Phil X recently spoke with Guitar World at NAMM 2025, sharing what Bon Jovi fans think about his place in the band.
When asked about the possibility of live dates, he revealed, “There is stuff in the works. Nothing confirmed, but they’re working on stuff.”
Bon Jovi last toured in 2022, but they’ve stayed off the road due to Jon Bon Jovi’s vocal health issues. After undergoing surgery, the frontman needed time to recover. Despite not touring, the band kept busy last year, releasing their album ‘Forever’ and the documentary ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,’ which featured Phil X.
On whether the documentary helped boost his recognition, the guitarist explained, “No, it’s still, ‘Hey, I love your Fretted Americana videos.’ I mean, if it’s a guy. If I walked through an airport, most guys are like, ‘Hey, I love your Fretted Americana videos.’ Most girls are like, ‘You’re doing great in Bon Jovi,’ and then, once in a while, you got, ‘Hey, I saw the documentary.'”
He added that fans who weren’t initially on board with him have warmed up. “But I’ve had – I mean, I’m in Episode 4 a lot. So, I get a lot, ‘Hey, you did a great job. You really come across like a really down-to-earth guy, and I think the fans that didn’t like you before like you more.’ So, that’s kinda cool. ‘Cuz I still get little comments I could be blazing on Instagram, and the comments like, ‘You’ll never be Richie.'”
Phil X first joined Bon Jovi in 2013 and officially stepped in as lead guitarist in 2016 after Richie Sambora’s departure. To prepare for his role, the band sent him DVDs of their 2010 Tokyo concert to learn the setlist. He admitted that watching them was tough at first, as even he had doubts about taking Sambora’s place.
Admitting his own imperfections, the guitarist shared, “I hit bad notes all the time. When it’s important, I really try not to, because I’m filling in for a guy [as] great [as] Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi. And the very first time I played live on a 12-string — like, a 12-string is not my thing, man, but it had to be. We’re in the encores, and I did a smoking-awesome set. But if I screw up, there’s people going, ‘That sucks.'”
Some things, he explained, can’t be altered. “So, there’s things you don’t want to mess around with,” he continued. “I believe I went into the Bon Jovi thing with the right mindset. It was like, ‘Okay, you can’t stray from the solo of ‘Livin’ on a Prayer.’ It’s gotta be that solo. There’s no, ‘Hey, let’s jam this out.'”
Still, reflecting on replacing Sambora, Phil said in another chat, “I can’t be Richie, it’s not in my DNA. I can’t be full Phil X because me being full Phil the Drill isn’t going to work. I can’t be Richie Sambora because he’s a completely different human being.”
Since stepping in, Phil X has played on Bon Jovi’s albums ‘Forever,’ ‘This House Is Not for Sale,’ and ‘2020.’
