“Phil X Breaks Silence: Replacing Richie Sambora in Bon Jovi Was No Stroke of Luck—Here’s the Truth Behind the Transition!”

Photo Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images – Kevin Kane/Getty Images

During a recent appearance on The Guitar Hang Podcast, Phil X  said replacing Richie Sambora in Bon Jovi wasn’t just about luck.

“In 2011 I get a call from Jon Bon Jovi to fill in for Richie Sambora and you’re like ‘How the f*ck did that happen?’” the guitarist recalled. “But it did and then, Richie came back and then in 2013, he didn’t come back.”

He continued, “So I’ve been with Bon Jovi since but it’s one of those things, ‘Man, how am I doing this? How is this happening?’ Every time I go on stage, I’m having the time in my life and in front of 80,000 people or 20,000 people or… I mean it’s the arenas are 20 and the stadiums are 80 or Rock in Rio, which is 100 plus thousand.”

“You’re doing that and you’re just having the time of your life and I think that says a lot when you get to do something like that. So, every whatever got me here and whoever helped, thank you. I think I definitely put the work in. I’m not gonna say it was luck,” Phil X added.

This isn’t the first time the rocker talked about replacing Sambora. He explained at a Masterclass at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, Indiana, last year, “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,’” Phil X further shared.

He then stated, “So, there’s things you don’t want to mess around with. I believe I went into the Bon Jovi thing with the right 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.’”

Phil X recently collaborated with Bon Jovi on their latest album, ‘Forever.’ It was his third album with the band.