"This isn’t a band that is dependent on the guitar player like Van Halen or U2 or something,” Bon Jovi told Pollstar. “[I]t was about the songs and it was about me."
One of the few distinguishing traits of Bon Jovi that separated Bon Jovi, the band, from their peers was that Richie Sambora portrayed himself as being a talented guitarist and a talented musician. The guitar riffs on tunes like "Born to be My Baby" and "Living on a Prayer" are memorable and, to me, two examples where Jon Bon Jovi's lyrics and vocals were not upon which the tune was dependent. I also think it's disrespectful to claim any member of the band did not contribute to the creative process. I've wrote about that before when band members are asked about a former band member and, like Jon Bon Jovi did in this interview, he talked in a way that minimizes the role Richie Sambora played in the creative process of the band. Did Jon Bon Jovi write all the guitar riffs? Nope. Without the guitar riff, there would be no song.
My hope is always the same when it comes to bands where all the band members are alive but are feuding with each other for some reason: life is short. There will be a day when the original members of the band cannot play together because someone is dead. Perhaps that is why Motley Crue decided to reunite and tour in summer 2020. There are so many other examples of bands who don't make the phone call and that never share the stage with each other again. Someday, for example, only 1 member of Bon Jovi might be alive and it will be a sadness on that band member's heart to know that while they were all alive and while they could have played music together, they squandered the opportunity to feud with each other. An example that comes to mind is that when Slayer went out on their final tour, there were two original members - Tom Araya & Kerry King. There could have been a third original member - Dave Lombardo - but he had a falling out with Araya & King and was replaced. Someday, either Araya, King, or Lombardo will be left on earth and they will know that they will never play music with each other again. To me, that is sad.
That is why I am truly hoping that there will be a day when Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora play music together. I don't think it even needs to happen on a stage at a concert - it can happen as an informal opportunity that comes up. To do so, though, means Jon and Richie will need to forget all the words they have said about each other in the press and in private. Saying "you didn't matter in the band, but I did" is merely a brick in the wall that will surround taking advantage of life.
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