Bon Jovi has no hard feelings over Sambora exit

By Scott Munro
( Classic Rock )
published

But frontman Jon says 'he’s gone'– hinting guitarist's return is unlikely

Jon Bon Jovi says he has no hard feelings towards Richie Sambora but hints he won’t be returning to the line-up.

The guitarist disappeared from the band last year fuelling rumours of a feud between him and the Bon Jovi frontman.

Sambora then broke the silence, revealing he was told he could either tour or quit when he asked for time off from group. It was a choice which left Sambora hurt but he remained hopeful he could rejoin the band in the future.

And while Bon Jovi has no bitterness towards the axeman, a reunion doesn’t seem to be on the cards.

He tells Showbiz 411: “He quit. He’s gone. No hard feelings. Being in a band isn’t a life sentence.”

It was thought the pair might reunite earlier this year when, during the ALS ice bucket challenge craze, the singer nominated his old friend.

Sambora is now enjoying a solo career which saw him play at this year’s Download festival along with a handful of summer shows in the UK and Ireland.

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.