I can almost see that this all started over something stupid and the plan was for Richie to go sulk a few days and get whatever he wanted. Jon being Jon dug in his heels and said MFer if you want back it is my way.

I remember reading Richie call the band a caste system - you knew your place and you never moved. The only way I see him back in is if he goes back to toeing the line. This will not stop the Bon Jovi machine - Jon has said numerous times he is a fighter and will not lay down and die and unless Tico and Dave mutiny Bon Jovi will have three members and Richie will be airbrushed out and *retire*

Maybe he and AJS can start a new band.

To me this is complete bullshit but I really hope it's true. This could escalate and we'll have Jon and Richie abusing each other in the press. This is rock and roll.

Look at the Gallaghers. Great musicians but the abuse they threw at each other is comical. Then again, they don't take themselves as seriously as Jon and Richie and that's reflected in the humour.

My hope is that this escalates in the press for several months culminating in a fight to the death.

At this point I think the two of them are entrenched in their positions - the key is Dave and Tico. If after the tour they stay on Team Jon then Richie is toast. If they pull back and say enough is enough then Jon is toast - you cannot have Bon Jovi with one person!

If Richie comes back during this tour it will be on Jon's terms. Luckily we know Richie is doing ****ing great!

And this is what it will all boil down to at the end. It will be sad if it is, but obviously something is going on behind the scenes and I doubt that we will ever know the full truth.

If Richie really sent the email it would have had misspellings and incorrect punctuation. :)

Meh, the gutter press is just as frustrated as we are (okay, not nearly AS much), so they're just trying to use what little juice they have from the past weeks to make a "new" headline, it's so obvious here. But hey, it got the thread going on for a few more posts.


Makes me want to cry. It's unsettling but perfect how you left the ending open like that.

If Richie has left because of disagreements on a personal or a musical level, then personally I'm glad. Bon Jovi has been on a slippery slope and has become rather boring and predictable. I hope it shakes things up and a) Bon Jovi return with a new breath of life or b) Sambora goes alone and does solo work, because AOAL is far superior than WAN.

An answer would be nice to put this thread to rest...

Well it is speculation but it would seem Jon and Richie fell out, I just wish they would sort it out and move forward from here, least Phil X is doing a good job filling in.

It's probably not true. I mean, what kind of leg would Richie have to stand on in firing back? He HAS been replaced at a moment's notice TWICE and the tours have gone on successfully without him. It's hard to take anything from an unnamed source as truth.

I'm waiting for the autobiographies of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, then we may know :cool: