How many "Chinese Democracy tours" have there been?

[Georgy Zhukov]

Touche.

[ThinkAboutYou]

It really doesn't seem like they profit much from touring. They have to pay the crew, the luxuries, travel cost, venue costs (staying until 2 in the morning actually costs a lot more in overtime) and finally Axl and the band get their payment. It is no wonder the hardly promote the tour is because there probably isn't enough money to promote it. I don't see how they can break even.

Some of the overtime charges would be costly I heard some venues charge like $1000 every minute after midnight

I also would rather the band continue to tour if they wont be working on music next year

Edited November 27, 2011 by ThinkAboutYou

[Georgy Zhukov]

I imagine they will take a well deserve break before recording.

[Damn_Smooth]

Sales for "Chinese Democracy " CD were not good and he made no money

He has being touring "Chinese Democracy" album since release in 2008 and has tried to make as much money as he can make touring same album in 2008,.2009,.2010 ,2011..2012?,2013?

You have just proven you ignorance Sir. No band that is signed to a label profits off of CD sales. My only suggestion to you would be to not go if they play near you. Let the people who like the songs in the discography go and have a good time. I'm sure they won't be bothered if you're not there.

[wasted]

in TMS interview Axl seems to be saying they will put out videos for Chinese.

[The Glow Inc.]

How is the OP trolling really ?

Would you say that, as a fan, a 2019 Chinese Democracy tour would be an exciting thing ?

Stop lying to yourselves, you would all want them to move on and start working on something new.

[Cosmo]

According to Setlist.fm:

- Chinese Democracy tour '02 had 27 shows

- Chinese Democracy tour '06 had 95 shows

- Chinese Democracy tour '10 had 76 shows

Then they list the current your tours as:

- Latin American Tour 2011 with 10 shows

- North American Tour 2011 with 16+ shows

Considering only the first three as Chinese Democracy tours, there have been 198 concerts on the Chinese Democracy tour. Considering the 2011 tours as the same, Chinese Democracy tour has had, until now, 224 shows, making it the biggest GnR tour until now by far considering Appetite For Destruction tour had 46 concerts, Metallica/Guns N' Roses Stadium tour had 16 concerts and Use Your Illusion tour had 149 concerts.

[laffy]

The OP mentioned DJ Ashba's salary and the salary of other band members keeps coming up in various threads as a proof that they're only in it for the money.

Can I anywhere see exactly how much these guys are getting paid? Does anybody even know?

[dalsh327]

How long can you keep touring one album? How many of these "cash grabbing" tours before people start saying , enough!?

They have officially being touring this album, "Chinese Democracy" every year since its crazily delayed release date of 2008, unofficially every concert since 2001

Will you continue to support this band if they are touring this album in 2012,2013, 2014.... onwards?

I know that this is a controversial question in a hard core gun n roses fans forum, but it is a question that needs to be raised!, Does anyone find it a bit tedious and uninventive of a musical group to.. , in Axls words, to keep "beating a dead horse"?

I find it embarassing when I hear Dj Ashba croon every time he is interviewed, that Axl has so many amazing unrealeased songs , and that Axl is a musical genious , misunderstood etc. This coming from a guy that is being obnoxious money to go on these tours. I bet he would love to be touring "Chinese Democracy" in 2014 on the fees he is being paid

Does this bother any Guns n roses fans?

Is he being paid obnoxious money? I think the band members get paid well because they're all seasoned musicians, and the scaled down private shows are where they prob. see the most money. Less crew to pay, more in their pocket. Plus when they're on the road and Axl wants to take them out for a drink after the show, it's on his dime. If they want to eat a nice dinner vs backstage deli meat, they prob. have to pay out of pocket, and it gets written off as a business expense. I'm sure they all have to collect receipts while they're on the road.

It's pretty cool that they document their tour on the off time and share it with the fans.

I think Ashba's trying to get Axl's confidence up on putting new music out. Everyone in the band wants to put new music out, and when it comes to live shows, if you've done a song hundreds of times and the setlist is pretty standard, it's all too easy to go in autopilot mode. And now we know that Axl is open to suggestion... sometimes.

The question is whether or not GNR in the next decade will be able to deliver a show with mostly new songs, and put the AFD/UYI era stuff as encores. That would be the challenge, and maybe should be done as a theater tour, giving the audience a heads up that they're not going to get a "hits" concert. It would be interesting to see them do a looser setlist where they just pick the songs on the spot and go right into it.

[Spirit]

I'm not trying to bitch

This band has made 10's of millions touring off "Chinese democracy" since 2001

They will keep touring the same tour as long as people keep paying to see them, if there is demand in Japan or Europe next year. Another" Chinese" tour with a couple of song changes. Axl gets to fund his lavish lifestlye, including band wages, and fight his legal costs etc.

