As much as we all love the boots, I think I know why he isn't wearing them anymore. He fell several times on the JT tour and got a dislocated shoulder at least once. Ouch! Those things just don't have the traction a performer needs. Generally, a stage is going to be somewhat slippery, and a performer needs shoes that have enough traction to stick to the surface as opposed to sliding on them. He fell at least once on the Elevation tour, but it wasn't a big deal, he wasn't really hurt. The shoes he was wearing weren't as sexy, but they were definitely safer. You don't want to go see U2 and see Bono wearing a damn sling, do you? I don't.