Jon Bon Jovi suggested that when the live-music industry returns to action, he won’t be as big a part of the scene as he used to be.

Bon Jovi have frequently ranked among the highest-grossing tours in the world, with their 2007-08 Lost Highway trip ranking at No. 10 in the decade’s biggest, having taken $210.7 million over 99 appearances – an average of $2.1 million per night. But in a new interview, the singer told the Rockonteurs podcast that he’s started to lose interest in large-scale tours and that the feeling stretched back for at least eight years.

“I had a conversation about [touring] Australia a year from now,” he explained. “As long as we do it in a manner that’s pleasurable, we want to do some dates. Because I just don’t see me doing 100-show tours anymore. It’s not really motivational for me. … The feeling definitely has to be there. At the end of the tour, December of ’13, I didn’t sing in the shower. For all of 2014, I didn’t touch the guitar. In fact, I walked by it and gave it the finger.”

Bon Jovi also considered the possibility of being given the finger himself, as the potential result of the more politically aware material he’s been writing recently. Accepting that he’s always “tried to be the eternal optimist” in the past, he said, “The times lead you to think differently … so I took advantage of the moment and wrote about it.”

He added that “in order to tell the truth, you have to put yourself out there and stick your chin out. And if someone comes to the show and doesn’t agree that I’m just trying to be witness to history, and they see it as I’m taking sides, and give me the single-finger salute … it’ll take me out of the moment when you’re on the stage trying to sing the song. But in the grand scheme of things, at this phase in my career, if I were to just try to appease an audience, then shame on me. I would be really remiss an artist if I was that full of shit … that would make me sick. I’d rather not make a record.”

The Best Song From Every Bon Jovi Album

Bon Jovi (1984): Shot Through the Heart

‘Bon Jovi’ (1984): “Shot Through the Heart”

Recorded at the Power Station then re-recorded for Bon Jovi’s debut album, “Shot Through the Heart” became a standout track filled with uncontrollable rage as the band added a several suspenseful sections before the concentrated climax. The definitive versions of the song were performed on the 1985 tour, when they added the intro of Cher’s “Bang, Bang” as a perfectly segue into David Bryan’s pensive piano chords. The entire band performed on Cher’s re-recording of the track on her 1987 self-titled Geffen album. Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child co-produced the cut, along with “We All Sleep Alone.” The title would go onto great fame when the band began to collaborate with Child in 1986.

7800° Fahrenheit (1985): Always Run to You

‘7800° Fahrenheit’ (1985): “Always Run to You”

I like to think this song takes place in a fictitious underworld where the narrator is caught in the crosshairs. “Always Run to You” feels like an ’80s made-for-TV-movie, with the theatrical cues provided by Bon Jovi. They begin with a rapturous extended drum intro, adding cowbell no less, then the sound of a mounting synthesizer slips its way in, before a tactile guitar riff leads it to the first verse. More than 40-seconds have passed before Jon Bon Jovi sings “the clock strikes 10” and we’re off to the races. He talks obliquely about rumbles on the dark side of town, and a woman who has something he needs. Is it a sensual pleasure? A chemical one? We don’t know, but at 1:22 the melodramatic synthesizer returns as Jon proclaims “I stand accused,” and tells this woman he can always run. Every bit as mysterious, the second verse features the lyric: “We’ve done more white lines than you’ll know, any one we could steal.” For years, many assumed they were lines of cocaine, making you think the narrator is either dealing drugs or using them. Sadly, Jon confirmed in an early-’90s fan-club interview that they were instead the broken white lines found on a road, taking “Always Run to You” a few notches down on a cool meter. Regardless, I’m going to keep thinking there’s a sinister underworld plot, instead of just a young man’s flesh fantasy. Either way, it won’t stop me from reveling in the tour de force performance Bon Jovi put together for this one, though “Always Run to You” was only performed a handful of times in Japan and Europe in 1985 before it was retired.

