What went wrong with NUGNR?

[liers]

Cancelled 2001 tour

Cancelled 2002 tour

2002 VMAs

The hiatus from 2003-2005

Buckethead, brain, and finck leaving

The hate Axl had towards former members

The constant delays of CD

The cornrows

DJ Ashba

CDs lack of promotion

CDs overdevelopment

Fuck... Let's try something else... What went RIGHT.

Axl had a good 2002 lineup

Axl had great energy in 2002/2006

CD did get released eventually.

OMG was a pretty good song.

[liers]

If CD was released in 2002, nugnr would've had a chance. The freakshow lineup fit in well with numetal and bands like Tool, Korn, and Limp Bizkit. Even the 2006 lineup could've fit in with bands like VR and audio slave. But Nugnr seemed like a joke when CD was finally released and rock was pretty much out of the spotlight.

[life_247]

Aside from the points already made one of the big issues for CD was there was no single or collection of songs that people really attached themselves to.

Everyone on this forum argues about what songs are good from CD and the only track close to a consensus is Better.

In my opionion the album starts well with CD, Shacklers is a little crazy but you go with it, Better is the closest to a single on there, Street of Dreams is an ok song - then the whole thing comes juddering to hault with If the world, which sounds like BH doing his best to cover up the mess Chris Pittman has made putting in some decent flamenco guitar. That whole patch in the middle is a low point with ballad/WTF/Epicish Ballad/Ballad kills the momentum of the piece as a whole. I would of got rid of SoD & If the world, moved Catcher up to ballad slot in track 4 and positioned TWAT in the middle of the second half of rockers.

But NuGuns as whole could really decide what it was, same as CD.

Is it an album full of new style rockers? Loads of ballads? Modern Rock? Industrial? Synth overload? The 2002 band or the latter era Fortus/Frank/Bumble?

Try describing Chinese Democracy as a whole - its pretty much impossible.

Was new guns a heritage act (They sure played a lot of Afd)? Did they want to continue making music (they only released 1 album and played not a lot from it)? Be a bit out-there like 2002 or a more seasoned pro's group? - They lurched from massive headline tours, festival headliners to doing things like Vegas residencies - there was never seemingly a plan in place which is so important these days.

[Mr. Dude]

11 hours ago, liers said:

Cancelled 2001 tour

Cancelled 2002 tour

2002 VMAs

The hiatus from 2003-2005

Buckethead, brain, and finck leaving

The hate Axl had towards former members

The constant delays of CD

The cornrows

DJ Ashba

CDs lack of promotion

CDs overdevelopment

Fuck... Let's try something else... What went RIGHT.

Axl had a good 2002 lineup

Axl had great energy in 2002/2006

CD did get released eventually.

OMG was a pretty good song.

There's not one bad thing on that first list.

10 hours ago, life_247 said:

Aside from the points already made one of the big issues for CD was there was no single or collection of songs that people really attached themselves to.

Everyone on this forum argues about what songs are good from CD and the only track close to a consensus is Better.

In my opionion the album starts well with CD, Shacklers is a little crazy but you go with it, Better is the closest to a single on there, Street of Dreams is an ok song - then the whole thing comes juddering to hault with If the world, which sounds like BH doing his best to cover up the mess Chris Pittman has made putting in some decent flamenco guitar. That whole patch in the middle is a low point with ballad/WTF/Epicish Ballad/Ballad kills the momentum of the piece as a whole. I would of got rid of SoD & If the world, moved Catcher up to ballad slot in track 4 and positioned TWAT in the middle of the second half of rockers.

But NuGuns as whole could really decide what it was, same as CD.

Is it an album full of new style rockers? Loads of ballads? Modern Rock? Industrial? Synth overload? The 2002 band or the latter era Fortus/Frank/Bumble?

Try describing Chinese Democracy as a whole - its pretty much impossible.

Was new guns a heritage act (They sure played a lot of Afd)? Did they want to continue making music (they only released 1 album and played not a lot from it)? Be a bit out-there like 2002 or a more seasoned pro's group? - They lurched from massive headline tours, festival headliners to doing things like Vegas residencies - there was never seemingly a plan in place which is so important these days.

It all went according to plan.

[RONIN]

Mike Patton said it best:

One of Axl's minders has told Patton that Axl really likes Mr. Bungle. The minder says Axl wants to get into something heavier, more industrial. "Industrial," laughs Patton maniacally, banging the table. "That's sick!" 

They have sampled Axl's voice and used it a few times in their stage act, but no one seems to notice. GNR don't watch their shows. Patton thinks they may sometimes watch them over the monitors from their backstage area, but he's not sure. "I think watching us might get in the way of snorting coke from some strippers snatch," Pattons says laughing....

In the restaurant, Patton shares a secret. Axl has TV screens on stage that display the song words in case he forgets them. On the last night of the tour, Mike Patton tells me he wants "to take a shit right on top of those TV screens, in front of tens of thousands of people." 

Mike "Puffy" Bordin confides to me he's worried FNM will get thrown off this tour because of the way the band is behaving. They're too unguarded about slagging GNR. 

When I tell Patton this, he wheezes with laughter. "See?" he says. "That's what he's frightened of, but that's what excites me the most." Mike's eyes shine. "Three weeks into the tour and we're already pushing it. We're going to spend the summer with these guys. To me there's nothing... no real reason why we're doing this tour. I mean, it makes real business sense, but on a personal level we have to provoke. To me, that's our duty." 

[wasted]

The "new" Guns N' Roses and Chinese Democracy (1999–2008)

Main articles: Chinese Democracy and Chinese Democracy Tour

A new Guns N' Roses album had reportedly been in the works since 1994, with Rose the only original member still in the band.^[143] Moby was reported to be producing with Guns N' Roses in 1997, with work that sources described as "sounding different from the sound you know ... definitely electronic influenced."^[144][145] Mike Clink, who had previously produced every Guns N' Roses album, was also attached to produce in May 1997.^[127] In April 1998, Moby was replaced by Youth, and the album was still in the writing stages.^[146] In July 1998, journalist Neil Strauss indicated that an 'electronica influenced' album by a new Guns N' Roses lineup was due in 1999.^[147] Rolling Stone stated that the label planned for the album to be released in late 1999.^[148] By August 1999, the band had recorded over 30 songs for the album, tentatively titled 2000 Intentions.^[149] September 1999 saw Youth being replaced by producer Sean Beaven.^[148]

