professionalism, but Richie has totally lost my respect in that regard. You can't count on him for a band show or his solo shows. Jon, Tico, and Dave have a great work ethic. Dave played when his father died which went far beyond the call of duty.

OH GOD PLEASE NO.