I know there will still be plenty who'll defend him to the death, but that's such a slap in the face it's almost funny. You could excuse this sort of shit if there was a personal or medical reason but no matter how much we try and believe it, there's just no way it's the case. It's a very misguided move, certainly to be photographed and tagged there given the band played there just a week ago.

Again, all this would be fine if he didn't just bail mid tour, going on a European holiday and checking out gigs whilst the fans, in a hard economic climate, forked out a lot to see you and the band, is the equivalent of posting party pics when off sick from work. I'll always adore the man for his part of bon Jovi and his solo work over the last 30 years but I've lost so much respect since shepherds Bush.

Should he stay at home and cry his eyes out ? Good that he has a life after bon Jovi. Glad that he is healthy and the reason for his absence was Not a heart Attack or something like this.

It's not after bon Jovi though it's during bon Jovi. During a tour his fans have paid for. If he announces he's out he can do what he likes but he hasn't done that.

Last I heard, he was still in Bon Jovi, when did it become life after Bon Jovi? Regardless of what fans think or what the outcome of all this is (even though it could be obvious) he is still officially a member of the band. This is a slap in the face to the fans.

As is alec .

He certainly isn't expected to stay at home but he also doesn't have to tweet and do photo ops at every opportunity. It just seems like another 'eff you from Richie to the fans. He's not where he needs to be, with his band mates. At this point I don't why this crap still bothers me. :neutral:

Typical Richie lover response.

This Alec crap is getting old. Anybody who keeps bringing that up has to know that's bullshit. And I'm not even gonna waste my time trying to explain why. You all know why and there's no delusion big enough to make you actually believe in that kind of comparison.

You can say we don't know, you can say you love him no matter what, you can say a lot of things, but playing the Alec card will just make you look desperate and without any real valid arguments.

While I don't know, I suspect that Richie is not pre-plotting these photo ops; he's probably not thinking about how fans would perceive them at all. I mean, the "PR" in this mess has been incredibly shoddy, which to me says that there is no PR plan, or way to 'spin' things to look positive. They're doing a spectacular job going the other direction.

If this is about an issue with Jon or within the band, it's possible he's directing his increased visibility at them, as if to say: "See? My life goes on and I'm happy."

But I don't even know if he's vindictive in that way: It's possible he's unaware of what some people are saying and is just "living his life". It just is perceived by the average, media-savvy fan as a slap in the face. I'm not saying that I don't understand or agree with that perception, because it seems like that to me, too. Yet, I don't know if that is how /he/ is intending it.

Either way, this whole saga should be published as "PR Crisis Management: What 'We Don't Have a Plan' Looks Like." Whether perceived or real, every misstep you could make has happened, and keeps happening.

As for whether he is still in the band, both he and Jon have said he is. Richie has said, "Jon and I rely on each other." He's floated the idea of returning to the tour by September. Until I hear otherwise, I'll hold onto hope he is still truly a member (and performer) in the band.

I said I wasn't gonna go into why bringing Alec up is bullshit, but dammit, I have to say one thing or I'll implode.

When things started getting ugly between Alec and the band, the very first thing Alec decided was to not take part in the Keep The Faith Tour. But he didn't! And he was still an official member until "Cross Road", doing photoshoots, promo and all the rest.
And no, he's not an official member anymore, by the way. He just hasn't been officially replaced, which is a whooole different thing.