Slippery When Wet (1986): Wanted Dead or Alive

‘Slippery When Wet’ (1986): “Wanted Dead or Alive”

“Wanted Dead or Alive” isn’t so much a song about a rock band on the road, as it is a statement about five men working through unresolved issues. The song and the video clip, directed by Wayne Isham, are synonymous with one another. Isham followed the band for a few weeks in March 1987, with the bulk of the performance footage coming from Chicago’s UIC Pavilion. In the clip, Isham channels Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull, which explored the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, a man who could never learn to love himself enough to know when to stop despite his success, or wife and family. Watching the “Wanted Dead or Alive” clip, I can’t help but question why these five men set out to be working musicians. Two of them, Alec John Such and Tico Torres, were both older than Jon Bon Jovi, while Sambora and Bryan and had done some serious time in the back of vans and sleeping on floors. The chances of making it are so minuscule that it become an all-in game (“I play for keeps, ’cause I might not make it back”). You begin to realize that this video is not a celebration of the road, but rather a portrait five men who refused to be knocked down even when they lost the fight. If you look at the band, they’re beaten down by the road despite five-star hotels and private planes. The constant need to provide gratification wears on them. They look like hell, the pinup pictures from glossy rock magazines were nowhere to be found. You never saw a photo from this video hang on any wall anywhere. The band would perform another three-hundred shows after the filming of this video before March 1990. Yet, Bon Jovi is a band that has wrestled with critical acceptance their entire career. They were always told they weren’t good enough or that another band deserved their success. There’s something hidden in each of their psyches, where the fear of never being good enough drove them to be one of the biggest bands in the world. All of this is exemplified in “Wanted Dead or Alive,” in a widescreen vision where the black-and-white silhouettes in the video tell a different story. The clip reflected the hardships of the road, the draining pull of those around them and how the concert stage is a refuge for the group. Bon Jovi transcended LaMotta’s reality, because they were contenders, victors and cowboys who defied everyone who said they would never be good enough, strong enough or smart enough to endure. When Jon Bon Jovi is found still standing at the microphone during “Wanted Dead or Live,” arm stretched to the air, he cries at the altar of redemption: “I’ve seen a million faces and rocked them all.” Bon Jovi’s salvation is complete.

New Jersey (1988): Blood on Blood

‘New Jersey’ (1988): “Blood on Blood”

Inspired by Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, a film adaption of the Stephen King short story The Body, Bon Jovi returned to a pair of friends from high school, Danny and Bobby. They previously appeared on “Bobby’s Girl,” where he reminisces about growing up. The result is one of Bon Jovi’s mightiest compositions, with a scorching guitar to open the song, urgent drums and bass at full tilt while David Bryan adroitly punches out sterling piano chords that make your heart swell. The song brims with sentiment like no other in their catalog. The bridge triggers a flood of emotions of about the friendships that help guide and define us: “Through the years and miles between us / It’s been a long and lonely ride / But if I got a call in the dead of the night I’d be right by your side.”

Keep the Faith (1992): Keep the Faith

‘Keep the Faith’ (1992): “Keep the Faith”

Inspired by the Los Angeles riots in April 1992, “Keep the Faith” became pop-metal’s “Gimme Shelter,” a liberating anthem that captured a searing and severe era. Despite that, Bon Jovi found a spark in the dark, turning everything they knew on its head from a musical perspective. “Keep the Faith” featured a pulsating rhythm track that was the heart of the song. Tico Torres gives his most distinguished performance behind the kit, while Alec John Such’s bass ricochets off of Richie Sambora’s inferno guitar, which in turn paves the path to the hushed bridge as the drums replicate anguish and disenfranchisement. Then, the band makes for a high-speed getaway as the chorus fades out. Bon Jovi saw the world at its knees without hope, and created a tonic for their tragedies. Keep the Faith was the band’s stab at reinvention, along the line of U2’s Achtung Baby. They not only expanded their musical palette, but shed their image for a more mainstream rock approach, as well. They also hired Rattle & Hum filmmaker Phil Joanou to shoot the “Keep the Faith” video, their first without Wayne Isham in seven years. Bon Jovi also brought in U2 and Depeche Mode’s photographer Anton Corbijn for the album and single. This song’s greatest legacy has been its concert performances over the decades, as “Keep the Faith” has proven to be an anthem for the ages. The most powerful aspect of live music as an art form is its ability to evolve and transform. The crashing and exuberant performances of “Keep the Faith” are tacit musical attacks that reshaped lives, providing the listener with new ways to look at the world.

These Days (1995): These Days

‘These Days’ (1995): “These Days”

This is the sound of a sedated society without a road map, aimlessly seeking answers to questions that go unanswered. The characters are respectable people confronted with desperation from societal and domestic dwellings beyond their control, but “These Days” also forces one to look inward to keep the darkness at bay. “So many people in the world today are reaching for their dreams,” Jon said before the album arrived, “That’s there, but is not easy to find.” The character of “Jimmy Shoes” is a homage to Jimmy Iovine, then-president of Interscope Records: “Jimmy Shoes busted both his legs, trying to learn to fly / From a second story window, he just jumped and closed his eyes / His momma said he was crazy – he said, ‘momma, I’ve got to try.'” The verses and chorus shift back-and-forth between the sweet and sour, pointing to highs and lows of life. Bon Jovi does not camouflage the confusion and heartache, but they also push you to seek out rays of light emitting from the heavens above. This is one of the band’s darkest, dreamiest and ultimately most beautifully redeeming songs.

