Agreed it wouldn't be easy - but Jon's vocal problems now seem to be common knowledge, so I don't really see how talking about it would do any harm at this point. It's never going to happen, but if Jon wanted to make it work they could find a way.

Yes, absolutely and that's why you'd have to make it clear in advance. I think in Europe it would be less of an issue than in America to be honest. I've never seen Richie do more than one song at a gig, but it certainly doesn't envoke a mass exodus, but then neither would Dry County. Songs from the last 20 years, yeah that's probably toilet break time for the majority.

Fair, I'm speaking strictly of the 20 shows I saw in North America. Europe would probably be fine. And there are pockets of the crowd here that would go nuts for this arrangement.

A Bon Jovi tour with Richie singing half the songs would flop. It is not hard to realize that for the casual fan it is Jon Bon Jovi and nothing else. For the fan who is even less than casual, they do not even know who Richie Sambora is. It is an absolute fantasy to think that it could work.

I am a big Van Halen fan. Eddie was the absolute focal point of the band in a way Richie has never been in Bon Jovi. I would run a mile from a Van Halen show if Eddie was singing half the songs. Replace the idea for any major band where the guitarist is just as influential or more than Richie.

And no, Richie having a better voice than those other guitarists (debatable anyway) plays no part in it. Most people at a Bon Jovi show know next to nothing about that. And also not even in Europe, another myth that is put up is that Richie has some untapped large audience in Europe.

The promotion would be about "Bon Jovi reunion tour but the person 70% or more of you want to see will only be on stage for 50% of the time. But we are doing this because his voice is shit so that 50% of the time he is on stage he will suck anyway. Please buy a ticket."

2-3 songs at the most for Richie but in the multiple European shows I have seen his songs are definitely a lull in the show. If there is no way to do this tour because of Jon's voice then it simply shouldn't happen. Richie singing half the songs would be more embarrassing than anything that has happened before so there is no way Jon would do it anyway.

I can't see Richie doing more than two songs. And for Jon it makes much more sense when he just doesn't sing certain difficult parts in songs. In addition to that Richie struggles when singing lead and having to play guitar.

VERY good point I didn't consider. Richie's strong suit is playing guitar. As soon as the guitar parts are little too complicated, one of the two starts to suffer. He'd need to drop the guitar to be a proper frontman and who wants that? Remember when it lead to Bobby having to play a LOT of guitar on Homebound Train? HARRRRDDDD Pass.

Panda, I've seen that article, as well as quotes from it, and I wouldn't take any of it as gospel until I hear the actual interview. That reporter has tied what seems to be totally unrelated quotes together to suit his interpretation of what's going on. He might be spot on with what he's saying; but I wouldn't bet on it.

The unfortunate thing is that all the results I get when I Google "Richie Sambora Absolute Radio interview" are nothing but slightly re-worded cut-and-pastes of this same article; and some even say "for the complete interview see ..." with a link to this article. So if this one reporter incorrectly quoted or misinterpreted what Richie said, that's what is getting reported over and over again by different outlets.

That said, if anybody has a link to an audio of the Absolute Radio interview Richie did with Leona Graham I'd love to listen to it and hear for myself what he actually said in context.

Richie has been a super important part of Bon Jovi on all levels. Songwriting, singing and of course playing guitar. The chemistry between Richie & Jon is what made Bon Jovi exceptional but it's surely true that 70% of their fans probably aren't musicians or people who care for that. They just see five hot rockers, but Jon Bon Jovi is the centerpoint. The majority of the concert crowds at a Bon Jovi show will not even realize that the strong vocal sound of Jon is because Jon is backed up by David, and Richie's throwing in the high harmonies. In the heads of all soccermom fans, they think all that magic comes out of Jon Bon Jovi. Some of them might even think that whenever Jon holds a guitar, it's him playing all the amazing guitar stuff.

So yes, Richie has not missed one occasion to stress the importance of his role in Bon Jovi as well as saying that before Bon Jovi, he was the leadsinger in any band he was in. Also saying he had his own record label and he had his own bar to organize gigs.