In November 1999, during an interview with Kurt Loder for MTV, Rose said that he had re-recorded Appetite for Destruction with the then-new band, apart from two songs which he had replaced with "Patience" and "You Could Be Mine".^[150] During the interview, Rose announced the title of the upcoming album Chinese Democracy, stating:

There's a lot of Chinese democracy movements, and it's something that there's a lot of talk about, and it's something that will be nice to see. It could also just be like an ironic statement. I don't know, I just like the sound of it. (The album has) a lot of different sounds. There's some heavy songs, there's a lot of aggressive songs, but they're all in different styles and different sounds. It is truly a melting pot.^[150]

Band manager Doug Goldstein stated in November 1999 that the band had 'almost finished' recording the music, and the album was due out some time in 2000.^[151] Later that month, the band released a new song, the industrial styled "Oh My God", which was included on the soundtrack of the film End of Days.^[152] The track featured additional guitar work by Dave Navarroand Gary Sunshine, Rose's personal guitar teacher.^[153] Rose claimed that former members Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum had 'failed to see the potential' of the song and had no interest in recording or playing the piece.^[153]

 

Buckethead was the band's lead guitarist from 2000 to 2004, while Richard Fortus joined on rhythm guitar in 2001.

In August 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, on tour.^[154] In March 2000, avant-garde guitarist Brian Carroll, more commonly referred to as Buckethead, joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Finck.^[155][156] Also in March 2000, drummer Josh Freese left the band, being replaced with Bryan "Brain" Mantia (formerly of Primus).^[156][157]Mantia, a childhood friend of Carroll's, had previously worked with Buckethead in several bands, including Praxis. Robin Finck returned to the band in late 2000, to complement Buckethead on lead guitar.^[158] Queen guitarist Brian May and former Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker worked with the band in 2000.^[159] With the album nearing completion in mid-2000, Baker convinced Rose to re-record the entire album, causing further delays.^[160]

In an interview with Rolling Stone in February 2000, Rose played several songs of the upcoming album to reporters, including "Chinese Democracy", "Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S.", "The Blues", "There was a Time" and "Oklahoma".^[105] Rose mentioned that part of the delay of the new album was him 'educating himself about the technology that's come to define rock', stating that "it's like from scratch, learning how to work with something, and not wanting it just to be something you did on a computer."^[105]Rolling Stone described the album as "Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffitiremixed by Beck and Trent Reznor.^[105]Rose mentioned that the expense of the record would be negated by the recording sessions yielding multiple albums, including a record that is "more industrial and electronica-influenced than Chinese Democracy".^[105] At that point, the album had gone through multiple producers, including Youth, Moby, Mike Clink, Roy Thomas Baker, Eric Caudieux. At the time, Sean Beavan was producing, but Caram Costanzo and Axl Rose became the final credited producers on the album.^{[105][127][148]} The album had been completely re-recorded several times with varying musicians and producers.^[143] In a 2001 interview, Rose described the album as having "all kinds of styles, many influences as blues, mixed in the songs" and said that it was "not industrial".^[161]

Describing why he continued using the Guns N' Roses name, instead of labeling the upcoming album an 'Axl Rose solo album', Rose stated "It is something I lived by before these guys were in it. And there were other people in Guns n' Roses before them, you know. I contemplated letting go of that, but it doesn't feel right in any way. I am not the person who chose to try to kill it and walked away. It's not an Axl Rose album, even if it's what I wanted it to be. Everybody is putting everything they've got into singing and building. Maybe I'm helping steer it to what it should be built like."^[105] Also in the interview, Rose attributed the breakup of the old lineup to drug addictions and 'an effort from inside the band to destroy him', stating "There was an effort to bring me down. It was a king-of-the-mountain thing," and that he "needed to take control to survive".^[105]Rose also described the dissolution as "a divorce".^[105]

Jim Barber, a former A&R executivewith Geffen stated that the new album "reminded me of the best moments of Seventies Pink Floyd or later Led Zeppelin. There's nothing out there right now that has that kind of scope. Axl hasn't spent the last several years struggling to write Use Your Illusion over again."^[162]

Eight years after the previous Guns N' Roses concert, the band made a public appearance in January 2001 with two well-received concerts: one in Las Vegas and one at the Rock in RioFestival in Rio de Janeiro.^[143] The band played both songs from previous albums and songs from then-unreleased Chinese Democracy. During the band's Rock in Rio set, Rose made the following comment regarding former members of the band:

I know that many of you are disappointed that some of the people you came to know and love could not be with us here today. Regardless of what you have heard or read, people worked very hard (meaning my former friends) to do everything they could so that I could not be here today. I am as hurt and disappointed as you that unlike Oasis, we could not find a way to all get along.^[163][164]

The group played a further two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001.^[165]Former guitarist Slash claimed that he tried to attend a show and was turned away at the door by security.^[166] Due to his frustrations with touring, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias left the band in 2001 and was and was replaced by Richard Fortus (formerly of The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love).^[167] Producer Roy Thomas Baker was fired in February 2002.^[168] Drudge Report reported in June 2002 that Chinese Democracy was scheduled for a September 2, 2002 release.^[169]

The band then played several shows in August 2002, headlining festivals and concerts throughout Asia and Europe, including Pukkelpop, Summer Sonic Festival, and The Carling Weekend.^[170][171] At the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards on August 29, 2002, Guns N' Roses closed the show in a previously unannounced performance, playing Welcome to the Jungle, Madagascar, and Paradise City.^[143][172]

In November 2002, the band's first North American tour since 1993 was organized to support Chinese Democracy, with CKY and Mix Master Mike joining. However, the opening show in Vancouver was canceled by the venue when Rose failed to turn up.^[173]According to Guns' management, "Axl's flight from L.A. had been delayed by mechanical troubles".^[173] A riot ensued.^[173] This tour was met with mixed results. Some concerts did not sell well, while shows in larger markets such as New York City sold out in minutes.^[174] Due to a second riot by fans in Philadelphia when the band failed to show up again, tour promoter Clear Channel canceled the remainder of the tour.^[173][175] Rose later mentioned in 2006, "There are reasons that I have not spoken more about [cancelled shows in Vancouver and Philadelphia] that have been extremely complicated and are not legally resolved behind the scenes to this day and could have possibly jeopardized the future of Guns N' Roses."^[176] Rose then apologized to the city of Philadelphia when playing there in 2012, adding "I'm not saying I'm innocent".^[177]

"Guns N' Roses tour canceled. Typical. And freakishly expected. Haha. Really bad idea. I wouldn't suggest they come back."

opening band, CKY^[175]

