Saturday, November 15, 2014

Breaking the silence

First of all, I'm not dead; I just haven't been blogging. More on that later.

Today seems like a fitting day to break my silence because, as far as the internet is concerned, Jon Bon Jovi broke his on Richie Sambora in an article published on Showbiz411 overnight, which has since been picked up/interpreted by other sites including Ultimate Classic Rock.

Anyway, here's the key part of Roger Friedman's article:
I did ask Jon what the story was with lead guitarist Richie Sambora. He left Bon Jovi’s Because We Can tour in April 2013 and never looked back. Again, Jon seems a little perplexed: “He quit. He’s gone. No hard feelings. Being in a band isn’t a life sentence.” Fans will always hope that somehow all of this will work itself out. And it might: Bon Jovi, as a band, is 10 years younger than most of the legacy groups playing right now. And, to quote a song, who says you can’t go home?

I'm not sure Jon reveals anything we didn't already know, though if you analyse the language it does suggest a subtle shift from "Richie quit the last tour and who knows what the future holds?" to "Richie is out of the band, it's over, full stop". What do you think?

The other grab is that Jon poured a lot into his failed attempt to own an NFL team -- which he copped plenty of flak for over rumours that his group planned to move the Buffalo Bills to Toronto:
Bon Jovi told me he’s getting over a serious depression after losing his bid (with partners) to buy the Buffalo Bills football team. “I devoted two years to that project,” he said with a shrug of shoulders. “But I’m coming out of it now.”
A few Bon Jovi fans whose opinions I respect have said if Jon was so devoted to his NFL bid, he should have focused on that instead of half-arsing the Because We Can tour with static sets and lacklustre performances. It got me thinking about why I've taken an unintentional three-month hiatus from this blog, and why, up until my shows in Australia I hadn't had the same unbridled enthusiasm as I had for previous tours. I'm not the only fan who was a bit jaded last year. For some, it's as simple as Richie's absence or their dislike for the What About Now album, but for me it's hard to pinpoint a particular reason or reasons.

Although Bon Jovi as a band has been relatively quiet this year too, Richie has been doing solo shows, Jon has been doing fan club shows, David has his musicals, etc. It's not like there hasn't been anything to blog about. It's just felt like a chore to do so.

But Bon Jovi was the first band I was passionate about, and therefore my gateway into so many other great artists. Most people I know know me as the Bon Jovi lover and I still cite them as my favourite band when someone asks (although Australian band 1927 is a close second and I proudly play the same guitar as Ed Sheeran, albeit badly). I had some personal crises to deal with this year, and one of the things that helped was going to a gig by Perth Bon Jovi tribute band Slippery When Wet and remembering why I fell in love with all those songs.

So I don't want to abandon the blog.

But it shouldn't simply function as a curator of Jovi news. After all, you can always set a Google alert for "Bon Jovi" and follow Bon Jovi or Richie Sambora or whoever on social media. Blame It On The Love should do something more, or different. What I wanted to achieve when I started the blog back in 2008 was present my unique perspective on Bon Jovi's music and let that perspective kick off a discussion with other fans around the world.

I just need to consider how I can best do that again in a way that serves both my readers and my sanity. :)

14 comments:

  1. Hey!! You're back on the road! We miss you! Welcome.... to wherever you are!! ;)

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  2. We missed you! I hope the tough things you had to go through are in your rear view mirror now!

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  3. Thank you for all your great articles over the years!

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  4. You've been missed and your take on things.

    One thing he has in common with Richie... his heart is not with the band anymore. Or music.

    Now, I'm depressed.

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  5. Nice to see that you are back. I enjoyed this post. You make several good points. First off, I think most of us are simply tired of Bon Jovi right now. They have become stagnant and the drama with Richie really wore on the fan base. It was not handled well at all. Personally, I do like the latest album although I think the single, "Because We Can" is one of the worst songs they have ever put out. Past that I do enjoy the album. What has really pissed me off over the last few tours and especially with this tour are the set lists. I feel there is no depth in the sets and it is the same songs night after night to the point where I wont even go see them any more. They do not have what I would consider long sets and the song selections always carry a lot of dead weight. I also think Jon's voice has gotten a lot worse and that has been a factor in the the poor sets. I think that this latest tour, maybe not so much the album but the tour for sure, was more or less done to strengthen JBJ's postion to buy an NFL team. Plain and simple. Frankley, this past tour sucked so bad that I hope they go away for a few years and come back strong with the core love of the music that they once put out. As far as the Richie issue, to me NO RICHIE = NO BON JOVI. Phil X is good, but he is not Richie and it is not Bon Jovi with Phil X. I dont blame you for burning out on the blog as I think you burned out for the right reasons. Being a Bon Jovi fan in recent memory as been challenging.

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  6. Even tho I've enjoyed Bon Jovi for a few years, WAN was the first tour I had $ and time to fly to a concert--one that unfortunately happened after Richie left. I'd see the band one more time if Richie returned but otherwise, no. I've seen so many live streams and video clips that the stagnant set lists offer nothing interesting plus having to sit in the nose bleed section is no fun. Granted he is still a good showman but it is annoying that the other band members get very little time on the arena screens and no time to highlight their talents (although the end of the tour featured nice "jukebox" section for Dave, Tico and Phil X). I don't think Jon is consumed by the music anymore; he is consumed by money. Big difference.

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  7. In relation to the JBJ interview, the question regarding RS was in regards to "The tour" not the future....he hasn't left the band....over it...

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  8. Hey, RS may never come back, but he may just also return should there be another album. I ain't denying all the pieces dont fit the puzzle but throughout this saga,

    JBJ has said that he is not "fired, quit".

    RS, has also said that he has is still part of the band. RS twitter page still says he is a "Bon Jovi Consigliere".

    The point i am trying to make is the media has continued to report that RS has fired / quit, when both JBJ and RS say otherwise. Until that happens.....

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  9. First, thank you for this blog. I appreciate your effort and time it takes to produce it.
    I have only had one "favorite band" my whole life. I have loved Bon Jovi since the late 80's and I still consider them my favorite group. I have been to 20+ concerts and have enjoyed every one. I believe that Bon Jovi without Ritchie, or Jon, or Tico, or David is Not Bon Jovi! I may well have already attended my last Bon Jovi concert and that makes me very sad.

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  10. Alec John Such was also a founding member, but quit. Nothing happened. Take it easy.

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  11. AJS was fired and you cant compare him to Richie ever. No one cared Alec got fired.

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  12. Could not agree more with your post. "What About Now" was a lackluster and unexciting album. In contrast, Richie's "Aftermath of the Lowdown" is somehow modern and classic at the same time. His shows at the Iridium were electric and amazing. I wrote a blog post about meeting Richie - hopefully you like it!

    http://isoldmysoultornr.blogspot.com/2014/12/seven-years-gone-meeting-richie-sambora.html

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  13. Richie has gone on some sort of ego trip. i thought his aftermath album was poor and sales figures and reviews will back that up. Also a lot of criticism about his live performances and listening to some of the you tube stuff can see why. Bon jovi will live on selling out the big stadiums etc. Richie will regret his decision one day. Jon said in a recent radio interview when asked if Richie could return that he didn't think that possible. One thing is for sure we all have different opinions on the matter but they are better together than apart.

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Thanks for giving me your time.