Originally Posted by MissMusic
(Post 1174535)
(Sorry I cut your post, but would've been too long and wouldn't have been able to post other wise! )
I agree with you on most of the points you made. Great post! And it's always refreshing when someone tries to see it and understand it from both sides. Like I mentioned above, I'm a fan of the whole band. Yes, Richie has a special place in my heart, but so does Jon. Both of them have very endearing qualities as well as strengths and weaknesses. And looking at everything that has happened, both of them have made mistakes and could have handled it all better in my opinion.
You mentioned Jon having been "stupid" for not having used Richie's and David's potential as songwriters to the fullest. I agree. But I feel that way even more so about the same thing concerning their live shows. Especially when it comes to Richie. Jon had all that TALENT on stage and he made no use of it what so ever. That to me was baffling. And that is my biggest criticism towards Jon. And if I blame him of anything (even though "blame" is a bit too strong of a word), then it is that he did not let Richie use his full potential on stage. Richie's solos were very short and I think everyone here was wondering why Bobby was playing so many solos. Unlike many others, I actually do like Bobby a lot. But when you have RICHIE SAMBORA in your band and ON STAGE with you....why would you not let him have longer solos....and why would you not let him sing more. Why would you NOT let him show what he REALLY can do? That would not take away anything from Jon's "shine". It would have only added to it and would have only made the whole band even better. They would have been shining as a band even MORE. Not less. So if Richie left because of artistic reasons...Jon would have to put part of the blame on himself for not using Richie's full potential while he had a chance.
And that brings me to the next problem. The way Jon handled the situation after Richie left. And even though I have to drag Phil X into this now, please know that it really has nothing to do with him. I have nothing against Phil X as a person or as a musician. It's great that Phil X was able to jump in with such short notice, and he did a good job. Phil is a great player, but I missed the emotion Richie puts into the songs. And even though Phil X played well...Richie was truly missed. It was very painful to listen to the solos without Richie. The songs, even though played well and I did enjoy them, just weren't the same. And I have never hated hearing Wanted Dead Or Alive more than I did during the tour. If they would have skipped the whole song, it would have been fine with me. Without Richie's vocals, it was like a cover song. Same with I'll Be There For You. For some reason, certain songs just are "Richie songs" for me and just won't work without Richie. And yes, that is of course just my opinion. But it is what it is. Anyway, to get to my point. I found Jon's "Brother Phil" act really disrespectful towards not only Richie, but the whole band. And the way Jon let Phil play very long solos and sing solos and if you looked at the video screens, you would think it was the Phil X and Jon Bon Jovi show. That really ticked me off. And I really really couldn't understand it. Jon maybe didn't say much about Richie on the media, but the way he acted on stage was like he was deliberately doing it to "get back at Richie". I don't of course know for sure if that was his intention, but that's how it looked liked to me. And I thought that was really cheap and disrespectful of him and not necessary. Like I said, it was also absolutely disrespectful towards the other band members too in my opinion. David is a founding member, who has played with the band for 30 years...and he is stuck at the back and hardly even seen on the screen while Jon and Phil X share the spotlight. Hugh was practically invisible, not shown on the screens, and there was no "Brother Hugh" or anything to recognize him and the fact that he had been playing for DECADES with the band. I don't know if someone told Jon how his behavior made him look (deliberate or not) or if he realized it himself, but I am glad he changed it as the tour went on. I really liked that EVERYONE got a chance to shine towards the end of the tour. THAT'S how I would have wished it would have been like from the very beginning while Richie was still there too. Jon sharing his spotlight...not "hogging" it. So yes, if Jon could have done something better, it would have been to be less "egoistic" about the spotlight.
What comes to Richie leaving the way he did....Could he have chosen a better timing? Yes. Do I feel him leaving the way he did, even if it would have been just on a "whim" , justifies the way fans have been treating him...the answer is an absolute NO!!!! I'd still like to remind that we still DO NOT KNOW the real reasons why he left...but like I said...EVEN IF it was just on a whim....so he made a mistake. I get it. Fans are disappointed and angry. I get it. But it has been a YEAR!!!!! GET OVER IT!!! MOVE ON!!! Like I said...Richie has a special place in my heart...I had tickets to several shows...I traveled to different countries to see the band. Was I looking forward to see Richie? YES!! Was I disappointed that he wasn't there? YES! Was I almost crying at times at the shows because he wasn't there and it just didn't feel right and I missed him. YES!!! Was I angry at him? NO!! Because even though I am a huge fan of his, I also understand that he is a HUMAN BEING who has a right to his OWN LIFE and his OWN DECISIONS. And as I keep saying...to this day, I don't know his real reasons, so I am not gonna judge when I don't know his reasons. If he left on a whim, yeah, sucks. Stupid thing to do. But it was a year ago. People make mistakes. It's in the past now. Time to move on. Some people act like they are flawless and have never made mistakes. To keep throwing it to his face and to keep finding fault in EVERYTHING he does now just because of that incident is not only cruel...it's ridicilous. He's not a bad person and hasn't deserved to be ridiculed just because he (maybe...we don't know) made a mistake. If someone can't stand him anymore and can't forgive him, fine. That's their right. But it doesn't give them the right to bully and ridicule him. Don't like him. Fine. Move on. If I don't like something or someone, I just simply ignore them. Simple as that. Why waste one's energy on something negative? How does that add anything to anyone's life? It's wasted energy that could be spent on better, more constructive things. And looking at how a lot of Bon Jovi fans have treated Richie, they can only blame themselves if he's sick of the band. I can't imagine how hurtful it must be for him. Even I get to the point at times where I'm sick of the band and sick of the fans after I've read some comments. It has nothing to do with Richie or Jon...it's the fans who make me wanna puke. Who make me wanna not have anything to do with anything Bon Jovi related. It's the fans who have created the drama and who are leading the "war". Even when Jon himself has said that he doesn't hate Richie and that Richie didn't do it to hurt him or the band...do the Jon fans listen to him? No. They just keep on going with their Richie lynching. And that's really sad. People on both "sides" need to chill. Or move on. Or both. LOL! All the "who would have made it with or without who" is so pointless. The band made it as a band. They each contributed to their success. Richie is amazingly talented and a true musician. A brilliant and very underrated artist with a big heart and lots of soul. Jon is a great entertainer, a talented musician, and a shrewd business man. David is a very talented musician as well and a lot of fun to watch on stage. He's like the "cheer squad" on stage. The one keeping the spirits up. Always smiling and bouncing up and down and just spreading a happy mood. He would be missed too if he wasn't there. And Tico is the heartbeat of the band. Man, he hits the drums harder than any drummer I have ever seen and the man is like a metronome! So precise! Have so much respect for him also. Really missed him while he was sick! The sound just wasn't the same without him. So all of them are BON JOVI. I would NEVER start debating who the band could do without and who has whom to thank for their success when FACT is....it was ALL of them TOGETHER who made Bon Jovi what it is. And even though it is awesome that they have been around for 30 years and have given us fans so much, each of them still has a right to be the captain of their own ship and be their own person and decide where their ship will sail. ESPECIALLY after 30 years. They have given us 30 years of their lives. If that's not enough...I don't know what is. But everyone has to decide for themselves. I have nothing but love and respect for the WHOLE band. Everyone included. And I too wish they can mend what ever there is to mend and have their friendships restored. Even if they never perform or tour or record again. But for the sake of 30 years of memories together. To me the biggest tragedy wouldn't be if this would be the end of the band. The biggest tragedy would be if the band and the egos would come between their 30 years of friendship and memories together.
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