The band went on hiatus until it was scheduled to play at Rock in Rio Lisboain May 2004.^[178] However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing the band to cancel.^[179][180]Buckethead reportedly left the band because of the "inability to complete an album or tour", according to his manager.^[180] Rose claimed "the band has been put in an untenable position by guitarist Buckethead and his untimely departure. During his tenure with the band, Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and commitment, despite being under contract, creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording, rehearsals and live plans with confidence. His transient lifestyle has made it impossible for even his closest friends to have nearly any form of communication with him whatsoever."^[179]

That same month, Geffen released Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits, since Rose had failed to deliver a new studio album in more than ten years.^[143][181]Slash and McKagan joined Rose in suing Geffen to stop the release of the album, which was compiled without authorization from any current of former band members.^[182][183] The lawsuit was thrown out and the album went triple platinum in the US, eventually going on to be the third longest charting album in the Nielsen SoundScan era.^[181][184]McKagan and Slash also joined Rose in an unsuccessful effort to prevent the release of The Roots of Guns N' Roses.^[185]

By 2005, Geffen had taken Chinese Democracy off of its release schedule and pulled funding, stating "Having exceeded all budgeted and approved recording costs by millions of dollars, it is Mr. Rose's obligation to fund and complete the album, not Geffen's."^[143]Around then, manager Merck Mercuriadis stated that "The 'Chinese Democracy' album is very close to being completed".^[143] According to a 2005 report by The New York Times, Rose had allegedly spent $13 million in the studio by that point.^[143][186]Mercuriadis rejected the budget claims made by the New York Times article and claimed that the newspaper's sources had not been involved with the project for "six to nine years".^[187] The $13 million makes the album the most expensive rock album ever produced.^{[188][189][190]}

In February 2006, demos of the songs "Better", "Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S.", and "There Was a Time" were leaked on to the Internet through a Guns N' Roses fan site.^[191][192] The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files and all lyrics to the songs be removed from forums and websites.^[193] Despite this, radio stations began adding "I.R.S." to playlists, and the song reached No. 49 on the Radio & Records Active Rock National Airplay chart in the final week of February.^[194]

In August 2006, Slash and McKagan sued Rose over Guns N' Roses publishing and songwriting credits, which Rose's lawyer claimed were due to a 'clerical error' while changing publishers.^{[143][195][196]}

Izzy Stradlin on stage with Guns N' Roses in 2006

After a recommendation by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal was contacted by keyboardist Chris Pitman in 2004.^[197]After sending demos and jamming with the band, Thal officially joined Guns N' Roses in 2006, replacing Buckethead.^[198][199] Thal made his live debut with the band at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on May 12, 2006, the band's first live show in over three years.^[200]

Five warm-up shows before a North American tour were held in September 2006.^[201] The tour officially commenced on October 24 in Miami.^[202] Drummer Frank Ferrer replaced Bryan Mantia, who took a leave of absence to be with his wife and newborn child.^[203] Ferrer had previously worked with Richard Fortus in the Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love (and had been a member of several other bands, including The Beautiful). Coinciding with the tour, the song "Better" was featured in an internet advertisement for Harley-Davidson in October 2006.^[202]Keyboardist Dizzy Reed stated that the release was an accident, with two versions being made, one 'experimental edit' featuring a demo of Better and one with Paradise City.^[204] The ad with Better was mislabeled and inadvertently uploaded online for a day before being replaced by the intended ad with Paradise City.^[204] That same month, Rolling Stone published an article revealing that Andy Wallace would be mixing the final album.^[205] In November 2006 shows in Portland, Maine, were cancelled, with the band claiming it was "due to limitations imposed by local fire marshals".^[206] Rose later apologized in a statement, stating "We have chosen to take the public heat for these events in order to have another shot at the future today with a new album."^[176]

In December 2006, Rose released an open letter to fans announcing that Merck Mercuriadis had been fired as the band's manager.^[207] He revealed that the last four dates of the North American tour would be cut so the band could work on post-production for Chinese Democracy.^[207] He also set a tentative release date for the album for the first time since the album's announcement: March 6, 2007.^[207]

On February 23, 2007, Del Jamesannounced that the recording stage of Chinese Democracy was finished, and the band had now moved onto mixing the album, mentioning "After some delays and scheduling difficulties, things appear to be moving along."^[208]However, this proved that the March 6 release date would be impossible to achieve, and the album once again had no scheduled release date.^[209][210] In a December 2007 interview, Sebastian Bach claimed Rose had planned to have the album released by Christmas 2007: "I know Axl was very serious about putting something out before Christmas.^[211] He was talking to me about it. He was talking about finishing liner notes."^[211] Bach also said that Chinese Democracy's delay might be because of business problems: "I think there's a lot of business shit that goes on with him. It's just not as easy. It's a little more complicated than people think."^[211]

Also in February 2007, the 'final' version of "Better" leaked online to positive reviews.^[209][212] On May 4, 2007, three more tracks leaked from Chinese Democracy; an updated version of I.R.S., The Blues and the title track.^[209][213] All three tracks had previously been played live. Guns N' Roses embarked on the 2007 leg of the Chinese Democracy World Tour in Mexico in June, followed by dates in Australia and Japan.^[214] The songs "Nice Boys" and "Don't Cry" (appearing as an instrumental Bumblefoot solo) were played for the first time since the Use Your Illusion Tour. The tour ended on the twentieth anniversary of Appetite for Destruction's release date, in Osaka.^[215] During this tour, the band featured vocalist Axl Rose, Robin Finck, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus on guitars, Tommy Stinson on bass, Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman on keyboards and Frank Ferrer on drums.

Drummer Frank Ferrer joined the band in 2006.

