Bon Jovi kicked off its "Because We Can Tour" on February 9th at Uncasville, Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena. In addition to North and South America, the band's world tour hit South Africa, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, England, Wales, Ireland, Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and Scotland. Bon Jovi's latest album, What About Now, was released on March 8th, 2013, and scored the New Jersey rockers their fifth Number One album -- and third back-to-back chart-topper.

Richie Sambora shocked the rock world after walking off the tour after the band's first 21 shows Although Sambora's substance abuse problems forced him off the road during the band's 2011 tour, according to insiders, this time it was due to deep seated issues with frontman, Jon Bon Jovi. Sambora was  a no-show starting on April 2nd at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome. Bon Jovi explained Sambora's absence by telling the crowd: "I had two choices: pack up and go home or give you everything I got. . . Richie Sambora won't be performing for a while. If there's ever a night I need you, it's tonight, Calgary!" Session guitarist Phil Xenidis has been filling in for Sambora since that night. He first filled in for Sambora in 2011 when Sambora missed 13 dates after entering rehab.

Inside sources "directly connected to Bon Jovi" told TMZ: "Tensions between Jon and Richie have been running high for years and it's finally erupted. One source tells us, "It's a classic (Mick) Jagger/(Keith) Richards blowup." Sambora supposedly has a problem with the way Bon Jovi belittles him and that the pair are fighting over money, but is hopeful that the two can mend fences.

We caught up with Jon Bon Jovi and asked him if there's any change in the situation that's split Sambora and Bon Jovi: "Same thing I've said since day one: personal issue. It's. . . we miss 'im. . . um. . . love 'im, and he's welcome back when he's ready. And that's all I can tell you. There's not a definitive date. He's going through some stuff. It's difficult for me too, but that's the story."

The band's official site, BonJovi.com, posted two messages on April 3rd stating: "Due to personal issues, Richie Sambora will not be performing on this upcoming leg. All shows will go on as scheduled" along with ". . . Ticket purchasers need not worry, all upcoming shows will go on as scheduled. Any ticket purchaser who would like a refund can do so before show time.”

That same day, Richie Sambora tweeted a message to fans saying: "Thank you everyone for your concern. I'm well, but had to stay in LA to take care of a personal matter. Love you all and see you very soon.”

The New York Post reported that it's Jon Bon Jovi's wife Dorothea that's behind Richie Sambora's absence from Bon Jovi's current tour. Although speculation has pointed the finger at either Sambora's sobriety issues and/or bad blood between the guitarist and the frontman, the latest insider report is portraying Dorothea as a "Yoko Ono-like" presence. The source says that Dorothea has been pushing for the band's current tour to be drug and booze free: "Jon (Bon Jovi) has been trying to get rid of him. He drinks constantly and has a stream of Hollywood bimbos around all the time. . . (Sambora) told me that he didn't believe in rehab. He really is a hard partier, and so are the women he hangs out with.”

Jon Bon Jovi shed some light on Sambora sitting out the current leg of the Bon Jovi world tour -- but stopped short of giving any specifics, telling Austin's American-Statesman: "I think Richie's doing all right, (but) I haven't spoken to him. We were surprised. It was 3:30 on show day. . . and we got a phone call that he wouldn't be there. It's a personal matter. Don't believe what you read on TMZ because it's the furthest thing from the truth."

In May, it was announced that Sambora would sit out of Bon Jovi's upcoming European and South African legs of the band's tour. A message was posted on BonJovi.com saying: "Due to a personal matter, Richie Sambora will not be performing on the European and South African leg of the tour. All shows will go on as scheduled.”

That month, Jon Bon Jovi gave some details about Sambora's absence from the tour -- but still stopped short of giving any definitive answers as to why, telling The Daily Mirror: "He's not fired, we didn't have a fight, it certainly isn't about money. We go back 30 years. He can return when he is ready to die every night the way I walk on the stage. It's different without Richie. No one's mad, no one's sad.”

He recalled how he found out that Sambora was going to miss his first show of the already launched North American leg -- and eventually the rest of the shows to date: "We were all in Calgary, Richie was going to turn up on show day but we went the night before because it's a long flight. At 3:30 P.M. on show day, the phone rang, and it was Paul the manager, and he said 'Guess what?,' and he didn't even have to finish the sentence. I said, 'You're kidding.' We went on that night. I haven't seen Richie since.”

