‘Is that even possible?’ Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X talks about replacing Richie Sambora

Team Bon Jovi doesn’t take chances.

Guitarist Phil X was signed up to play with Bon Jovi prior to Richie Sambora’s temporary departure in 2011 for a stint in rehab, Phil X told the Kenny Aronoff Sessions podcast on Jan. 25.

John Shanks, the Bon Jovi album producer who is now a member of the band, first broached the idea of Phil X joining.

“I’m like ‘Say that again?’ ” said Phil X, aka Phil Xenidis of Toronto. “I’m thinking, is that even possible? That’s not possible. Is that possible?”

“Then he said, ‘It is possible. I think it should be you and if it’s not you, they’ll just get someone else so you might as well be you,’ ” Phil X said.

Sambora had previously been in rehab in 2007. In 2008, he was arrested and charged with DUI in Laguna Beach, California.

Yet playing in Bon Jovi wasn’t a guarantee for Phil X. He wanted to be compensated to learn the songs.

“Wait a minute, if I’m learning a 2½-hour show and don’t go out, I’m penniless, you know what I mean?” said Phil X on the podcast, which premiered on Jan 25. “So I said I need this much to learn the show … “

He was sent DVDs of a Bon Jovi 2010 performance in Tokyo to play along with and learn the material.

At first, he couldn’t make it through the whole show.

“Do I want to do this? So I put on my guitar on the couch and I put HBO on — Bon Jovi documentary,” Phil X said. “So that was the sign. I picked up the guitar, finished the show, keep doing it. I couldn’t tell anyone what’s going on. Inside I’m burning up, exploding all at the same time and I can’t tell anybody.”

His sister had an idea of what was going on.

“Why are you playing to a Bon Jovi DVD in mom’s living room?” she said.

Sambora, a Woodbridge native, missed 13 shows in 2011. Phil X stepped in.

Sambora permanently left in 2013 after a handful of shows that year, and Phil X has been the lead guitarist since. Shanks formally joined the band in 2016 after touring guitarist Bobby Bandiera’s departure in 2015.

Jersey Shore guitar legend Matt O’Ree temporarily filled in after Bandiera’s departure.

The Phil X and Sambora guitar styles are polar opposites. Sambora, who co-wrote the Bon Jovi classics, is a master bluesman who caresses the groove. Phil X is a dynamic shredder who ignites the moment.

“I can’t be Richie, it’s not in my DNA,” said Phil X, who explained that his style in the band is “in the middle” of Sambora and Phil X.

“I can’t be full Phil X because me being full Phil the Drill isn’t going to work,” Phil X said. “I can’t be Riche Sambora because he’s a completely different human being.”

The members of Bon Jovi have been working on a new album in Nashville, Phil X said.

“Jon’s really excited about the record. I think the whole band is super excited about this record,” Phil X said. “I don’t think the guitars are loud enough on the last couple of Bon Jovi records. I think if the guitars are in the right space, then I’m going to be really – I mean, I’m going to be proud of it regardless, but for other listeners, I want them to feel the guitars. Because it’s Bon Jovi, right? It’s a rock record.”

Jon Bon Jovi will be center stage at the annual MusiCares Person of the Year dinner on Friday, Feb. 2, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Jason Isbell, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Melissa Etheridge, the War and Treaty, Brandy Clark, Damiano David of Måneskin, Goo Goo Dolls and Marcus King are slated to perform.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]