Rumors arose that Chinese Democracyhad been handed over to Geffen Records, but had been delayed because the label and Rose could not agree on the marketing of the album in early 2008.^[216] Eddie Trunk also claimed Geffen might have the album: "I hear the new GNR CD is actually done, but the delay in release is not the bands [sic] issues but the label. There is so much money tied up in this record that in todays [sic] business it will be virtually impossible to be profitable, meaning the label might want to sell it off but can not [sic] find a buyer since nobody buys CDs anymore. Problem might not be Axl this time around and might keep this CD in limbo for more years to come. Hopefully it gets resolved."^[217]However, in a February 2008 interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Rose's manager, Beta Lebeis, debunked Trunk's suggestion and stated the band is "in negotiations" with the record label, and the album had been finished since Christmas 2007.^[218]

On March 26, 2008, Dr Pepperannounced a plan to give everyone in America – except the band's former guitarists Slash and Buckethead – a free can of Dr Pepper if the band released Chinese Democracy before the end of 2008.^{[219][220][221]} Rose stated he was "surprised and very happy" about the announcement, adding, "As some of Buckethead's performances are on our album, I'll share my Dr Pepper with him."^{[222][223][224]} With the announcement from Guns N' Roses regarding a release date in November, Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's Vice President of Marketing for Dr. Pepper, announced a free soda coupon campaign for 24 hours on Sunday, November 23, 2008.^[225] However, due to "heavy volume" on the server throughout the entire day, it was impossible to submit for a free coupon.^[226]

	Guns N' Roses "Chinese Democracy" (2008)   Sample of "Chinese Democracy" from Chinese Democracy, the first single released by Guns N' Roses since 1999.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

On March 27, 2008, the day after Dr Pepper's announcement, the band members announced that they had hired a new management team, headed by Irving Azoff and Andy Gould.^[227] The band later condemned Dr. Pepper for the failed promotion.^[228] In a letter to Dr Pepper, Rose's lawyer Alan Gutman said "The redemption scheme your company clumsily implemented for this offer was an unmitigated disaster which defrauded consumers and, in the eyes of vocal fans, ruined Chinese Democracy's release."^[229] Rose's lawyer also demanded that the company make a full-page apology that would appear in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.^[230][231] In a 2009 interview, Rose stated he specifically told his lawyers it was a non-issue and was taken off-guard by their actions, believing they should be focused on the record release.^[232]

Amidst industry rumors in April 2008 that a release was coming soon, nine tracks purported to be from Chinese Democracy were leaked to a website on June 19, 2008, but were quickly removed due to a cease-and-desist letter from the band's label.^[233][234] Six of the leaked tracks had surfaced previously in some form, while three were new. The leaked songs were more fleshed out than previously heard tracks.^[234][235] On July 14, 2008, Harmonix, in conjunction with MTV Games, officially announced the release of a new song from the upcoming Chinese Democracy album, called "Shackler's Revenge", through the new game Rock Band 2.^[236] The entire album was eventually added to the game as DLC in April 2009.^[237] The song "If the World" debuted October 10, 2008, playing in the end credits of the Ridley Scott film Body of Lies.^[238]

In late August, speculation about the impending release of the album resurfaced, further fueled by separate reports from both Rolling Stone and Billboard about a November 25 release date as a Best Buy exclusive.^[239][240]This was finally confirmed October 22 when band management, Best Buy, and Interscope Geffen A&M Records officially issued a joint press release confirming the much anticipated release of the album in the US on November 23 as a Best Buy exclusive.^[241][242] Several days before its official release, the band streamed the entire Chinese Democracyalbum on the group's Myspace page.^{[243][244][245]} The album was streamed over 3 million times, breaking the Myspace record for most streamed album ever.^[246]

Chinese Democracy, the band's sixth studio album and its first since 1993's "The Spaghetti Incident?", was released on November 22, 2008, in Europe and Australia, in North America on November 23, 2008, and in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2008.^[239]The album had an estimated $14 million in production costs, making it the most expensive rock album to ever be produced in music history.^{[188][189][190]} It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 but undersold industry expectations, despite generally positive critical reception.^[247]

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and touring (2009–2015)

 

DJ Ashba was the band's lead guitarist from 2009 to 2015, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal was the band's lead guitarist from 2006 to 2014.

In an MTV phone interview with Kurt Loder in 1999, Rose said he and the then-new band had recorded enough material for a double album.^[150] In an informal chat with Rolling Stonemagazine in February 2006, Rose stated the band had 32 songs in the works.^[248] While appearing on various fan message boards in December 2008, Rose stated several working titles of songs for a possible future album. Among the working titles were: "Elvis Presley and the Monster of Soul" ("Soul Monster", formerly known as "Leave Me Alone"), "Atlas Shrugged", "Seven", "The General", "Thyme", "Ides of March", "Berlin" (formerly "Oklahoma"), "Zodiac", "Quick Song", and "Down by the Ocean" (co-written by original member Izzy Stradlin).^[249] During the chat, he mentioned the bridge of "Soul Monster" as the band's "most Black Sabbath" moment, and referred to it as "the meanest section of anything I've sung to date."^[232] In a 2007 interview, Rose's close friend Sebastian Bach stated "The General" had a "heavy" sound with "screaming vocals" and also said it was the sequel to the 1991 classic ballad "Estranged" from the album Use Your Illusion II.^[250] Bach also remarked that Chinese Democracywould be the first installment in a trilogy of new albums, and that Rose had told him the third, as yet untitled, album had been slated for 2012, although the year ended without seeing a release past Chinese Democracy.^[250] The initial plan for Chinese Democracy in 2001 was to record two albums, release Chinese Democracy, tour for a year or two, then release the second album without having to return to the studio.^[251]

Former drummer Bryan Mantiamentioned working on a 'club remix' of Shackler's Revenge, stating that Rose planned to put out a remix album of songs from Chinese Democracy.^[203]Guitarist DJ Ashba has said that the next album is being discussed, stating that the band "has been throwing around a bunch of ideas" and joked that the next album "won't take as long" to release.^[252] On April 20, 2011, Ashba said in an interview at the RevolverGolden Gods Awards that Guns N' Roses have been "working on new songs every day".^[253] In an interview with reporter Nui Te Koha on Triple M Melbourne's The Hot Breakfast, Ashba talked about songs Rose has written, stating: "Axl has a lot of great songs up his sleeve. He probably has three albums worth of stuff recorded. The stuff I've heard ... I've been up in his hotel room many nights and he just sits down at the piano and plays. I'm like 'this is amazing, people have to hear this song' and he's like "ah, this is something I'm tinkering on'."^[254][255]

On February 6, 2009, Rose gave his first interview in nine years when he sat down with Billboard's Jonathan Cohen.^[256] Rose said that there was no chance that he would ever agree with a reunion with Slash:

What's clear is that one of the two of us will die before a reunion and however sad, ugly or unfortunate anyone views it, it is how it is. Those decisions were made a long time ago and reiterated year after year by one man.^[256]

Rose was, however, open to working again with Stradlin and McKagan (both of whom he has worked with since the interview took place):

I could see doing a song or so on the side with Izzy or having him out [on tour] again. I'm not so comfortable with doing anything having more than one of the alumni. Maybe something with Duff, but that's it, and not something I'd have to really get down into, as I'd get left with sorting it out and then blamed on top of it. So, no, not me.^[256]

