Bon Jovi doesn't know when Richie Sambora will return

If Twitter is any indication, even Matt Bongiovi still can't say if Richie Sambora will be back for the European leg of Bon Jovi's Because We Can Tour starting in May...

@23866mar don't have an answer. Wish I did

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) April 29, 2013

Who knows if there's some kind of gag order in place that prevents Richie from saying a) what's keeping him off the tour and b) when he might be back. But it's a tough pill to swallow when your favourite band's guitarist pulls a disappearing act on the day of a show then leaves everyone in the dark as to why. Plenty of speculation but it's hard to know what to believe.

David Bryan & Joe DiPietro Join Orpheum Sidewalk of Stars

Awesome stuff for Bon Jovi's king of the keys and musical maestro David Bryan:

The Tony Award Winning duo David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, co-writers of MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL, will be added to the Orpheum's famed "Sidewalk of Stars" during a special presentation at the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, April 27.

"MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL has sparked renewed interest in all the great things our City has to offer," said Orpheum President and CEO Pat Halloran, who will present the stars on Saturday. "We are proud to honor David and Joe for their significant contributions to both the arts and to the City of Memphis by adding two bright new stars to the Orpheum's 'Sidewalk of Stars.' "

Bryan and DiPietro will join the ranks of prestigious Orpheum performers such as Harry Houdini, Cary Grant, Mae West, Tyler Perry, and Carol Channing, to name a few.

Read the full article at Broadway World.

I'm not trying to stir the pot or anything but it's kind of interesting how Dave gets so much more respect and appreciation for his non-Bon Jovi endeavours. (Then again, Bon Jovi is Bon Jovi and it's never been overly "cool" to like them but they are still kicking around after three decades unlike many of their peers.)

Bon Jovi San Jose set list 25/4/13

Bon Jovi played in San Jose in what was the last show of this tour leg, but we are still none the wiser as to whether or not Richie Sambora will resume as the band's lead guitarist when the Because We Can Tour kicks off again in Cape Town on May 7...

San Jose, CA, US - HP Pavilion at San Jose - April 25, 2013

1. That's What The Water Made Me
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot Of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep The Faith
12. Amen
13. Bed Of Roses
14. Runaway
15. We Weren't Born To Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Dancing In The Street - Martha & the Vandellas and Jagger/Bowie cover
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
18. Bad Medicine
    / Shout! - Isley Brothers cover

Encore:
19. Wanted Dead Or Alive
20. Have A Nice Day
21. Livin' On A Prayer

Encore 2:
22. Blood On Blood
23. Always
24. I Love This Town

Bon Jovi Glendale set list 23/4/13

Bon Jovi played in Glendale for their second last show of this North American leg. Were you at the concert?

Glendale, AZ, US - Jobing.com Arena - April 23, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Lost Highway
5. Whole Lot of Leavin'
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. Last Man Standing
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Dancing in the Street [Martha & the Vandellas and Jagger/Bowie cover]
    / Start Me Up [Rolling Stones cover]
17. Bad Medicine

Encore:
18. Wanted Dead or Alive
19. Who Says You Can't Go Home
20. Have a Nice Day
21. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 2:
22. Always
23. I Love This Town

The next show, in San Jose will be streamed online (first 30 minutes to the public and full show for Backstage JBJ members).

Bon Jovi on Ellen, 2nd single What About Now

Earlier in the tour, Jon Bon Jovi nominated Amen as the second single from What About Now. It was even performed when he was on Katie Couric's show, but having been dropped from recent set lists it appears that the official second single will now be the title track. Bon Jovi (featuring Phil X and Bobby Bandiera) performed What About Now on Ellen, in an episode broadcast today.



Who Says You Can't Go Home was also performed.

Ellen DeGeneres also asked Jon about Richie Sambora's current absence, to which Jon simply reiterated that it was a personal matter and Richie was still in the band.