Also, he has a the tendency to keep telling the same stories over and over and they become bigger over time. His last tour was all stadiums and all crowds over 80.000 people. Also, they played a residency of 20 O2's in 2011. In my memory, those where 12 shows. Their European show were indeed stadiums, but lot of these stadiums were more like 30.000 to 50.000 people ( not bad, but it's not 80.000) and in the US, they have NEVER done a full stadium tour. Only arena tours, with the occasional 6 to 8 stadiums (Giants, Ford Field, Gilette and a few others.

But hey, ... most people don't know and won't verify what he's saying, so he might as well exagerate a bit in all he's saying.

Wasn't Aftermath with an indie label?

Good post and I agree he absolutely should be bigging himself up. However, it does sometimes creep into cringe, nonsense, and stupid. The quotes today have him saying "I am on a tear" in terms of songwriting. He may be is, but it is all false promises. Anyone hearing that who checks him out on Spotify will find nothing for 10 years. Quite the tear indeed.

I agree with the sentiment often just not how he puts things across. He is correct that if a record is to come of the reunion he absolutely should write songs for that record. The rest of his claims as to why are dubious:

• He is on a songwriting tear: See above
• He wrote the songs in Bon Jovi: Even suggesting the creative driving force by saying they are about his life. We just know this is embellishment at best and an outright lie at worst. Why not just say "I was a co-writer on many of those songs" it's not hard.
• Jon is not really the figurehead: Basically, a lie considering it is a known fact Jon was the sole person with a record contract. It is also a known fact Richie and the others are/were employees.

He desperately needs a PR person because he sucks at marketing himself in all sorts of ways. Again, I know what he is trying to do and understand why. Still, it comes off as messy, inaccurate, and sometimes mean-spirited.

Yes, but it was a disaster as the label shutdown shortly after the album was released, so I think it put him off going the indie route for a while there...

You're forgetting that they would still (hopefully) have Phil X around....it's not like we'd have to put up with Bobby solos :mrgreen:

Even Shanks would work in this setup.

Between the label folding and the album leaking accidentally from someone in his own camp then getting called back out on the road with the band, that's a real pisser of a year for something he poured a lot of time into too.

You know what, yeah that's fair. My biggest problem was Bobby's weak, tinny tone.

Richie + Phil X might be the best combo since Matt and Phil.

seen the video footage of the absolute radio interview...it was better than i expected judging by the transcripts and interpreting the undertones...

Richie clearly wants back...What sounds a bit weird to me is that he didnt mantion anything about touring the solo album himself, he straight went about jon getting better and playing live in a big tour set up to give back to the fans!!

his comment about writing everything in bj was of poor taste and inaccurate at best BUT it didnt look preplanned, more like a comment to underline his input...

i am more optimistic after watching this clip, but cant be certain without sth official..

ps. i think the wounds will heal between jon and richie only if they sit together and write a couple of songs that they both consider good material..

Agreed, but that's when it comes down to marketing. Of course 50% Richie singing would never work. You call it "An Evening with Bon Jovi" - market it as a special tour celebrating the 40th anniversary, no supports just an extended Bon Jovi set, featuring the bands songs performed by the band. In the press release you state that other members of the band will sing. Market it as a one off tour, never to be seen again (people are suckers for that). You'd have your basic Bon Jovi show, with little breaks every few songs for Jon. If people want to use that as a toilet break so be it. Split it in to two sets, make people feel like they are getting value for money. 2 60 minute sets plus encore. A Richie song in each set. One Dave song, 30 minute interval. Gives Jon plenty of time to rest his voice. There are always ways...


How is Richie having a better voice debatable. Than who? Eddie Van Halen? Joe Perry? Little Steven? It's not even a question...

The point is that in Europe compared to the US, people are more aware of the "band" and not just "Jon". Every show I've been to the Richie section has been well received. Hell, even when he used to do Stranger. At least here in England.

I get that, but whenever they announce the next tour, they are going to have to deal with that anyways. The repucussions of the last tour has seen to that. People are already aware, so in my opinion it needs to be addressed. "Jon has been getting help with his voice and is in great shape, but has been advised that he needs to take it easy".

It's not going to happen, of course, but if there is to be no tour, or this option - then at this point Jon would have nothing to lose. His ego would never allow it though...

Jesus imagine Richie and Phil trading licks on Homebound Train - I'd pay just to see that!!