In early March 2009, industry insiders speculated Guns N' Roses would launch a summer stadium tour, which eventually would become the Chinese Democracy World Tour 2009/2010.^[257]Later that month, the band announced that DJ Ashba would be the new lead guitarist, replacing a departing Robin Finck, who rejoined Nine Inch Nails.^{[258][259][260]} Ashba had previously played with former drummer Steven Adler in BulletBoys in 1998.^[261][262]

In June 2009, it was reported that manager Irving Azoff had been 'fired, then re-hired, then fired'.^[263] A year later, Azoff's company Front Line Management sued Rose, claiming he "violated an oral agreement to pay 15% of earnings, or nearly $2 million, from a lucrative concert tour", seeking 1.87 million in unpaid fees.^{[264][265][266]} Rose filed a $5 million counter-lawsuit against Azoff, saying that Azoff sabotaged sales of Guns N' Roses' comeback album and lied about a potential "super tour" with Van Halen, a band managed by Azoff, as part of a plan to force Rose to reunite with his estranged former band members.^[267] Rose said in his suit that Azoff failed to promote his 2008 album, Chinese Democracy, and deliberately mishandled concert dates, "forcing Rose into a position where he would have no choice but to reunite with the original members of Guns N' Roses for a reunion tour."^[267][268] Rose claimed that Azoff "violated the consent decree by coercing and bullying artists to do what he wants" and that "Upon realizing that he couldn't bully Rose and accomplish his scheme, Azoff resigned and abandoned Guns N' Roses on the eve of a major tour, filing suit for commissions he didn't earn and had no right to receive.^[266] The lawsuit was settled "to the mutual satisfaction of the parties" in 2011.^[269][270] Several years later, Guns N' Roses management, led by Rose's former personal assistant Beta Lebeis and her family, stated that previous tensions led to an ultimatum of "no more managers."^[271]

Guns N' Roses in Bangalore in 2012. From left to right, Richard Fortus, Axl Rose, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, DJ Ashba & Tommy Stinson

Guns N' Roses headlined the Friday night at Reading Festival 2010 and closed Leeds Festival two days later.^[272] Guns N' Roses was 58 minutes late coming on to the stage, and because of a curfew issued by Reading Council the band's set ended at midnight.^[273] The band was therefore not able to complete its set, but nevertheless attempted to play "Paradise City" without amplification while the audience sang along.^[274]Rose orchestrated fan frustration toward the organizers, telling fans that the group would not play at the Leeds Festival.^[275] However, two days later the band played the final night of the Leeds Festival, coming onto stage 30 minutes late, and cutting part of the encore, with Rose stating to the crowd, "We come here to play for you but the cops and the promoters wanna fuck us in the ass. We would like to play a few more songs for you but we'll just play one."^[276]During a concert on September 1, in Dublin, the band was over an hour late arriving on stage.^[277] Rose stopped the band in the middle of the second song, "Welcome to the Jungle" after multiple bottles were thrown on stage, warning the crowd "One more bottle and we go home. It's up to you. We would like to stay. We want to stay. We want to have some fun."^[277] After another bottle was thrown, the band left the stage during the fourth song of the set.^[278] The band returned to the stage an hour later to finish the show.^[279][280]

Former bassist Duff McKagan joined the band on stage for the first time since leaving the band on October 14, 2010 at The O2 Arena, in London, England. He performed four songs with the group: "You Could Be Mine", "Nice Boys", "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", and "Patience".^{[281][282][283]} The appearance was said to be a spur-of-the-moment decision, as he and Rose happened to be staying in the same hotel.^[284] Rose told the audience, "There was this guy at the end of my hallway playing all this loud music and shit. What the fuck? Oh — it's Duff!".^[284] McKagan later joined Guns N' Roses on part of its tour for two Seattle shows in December 2011, as well as having his band Loaded open for Guns N' Roses.^[285]

Guns N' Roses performed at Rock in Rio 4 on October 2, 2011 during heavy rain,^[286] playing "Estranged" for the first time since 1993.^[287] Guitarist Bumblefoot stated that due to the conditions, it was the 'worst concert he's ever been a part of'.^[288] Two months later, during a performance in Nashville, TN "Civil War" also made a return after an eighteen-year absence.^[289] On November 10, 2011, Rose gave his first TV interview in years to Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine of That Metal Show, discussing his whole career and the band's future.^[290]

On December 7, 2011, it was announced that the classic Guns N' Roses lineup was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with several other acts, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Faces.^[291][292] Commenting on his Twitter, Rose stated "I'd like to thank the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and our fans. This is your victory".^[293]Commenting on the induction during his That Metal Show interview he said "I don't know what it means in terms of me with the old band and the old lineup,"... "If we were to be invited, I don't know what they would ask of me. It's up in the air."^[294] Slash also commented, saying, "Thanks for all the R&RHF mentions, It's quite an honor to be inducted. Cheers! Iii|; )"^[295] He went on to say, "I have no idea how that's supposed to go. If Axl, Duff, Izzy and myself start communicating, it could go one way. If we don't, God knows."^[295]

Guns N' Roses performing at Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, UK, in May 2012. From left to right, Richard Fortus, Axl Rose, DJ Ashba.

In early 2012, the band announced shows in the United States and Europe, titled the Up Close and Personal Tour.^[296] The shows themselves varied considerably in comparison to the previous Chinese Democracy Tour. All of the North American shows took place in smaller-scale clubs, rather than a large arena or stadium.^{[297][298][299]} All pyrotechnics were removed from the shows.^[299] The European leg of the tour began approximately one month after the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guitarist DJ Ashba discussed a potential follow up to Chinese Democracy in a 2012 interview, stating "I've written and demoed up probably about 12 songs, I think. And some of them [Axl] has heard, some of them he hasn't yet. But I think when we get a little bit of time off, we're gonna hopefully all get together and piece together what we think is gonna be the next best thing."^[300]

In an interview, Dizzy Reed supported the hypothesis of the classic lineup reunited in the Hall of Fame, saying, "I know that all the original band is going to be there. I don't know exactly what's going to go down. It's one of those things I'm sure will all come together and be really cool. Honestly, we haven't spoken about it. I don't know when or why or how to bring it up."^[301]

On April 11, 2012, Rose released an open letter to "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern", saying he would not be attending the induction. Rose stated, "I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N' Roses to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" and called it a "complicated and awkward situation."^[302][303] After the ceremony, Rose released a statement on the band's Facebook page apologizing to the city of Cleveland (where the ceremony took place) and detailing reasons why he did not attend, stating "I still don't exactly know or understand what the Hall is or how or why it makes money, where the money goes, who chooses the voters and why anyone [on] this board decides who, out of all the artists in the world that have contributed to this genre, [is] officially "rock" enough to be in the Hall?"^[304][305]

The members of Guns N' Roses inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Top row: Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed. Bottom Row: Slash, Matt Sorum, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin.

