Bon Jovi are my Beatles, my Rolling Stones, if Richie missing, it's like missing Lennon or Richards. I could not go to a show without Sambora, because for me (IMO) would not have magic on stage.

Me too. Best wishes!

Ah come on, the creator of Sambongo and touch the winkie really can't walk away. This thread needs you :-)

I see what Steel Horse is saying to be honest in relation to people who are having a pop at the band and Jon in particular when we don't know the details. If this is a personal issue, which we have no solid grounds to believe that it isn't, then attacking Jon or protesting against him is really unfair. If Richie has said to him "Jon, x is going on. Please say nothing" and Jon has taken all this flack and damage to the band to protect Richie, then I take my hat off to Jon completely and he doesn't deserve some of the sh!t he is getting. In fact, it would make him an unbelievable friend.

If this turns into anything else, then I'm pretty much done with (Jon) Bon Jovi because they have mistreated the fans and they have lied from start to finish. In that case, even if Jon hasn't technically lied, he has completely and deliberately misled his fanbase and that would be enough for me to walk away. Also, if that is the case Matt has downright lied and he is the official voice of the band so that's the same as Jon for me. But for the minute, I'm willing to trust what they are telling me in the absence of any solid evidence to the contrary.

In this case, it really is Richie's responsibility to put us in the picture. If this is truly personal to him, then I can see why he might not want to but the situation is getting untenable now.

If people are saying "You know what, this isn't Bon Jovi to me because, for whatever reason, Richie won't be there and he's an important part of the experience for me" then I can understand people not going or selling their tickets. That's reasonable behaviour to me.

However, slamming the band when we don't know the circumstances (and the band might not be allowed to reveal the circumstances) is just unfair in my view.

Translated: "I'm a bigger and better fan than yous, I've even posted more posts so it must mean my opinion is more right than yours."

Not sure what the amount of posts a person has made has to do with anything? Maybe some prefer quality rather than quantity...

Maybe you're the kind of person that finds statistics important, but I think maybe given the tone of your post, perhaps you are the one that needs to grow up.

Tom Hamilton does not take the place of Richie. In any case it would Joe Perry, and without Perry, Aerosmith would be a disaster.

1979-1984: Aerosmith without Perry

And it was an absolute disaster, as this will be.

I don't think the point is specific to Richie.

I think Steel Horse is saying that if a band member gets sick and pulls out of a tour, is that a reason to slag off the lead singer? Whether it's Richie, Tico or Dave - it wouldn't really matter.

The only thing that logically doesn't add up for me in that scenario is that, about two weeks after he dropped out, Jon, by his own admission, still hadn't spoken to Richie. If this was an illness, I'd have fully expected him to.

Totally agree. There's a bunch of fans with the same way of thinking here. Even the sacred cows ;)

Oh FFS, get over yourself! :rolleyes:

No matter what the reasons. The stark reality is that, without Sambora, I can not see Bon Jovi, just would not go to see Led Zeppelin without Page. Bon Jovi are my Beatles, my Led Zeppelin, my Rolling Stones. You are able to understand my point of view?

i hope jon understands that the setlist needs now a dramatic change(into a more rock direction)to save this situation to some extent.

I see the opposite. I think this will take him off autopilot and he will work over time to get the crowd on his side because Richie is not there.

Not at all. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but to say "yeah Im gonna boo JBJ" or "Theyre shit" is childish.

Absolutely I do and that is your right and makes sense to me even if I don't personally agree.

If you see my post a page back, I have said that I can understand this point of view completely. What I don't understand is people having a pop at Jon or the band and saying they won't go in protest when they have no idea if Jon has done anything to cause this.

Bang on....

Just to add a couple of things to the speculation from my personal experience. (Past Nazareth drum roadie)

I'm the same age as Richie, have a family. I've been working in TV sport for 25 years. I've travelled maybe a million miles round the world by plane. In the last 2 years I've experienced 3 terrifying flights. These affected me so much that I get anxiety attacks every week that I get on a plane. Often I need help, I'm not addicted. I'm looking for an alternative way to earn my living that doesn't involve flights to every job! I wouldn't want my employers to know this....

I also read much about Phil X. I know he can never be as good as Richie for many fans. He has been contracted to do a job, at quite an attractive rate I'm sure + the thrill of performing to huge audiences.