There will be a live stream of the April 25 concert in San Jose, which the last show of the current leg... So hopefully we'll soon find out if Richie will be back for the shows in South Africa and Europe starting in May.

Bon Jovi Las Vegas set list 20/4/13

Short set from Bon Jovi in Las Vegas, as well as a few different song placements. Were you at the show?

Las Vegas, NV, US - MGM Grand Garden Arena - April 20, 2013

1. That's What The Water Made Me
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Lost Highway
6. Superman Tonight
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. I Love This Town
11. Keep The Faith
12. Amen
13. Bed Of Roses
14. Last Man Standing
15. We Weren't Born To Follow
16. Who Says You Can't Go Home
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Bad Medicine
    / Hot Legs [Rod Stewart cover]
Encore:
19. When We Were Beautiful
20. Wanted Dead Or Alive
21. Livin' On A Prayer

Bon Jovi Los Angeles set list 19/4/13

Still no sign of Richie Sambora when Bon Jovi played in LA. They also finished the show with Treat Her Right replacing what was originally going to be These Days according to the set list. Hey God was also an audible -- along with In These Arms, Superman Tonight, Army of One, What's Left of Me and Old Time Rock 'n' Roll.

Were you at the show?

Los Angeles, CA, US - Staples Center - April 19, 2013

1. That's What The Water Made Me
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot Of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. Work For The Working Man
11. We Got It Going On
12. Keep The Faith
13. (You Want To) Make A Memory
14. Bed Of Roses
15. I'll Be There For You
16. Have A Nice Day
17. We Weren't Born To Follow
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
    / Dancing in the Street [Martha & the Vandellas, Jagger/Bowie cover]
    / Start Me Up [Rolling Stones cover]
19. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
20. Bad Medicine

Encore:
21. Dry County
22. Wanted Dead Or Alive
23. Livin' On A Prayer

Encore 2:
24. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
25. Always
26. Treat Her Right [Roy Head and the Traits cover]

Bon Jovi Salt Lake City set list 17/4/13

Short set for Bon Jovi in Hugh McDonald's adopted home. Were you at the show?

Salt Lake City, UT, US - Energy Solutions Arena - April 17, 2013

1. That's What The Water Made Me
2. You Give Love A Bad Name
3. Raise Your Hands
4. Lost Highway
5. Whole Lot Of Leavin'
6. It's My Life
7. Because We Can
8. What About Now
9. Born To Be My Baby
10. Keep The Faith
11. (You Want To) Make A Memory
12. Bed Of Roses
13. Runaway
14. We Weren't Born To Follow
15. Who Says You Can't Go Home
16. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
    / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
17. Bad Medicine

Encore:
18. I'll Be There For You
19. Wanted Dead Or Alive
20. Have A Nice Day
21. Livin' On A Prayer

The next show on the tour is in Los Angeles, where Richie Sambora calls home these days so I'm interested to see if there will be a special appearance from him or anything like that...

Last Man Standing in Dallas

Last Man Standing from Bon Jovi's Have a Nice Day album has had a couple of runs in recent shows. This is the performance from Dallas on April 11. Jon altered the third verse lyrics (possibly not on purpose) but, assuming it was a mistake, he recovered pretty well.

Dry County + What About Now in Denver

Bon Jovi performed Dry County in the encore of their April 16 show in Denver, marking the song's first appearance on the Because We Can Tour. Phil X played lead guitar in the continued absence of Richie Sambora, having previously played the song in May 2011 (in Montreal and St. Louis).



Jon also made mention of the April 15 Boston Marathon Bombings before What About Now.

Bon Jovi Denver set list 16/4/13

Bon Jovi's 1992 epic Dry County made its Because We Can Tour debut when the band (still featuring Phil X and sans Richie Sambora) played in Denver overnight. Were you at the show?

