Jon Bon Jovi on Richie Sambora Returning: ‘I Don’t Think That’s Possible’
Jon Bon Jovi insists he has "no hard feelings" for Richie Sambora following Sambora's unceremonious departure from Bon Jovi. That doesn't mean, however, that he'd be willing to welcome the guitarist back with open arms.
Bon Jovi sat down with Pierre Robert of WMMR-FM radio for an interview Nov. 18, and explained his point of view regarding carrying on without his longtime musical partner: "There was no way that I was gonna break up the band. Why would [keyboard player David Bryan] or [drummer Tico Torres] need to suffer and why would I have to suffer? And the record company doesn't care and the touring company doesn't care. It's OK. It's not a big deal."
Sambora's absence may not be a big deal, but his return would be -- and perhaps not in a good way. Asked if the door was open for Sambora to rejoin the lineup at some point, Bon Jovi shrugged, ""Sure ... but I'd be hard-pressed to [allow him to return], so would David, so would Tico. It'd be a lot for us [to allow him back]. After a year and a half and you miss 80 shows ... I don't think that's possible."
Bon Jovi certainly isn't letting Sambora's absence slow down the songwriting process for the upcoming follow-up to the group's most recent effort, 2013's 'What About Now.' Saying he's "actively writing," he added, "I'm just starting, but I've got a few [songs]. And '15 will be about recording and [in] '16 I'll put something out."