Query - how does he approach it? He can really only play the guitar parts faithfully as they appear on the albums... Casual fans may only know these versions from CD or radio. Richie ad-lib's and jams live (sober or not), and everybody loves the experience, if Phil X bought his own skill and interpretation to those well known numbers everyone would ask "what the hell"?
From the YouTube clips I see often that JBJ wants to involve him, needs some interaction, but X seems wary! I can understand he is wary, he's a stand in, not a replacement.

I hope now that, as it has been announced, he will be performing with Bon Jovi for SA/Europe, that he will get the confidence and support to "perform", rather than just play the album tracks.

I'll certainly get tickets for the gigs I can drive to.....

I'm not going the show for give food to the workers of the tour. If I go to a show is for to see on stage "Jon & Richie" do what they always do.

ok, I agree.

Without getting into the Europe vs States argument, I really think he will have to as Germanys Richie fan base alone is huge. He will be missed over here more, that's a fact. Only have to look at his solo ticket sales, RS could have done a full blown European tour by himself.

Wanted without Richie will be very, very weird for me.

Bon Jovi should change the name "Because We Can Tour", and put in place "Army of One Tour".

My main concern: Who will be the official guitar player for Austria??

About the "Richie issue", I think that though he looked perfectly fit on the first leg of the tour, the guy is such a mess that bringing in Phil X to play the lead guitar parts is 1) a good idea 2) a likely improvement over Richie's live work. The real deal is his being a member of the band. While I think Jon and Richie are both done artistically, I still think they might haphazardly write a great song.
Anyway and despite what I said earlier, I'm still gong to Madrid to see BJ live next June, because even though Richie's still in the band, the odds are that next time you'll have more chances to see the band perform without him than with him considering the last tours. I'm also going because it smells soooooo much like the end of the band and I want to thrill one last time, for Dave's and Tico's sake!!!

on the other hand, watching Richie performing Wanted in Munich last year without Jon, wasn't weird at all...it seemed kind of right...

Compare Cleveland Show with San Jose Show. You will realize who is the real winner of the show. Richie Sambora is better than Phil. Jon & Richie make the magic in some moments. With Phil, no magic, no feeling, It not feels like a Bon Jovi show. At least not for me.

I thought you were about to say "compare Cleveland Show with Family Guy".

Just coz I'm bored...someone mentioned the "Because We Can't" tour yesterday. This could be the anthem maybe:

Because We Can't

I don't wanna play another gig with Sambora
Stubborn as a rock, that’s why I don’t have a band (that's right)
I wanna be the one you pay to when you buy a ticket
I ain't a team player and I’d play the desert sand (but I can’t)

He's in the kitchen drinkin himself stupid
So tired of takin, my autocratic shite,
Right now he's takin' those breakfast painkillers
When he chugs down the pints
But lately feelin' like a backing singer
In the shadows starin' at my ass
There's only one thing in this world that he'd know
He said ‘no more’ and he has to let you down

I don't wanna play another gig with Sambora
Stubborn as a rock, that’s why I don’t have a band (that's right)
I wanna be the one you pay to when you buy a ticket
I ain't a team player and I’d play the desert sand (but I can’t)

Empty stadiums, everywhere that we go,
No Sambora, he’s downing loads of wine
Turn down the sound and we’ll go somewhere smaller
And we’ll pretend everything is alright

I don't wanna play another gig with Sambora
Stubborn as a rock, that’s why I don’t have a band (that's right)
I wanna be the one you pay to when you buy a ticket
I ain't a team player and I’d play the desert sand
But we can’t, new songs can’t sell those tickets
(We can’t) If you believe in we
(We can’t) then you just don’t know me
We can’t, we can’t

[Piss poor excuse for a solo]

I don't wanna play another gig with Sambora (I don't wanna play)
Stubborn as a rock, that’s why I don’t have a band (that's right)
I wanna be the one you pay to when you buy a ticket
I ain't a team player and I’d play the desert sand (but I can’t)
(I am a, I am a, I am a...)
Because we can’t

I don't wanna play another gig with Sambora (I don't wanna play)
Stubborn as a rock, that’s why I don’t have a band (that's right)
I wanna be the one you pay to when you buy a ticket
I ain't a team player and I’d play the desert sand
But we can’t (because we can’t)
New songs won’t sell those tickets
(We can’t) If you believe in we
(We can’t) then you just don’t know me
We can’t, we can’t

the tour should be renamed "F***, we shouldn't have"

Haha yeah, have a feeling when the dust has settled on this and Jon is reflecting honestly he'll have to admit that it was ill-judged and an absolute disaster.

Fantastic anthem!!!