On April 14, 2012, former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, Gilby Clarke, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum all reunited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[306] The group performed "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child o' Mine", and "Paradise City" with Alter Bridge and Slash's band vocalist Myles Kennedy in Rose's absence.^[307][308]Slash mentioned in an interview that "All things considered, I don't think any of us wanted to be a part of it initially, didn't think any of us were going to go. It was a thorn in everybody's—well, at least a thorn in my side—because I was busy doing other stuff. When it finally came down to the wire at the very, very, very last-minute—I'm talking about the 11 hours and 30 seconds mark—Axl had pulled out."^[309] In the same interview, Slash mentioned the prospects of a reunion, stating "It's not even something I like to dwell on. I don't even like to make to make comments because you end up with quotes that sometimes exacerbate the issue. I've got other things going on. I'm very, very proud—endlessly proud—of everything the band stood for and everything that's gone on with it."^[309]Slash then stated in a July 2012 interview that "[the classic lineup] will 'never reunite'".^[310] In a later interview, former drummer Steven Adler stated that Matt Sorum would not take part in a potential reunion unless Adler was involved.^[311] Duff McKagan said in 2015, "[A reunion] could happen, and it could not. And I think it would be wonderful, one day, if we reconciled, first and foremost. That alone would be cool."^[312]

Richard Fortus, being interviewed by the French music website Rock N' Livein June 2012, revealed that the band would not play any more dates for the "Up Close and Personal Tour", as the band members hoped to spend more time in the studio, hoping to complete the next album by the end of the year.^[313] Fortus said, "I'm pretty much focused on GnR right now. We're getting ready to go back in the studio, so that's where my head's at right now, that's all I want to think about until the end of the year, pretty much."^[313]

Izzy Stradlin once again joined the band for a surprise performance at a wedding in Saint-Tropez, France in July 2012.^[314]Also in July 2012, the band toured Israelfor the first time since 1992.^[315] NMEreported that year that the band's tour security said they had been instructed by Guns N' Roses management that anyone wearing a Slash T-shirt not be allowed into the tour venue.^[316]

On August 13, 2012, the band announced a residency at The Joint in Las Vegas entitled "Appetite for Democracy", celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction, and the fourth anniversary of the album Chinese Democracy.^[317][318] On November 21, 2012, the band's performance in Vegas was taped in 3D, and was screened across theaters in 2014 before being released as Appetite for Democracy 3Don July 1, 2014.^{[319][320][321]} In October 2012, Rose mentioned that the follow-up to Chinese Democracy would not take as long to be released, stating, "All the guys are writing, and we recorded a lot of songs over the years. We'll figure out what we feel best about. Chinesewas done in piecemeal with one person here and one there at different times."^[113] In October 2012, Guns N' Roses performed an acoustic set at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefitshow.^[322] The performance was widely panned by critics, and Rose claimed an onset of strep throat hampered his vocals.^{[323][324][325][326]}

Guns N' Roses in 2010. From left to right: Dizzy Reed, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus, Axl Rose, DJ Ashba, Chris Pitman, & Tommy Stinson. Drummer Frank Ferrer is not pictured.

In August 2013, a new song titled "Going Down" was leaked online.^[327]The track features bassist Tommy Stinson on lead vocals, with Rose providing back up vocals.^[327]Bumblefoot confirmed the song to be legitimate on his Twitter.^[328] Spindescribed it as "a country-tinged, mid-tempo lighter-raiser with lyrics about how "you've got nothin' good to say / Keep your mouth shut."^[327]

The band launched a South American tour in early 2014, including playing in Brazil and Portugal.^[329] For several shows, former bassist Duff McKagan rejoined the band to fill in for Stinson, who had previous commitments to touring with The Replacements.^[330] The group headlined the Revolver Golden Gods awards show, with McKagan on bass, on April 24, 2014. During the ceremony, Rose was awarded the Ronnie James Dio lifetime achievement award.^[331][332] After the show, Fortus reiterated the band was working on material and mentioned the possibility of releasing new music within the next year.^[333]

From May 21 to June 7, 2014, the band returned to Las Vegas for its second residency at The Joint, titled No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction."^[334]In an interview in June 2014, Rose commented on upcoming plans:

We recorded a lot of things before Chinese was out. We've worked more on some of those things and we've written a few new things. But basically, we have what I call kind of the second half of Chinese. That's already recorded. And then we have a remix album made of the songs from Chinese. That's been done for a while, too. But after Vegas, we're going to start looking very seriously at what we're doing in that regard.^[335]

Reed mentioned that the next album was 'close to being done' in July 2014, adding it was "just a matter of picking out which songs will be on it" and that the band had a "shitload of songs, enough to make up another record or two".^[336] Later that month, Fortus discussed the band working on new material and taking a break from touring.^[337] A year later, Fortus discussed a potential 2016 tour and mentioned that the next album "should be out" by then.^[338] Reed responded by saying "When will it come out? We just don't know yet. Only Axl knows, and he's very secretive. Be patient."^[339]

McKagan and Slash's return, Not in This Lifetime... Tour and future (2016–present)

Main article: Not in This Lifetime... Tour

Keyboardist Melissa Reese joined the band in 2016.

