Guns N' Roses will begin a 40-plus date North American arena tour in late October in the Northeastern U.S., according to sources. This will be the band's first full-blown U.S. tour since playing 29 shows in 1993 that grossed $13.7 million. The group successfully toured Japan and Europe this summer and made a surprise appearance last night (Aug. 29) on the MTV Video Music Awards, performing the new song "Madagascar" amid old favorites "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City."
A new album, "Chinese Democracy," has been in the pipeline for years but is still unfinished, Rose said immediately after last night's performance. "You'll see it, but I don't know if soon is the word," he admitted. "How do you make a whole bunch of guys into something that already was, and with this intensity of these players wanting to play this material?"
The group now is comprised of Rose, guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck, and Richard Fortus, drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman.
-- Ray Waddell, Nashville |
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