Band Members will say how great Axl is and how his music is out of this world, promote his music ( That they know isn't going to be released on their watch), his band members that are getting paid obscene amounts of retainer fees!

Brain said in an interview they weren't getting paid retainer fees. The money they make would be from touring, merch and album sales, like every other band.

Edited November 27, 2011 by spirit83

[dalsh327]

It really doesn't seem like they profit much from touring. They have to pay the crew, the luxuries, travel cost, venue costs (staying until 2 in the morning actually costs a lot more in overtime) and finally Axl and the band get their payment. It is no wonder the hardly promote the tour is because there probably isn't enough money to promote it. I don't see how they can break even.

When bands pick a venue like LA Forum, it's because it's cheaper than booking the Staples Center, or doesn't play MSG but does a batch of shows around the northeast, it has to do with being cost effective while delivering a strong show. There's no sponsors. Just straightforward promotion & band members calling radio stations.

I think the New Years show is one of the best deals you're going to get.

I have no idea how much the band is making per show, but if people are paying 100 bucks for General Admission, that alone is prob. where they're breaking even. Also, keeping ticket prices low also allows for more merchandise to be bought and concessions to keep pouring drinks. I'm sure he knows every night how much came in.

I don't think they're splurging money on the road much. Maybe eating at a nice restaurant, but that also gets into business expense writeoffs.

If they're making 5K a night per show, that's nothing to sneeze at, either, but the festival shows and private shows are where they make the most. How much would someone from Broadway make as a backing musician - and they're doing 7 shows a week.

[billie]

iIf Guns n roses put on a show for 10,000 people at $100 a ticket, they are making alot more money than that!

I'm guessing The Band probably get 250k out of that 1 million dollars, with Axl pocketing the the biggest amount

[Georgy Zhukov]

[GNR123GNR456]

This tour isn't called the "Chinese Democracy Tour." I have a feeling we have seen the last of the Chinese Democracy Tour, and Era, and they are moving forward. Sure, Axl did look that he feels that there's more to do with "Chinese Democracy," on the TMS interview. And, that's acceptable seeing as it took so long to get that album out and the stuff he went through before it came out. But, in the fans eye's it's a 3 year old album and we as fans would love to hear new material. Even the news of a new single would make the GN'R fans go crazy with anticipation.

I think this may be the last tour before a new album. If they do go into "writing mode" as Tommy said, then it pretty much mean's next year may be a quiet time for the band as far as performing, but it is good for GN'R fans who want to hear new music. With GN'R having pro-shot video's on their facebook, the many photo's and video's of Axl looking to be in a great mood, and the TMS interview, I have a feeling there's something around the corner. I really hope I'm right.

,

[Georgy Zhukov]

Is Las Vegas going to be the most important show of the year? I know in 2001 they received rave reviews at Vegas. 2001 was their last chance they were a huge band, it seems like he's trying real hard this time

[GNR123GNR456]

Is Las Vegas going to be the most important show of the year? I know in 2001 they received rave reviews at Vegas. 2001 was their last chance they were a huge band, it seems like he's trying real hard this time

It does seems like it doesn't it? Axl even did a sit-down interview (his first in over 20 years) for VH1 Classic. It seems he really wants to put this band, and tour, out there.

[Georgy Zhukov]

He knows a lot of metal heads would watch him sit down with Eddie Trunk, and it showed Axl as a lot more mature and less angry.

[Georgy Zhukov]

You have a girlfriend?

[GNR123GNR456]

At first I didn't see the point on touring the same album 3 years later.

But since they never hit up the US since CD was released, I guess it only seems right they'd make up for lost time. If my girlfriend hadn't bailed out on going to the Miami show, and I had found someone willing to spend the money to go with me, I would've gone.

But I don't know. Hopefully they get serious as to future plans. From what interviews are stating, Axl wants to get something brewing. Hopefully it can happen. But if, let's say in 2013, they come back with nothing new to bring to the table, then I'll agree, it'd be ridculous. I believe if Axl wants the fans to move forward, he needs to move the band forward. I'd never want them to stop playing the hits, because it's good hearing them with Axl's voice, and not the same otherwise. But to me, they need to start proving they can do this without relying so heavily on the old band's fame. I wanna see them put this great chemistry they have together live into their own material, and then people might start looking at this band in a more "Van Hagar" light.