Hell yes! I've been waiting a long time for this news. I know nothing is official but this is very promising.

As far as Jon's voice is concerned, I think we all need to accept and expect that he will be singing to a backing track and miming more parts than usual. If Richie is on that stage with him, I'm okay with it.

I share everyone's enthusiasm as to the probability of Richie coming back to Bon Jovi but, I just don't think it's gonna happen. Richie has always maintained a more positive outlook towards getting back and playing with the band. Even as far back as 2013 he was saying he'd be back for the stadium shows. Don't know what's going on behind the scenes but it's also entirely posible that Jon would be really hesitant for it to happen. Especially if he is going through vocal rehab of sorts, he'd be willing to prove himself without Richie. As long as they both release new material I'm cool with whatever happens. Don't know if that's a good or a bad thing but.....

One major factor that will get Richie 'wanting' to come back is the fact that Jon can't tour for 12/18 months full on anymore. It's probably a good thing (for Richie) that Jon's got vocal trouble because the tours aren't going to be long. He can go home. He can spend time with family. He can write solo material alongside shows.

That's a huge factor in Richie wanting to come back, in my opinion.


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Why doesn't Richie have an official website? what happened to richiesambora.com?

It was a "Coming Soon" holding page for ages and then just redirected to his Facebook. Hopefully he will launch a new one for the new album...

I always thought it was Jon that closed the door on Richie, and not the other way. So, until we hear anything from Jon I am not holding my breath.

I can't remember the last time I read a press release for a tour of a band I was interested in seeing. Especially as a casual fan of a band, I just buy the ticket and turn up. I went to see Judas Priest last year and bought the ticket a few days prior to the show because I am just casual on them. If I had turned up and the guitarist was singing half the songs, I would be pissed. I am sure Priest did the press releases, the interviews, etc to promote their tour, but like many casuals, I am not seeing that.

You can argue that is ignorance but despite the many avenues for information, casuals of bands are not going to do the work to find out. Ok, Bon Jovi rolling into town with the guitarist and keyboard player singing half the songs would probably make mainstream news. Most casuals hearing that would just be, "that's not for me".

Competition is rife and tickets expensive, why pay to see a band that is clearly broken and cannot do it how it is meant to be done anymore? Esepcially if someone only likes a handful of songs or whatever else defines "casual". It would work as a large theater tour probably, but a 40th anniversary tour would be about bringing as much money as possible.


I agree, but I am sure there are people out there who think guitarist X from band Y has a better voice than Richie. So, it's debatable.

Richie doesn't tank the show like Jon's love for certain songs does. But nor do they get an amazing reaction. They are what they are, to give Jon five minutes.

It absolutely does need to be addressed. And the best way of addressing it is to just not do a tour if the lead singer's voice is not up to it anymore. You don't address it by bastardizing the band and hoping casual fans (the ones who make the difference) have any interest in it.

"Jon has been getting help with his voice and is in great shape, but has been advised that he needs to take it easy... but we are coming on tour anyway, taking your money, giving you 30 mins of twiddling your thumbs, and asking the keyboard player none of you know to sing a couple of popular songs."

Just my two cents supposing BJ would go on tour and with Richie:

Jon should work on his guitar chops (not acoustic!) to play along with Richie more often (e.g. something like they did with Thorn in my side). Playing the guitar could help Jon to relax physically and mentally from the singing for some time.

Two songs with Richie singing would be max, but instrumental parts could get extended.

But in the end this is all about making the impossible possible. (I think it's impossible.)

There;s really not how it works for most people. Huge budgets are spent on the marketing and promotions for big shows. And there is a reason for that...

No one is saying they are singing "half the songs"...again, it's all in the way you market it....

That's why you need the marketing...

That's not Jon's way though. He's not just going to give up until he's made every last possible penny. If he was going to retire because of his voice it would have happened 5 years ago....

Good job you're not in marketing...well, I hope you're not... :mrgreen:

To be honest, if you are only giving Richie 2 songs and Dave 1, they wouldn't even HAVE to mention it, though probably should. The 2 sets things is actually becoming quite a popular set up for some shows. People actually like an interval, gives them a chance to go to the bathroom and get drinks without missing anything. It's only like the changeover between main act and support, except you get two main act sets.

