I still think Richie will be back for an album and tour at some point. In some ways it is the last ace in Jon's hand if he ever wants to go out on a high, sell more tickets, make more money, or whatever.

You may call be an optimist for that, but I would point out I still think any album/tour will be awful even if Richie is on board.

Jon needs to fold the band and do solo songs like he did on WAN - the fighter etc.
That’s easier on his voice than BJ songs.


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Nothing's easy for Jon's voice at the moment, as his whole voice is shot. No matter if the song is high, low or (especially) mid-range, he struggles immensely anyway. Even songs like I Will Drive You Home and American Reckoning cause problems for him at the moment.

Here are two aspects that a future album could have. Have half of the songs considered for live performance, and the other half have all the studio tricks to create some monstrous songs but never will be play live shows. Bon Jovi, like other bands / artists are not required to play the entire album live. I think that hybrid would please everyone. We have always talked about the change of producer, for someone who gives the sound of Bon Jovi a new flavor. I think that would be a step forward.

There are study hacks that are worth your while, like Who Would You Die For or Luv Can. I don't care if I never listen to them live.

This is a personal request, I need a real rock album, just let the songs be guitar driven, have riffs, and some great electrifying guitar solos. You've got a guy like Phil, make a damn album out of all this, and then you can go back to pop, but at least try a rock-flavored with big guitars.

I know it will never happen, but it is something I always look forward to when it comes to a new album.

But Jon's voice can't even manage that at the moment. As someone else said, he even struggles with American Reckoning which is one of the easier songs for him to sing

I think a full on rock album would just highlight even more Jon's vocal decline. Yes there is enhancements you can do in the studio, but that can only cover so much. And what is the point, even if you could hide it, to make a full on rock album and then not be able to do any of the songs live.

It just makes no sense to me

The "rock" moments that does on the last few albums (the end growl on Devils in the Temple for example) when Jon gets there live it's at 1/10 intensity and pitchy. It's catch-22. If he does rock albums and can't pull it off live fans are mad. If he does lukewarm albums he can pull off live fans are mad. Agreed with Thinny on this. It will absolutely highlight his decline because lord knows the album is there specifically so they can tour it. Why put something out you can't come close to touching live?

Well, this is an interesting conversation. I would love for Bon Jovi to embrace the last stage of the Beatles; "focus on making studio albums and forget about touring". But we are in an era where studio albums have no relevant value and all the business is on the road. So both Jon, and we fans, are screwed. We would have to take the worst part, the touring, and I mean the worst part because Jon can't cover up all the vocal problems on the live shows.

In other times, what I propose would be the most satisfactory solution, but now I suppose that we are all screwed. Anyway, songs like Luv Can, Blood In The Water, Beautiful Drug, WWWU ... are manipulated, and are more than acceptable, I do not think it is crazy to raise a little more to get something more rocking.

For Jon to continue the journey for another 13 years would be a great challenge, but when it comes to enduring and persevering, Jon can be unstoppable. We will see what happens in the future.

Personally, I'm worried whether Jon will even be alive in 13 years anymore. His voice definitely sounds like a smoker's one, he was last busted smoking by a fan in Dublin 2019 (saw a comment on FB), and as far as I remember reading from here at some point, he was already "secretly" smoking in 1985. It's been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time, but now that even his speaking voice has already suffered heavily and he can no longer sing at all, I'm afraid there are 2 ways out for him - either he dies relatively young from lung-based complications, or spends the last years of his life with a stoma or an oxygen tank.

Either way, I'm pretty sure that he will downright have to end his career within the next 5-6 years.

I think it's a little much that he could be dead in 13 years but I don't know much about lung based complications. I don't think he'll be dead but he's not going to be on the road at the rate he's at.

As for Rolo's comparison to the Beatles, it's a real tough era comparison. They money generated by studio albums from the 60s until the late 90s is STAGGERING in comparison to say the least. If it doesn't have the ability to even break even, I don't see labels caring enough, I don't see JBJ caring enough. Would love for him to prove us wrong on that, of course. But if creativity and giving fans good product were in the realm of possibility, the NJ re-release would have been followed by the other albums.

I think we also forget that Jon's idea of a rock song or rock album in 2021 is vastly different to what our idea is. In fact, his idea has been drastically different argubaly since 2000. Have A Nice Day is considered by many to be a Bon Jovi rock record. If that's what a rock record is, it will be a hard pass from me.

Even if Jon went rock, what do we think we would get? It would be just a different shade of shit, but still shit.