Originally Posted by rolo_tomachi

Here's the thing, they've been doing it for too long, and Richie has had enough. I'm sure Richie had already discussed this type of thing in the past, JBJ and J Shanks knew it for sure, they knew that these types of decisions could affect the working dynamic with Richie.

I never liked that they brought Bobby in for HAND. Yes, the idea was great, because he could fill in more sound without having to use samples, but there were other ways, Jon could have played with his electric guitar and filled in those gaps.

I think that as soon as they stopped being a band of 5 and John Shanks started filling in Richie's parts in the studio, that bad seed was planted. Over time it only grew until it was too obvious. This ruined Richie's game over the years, and it didn't help that Bobby took over some of the guitar solos.

Let's be honest, we didn't need a second guitarist. Post-2000 albums increasingly lack guitars.