I agree its' a hard sell in some ways, but it could still be a very financially lucrative tour for the band. Of course they could even make is slightly smaller venues (another reason to say it's special), such as Arena's in Europe rather than Stadiums. To make up for less tickets, the ticket price would be higher of course, but that is the way these days anyways...

It's all just hypothetical anyways, as i keep saying, it's no gonna happen...

I am not doubting the marketing budget and/or the validity of the marketing. However, marketing with a bunch of small print caveats is not going to work. Besides, if you take twenty bands you know are coming to your city/country this year, how much do you know about the show/tour beyond the basics such as venue, price, etc? Marketing does not focus on details that may make the show worse.

Ok, not half the songs but this conversation started with someone saying Richie singing 40% of the songs. I was responding to that post initially. 2 songs by Richie and 1 by Dave does nothing to solve Jon's problems.

I am presuming we are talking about Richie and Dave taking over a portion of the show, not a few songs. Otherwise there is no conversation to be had at all. Even say it is 30% of the show, it is too much. You are convinced that marketing could solve this.

For me, it would not. Richie and Jon could come and tuck every casual into bed for a year and they would still not be interested in seeing Bon Jovi with Jon not singing on anything less than 80% of the songs.


Agreed, anything under 20% of a show is probably normal and not even worth discussing.

Is it? One of the benefits of living in a major capital city where my outside earnings smash inflation levels is I have been able to go and see everyone over the last 10 years on the cheap. Not once have I had a 30-minute gap in between a main act set. Over 50 acts, everyone from One Direction to Slipknot. Avantasia did over 3 hours and I didn't even have a 10 minutes break. I am genuinely curious about which major acts are doing this.

Marketing focusing on making the the show seem appealing. My previous post explained how that would work. There's a lot of milage in making something seem one off, special, or exclusive.

Actually that's not true. In my opinion part of the problem is that from the moment he takes to the stage Jon has to sing for 2 hours non stop. This resulted in his voice being completely gone by the end of the show a few times. Most notably the time he had to mime on Prayer. Giving him 3 breaks during the two main sets and a 30 minute break in between would help with that in my opinion.

I'm not talking about regular shows, I'm talking about special "evening with" type events. I believe that Europe have done them, and will be doing them again on their tour anniversary tour later this year. A lot of acts such as Russel Watson and non-rock artists have done this regualarly. Def Leppard did this on the Hystera shows, on their Vegas run. The Eagles have done it several times.... There are others, can't think off the top of my head. The Who also I believe. It's often done when bands do a "play the whole album" type shows, with one set being the album and the second set being a greatest hits. Bryan Adams recent royal albert hall shows for instance. I've worked with a band called Thunder for years, who have done this many times, usually as part of a Christmas show.

@Thinny - Before it continues large post after large post, are we talking about a one-off show or a tour? I am talking 100% about a tour, which is where this conversation started.

I'm talking about a tour - billed as "an evening with Bon Jovi". When I said "one off" I was meaning a "one off tour" not a "one off event" sorry for the confusion.

I don't really see the point filling this thread up with it though to be honest, as it's all just hypothetical/fantasy at the end of the day, and I think we've both had our say?

To bring in another point of view:
Jon's voice was already ****ed up when they announced the last tour and he knew it. Before Covid they announced a tour together with Bryan Adams.
I don't know anymore how exactly it was billed. But in my book there is no market in which Bryan has the need to be the support act.
So it is just an assumption: If the plan was 1 hour Bryan, 1 hour Bon Jovi, the vocal situation for Jon would have been different.
So if they are planning a new tour, they could think about doing it that way. 1 hour Richie solo or another (bigger) artist, 1 hour Bon Jovi with 1-2 songs sung by a band member.
I think that would be the only possibility to sell a tour under the current circumstances without losing countenance. We die-hards would know what's going on, but the casual fan probably would think "cool, 2 artists for the price of one, sounds like a good deal to me!".

Pretty sure it was billed as a Bon Jovi tour with Bryan opening.

Yeah it was. BJ/BA would work as a joint headliner in Europe, but not the US.

