[eddie73]

Ok, so thought i would start a thread on the ultra cool Phil X, great player fits right in and i didnt even miss sambo at brum. The man is doing a stirling Job.

I would have no issuesif Phil was to join the band if Rich Left !

What does everybody else think ?

[dcj28]

Same here,dont see RS coming back tbh. I get the feeling last nights show wouldnt have been so long if he had been there too.
Maybe theyll do an Iron Maiden and have 3 guitarists(plus Jon).Or just get rid of Bobby. I know it wont happen but imagine Phil X and Richie trading riffs and solos either side of Jon.

[TwinFan]

http://drycounty.com/jovitalk/showthread.php?t=55703

[ezearis]

I have no issues with him as a live act, but I wouldn't want Sambora to leave, he's a session musician, he wouldn't have any imput on the new albums and we would have solo albums recorded with the band... and don't say "What About Now" is one of them as Richie actually had imput on that one, so imagine.

[efiste2]

Sorry guys Phil may be a good thrash man but as far as BON JOVI goes there is only Sambora that can do the job.......Phil X was good at Manchester but what I missed was Richies fill ins and style, take Raise your hands for example where Richie has lots of fills to play, or Wanted......not the same without him. dont get me wrong Im not a huge fan of Richie at this moment in time, I was!! but after this he has got some ground to make up (if he does return) but for the BON JOVI sound I have etched into my being, Only Richie can do the job.......DOnt get me wrong I know we all need to embrace change and move forwards but for me Phil just doesnt fit in, thats not dissing him, i just dont believe hit fits into the BON JOVI machine.

[Javier]

Phil is amazingly cool and seems like a humble guy that's really pumped to be doing his job. One thing that I got out of all of this Richie mess is discovering Phil and I'm actually a fan of his work with the drills. If it was the only choice then I wouldn't have anything against Phil actually being part of the band as in recording or else, but i'd rather have Richie there, his style just fits Bon Jovi and even though he's an asshole, he's part of the experience. I'd rather have Phil open for Bon Jovi in the future

[Bill23]

X can play just fine...its Richie's stage presence, his style, his stardom (the 'it factor') and his vocals/harmonies I miss the most. My last 4-5 shows (the end of US Circle tour) and 3 in April this year have all been X, and while I enjoyed them and am pumped for Soldier Field and Vegas, I'm ready for Richie to return...I'm thinking Soldier Field for the return.

[Javier]

This I'll say. Phil I think should finish off the tour, and I mean the entire tour. It would just seem so hypocritical of Sambongo to return mid tour like that without any reasonable explanation. Let X finish off the tour, then have a meeting with Sambo, settle whatever there is to settle and if and when Richie comes back, have him be 100% into it, no less....

[TwinFan]

Originally Posted by Javier

This I'll say. Phil I think should finish off the tour, and I mean the entire tour. It would just seem so hypocritical of Sambongo to return mid tour like that without any reasonable explanation. Let X finish off the tour, then have a meeting with Sambo, settle whatever there is to settle and if and when Richie comes back, have him be 100% into it, no less....

Yup.

The man can play. If Richie was playing this good, albeit with his own Richie style, people would be clamoring over him. There are certain aspects of Phil's style that don't mesh perfectly with the Bon Jovi sound, but I don't think they could find a better replacement, especially with those big shoes to fill.

And to top it all off, he is genuinely enjoying this opportunity. He's a good enough guy to not wish the worst (whatever the **** it is) upon Richie, but I imagine he was thrilled to have the chance of playing to stadiums of people. Who the hell wouldn't?

[gkkes]

I'm not wishing Richie has opted "out" for good, but I wouldn't mind seeing what a new album could be like with guitars exclusively by Phil X.

I say this for a few reasons.

Phil X could be a household name, if he could write killer anthems. nope. JBJ yep. (RS too - but he's opted out)
Phil X doesn't read notation, he has developed his own shorthand.
Phil X is popular as a session man, purely because he can rock up, hear the track and lay down a choice of killer solos, first attempt. (EVH - Beat it scenario) He is probably more at home in the studio than he is on the big stage.
Phil X played guitars for JBJ on the "Greatest Hits" track "What do you got?" so he's no stranger to the recording vagaries of the Bon Jovi machine.

If. RS is fed up with it, and some say it shows from the offerings on Because We Can, (in that the music has less balls) then some new blood from Phil X, with a return to the "Rockier" album sound, might open a whole new chapter for the future. I'd be happy to see (and hear) that.