Denver, CO, US - Pepsi Center - April 16, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Runaway
9. Because We Can
10. What About Now
11. We Got It Going On
12. Keep the Faith
13. (You Want To) Make a Memory
14. Bed of Roses
15. I'll Be There for You
16. Last Man Standing
17. We Weren't Born to Follow
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
19. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Dancing in the Streets [Martha & the Vandellas / Jagger/Bowie cover] / Start Me Up [Rolling Stones cover]
20. Bad Medicine / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]

Encore:
21. Dry County
22. Wanted Dead or Alive
23. Have a Nice Day
24. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 2:
25. Blood on Blood
26. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

Bon Jovi Des Moines set list 14/4/13

This was the second time in as many tours that Bon Jovi has played in Des Moines, Iowa without Richie Sambora. Amen and Army of One made a return to the set, bringing the total number of What About Now songs to five.

Were you at the show?

Des Moines, IA, US - Wells Fargo Arena - April 14, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. Amen
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. Army of One
16. We Weren't Born to Follow
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
19. Bad Medicine / Old Time Rock 'n' Roll [Bob Seger cover]

Encore:
20. Superman Tonight
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Have a Nice Day
23. Livin' on a Prayer

Bon Jovi Kansas City set list 13/4/13

Bon Jovi hit Kansas City in Phil X's 7th show of the Because We Can Tour -- although given the set list, it should almost be renamed Lost Highway Tour Part II at this point. Speaking of Lost Highway, the Westboro Baptist Church was apparently picketing the Sprint Center because Bon Jovi mocked Jesus in its lyrics, but the less said about those WBC loonies the better.

Were you at this show?

Kansas City, MO, US - Sprint Center - April 13, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Lost Highway
6. Whole Lot of Leavin'
7. It's My Life
8. Because We Can
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. Last Man Standing
16. We Weren't Born To Follow
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Dancing in the Streets / Start Me Up
19. Bad Medicine

Encore:
20. When We Were Beautiful
21. Wanted Dead Or Alive
22. Have a Nice Day
23. Livin' On a Prayer
24. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
25. I Love This Town

Bon Jovi Dallas set list 11/4/13

Bon Jovi's Dallas show (and Phil X's 6th of the tour) brought a couple of surprises including Last Man Standing, while That's What the Water Made Me again opened the show. Were you at this concert?

Dallas, TX, US - American Airlines Center - April 11, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Runaway
6. Lost Highway
7. Whole Lot of Leavin'
8. It's My Life
9. Because We Can
10. What About Now
11. Work for the Working Man
12. We Got It Going On
13. Keep the Faith
14. (You Want To) Make a Memory
15. Bed of Roses
16. I'll Be There For You
17. Last Man Standing
18. We Weren't Born to Follow
19. Who Says You Can't Go Home
20. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Dancing in the Streets [Martha & the Vandellas / Jagger/Bowie cover] / Start Me Up [Rolling Stones cover]
21. Bad Medicine / Hot Legs [Rod Stewart cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover]
Encore:
22. In These Arms
23. Wanted Dead or Alive
24. Have a Nice Day
25. Livin' on a Prayer
26. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
27. Always
28. Old Time Rock 'n' Roll [Bob Seger cover]

That's What the Water Made Me (opening song in Austin)

That's What the Water Made Me opened a Bon Jovi concert for the first time in Austin, Texas on April 10, 2013. (It was also the first show of the Because We Can Tour not to open with You Give Love a Bad Name.)

Water seems to be one of the most liked songs on What About Now... I'd personally love to hear it on the radio and be able to tell everyone that's my favourite band's new single (Not that it means a whole lot in the grand scheme of things). Do you think it works well as an opener?

Bon Jovi Austin set list 10/4/13

Bon Jovi played in Austin for the first time in about 24 years. This was also Phil X's fifth concert of the Because We Can Tour, and the first of the tour that has not opened with Bad Name. Were you at this show?