Bon Jovi went on to tell The Evening Standard: "It's getting more and more difficult every day to not just sit here and say something. . . Because all I can say is this -- it's for personal reasons. He's been through it before, fortunately for us the same guy who filled in last time was available this time. Life goes on, so if someone chooses not to be here. . . unlike if this were, God forbid, The Edge, and he for some reason couldn't make a U2 show, (then) it would be very difficult to just step in. . .  You have a choice -- you either figure it out, go and grow, not only survive but thrive. Or, you say, 'I hate my brother and I'm gonna quit the band.’"

Sambora took the bait and in an exclusive interview with MailOnline, said, "I don't have any major problems in life right now, I love my fans and I feel bad for them at the moment. Bottom line. My opinion is Jon wants to see if he can pull off stadiums by himself. He is making it very difficult for me to come back. Enough with the trash talking! Jon needs to stop talking about me publicly. I am fine working very hard on my fashion company Nikki Rich and this is a private matter.’"

In July TMZ just posted footage of Sambora in a much mellower mood addressing his and Bon Jovi's still unexplained parting of the ways, saying: "I feel bad for the fans -- I love my fans. . . It's gonna work itself out. It'll happen. . . Jon and I have had a relationship for 30 years and we rely on each other and I think that's it. . . It'll all work out in the end.”

That month, Bon Jovi made it clear that he and Sambora were all good, telling The Detroit Free Press, "I love the man to death. He's always going to be the guitar player in the band. He's not been fired. There's been no fight.”

In August, a news report from RumorFix.com, claimed that Richie Sambora had been fired from Bon Jovi. An unnamed source said that Sambora and Bon Jovi have irreconcilable differences, stating, "Richie wants to go back on stage -- that's his first love. He's really upset over the news." According to the website, in addition to his share of songwriting royalties, Sambora was earning "$2 million a month and 20 percent of the profits after each show." His live replacement, Philip 'Phil X' Xenidis is reportedly bringing home up to $10,000 a month covering for him on tour.

Also in August, Ritchie Sambora released a new solo single. The track, "Come Back As Me," which had been initially posted as a YouTube upload, was perceived  to be addressing his current issues with Jon Bon Jovi and his place in the band's pecking order, with such lines as: "What do you want me to say/I gave you everything I could give/But everything just wasn't enough, so I just let live and live.”

As if the band troubles weren't enough, Bon Jovi caught a ton of flack after band backed out of its New York State Fair concert -- but only days earlier performed at a private fundraiser for Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The band was set to play on August 28th for 17,000 fans and even had its agent sign the deal paying the band $650,000. On July 30th, "a lawyer for New York's Department of Agriculture & Markets requested the contract be withdrawn -- a move that could cost the state more than $1 million in lost ticket sales and other revenue." On August 9th Gov. Cuomo was quoted by The New York Daily News as saying in upstate Watkins Glen: "An entertainer like Jon Bon Jovi is very busy and sometimes the dates of when you want them and when they're available don't line up." On August 25th, three days before the scrapped gig, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said: "The contract (for the State Fair) was pulled at the request of the band for scheduling conflicts" -- with Bon Jovi's people agreeing. Yet insider whispers are alleging that the State Fair gig was canceled, quote, "to avoid anyone seeing a conflict in. . . playing a private show for the governor and then three days later being paid $650,000 to perform at the fair.”

It wasn't all bead news for Jon Bon Jovi this year -- Jon and Dorothea Bon Jovi's son, freshman Jesse Bongiovi, has earned a place on Notre Dame's football team as a walk on. Bongiovi was a star athlete at his Brooklyn, High School, Poly Prep, earning letters in both football and lacrosse. Jon Bon Jovi -- who was originally one of the owners of the arena football league team, the Philadelphia Soul -- played Pop Warner football while growing up in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The drama didn't stop for Bon Jovi, even after fans had long come to terms that Richie Sambora was not going to make an appearance anywhere on the tour. Drummer Tico Torres returned to the band's tour on October 9th in Fresno, California, after undergoing two emergency surgeries. Torres, who's now 60, first went under the knife on September 10th with emergency appendix surgery in Mexico City, and then 10 days later was back in surgery for gall bladder issues in Rio De Janeiro. Drummer Rich Scannella filled in for Torres while he recovered.

Bon Jovi ended 2013 on top of the Forbes magazine list of the 25 highest paid musicians for 2013 -- with the band sitting at Number Three with band earning an impressive $79 million.