I don't think it's about the singer - it's, for me anyway, more about Jon in his role as self-professed CEO of a company. In that role, he holds all responsibility. Not for Richie, or the tour, but for communication, fan relations and for trust in the band.
Someone has cocked up - fans are upset left, right and centre - and who takes the can? The head of the company.
Step forward, Mr Bongiovi.
Now step back.

Ronjovi shoots and scores :) Awesome!!

I get what you're saying but...

What if, and it's the only official story we've gotten, Richie has said to Jon "I have this going on. I can't tour. I don't know when I'll be back. Please don't say anything".

What is Jon supposed to say beyond "It's a personal issue. He is still in the band and he will be back. Please support Richie." Which is what he has said. Beyond that, if this is what Matt and the band have said it is, I don't know what else Jon can do without betraying his friend. It sucks for the rest of us but maybe it's one of those situations without a right answer and Jon is trying his best to do right by everyone (i.e. keep the show on the road for the fans while keeping loyal to Richie).

There is quite a difference when it comes to Rich or Jon performing whatever as solo artist and a band named Bon Jovi performing whatever. Without one of the corner stones it isn't the band people pay to see.

Jon should change the tour to "Jon and his buddies." For example, when Black Sabbath's tour got f*cked up due Tony Iommi's cancer, Ozzy & Co didn't tour as Sabbath but as "Ozzy & Friends", which was fair to the fans.

I can't really see any situation that can't allow for more of an explanation to stop the craziness that's going on right now.
If he's ill, say he's ill. If's it's family, just say it's his family. If it's a fall, then have some balls.
"Personal issues" is an out-dated attempt to pretend all is well.
Unfortunately, it seems regardless of the rights and wrongs of what they SHOULD do, they've caused more problems than they need have - be it Jon, Richie, promoters or management.

For one leg, fine. But to add two more months to his absence due to "personal issues" without further explanation is unacceptable. This is affecting hundreds of thousands of fans and their money. Richie saying "hey buddy, don't tell" is a crock of shit.

Bon Jovi is a business. What other business can get away with only delivering partial goods when they were paid for in full? What other business can get away with such a veiled, vague excuse for an extended period of time? I understand this is all Richie, but as CEO, Jon needs to step up and offer more than "personal issues".

So now Oz will go on sale any day now. If it's already known Richie is gone for the rest of the tour, I 100% believe Jon would keep it under his hat so that ticket sales will not be any more affected than they already are. If that's not the case, again, Jon needs to give fans more info so we can truly understand the uncertainty of when/if Richie will return. Personally, I've had it with the "personal" excuse.

Aloha !

The difference is that Tom Hamilton pulled out of 2 shows and has a history with throatcancer. Aerosmith gave a reason, and pretty much all Aerosmith fans accepted the situation because everyone's aware how Tom doesn't make "The" Aerosmith sound, save for a few songs.

Compare this to Bon Jovi, where no reason is given and everyone just has to accept it for what it is, refunds aren't given, and the guy who's created most of the songs and gave them their signifying sound pulls out. I'd say that's a very different situation.

Boo-ing Jon sounds fair to me. Jon doesn't offer refunds, thus makes people "have" to go to a show they no longer want to see. He's the CEO, he's in charge, and could postpone or cancel the shows if he'd like to. He doesn't, because it costs him money, thus boo-ing sounds rather well deserved to me.

I've also got 10 times as many posts than steel horse and hereby consider him a newbie as well, which makes his whole argument childish and invalid.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

They go on sale 20th May. The dates have been announced.

Tour Dates
December
7 - Etihad Stadium, Melbourne - Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
11 - AAMI Stadium, Adelaide - Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
14 - ANZ Stadium, Sydney - Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849
17 - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au 132 849

:D:D:D:D:D:D

I don't agree. If Richie has said "Don't tell", what is Jon to do? Tell anyway? How would that go down? Matt has already said this is Richie's to tell. Therefore, I don't see what Jon can really do, even as the self appointed CEO.

I think it's nonsense to think they are protecting ticket sales. Most people will go anyway. Like it or not, it's only the die hards that see Richie as integral to the band. Ticket sales won't be affected that much as long as Jon is there.

Even if that was the case and they were delaying announcements to maximise sales, then why not string the Europeans along for a little bit longer? Doesn't make sense not to going by your logic.

The damage Jon would do himself and the band if it is to come out now that Richie has always been gone would be huge. Whatever sales he would be protecting would pale compared to the reputational loss, credibility loss and future sales he would lose amongst the die hards for being a liar.

Jon is a smart businessman. There is no way that this is to protect ticket sales.