Austin, TX, US - Frank Erwin Center - April 10, 2013

1. That's What the Water Made Me
2. You Give Love a Bad Name
3. Born to Be My Baby
4. Raise Your Hands
5. Runaway
6. Lost Highway
7. Whole Lof of Leavin'
8. It's My Life
9. Because We Can
10. What About Now
11. We Got It Going On
12. Keep the Faith
13. (You Want To) Make a Memory
14. Bed of Roses
15. I'll Be There For You
16. We Weren't Born to Follow
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
19. Bad Medicine / Shout! - Isley Brothers cover

Encore:
20. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night - acoustic
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Have a Nice Day
23. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 2:
24. I Love This Town
25. Twist and Shout - The Top Notes/The Beatles cover

Bon Jovi - Always in St Paul ft Phil X

Bon Jovi's performance of Always in St Paul on April 7, 2013. Always wasn't in the sets in May 2011 when Phil X previously filled in for Richie Sambora, so this is Phil's first time playing it. What do you think?



Meanwhile, this Fretted Americana video, in which Phil X showcases Bo Diddley's guitar, has Phil confirmed for dates up to April 16 so far. This could possibly open the door for Richie to make a return for his home show in Los Angeles on April 19, although Bon Jovi's initial announcement had Richie out for the whole leg, which would include all the April shows.

Bon Jovi Omaha set list 8/4/13

Purported new single Amen made a return to the set in Bon Jovi's fourth show featuring Phil X this tour, bringing the total number of What About Now songs for the night up to four.

Were you at the concert?

Omaha, NE, US - CenturyLink Center - April 8, 2013

1. You Give Love A Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Runaway
4. Lost Highway
5. Because We Can
6. That's What The Water Made Me
7. It's My Life
8. Whole Lot of Leavin'
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Goin' On
11. Keep The Faith
12. Amen
13. Bed Of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. We Weren't Born To Follow
16. Born to Be My Baby
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Start Me Up - Rolling Stones cover
19. Bad Medicine

Encore:
20. In These Arms
21. Wanted Dead Or Alive
22. Have A Nice Day
23. Livin' On A Prayer

Encore 2:
24. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
25. Always

Bon Jovi St Paul set list 7/4/13

Show #3 featuring Phil X on Bon Jovi's Because We Can Tour. Nice to see Always make a return to the set in St Paul... Were you at this show?

St Paul, MN, USA - Xcel Energy Center - April 7, 2013

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Runaway
4. Lost Highway
5. Because We Can
6. That's What the Water Made Me
7. It's My Life
8. Superman Tonight
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Born to Be My Baby
17. Who Says You Can't Go Home
18. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
19. Bad Medicine

Encore:
20. When We Were Beautiful
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Blood on Blood
23. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 2:
24. I Love This Town
25. Always

Bon Jovi Winnipeg set list 5/4/13

Bon Jovi's Because We Can tour only began in February and the new album What About Now was released in March, but it looks like the band (or Jon, since he comes up with the set lists) has already given up on all but three songs from it (including Amen, which is supposedly going to be the second single). It's like The Circle Tour all over again. At least my favourite song from the album (That's What the Water Made Me) is one of the songs that's getting played -- Hopefully (for me, anyway) it's still in the set by the time the band hits Australia in December.

Winnipeg was Phil X's second show filling in for Richie Sambora on this tour. Were you there?

Winnipeg, MB, Canada - MTS Centre - April 5, 2013

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Runaway
4. Lost Highway
5. Because We Can
6. That's What the Water Made Me
7. It's My Life
8. Whole Lot of Leavin'
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Born to Be My Baby
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Dancing in the Street / Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones cover
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
19. Bad Medicine

Encore:
20. When We Were Beautiful
21. Wanted Dead or Alive
22. Livin' on a Prayer

Encore 2:
23. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
24. Twist and Shout - The Isley Brothers cover

Phil X returns to Bon Jovi + Edmonton set list 3/4/13

There's still plenty of speculation and not much information about what caused Richie Sambora to suddenly take leave from the Bon Jovi tour. But Phil X, who filled in for Richie for part of The Circle Tour, flew into Edmonton to again perform lead guitar duties for Bon Jovi.