On July 27, 2015, guitarist DJ Ashba left the band, citing his commitments to his family and other band, Sixx:A.M.^[340][341]Ashba released a statement saying "I have reached a point in my life where I feel it's time to dedicate myself to my band Sixx:A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me."^[342]Several days later, music journalist Gary Graff reported that a 'confirmed source within the band' had told him that Ron Thal was no longer in Guns N' Roses and had left after the 2014 tour. No official announcement from Thal or the band has been made regarding his status.^[343] Tommy Stinson then left the band, citing personal reasons keeping him unable to tour.^[344] Frank Ferrer clarified the status of the band in mid-2015, saying "Guns still exist ... [They have] a lot of moving parts, and there's a lot of things in the works ... everything is moving forward."^[345]

On December 29, 2015, several days after a Guns N' Roses related teaser was released to movie theaters, Billboard reported that Slash was set to rejoin the band and a "reunited" lineup will headline Coachella 2016.^[346][347]Rose was set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the following week to talk about the future of the band, but his appearance was cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".^[348][349]Guns N' Roses was officially announced as the headliner of Coachella on January 4, 2016, with KROQ reporting Slash and Duff McKagan are rejoining the band.^{[350][351][352]} The Coachella festival confirmed via press release that McKagan and Slash were rejoining.^[353]The band's first scheduled concerts with Slash and McKagan took place at the newly opened T-Mobile Arena on April 8 and 9, 2016.^[354][355] On March 25, 2016, the band announced 21 cities as part of a North American tour, dubbed the Not in This Lifetime... Tour.^[356]

A previously unannounced warmup gig at the Troubadour in Los Angeles took place on April 1, 2016.^[357] Melissa Reese, who has previously worked with former drummer Bryan Mantia on several projects, replaced Chris Pitman for the tour.^[358] During the show at the Troubadour, Rose fell and broke his foot.^[359] Rose was given Dave Grohl's customized throne that Grohl used to perform when he broke his leg at a concert.^[360] At the performance at the first weekend of Coachella, AC/DCguitarist Angus Young joined the band on stage (Rose is set to join AC/DC as a touring vocalist).^[361] Young's guest appearance was only the third time he had jammed with another band since 1977.^[362][363]

[wasted]

15 hours ago, life_247 said:

Aside from the points already made one of the big issues for CD was there was no single or collection of songs that people really attached themselves to.

Everyone on this forum argues about what songs are good from CD and the only track close to a consensus is Better.

In my opionion the album starts well with CD, Shacklers is a little crazy but you go with it, Better is the closest to a single on there, Street of Dreams is an ok song - then the whole thing comes juddering to hault with If the world, which sounds like BH doing his best to cover up the mess Chris Pittman has made putting in some decent flamenco guitar. That whole patch in the middle is a low point with ballad/WTF/Epicish Ballad/Ballad kills the momentum of the piece as a whole. I would of got rid of SoD & If the world, moved Catcher up to ballad slot in track 4 and positioned TWAT in the middle of the second half of rockers.

But NuGuns as whole could really decide what it was, same as CD.

Is it an album full of new style rockers? Loads of ballads? Modern Rock? Industrial? Synth overload? The 2002 band or the latter era Fortus/Frank/Bumble?

Try describing Chinese Democracy as a whole - its pretty much impossible.

Was new guns a heritage act (They sure played a lot of Afd)? Did they want to continue making music (they only released 1 album and played not a lot from it)? Be a bit out-there like 2002 or a more seasoned pro's group? - They lurched from massive headline tours, festival headliners to doing things like Vegas residencies - there was never seemingly a plan in place which is so important these days.

The same could be said of UYI I. I think bcos GNR albums tracklist is for the vinyl. But the first 5 tracks of CD are the singles. 

CD is just GNR's 90s album released in 00s. It's mixes old GNR with 90s styles. 

I think all bands play the hits eventualy. GNR did play more new album songs than most. But they don't do a load of deep cuts like Bruce.

Something from 4 to 6 CD tracks per show as well as the hits and classics. Each tour had something new. I never saw Catcher, Sorry, Prostitute, Don't Cry, Civil War, Estranged with the 09-14 line up. But these kind of shows are built on the hits and classics.

They could rotate but the fan basically only sees the show once so it's like unless you're a crazy super fan there's no problem. A few people got Prostitute and Yesterdays. 

Fans seem to really want the old songs. Maybe 3-4 CD songs are common in the set list. I'd be fine with literally 12 tracks from CD no problem. 

[Babooshka]

Seriously @wasted, who pays you?

[wasted]

After 2011 maybe they were touring a Best of set. There's always that element to a big band, not just nu Guns.

But whether it's any different from any other band, not sure.

As soon as Slash and Duff are back it's less of an issue. So far the regrouping is 100% nostalgia and no one minds. So let me dwell of this for a while and see if I can't draw some conclusions...

[dalsh327]

I actually see 2010-2014 as a successful tour for GNR, they were only second billed at the Neil Young gig but everything else was headliner status. The only leg of the tour that didn't go well was the Azoff repayment tour, but Axl and gang could have just run though 90 minutes and half-assed it. I think the problem they ran into had to do with going back to cities they had just done club dates in. Of course Axl did interviews and TMS because tickets weren't selling. 

"Chinese Democracy" turned into a punchline though - you had a tour and t-shirts with the name, but no album. You know Axl felt humiliated when he had a date planned and it fell through. 

Tommy being out of the band after 15 years was pretty shocking, but when your former bandmate's wanting to do a reunion tour and you were a founding member and it might never happen again, you have to go do it. Tommy could just as easily be Paul's sideman on the solo shows because he had played on a lot of the solo albums. 

I think the only thing that really went wrong was the album delay, but I think you have to look at the entire music industry and what was going on back when Axl started working on this album, right through to 2010 and the recording industry taking safe bets.

In a way ChiDem represents the end of an era in music, the biggest names in the music business involved in it in some way. 

But the question that you have to ask is - was Trent Reznor involved in any way in mixing the album, giving suggestions to producers and engineers, and Axl didn't know about it? Axl wanted Trent's "fairy dust" sprinkled on ChiDem. Maybe he got it. Maybe Trent was just bored one night, walked into the studio, the engineers were tearing their hair out, Trent pushed a few faders around, gave comments, walked off, and the songs were - voila - finished. And wanted NO credit for it. 

Trent knew everything going on in the NIN camp especially when he was ready to burn Interscope to the ground at the end. He had to deal with the same people Axl was dealing with. 

Izzy might have been in and out in the late 90s, but he might have also written songs he had planned to give to nuGNR. He had spent some time with the band so he does have some "history" with Richard and Frank. Duff being an ongoing collaborator with Izzy does make it seem like he'd be involved. I also think Dave Kushner being an ongoing collaborator with Slash and Duff will make him part of the next album. And why not... if Richard bows out, Dave or Izzy would be in the band, more likely Dave though. 

So the next GNR album would be a culmination of the past 20 years of working apart from each other - in the studio you'll probably have past members involved in some way. Even Buckethead (with some help convincing by Melissa and Brain), but I'll let the San Francisco gig decide whether or not that'll happen. 

 

 

 

[wasted]

I think though Axl said he felt they hadn't done a real US tour since the 90s. Without Slash and Duff they can't headline stadiums or play big US festivals like Coachella. So in a broad sense this is why Axl was open to Slash and Duff touring. 

