I don't care that Richie left. I am one of the few who thinks it makes no difference if Richie is in Bon Jovi or not. Sure, some minor things are missing, but the THISFS tracks we have had so far are not a radical departure from the last four albums with Richie on board.

Jon's voice sucks bad, but he makes new music and he does it professionally. I like the new songs for the most part but I know they will not find heavy rotation on my playlists because my tastes have changed.

I have been very critical of Richie because for the last year or two he has been the most active. Jon has been doing little apart from Burning Bridges, which was just Ok. Richie has been doing shows and promoting an album that clearly doesn't exist. With the Bon Jovi machine starting again and a tour coming, I think Jon will be getting plenty of my criticism unless he magically sorts his voice out.

That said, Jon has just lost (or let go of) his voice. Richie has problems with his voice, his playing, his professionalism, his stage presence, his promotion, etc. There is just more to be critical of. Jon vs. Richie? Right now they both suck in their own ways. At least together they could have sucked as a unit like they have been on an off for 16 years.

And also, Jon is the singer of some of my favorite songs ever. No matter how well Richie sings Bon Jovi songs (he sings them crap anyway), it will always be Jon's voice that made me fall in love with them. There are a million ace guitar players who can give a musical voice to a band, and Richie was hugely important. But it was Jon's voice that defined the band and brought all of us fans in.

Van Halen is a good example. Eddie gave that band a musical backbone and because of his skills he became almost the fulcrum of the band. Yet, it's the David Lee Roth era that fans always demanded and loved, because DLR brought the voice, the lyrics, and ultimately defined what that band was.

I love rock stars, you know, the sort that are really a parody of the art form? Their cool because they are stupid, think of someone like Malmsteen who must be 60 but still walks around in head to toe leather. Richie right now is not a rock star, but he is playing at being one. At least Jon knows he is not a rock star anymore and is making middle of the road pop songs.

So my answer is, Richie presents a bigger target, but we all should be slaying them both.

One more thing. I do find it funny that some people have clearly picked a side. I think you either love what they both achieved and brought to your life, or you have problems with the situation for both. Being butt hurt simply because Richie left is just stupid. Be butt hurt if your wife/husband leaves to run around the world with a blonde Australian, but not Richie.