Meanwhile, Richie has tweeted that he's well...

Thank you everyone for your concern. I'm well, but had to stay in LA to take care of a personal matter.Love you all and see you very soon.

— Richie Sambora (@TheRealSambora) April 3, 2013

...while Matt Bongiovi emphatically denied a TMZ article claiming Richie had quit the band after falling out with Jon over money.

Ill say one thing the TMZ story is TOTAL SHIT.They are completely off with this one.

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) April 3, 2013

Btw Richie NOT leaving the band. They are NOT fighting.

— Matthew Bongiovi (@MatthewBongiovi) April 3, 2013

Oh, and there was a concert on too, during which five songs Lost Highway songs were performed... and only three from What About Now, the album they're supposed to be promoting, that debuted at #1 last month for anyone who still takes notice of charts.

Edmonton, AB, Canada - Rexall Place - April 3, 2013

1. You Give Love A Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Runaway
4. Lost Highway
5. Because We Can
6. That's What The Water Made Me
7. It's My Life
8. Whole Lot of Leavin'
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep The Faith
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Born to Be My Baby
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead / Dancing in the Streets / Jumpin' Jack Flash
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
19. Bad Medicine
Encore:
20. When We Were Beautiful
21. Wanted Dead or Alive - dedicated to Richie Sambora
22. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
23. Livin' on a Prayer
Encore 2:
24. I Love This Town

Musician's Friend interviews Bon Jovi band members

Before the Richie Sambora MIA drama went down... he, Tico Torres and David Bryan talked to Musician's Friend about the gear they use on tour.

Richie Sambora off the Bon Jovi tour + Calgary set list 2/4/13

Richie Sambora will not be performing on the current leg of the Bon Jovi tour, which began tonight in Calgary. And after the Because We Can Tour opened in such dramatic fashion in February, who knew the start of the next leg of the tour could be shrouded in just as much, if not more drama?

About half an hour before the concert was set to start, the announcement was made at the arena and on the Bon Jovi website:

Due to personal issues, Richie Sambora will not be performing on this upcoming leg. All shows will go on as scheduled.

The venue announcement also stated that Bon Jovi would be donating $100,000 to the Calgary Homeless Foundation.

There are few details other than these vaguely worded messages but the band was supposedly all set to go in Calgary until about 3:30pm when Richie wasn't at soundcheck. Jon told the crowd that "Richie isn't in jail or in the hospital or anything but he won't be playing anytime soon." Which still doesn't really clear anything up.

Given Richie's past addiction issues, there's plenty of speculation along those lines, as well as some tweeters saying he had a heart attack, but we honestly know nothing at this stage. I would imagine that a fill-in lead guitarist (maybe Phil X?) would be used for the remaining shows and hopefully we get some more details when that is announced.

Jon was reportedly in top form tonight and shared guitar duties with Bobby Bandiera, although You Give Love a Bad Name was apparently played without a solo and Richie's talkbox was missing from It's My Life (Apparently Bobby used talkbox on an acoustic/electric hybrid of Livin' on a Prayer).

Were you at the show?

Calgary, AB, Canada - Scotiabank Saddledome - April 2, 2013

1. You Give Love a Bad Name
2. Raise Your Hands
3. Runaway
4. Lost Highway
5. Because We Can
6. That's What the Water Made Me
7. It's My Life
8. Someday I'll Be Saturday Night
9. What About Now
10. We Got It Going On
11. Keep the Faith / Sympathy for the Devil [The Rolling Stones cover]
12. (You Want To) Make a Memory
13. Bed of Roses
14. I'll Be There For You
15. We Weren't Born to Follow
16. Born to Be My Baby
17. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
18. Who Says You Can't Go Home
19. Bad Medicine / Old Time Rock 'n' Roll [Bob Seger cover]
Encore:
20. Wanted Dead or Alive
21. Livin' on a Prayer