But the album(s) maybe bigger in scope than any one line up. So in a way that same wide vision is in play. Touring may not be tied to the albums and vice a versa but Slash/Duff/Izzy may contribute in some way to bring GNR back and give fans what they want. 

 

[dalsh327]

On 5/30/2016 at 10:42 AM, buzzsaw said:

Now that would have been interesting...

He might have been talking about Tyler Perry. 

[Nosaj Thing]

On 6/1/2016 at 0:41 AM, RONIN said:

Guns N' Roses - Axl Rants about The Break-up Of Guns N' Roses - Albany N.Y. 11/27/02

The audience razzes him throughout. 0:13 - "HOMO! HE SCREWED YOU FOR 10 FUCKING YEARS!" 

Poor guy.  He sounds fucking ridiculous.

[SWINGTRADER]

13 minutes ago, Nosaj Thing said:

Poor guy.  He sounds fucking ridiculous.

And looked ridiculous also. He just couldn't be taken seriously at that point.

[Billsfan]

Is this "nu guns" even really over if they're basically playing the same set lists from before and still playing the same Chinese songs?! Slash replaced dj ashba and bumblefoot. Tommy Stinson was replaced by duff mckagan. Chris pitman was replaced by Melissa Reese. Same continuing, evolving band

[SWINGTRADER]

5 minutes ago, Billsfan said:

Is this "nu guns" even really over if they're basically playing the same set lists from before and still playing the same Chinese songs?! Slash replaced dj ashba and bumblefoot. Tommy Stinson was replaced by duff mckagan. Chris pitman was replaced by Melissa Reese. Same continuing, evolving band

It would be over if either Izzy or Steven returned to the band. Either Frank or Fortus need to be fired, preferably both. Frank ASAP.

As long as this band still has members from NU GNR, and they keep playing CD songs, it will not be over.Let's hope this changes in the future.

[Sosso]

52 minutes ago, SWINGTRADER said:

It would be over if either Izzy or Steven returned to the band. Either Frank or Fortus need to be fired, preferably both. Frank ASAP.

As long as this band still has members from NU GNR, and they keep playing CD songs, it will not be over.Let's hope this changes in the future.

Fortus is the next best thing to Izzy. And my personal choise as GN'R drummer would be Bryan Mantia. He and Tommy were one of the main reasons why I was a fan of "new" GN'R.

[Billsfan]

1 hour ago, SWINGTRADER said:

It would be over if either Izzy or Steven returned to the band. Either Frank or Fortus need to be fired, preferably both. Frank ASAP.

As long as this band still has members from NU GNR, and they keep playing CD songs, it will not be over.Let's hope this changes in the future.

Yeah I'm just glad someone else gets it. Some around here I think might be in denial as to what's going on. Personally I have mixed feelings on fortus- I love izzy and want him back full time but I'm a big fan of fortus. Frank doesn't bother me but I'd prefer sorum and Adler. 

I would think that for things to progress in the direction you were talking about, then they wouldn't have brought in Melissa Reese but instead just eliminated that position after Pitman quit. After that it came down to Richard and Frank and with a little more time maybe they step aside but, it's pretty clear Axl intends on releasing the Chinese leftovers. He's just going to eliminate some solos by bucket robin and bumble and have slash record his take. 

[Billsfan]

On June 3, 2016 at 7:22 AM, wasted said:

I think though Axl said he felt they hadn't done a real US tour since the 90s. Without Slash and Duff they can't headline stadiums or play big US festivals like Coachella. So in a broad sense this is why Axl was open to Slash and Duff touring. 

But the album(s) maybe bigger in scope than any one line up. So in a way that same wide vision is in play. Touring may not be tied to the albums and vice a versa but Slash/Duff/Izzy may contribute in some way to bring GNR back and give fans what they want. 

 

Looking back I feel like Duffs involvement in 2014 was to see what it would be like to tour with him again. Like a "free trial", considering at that point it seemed like Stinson was certainly heading towards exiting the band permanently. So rather than audition a new bass player, let's bring back my buddy and see how it goes. Since they're both mature now, sober, and level headed, axl probably realized it wasn't so bad and duff belonged in GNR. 

Could very well have played a factor in axl opening up to the idea of playing with slash again. One former member at a time

[SWINGTRADER]

6 hours ago, Billsfan said:

. He's just going to eliminate some solos by bucket robin and bumble and have slash record his take. 

I would lose all respect for Slash if he did this. I refuse to accept any material from a reunited GNR that does not involve starting from scratch with the guys together in the studio. Every member needs to have input, like they used to. 

[Sosso]

23 minutes ago, SWINGTRADER said:

I would lose all respect for Slash if he did this. I refuse to accept any material from a reunited GNR that does not involve starting from scratch with the guys together in the studio. Every member needs to have input, like they used to. 

You should be happy if they release new music in the future. Everything else is secondary.

[Sosso]

6 hours ago, Billsfan said:

Looking back I feel like Duffs involvement in 2014 was to see what it would be like to tour with him again. Like a "free trial", considering at that point it seemed like Stinson was certainly heading towards exiting the band permanently. So rather than audition a new bass player, let's bring back my buddy and see how it goes. Since they're both mature now, sober, and level headed, axl probably realized it wasn't so bad and duff belonged in GNR. 

Could very well have played a factor in axl opening up to the idea of playing with slash again. One former member at a time

I don't know if that was the case at the very beginning. It turned out to be really good and that's it. No masterplan. 

 

Edited June 6, 2016 by Sosso

[buzzsaw]

17 hours ago, dalsh327 said:

He might have been talking about Tyler Perry. 

Ummm...no. 

[Lies They Tell]

8 hours ago, SWINGTRADER said:

I would lose all respect for Slash if he did this. I refuse to accept any material from a reunited GNR that does not involve starting from scratch with the guys together in the studio. Every member needs to have input, like they used to. 

Why? Even classic GNR used old Hollywood Rose material like Anything Goes, Reckless Life and Move To The City. Why would it suddenly be crime if this new lineup does the same? They wouldn't even be using old songs from another band, but songs that were actually written for GNR. 

[Mr. Dude]

1 hour ago, Lies They Tell said:

Why? Even classic GNR used old Hollywood Rose material like Anything Goes, Reckless Life and Move To The City. Why would it suddenly be crime if this new lineup does the same? They wouldn't even be using old songs from another band, but songs that were actually written for GNR. 

Also Back off Bitch and November Rain were in the works prior to GNR as well. Based on creative input I'd give Axl at least 75% of the credit for early GNR's early success.