I agree, John Shanks has shown a sensitivity with his guitar solos, it was obvious that the Blood in The Water solo was Shanks. Phil is rougher, when he plays Richie's guitar solos he loses a lot of sensitivity and feeling. Phil's talent would be in generating heavy riffs for rock songs(not guitar solos), but that for now is not happening on the latest albums.

I got told off on here and other sites for saying Shanks was playing those solos on the record...open your eyes and ears guys, Shanks is Jovi’s lead guitarist and although he has notions of music, he sounds nothing like Sambora and has 10% ‘feeling’. Stop kidding yourselves

I agree Shanks guitar work sounds nothing like Richie. Richie's guitar riffs and solos have that bluesy rock n roll sound, Shanks solos and riffs sound more pop-ish with a contemporary sound. I'm not sure how Jon can think Shanks sounds like Richie, to me he's way off but I guess it's up to the listener how they interpret Shanks guitar work.

Only Richie sounds like Richie.
Just like EVH sounds like EVH.
Or Stevie Ray Vaughan sounds like Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Or Gary Moore sounds like Gary Moore.
Or Brian May sounds like Brian May.

Every guitarist has his own unique sound and style that can't be copied.
You can try to but people will always hear the difference.

Shanks did a surprisingly good job on 2020. His guitar work fits the songs very well. That it can't be compared to Richie's guitar work from the past should be clear.

Well.. Phil played almost nothing on THINFS and nothing on We Don't Run from BB but he played a lot of Shanks' solos live. So I'd expect him to take over some from 2020. It seems that the dynamics shift a bit withing the band. We thought that having Phil during the recording process will result in him being all over the songs and bringing his enerhy there. Surprisingly the result is that he is less of a lead guitarist live.
He will still be kept because he has the skill to play Richie's old solos when Shanks is probably not. He is decent on Bad Name solo and ITA was tortured that much that now it's healing to listen to Shanks playing it :D
It's all very interesting when you consider that Phil's style is different from Richie's but gets to play his solos because he has the skill.
On the other hand Shanks' style is a bit closer to Richie's but he doesn't have the skill to play it live. So he plays only the newer ones and not all that he recorded.

I still struggle to understand who the members are. There is a recording line-up, now official line-up, live line-up, which is maybe becoming the recording one slowly. Then sometimes the official, sametimes the live one is in the videos. Where are the times of five unstoppable guys on stage? :D

The thing is, there weren't THAT many solos on This House, really the only example of that being correct is the title track. Otherwise Shanks recorded and played live the solo for Living With the Ghost, Phil recorded and played live the solos for Knockout and Born Again Tomorrow, one of which barely got played live.

With 2020 you've got Beautiful Drug (Phil), Story of Love (Shanks), Blood in the Water (Shanks) Brothers in Arms (my gut is telling me it's both of them planned left and right). Luv Can and Shine were both Shanks I'm fairly certain.

I absolutely agree that Shanks's playing style is slightly bluesier and less frantic but when it comes to the faster paced stuff Phil is better. To me anyway.

Fair point. I didn't count the solos to be honest. I was typing that thought with WDR and THINFS on mind. WDR sucks btw, I don't know why Phil feels the need to play it differently. Shanks' original solo is perfect but I doubt he (Shanks) would be able to pull it off live.

One idea - is it necessary to have this thread when the concert/show is being mainly discussed in the album thread?

We shouldn't forget that THINFS was recorded at a time the whole guitarist question was still very much in the air. Phil was put in later to do some necessary solos, but it was after the initial album had been done. So it's logically it shifted in live shows there. I think Jon sees himself as having two guitarists right now and I have a feeling that Skanks and Phil actually are pretty good friends and may have decided to trade solos with regards to what style fits a song better.

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Do you really think Jon gives two hired guns that much of leeway? :D

Still Phil was a member ofthe band back then (or was announced after the album was recorded?) and Shanks has never been a member. I think it's still in the air :D