Your answer probably depends who you are, how old you are, what your musical inclinations are, and maybe even just how familiar you are with celebrity goings on. I first heard of him back in 1986 when I started listening to a little rock band called Bon Jovi. Don't worry, this isn't going to be yet another blog with me gushing over Bon Jovi. (Not exactly.) Richie always seemed like a nice guy from Jersey. He wasn't polished; he was Polish, from a hard working family. Nothing but respect there. :) I have always heard that he was handsome, though I could have never noticed that being myself blinded by the light of Jon Bon Jovi.
Even though I took no particular interest in details of his life, I have always generally liked the guy. I like watching him interact with Jon on the stage. When I go to concerts I like to sit on "his side", on Jon's right hand side, so I can have a good view of him rocking out! He has amazing talent. His guitar playing speaks for itself, and I have always known he did a lot of the song writing with Jon, but not long ago I realized that the man can also sing. I don't mean just that he can make "wah wah" sounds in a talk box for Living on a Prayer. Not even just background vocals. The man can S-ING! I don't remember which concert I was at, maybe the Lost Highway tour, but I remember he sang "I'll Be There For You" solo during a wardrobe change for Jon. It was beautiful. Maybe I could focus better since Jon had left the stage, I don't know. :) But I do remember wondering how I had been a BonJovi fan all those years and never really appreciated the scope of Richie's talent.
When Richie went to rehab back in 2011, I was depressed to have to see the concert ( I think it was the Bon Jovi Live Tour) with a "sub" guitarist, Phil X. "Sub" was supposed to mean substitute, but to me it meant sub-par. Phil X (what kind of name is that anyway?) was no Richard Stephen Sambora. I was glad the tour continued, but it was different without Richie. No interaction to smile at between the two front men, no solos to surprise me, and no hat. Richie pulls off the hat like no other. I dealt with it like a champ, but it wasn't the same.
Fast forward the present day. Bon Jovi is on the second leg of a mega world tour for their current CD. They are keeping a schedule that makes me tired just reading it, never mind living it! They are impressing people with 3 hour shows, and a sound that has only gotten sweeter with time. And they are once again doing it all without Richie. Where is he? We don't know. He just dropped out mid tour citing "personal reasons". The band is in their 30th Anniversary year and he quit touring with no explanation to his fans. I, personally, was hoping it was rehab because I can handle rehab, but then they would have just told us like they did in 2007 and 2011. This seemed more serious because no one's talking. People love to yammer on when there's nothing to say, but when there is a lot to say everyone suddenly has nothing to say. I was patient, but as time kept passing I wanted answers. I didn't want answers because Richie's personal life matters to me; I wanted answers because the BAND matters to me. And because despite the money, fame, and Richie's player-esque manner that makes me a little skeeved out by him; I still see a good guy in him.
For a while I followed the discussions on Twitter, and kind of stalked Richie's Facebook page (and maybe even the Twitter posts of his teenaged daughter, Ava) looking for clues. I wanted signs that he would rejoin the tour, and that he wasn't leaving the band. Then, little by little, I stopped caring. I stopped caring because the sad truth is that actions speak louder than words. He may have sung the most beautiful version of "I'll be There For You" that night in concert, but I'm looking now, and he's NOT there. He's not there and all indications are that it is a simple choice, and not a life necessity.
Someday I hope he clears this up, and I hope that when he does I care enough to listen. I probably will. We Bon Jovi fans tend to "Never Say Goodbye". :)
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