I think a Joint headliner could work, but not in Arenas. If it's Bon Jovi's big reunion and/or farewell then it would need to be something like the Leppard/Motely stadium shows. Anything smaller and they could sell the same amount of tickets without a joint headliner so there is no point in sharing the bill to make less money. Jon would never go for that.

If Guns N Roses can in its current state, Jon's voice would not be such a serious problem as long as the show is well measured.

That Richie sings more than one song seems crazy to me, I don't think that's going to happen. A Bon Jovi show has to be a Bon Jovi show.

They only have to select the best hits (add some gem), and do a 2 hour show, not a minute more Jon has to do some kind of trick to make it all feel right, like those between-song speeches at those THINFS promo shows, but geared towards the 40th anniversary (his story). Telling an anecdote helped by the screens, inserting a clip from the past, or a representative image before playing the next hit. Seducing the audience, make people sing the hits in some sections of the song, and making those little speeches (Jon is good at doing that) would work and could add a more emotional vibe.

The key will be in how they are going to sell the tour, and if it will be accompanied by something else... and I am not referring to the documentary or the box set. I'm really curious how they'll approach this if we finally get a commemorative tour.

This works in an intimate setting, like the THINFS promo shows, but you can't do that in an Arena or Stadium. You might get away with one story that isn't too long, but you will put the audience to sleep in a large venue with any more. It has to be up close and personal for this type of thing to work.

That sounds great, but the reality is Jon telling a story for 5 minutes - sometimes to crowds that don't speak English - will kill the mood as much as Richie taking three or 10 songs.

I think for all our speculation, the reasons for returning are obvious so something will be done, somehow. It is just how they do it without it being a disaster.

Personally, I would prefer no more live shows unless Jon has a miraculous turn around. My preference would be a Richie solo record in the first half of 2023 and then a Bon Jovi record with Jon and Richie writing the second half of the year. Just in the hope there is some magic left... although, I doubt it.

If you have visual support aided by screens like U2, it could work in a stadium perfectly. But it has to be something creative (eye-catching) and emotional at the same time, narrate it with words and images. They could do it in 4 or 5 points of the show. It could even include fragments of that documentary.

If they play a hit, do something visual while the song is playing that is worth watching. What I mean is that they should go beyond the music if they want to make this work, and people take emotional memories of these shows. You have to give it something more than music, record people in their minds memorable images that accompany these shows.

And I would love for the pyrotechnics to come back in You Give Love a Bad Name, Lay Your HAnds on Me, Livin on a Prayer....

I don't think Jon's voice will miraculously recover, so the level will be the same as April 2022.

I'm not trying to say that Jon does 10 minute speeches before a song, but more of a 3-5 minute speech, depending on the moment in the show, a speech to fit the next hit, wrapped in visual support. Nowadays you can do anything, even with drones. I would simply count his trajectory, with his achievements, ups and downs between hits. I'm not saying the staging is like a chat with Steve Jobs, but something more theatrical, or even cinematic if they're really willing to create a big event for the shows. Something you think of, even if you're not a fan, worth going to see, at least once.

If it's the last tour, I don't think anyone wants drawn out stories though. I'd rather they pack in as many songs as they can which I suppose brings us back to Problem A.

Richie's comments suggest that Jon's problem is - at least partially - solvable. He is talking as if he thinks something will happen. I don't see how you come back from what we witnessed from Jon last year, but who knows.

Well, Robbie Williams does the storytelling part on his current 25-tour.
Partly it seems like a revue with all his storytelling and showing videos from the past. And it's working with his audience. He sold out the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany for 3 nights with 16.000 people each night and does the same in other big venues across Europe as well. And he does this although he still can sing ;-)
So it can work without killing the mood of the audience. But by saying that I don't think it will save Jon, since he lately even seemed to struggle while talking...

Not a chance in hell Jon would do a co-headline tour, its nostalgic everything he is against ! They don't need to anyway, still a huge draw on the live stage regardless of his vocals. No way an equal billing with another band it just wont happen !

Controversial comment, but jovi are a legendry band in the same way the Stones are, release shit records but their legacy is 40 years worth of music.

Iv said it before, when your at the actual show you don't really notice the state of his voice anyway. For all we know the vocal surgery ( if he's actually had it ) will have have worked and he's back to his near best . Everybody is talking as though it was a failed op ! Give the guy a chance