Here You Go: Bon Jovi Live Sans Richie Sambora

Have you seen the clips of Bon Jovi live with guitarist Phil X instead of Richie Sambora yet? Phil X is a very accomplished session guitarist and he's filled in with Bon Jovi before. Still, something is amiss here. Maybe it's just me, but I bet you think some of the sparkle is missing as well. It's bad enough that Bon Jovi is so heavily country these days... but without Richie, something is definitely lacking. Watch and discuss.

Comments

[Ace Steele]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....

This makes me glad that I haven't bothered to go see BonJovi again since 1989-90.

Without Richie, there is ZERO chance than BonJovi won't suck.

[Red6ixx]

John seems like a nice guy but the band sucks and without Richie the band really sucks. saw them last on the New Jersey tour - they were OK at best.

[Him]

Not to worry: Richtie, Pete Way, Vince Neil, and Mick Brown are forming a super-group called BAC.

First single: Swervin'!

[Bourbon Crow]

Jon Ego Jovi. It's hard to watch even you give love a bad name as it's almost something you'd see on American Idol - totally wussified. I feel bad for Phil X having to work in the carnival-like atmosphere. Not a rock show - no wonder Ritchie left. Rock it ain't.

[Metalboy!]

Man, everybody's got it right here. Can it get any more "wussified", as Bourbon Crow so adroitly uses to describe Bon Anchovy's simplification. They were always teetering on becoming purely AOR and now they achieve that goal EVERYTIME Sambora steps off that stage, not that he's a badass or anything.

I'm with, Ace. These guys were ridden hard and put away "WET" long ago. A special shout out to genius, Desmond Child. Bon Jokey may be his crowning achievement. Without him, they REALLY would have been nothing! Well, at least little Johnny hasn't lost his looks and I do admire his good works. And prayers to his daughter. May she keep her sh*t together!

[Metalboy!]

Off to \m/3, Boyz!

[Rita]

First of all, the stuff he's been doing for the last few years is not country. It's barely rock but definitiely not country.

Secondly,while I have no interest in seeing them again, especially without Richie, I bet most of the people who go to his shows now don't even know Richie's name. Most of them are probably not even going to care.

A lot of people (unlike myself) always thought Jon was the band Bon Jovi. Richie should have quit a long time ago. His talents were being wasted.

And Jon does still look good. For what it's worth.

[Allyson]

'Lost Highway' is a country album. I don't necessarily fault Bon Jovi for this move. Jon is a smart businessman and he knows that to make money in music these days (as in, big money) you need to be in the country space. It's hard for me to swallow tho - a country fan I am not.

[designthatrocks]

I do think there is something missing without Sambora. They are a classic, established music team like them or not. They work well together and just feed off the energy and history together. Im not a huge fan anymore, but I do think they are making good music (whatever you classify it as) and are better when they are together in the band. Just my two cents.

[Kix Rules]

This sucks even more now...Bon Jovi as a rock band ended YEARS ago!

[Seatz]

thats Bobby Bandiera playing the solo on the first song not Phil X, but yeah its turning into JBJ and his session musicians these days....a poor imitation of a once great band

[Rita]

Allyson, I actually was a country fan for a good 10 years after Kurt Cobain came along and ruined it for everyone. Odd I know, but I had a boyfriend at the time who was into it and it seeped into my Walkman (no ipod then) and stuck, for a while anyway.

I think Lost Highway definitely had a country vibe to it but overall, I think it still wasn't a real country album. I bet if you asked true country artists and fans whether that was a country album, they wouldn't agree.

Kind of like Shania - she was a little bit country but if you asked fans of George Strait, Garth Brooks,Trisha Yearwood, etc, they would have said she was cross-over but not real country.

[Bob]

Hell, even most country artists today aren't real country, but that's another post. Because I can't see, I have no idea if John still looks good. What is painfully obvious is that his voice is shot. He sounds terrible on You give Love a Bad Name, and the background harmonies are god aweful. Now, to be clear, I've never liked Bon Jovi. I grew up in New Jersey and could not escape them. That said, whatever I thought of their music back then, at least they sounded good. now they can't even say that...A real shame.

[SparkyDR99]

This is why people no longer buy advance tickets. Bon Jovi put 2 August dates at Giants Stadium on sale LAST NOVEMBER! The upper deck was $100. By the time the shows come around, they will have released an average record and now Sambora is out. Hold on too your money people. Wait till the week of and see if it's still worth it.

[Ace Steele]

I have to correct my earlier post as my wife reminded me that I took her to see Bon Jovi on the "These Days" tour, (1996?) and it was so boring we left before the show was over. Best thing about that show was the Vari-lites lighting rig.

I saw BJ early on, in a club on the 1st records tour, & opening for Ratt, when they were supporting 7800 Fahrenheit.. They blew Ratt away. WHAT Happened?

[Gary]

Saw them early on their Slippery tour back in 86 with Keel opening.Even back then I remember telling my wife after the show that Sambora had a much better voice than Bon Jovi. They did a version of Drift Away where they all took a verse,and Richie buried Jon.....

[dj]

ehhhhh without richie its not the same, bon jovi is not even near rock anymore, and it is true people who go to bon jovi now, arent real fans, dont know richies name, god what happened to bon jovi????????

[MIke]

I'm glad I got to see them in Louisville before Richie left the tour. I think Jon should let the other guys have more input with the albums. I thought What About Now was miles better than the Circle, but not nearly as good as HAND or Slippery.

[Bill]

First of all, Bon Jovi's music has always been rooted in Country.....Dry County, Ride Cowboy Ride, Wanted Dead or Alive, Blaze of Glory, etc. As far as Richie goes, the guy has to get his act together and get the drinking under control.

Rock Bands get older and their music changes. This is why most stop putting out music, it can't compete with the music that made them famous. The fans want to hear the old music at concerts, not the new stuff.

[xjovifan]

Yeah, not the same. No sparkle is right! What is Jon thinking? Ego Jon, ego. Maybe it's time for a break?