Bon Jovi on 2-Year Hiatus '" is it the End of an Era?

Bon Jovi announced a 2-year hiatus yesterday, which will begin once the group completes its current world tour. Their final performance of the Living on a Prayer tour will take place in Lisbon, Portugal on July 31, 2011. Now before rumors of discord start to spread, it seems the real reason is more a marketing ploy than frayed nerves.

Drummer Tico Torres has been quoted as saying " Sometimes you need to get away so people can appreciate you better. The best thing I can tell you is we're gonna need a couple of years off for sure."

So Bon Jovi will take a little time for some well-deserved R&R but don't expect front man Jon to spend the break resting on his laurels. He's already signed on to make a sequel to the film "Valentine's Day", called "New Year's Eve." The role will present quite a stretch for the musician as he will reportedly play...wait for it...a rock star. In the Star-heavy film, his segment will be about a rock star who comes face-to-face with an ex, played by Halle Berry, on New Year's Eve.

According to guitarist Richie Sambora, Jon also has plans to work on a solo album during the break. Should that be cause for concern to fans that worry the group might not reunite? Heck, no Sambora assures us. The group wants to continue for as long as possible, just like the Rolling Stones. According to Sambora, "Everybody gets to be an individual. He's the leader of this band and you've got to respect that. Who knows what the hell he's gonna do, but it's okay with all of us. We're all gonna stick together. We're like a gang."

Sambora said "We need a little bit of a break, but not that much of a break, because what's going to happen is, there's more songs to be written and Y'know, guess what? We want to be the Rolling Stones. I know I do."

"We're just going out there and working out a***s off and enjoying it, actually being the best band of our lives. We're not gonna quit. We're gonna keep on going and writing new, great songs, go in the studio and make great records, evolve more and get back into stadiums and give people a great show."

It looks as if Bon Jovi will be around for a long time and that's definitely something fans want to hear. Better get yourself some tickets to one of their concerts over the next 6 months or stock up on some CDs and MP3s to get you through the break though.