I couldn't agree more. And I wonder if this tour will be their last regular one. I remember reading one of the posts here on the board that BJ would have to tour once again with the post Sambora material... I don't think Jon will ever settle for small venues and another big tours will be just out of reach. This tour is one hell of an experiment and only time will tell what the future holds.

Nailed it.

European crowds won't be as forgiving either.

Has Jon's voice really deserted him and gone? It may sound a silly question given his known struggles in the last few years. The only reason I ask this is because of that Karaoke segment just before THINFS was released. Jon sounded unbelievably good, even hitting the higher notes to a degree. I'm not dumb enough to think there aren't other factors involved but could it be somewhat down to confidence?

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I think that actually a lot of it is psychological. Of course his vocals have deteriorated heavily in the past few years. But there are moments where he seems to forget about the problems and sounds more natural and actually better. Like the karaoke show you mentioned or when he entered the audience during Bad Medicine. There he seemed to had regained a bit of his old self. And at the karaoke show he was seen taking some whiskey shots before so he may have been more relaxed.
Someone mentioned in one of the countless threads about Jon's voice that he fails to keep the newer technique for the whole show since his body stiffens up. I think that may be one of the reasons. On this tour, if you play close attention, you can actually see him "walking" sometimes while hanging on to the microphone. It's like he tries to counteract the tension in his muscles there.

Jon's been a lead singer for so many years, got loads of experience and how come he suddenly has problems with low self-esteem on stage?! It's like he developed a phobia of open spaces and crowds which can't be the case because he just won't play in small venues again, at least not regularly. So what's that x factor that made him so vulnerable and scared?!

Low self esteem on stage? What are you talking about? A person that is performing at a concert then goes out to the crowd and sings to them to me does not qualify low self esteem, or is that your definition of low self esteem? And what phobia of open spaces and crowds are you talking about?

Some folks here suggest Jon having problems with self-confidence and that it affects his voice making it a vicious circle. What psychological issues can the man have then?

He's talked about psychological reasons for his vocal problems before the tour. Not in detail, but I guess that since he went through some sort of depression it must've affected his usage of his voice as well. At least to some degree. Remember that he stated numerous times that he "couldn't even sing in the shower anymore". He most likely had lost his confidence in his voice and consequently the secureness of knowing that he can entertain a crowd in the way that he used to do. So in the end I guess low self esteem really was a factor.

and yet, he went on tour? is it trying too hard (he's nothing to prove, yeah right) or fighting against the odds (not giving up whatever the real reasons are)?

Initially it was (as he admitted himself) just "to make some money" and maybe fight the odds. Later on I think he tried to regain his passion for performing.