If they come back in 2013 with nothing new, I'll be shocked to be honest with you. The probably have a lot of songs that are nearly done or are fully done but just need to have DJ add a part to two. Maybe if during the break after the U.S. tour Axl can be committed to recorded, or rerecording songs, so that we can get a new album in the next 2-3 years.

The band seems very eager to record, and DJ can't stop saying that Axl has "alot of great stuff up his sleeve." I think we'll hear any form of new music, whether a single, or new album by 2013 at the latest.

[Rem]

The band seems very eager to record, and DJ can't stop saying that Axl has "alot of great stuff up his sleeve." I think we'll hear any form of new music, whether a single, or new album by 2013 at the latest.

I would like to hear them touch a bit of country blues (Mississippi John Hurt, etc.) before I die... Axl's is a natural voice for it.

[Locke]

I hope and believe we will get new music released sooner rather than later. Just for the sake of argument, let's say that doesn't happen. Axl can continue to tour as long as the public has a desire to hear the classics. People pay good money to hear Roger Waters do the Pink Floyd material after all these years. Neil Diamond is still touring off his old music. Granted, I've heard he plays a lot of his current stuff, which the fans yawn through. It's not exactly the same genre, but these are just a couple of examples that popped into my head that show there is an audience for classic hits.

Granted, GNR doesn't seem like a red hot ticket in the United States (though it seems like attendance is up in several cities compared to the last tour), but the band continues to play to some huge crowds in South America. I'm sure they could take the trip over to the UK and do great business as well. As much as I hope we hear new music, I have no doubt that Axl can continue to make great money touring without new music as long as he picks and chooses the right times to tour and doesn't do it so frequently that it no longer feels special.

[billie]

I hope and believe we will get new music released sooner rather than later. Just for the sake of argument, let's say that doesn't happen. Axl can continue to tour as long as the public has a desire to hear the classics. People pay good money to hear Roger Waters do the Pink Floyd material after all these years. Neil Diamond is still touring off his old music. Granted, I've heard he plays a lot of his current stuff, which the fans yawn through. It's not exactly the same genre, but these are just a couple of examples that popped into my head that show there is an audience for classic hits.

Granted, GNR doesn't seem like a red hot ticket in the United States (though it seems like attendance is up in several cities compared to the last tour), but the band continues to play to some huge crowds in South America. I'm sure they could take the trip over to the UK and do great business as well. As much as I hope we hear new music, I have no doubt that Axl can continue to make great money touring without new music as long as he picks and chooses the right times to tour and doesn't do it so frequently that it no longer feels special.

Well after another North American tour and now a new European tour , no new music.. This is another cash grab "Chinese Democracy" tour

Edited May 11, 2012 by billie

[RandallFlagg]

To quote what I said elsewhere; I wouldn't say successfully developing a new chapter of one of the greatest rock bands of all time is a 'failure', especially with the furore around lawsuits, revolving members, whatever personal shit he has and record label negotiations. To release an album as bizarre and schizophrenically brilliant as CD and it being even semi-coherent, all that against the checkered and weighty history of the band is remarkable in itself. Not to mention Axl's unique and antisocial ways of marketing seemingly utterly shunning conventional commercialism and letting the music talk.

The failure imo is not building on the 08 - 11 foundation he fought so hard for - Rock in Rio 2011 in particular, perfect opportunity. Though there is still time and momentum enough for a year or two to continue his evolution but if nothing changes then we'll be stuck in GNR + Chinese Democracy World Tours With Axl's Cover Band on the tombstone (which is totally inaccurate inside the complexities but as an epitaph, would be unfortunately true.)

[billie]

To quote what I said elsewhere; I wouldn't say successfully developing a new chapter of one of the greatest rock bands of all time is a 'failure', especially with the furore around lawsuits, revolving members, whatever personal shit he has and record label negotiations. To release an album as bizarre and schizophrenically brilliant as CD and it being even semi-coherent, all that against the checkered and weighty history of the band is remarkable in itself. Not to mention Axl's unique and antisocial ways of marketing seemingly utterly shunning conventional commercialism and letting the music talk.

The failure imo is not building on the 08 - 11 foundation he fought so hard for - Rock in Rio 2011 in particular, perfect opportunity. Though there is still time and momentum enough for a year or two to continue his evolution but if nothing changes then we'll be stuck in GNR + Chinese Democracy World Tours With Axl's Cover Band on the tombstone (which is totally inaccurate inside the complexities but as an epitaph, would be unfortunately true.)

Axl ( Guns n Roses) have been touring 'Chinese Democracy ' for over 10 years now .... I know that the die hard fans will say that he is putting on a great show, even though he is playing more or less the same songs (give or take a few songs and cover songs for over a decade !)

[SeBaZ]

a lot