“They were like, ‘Is that going to be OK?’ I said, ‘Yeah, we’re both adults’”: Phil X on playing Livin’ on a Prayer with Richie Sambora – and how his predecessor plays the Bon Jovi classic differently

Musicians Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Orianthi and Phil X of Bon Jovi perform onstage with Kings of Chaos during the Rock for Responders Benefit Concert at Battleship USS Iowa Museum on February 27, 2025 in San Pedro, California.

Last Thursday (February 27), Phil X and Richie Sambora shared the stage with Matt Sorum and Orianthi for a fundraising performance of Livin’ on a Prayer during the Rock For Responders LA wildfire benefit concert.

The performance made headlines, and for good reason: it saw Phil X – the electric guitar player who formally replaced Sambora in the legendary rock outfit – team up with his predecessor – the man who, in turn, helped Bon Jovi actually write the classic track – as two eras of Bon Jovi combined on stage.