I'm sure it was presented delicately and not with the tone I wrote it as I was power phrasing but yes, I think a very long contract has been signed...

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Phil X is there as long as Jon needs him and he's happy to fill that spot for that period of time. If it's until the band retires, then as long as that. If the band may decide one day to reunite with Richie, then Phil X will go back to doing what he did before.
It's not like he'd lose any creative outlet when he wouldn't play with Bon Jovi anymore.

I'm not sure that Jon can commit to a particuallry long contract to be honest, as I really don't think he knows himself how much longer he's going to be doing this. I don't think he has that many more years left in him, in my opinion. But we are getting way off topic here now.

You're making it seem like it's a friendly handshake and I don't think it's that simple... This is a business and like any other business fulfillment there are contracts...

Just as much as it's a privilege for Phil to step into Bon Jovi, Jon got lucky finding Phil too... Sure there are a million guitar players but finding someone with chemistry, who Jon can trust, who can get along with the rest of the band members, etc, is all part of it.

Do you think Jon wants the stress of Phil walking off and starting that process all over again? Hello No! Not at 56

And that's about the size of it.

Apparently, Phil-X hasn't been too involved in creating the guitar parts in the studio and I don't see why that should change now, as long as Jon remains happy with what Shanks is doing. I can't imagine either Phil or Richie being satisfied just playing rhythm while the other plays lead, especially on guitar solos that neither one of them writes.

If personality/ego clashes wouldn't cause problems, it might be nice to see them trade off leads on some songs. But if Richie was unhappy with Bobby being brought on board, I really don't think he'd be happy about having a second lead guitarist in the band.

And before someone can say "it doesn't matter whether Richie is happy or not because it's Jon's band" or "Jon would want to keep Phil around because he can't be sure Richie would show up", let me clarify. I personally believe that unless whatever issues that caused the split are resolved, it's a moot point; because there would be no reuniting to begin with.

So, IF the band should reunite some day, I seriously doubt there'll be any Hotel California type guitar duels between Richie and Phil, as nice as that might be.

JMO.

Why not Richie and Phil together in the band? Look what Maiden did,Adrian Smith left the band then reunites with them and Janick Gers is still in the band and they are amazing together,three lead guitar players,Bj could do with two also.

If Richie did come back I think Phil would stay too... And Shanks would be the guy to go. HOWEVER..... Jon is so different from any other rock star in may ways (in some positive ways and in some negative ways) but I can tell you right now, Richie Sambora will NEVER be in Bon Jovi ever again. You burn JBJ, you are done!!!!

I think once you're in with Jon, Jon will be loyal to you till the end but if you burn him, there are no second chances.

I was talking to someone just yesterday and she told me the very same thing about Jon. Jon apparently said that since he's not in a real-life mafia and can't kill the guy who betrayed him, he treats him as if he was dead anyway. So that's what he is. I guess it's high time we faced the fact that Richie's not coming back. And as Jackie noticed in some other thread - Richie won't share his spotlight with other guitarists (unless it's his current girlfriend :3)

I don't think Richie cares too much anymore about that since BJ are done as much as Richie is. Still can't believe how low both of them have sunk in the last 5 years.

Little has changed for the better in the Bon Jovi camp since Richie left, if fact things are so much worse, so there is no reason for him to want back in. He can continue to make whatever music he wants to make, and if that's with Ori then so be it. He doesn't need the money, he can live quite comfortabley off of all his songwriting royalities I'm sure. Prayer alone must still make him a fortune...