Crush (2000): Just Older

‘Crush’ (2000): “Just Older”

Written in 1998 for a potential solo album that eventually became Bon Jovi’s Crush, this song takes the listener on a journey that speaks as much to Jon’s experiences as our own. “When I sang this, my chest was out, my backbone was straight and I was very excited singing it – and I saw that the audience felt that,” Jon has said. “It’s a question of feeling experience because of the song.” The chorus is one of Jon’s best: “I like the bed I’m sleeping in / It’s just like me, it’s broken in / It’s not old – just older / Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans / This skin I’m in, it’s alright with me / It’s not old – just older.” This song is a celebration of being.

Bounce (2002): The Distance

‘Bounce’ (2002): “The Distance”

A passionate, meticulously executed pledge of commitment that captures everything Bon Jovi tried to overemphasize on Bounce. “What I found interesting about this song is the juxtaposition of the heavy guitar parts involved with the orchestra, which really adds an urgency and actually helps the lyric come through,” Richie Sambora told Cosmopolis in 2002.

Have a Nice Day (2005): Last Cigarette

‘Have a Nice Day’ (2005): “Last Cigarette”

“Last Cigarette” fits squarely between the Beach Boys and All-American Rejects. This mashup is nothing short of magnificent, blending approaches that appealed to both the baby boomers and a millennial. “Last Cigarette” was also a foreshadowing of Jon’s collaboration with the Beach Boys’ 2012 reunion album That’s Why God Made the Radio: He co-wrote “Summer’s Gone” with Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas.

Lost Highway (2007): (You Want To) Make a Memory

‘Lost Highway’ (2007): “(You Want To) Make a Memory”

This is a departure for Bon Jovi, yet so refreshingly earnest. The lyrics to “(You Want To) Make a Memory,” this album’s most mystifying and challenging track, hit home. It almost feels like the band was letting us into their inner sanctum, as if Bon Jovi and Sambora wrote this languid, gorgeous and sedate song for each other. They sound like an entirely different band – and that’s what excites me about “(You Want To) Make a Memory.” It can be interpreted in many different ways. They headed down the road less traveled here, and it is a shame the rest of Lost Highway is nowhere near as ambitious.

The Circle (2009): When We Were Beautiful

‘The Circle’ (2009): “When We Were Beautiful”

While Bon Jovi occasionally over-reached in their desire to connect on The Circle, “When We Were Beautiful” masterfully sums up the state of the world in 2009 – while also enthralling your psyche and tugging at your heartstrings. The band sounds like a tsunami of emotion on a song that’s stronger than anything else on this album. Unfortunately, parallel themes are explored the point of tedium elsewhere.

What About Now (2013): Because We Can

‘What About Now’ (2013): “Because We Can”

Steve Leftridge of PopMatters summed this one up the best: “‘Because We Can’ is the band’s biggest, glossiest, easiest fist-pumper in 25 years. The lyrics are still full of high-school-assembly self-empowerment prattle, which doesn’t matter when the chorus is this insanely catchy.”

Burning Bridges (2015): Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning

‘Burning Bridges’ (2015): “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning”

Capturing their youthful vigor, this rousing anthem finds Bon Jovi tapping into youthful glories like “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night.” Of course, plagiarizing yourself has never been an issue, especially when a song is as unquestionably great as this one. Lacking originality or not, “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning” is an illustration of Bon Jovi at their best – and it provided a high point on a contract-filler compilation. John Aizlewood of the Evening Standard once noted on the Rock Legends television program that “there’s always been a spark of greatness in everything that they’ve done.” “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning” is another example. Still, it might have been even better: Written originally for The Circle, this is the only song on Burning Bridges co-written by the now-departed Sambora. His vocals and guitars were removed from the released version so Bon Jovi wouldn’t have to pay him royalties.

This House Is Not for Sale (2016): I Will Drive You Home

‘This House Is Not for Sale’ (2016): “I Will Drive You Home”

Self-possessed emotions are buried in a mysterious production with layered backing vocals. The result is possibly the most exploratory song Bon Jovi has ever recorded with producer John Shanks.