Guns N' Roses announce NZ show

[KiwiCoromandel]

Axl Rose is back. After years of rumours and controversy, the Guns N' Roses front man has announced a world tour to support the band's new album that will include one show in Auckland NZ......

The Chinese Democracy World Tour is scheduled to play Auckland's Vector Arena on Friday, June 29.

It's the first time New Zealand fans will have the chance to see Guns N' Roses since a huge show in 1993 at Mt Smart Stadium in front of 52,000 people.

Los Angeles' Guns N' Roses were one of the world's biggest rock bands in the mid-'90s. They had a reputation for excess, with controversy following much of their tours.

They released five albums, including the multi-million selling Appetite For Destruction and Use Your Illusion I & II. Their last studio album was 1993's covers album The Spaghetti Incident.

Their hits included Welcome to The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine and You Could Be Mine.

In 2006, Guns N' Roses performed more than 70 concerts, but failed to release the long-awaited new album, Chinese Democracy. It is slated for a release later this year.

Only two original members are left in the band since their mid-'90 glory days: Front man Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed.

The new members are guitarists Robin Finck, Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboard player Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

Legendary guitarist Slash is absent from the current line-up.

Former Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach and Australia's Rose Tattoo will open for the band's Auckland show.

source:reuters

image:Reuters:WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...AXL ROSE is bringing the new-look GUNS N' ROSES line-up to New Zealand for one show in June.

[KiwiCoromandel]

..some FEEDBACK from NZ.... :) :)

Don't be fooled by the hype. The once mighty Gunners are mediocre at best these days. I saw them at Castle Donnington in the UK last year and they were rubbish! The sound was terrible, Axl was too fat to be on stage and the crowd rioted in disgust! Not what I was expecting.

-David Charteris

As the lead singer from the Eagles Of Death Metal said (after supporting Guns N' Roses for one show) the are the highest paid kareoke band in the world. I totally agree with the previous comments about Axl thinking he is royalty. The only ginga royal I respect is Harry!

-Kyle LePine

It will be sure to be a sell out crowd and will be one of the biggest concerts this year. Who cares if they play chess while their fans are out there? They are freaking awesome. Their music is real rock and always even "if out of time". Their music is classic and their songs are still one of the most popular bus trip songs and will always be remembered!

-Mischale

GnR without Slash - it will be like one missing from a pair. It was Axl's voice and energy and Slash's guitar that made the band what is was. I saw a couple of their shows in back '90 and '92. I'll probably go this time around as well if only to see if the old magic is still there. They were one of the best live acts around at the time. Even if you had to wait it was always worth it and more. Rock on GnR !

-Roger Burgess

Guns N' Roses are da bom. I have all their albums and can't wait for this one to come out. Rock and Roll is my life!

-Gareth Pickering

I wonder if Axl will show us his new hair transplants or will he still be wearing the "trademark" bandanna?

-Roger Burgess

52,000? Ha! The band will be lucky to get 10,000 this time. Out of date and out of time, and some of us most certainly remember waiting well past showtime before the band hit the stage the first time they came. Why were they late? Axl, the tosser, was playing a game of chess and didn't give a stuff about his fans stacked into the stadium waiting for 'his royal highness' to finish his all important game of chess.

Anyway, GnR these days are really just a tribute band to the original GnR. Odds to sods Chinese Democracy will be a very pale version of what has come before.

-Rodney Fletcher

[KiwiCoromandel]

Russell Baillie writes of "The post-G N'R stress disorder"....

In case you missed the news, Guns N' Roses are coming back.

Yes, now that we have an arena that should have been built 15 years ago, we're getting the arena rock of that very period, what with the opening last month by Tommy Lee and the Monkees of Metal, next weekend's shows by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and now Axl Rose and his ring-ins.

No, this isn't the same Guns N' Roses which played here to 52,000 fans at the height of their powers back in the early 90s.

This is G N' R - with frontman Axl Rose retaining the brand - who haven't released anything substantial in 15 years.

There have been threats of a new album, titled Chinese Democracy, since 1996 after the departure of the rest of the original line-up.

The tour that's heading here is entitled Chinese Democracy too.

But there's still no finished album: "There is no official release date, as the band is currently mixing, but after some delays and scheduling difficulties, things appear to be moving along," says www.gunsnroses.com.

So it would appear the band are using the jaunt through Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as a cashflow-generating warm-up for the northern summer, by which time they might actually deliver an album that has become the longest-running joke in rock.

It will be intriguing to see what the demand for it is like after all this time.

Though you've got to hand it to Mr Rose - a man who by the look of his hair is increasingly resembling a German tourist who has spent too long on the beach in Bali - that album title should put paid to any illegal copies coming out of China shouldn't it?

The press release announcing the Auckland show on Friday June 29 says: "2007 promises to be the time that Guns N' Roses reclaim their throne as the world's most dangerous band."

I remember back when that was true. I went and saw Guns N' Roses at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway the week before they last came to Auckland.

I interviewed Slash, who was a very nice man. Though I don't remember actually making eye contact throughout the encounter in his dressing home on the day before the show.

Yes, this being a racetrack, I was able to accurately report: Guns N' Roses' dressing room is the pits.

But the danger came the day of the show. Being a laminate-carrying member of the media I found a nice spot to sit on a hill to the left of the stage away from the Aussie fans. Well, you would wouldn't you?

Sitting there, I did wonder what the little pipe things were in the ground nearby. Unused Portaloo plumbing possibly?

No. The answer came a few songs in. It was during the band's version of Live and Let Die. Each time they hit the song's big chorus, those little pipe things turned into large explosions. I had stumbled into a pyrotechnics area and soon I was running down the hill, which looked like it was under mortar attack.

I feared a cover version of a Paul McCartney and Wings song- and a Bond theme at that- was the last song I would ever hear.

Which, you might agree, would have been a pity. Especially as I've always been very fond of Jet.

Yes, Guns N' Roses were once a very dangerous band indeed. But when they come back this time I promise I'll stay off their firing range.

And if they strike up Live and Let Die, I'll be the guy diving under his seat. Please drag me out when they stop shelling. Thanks.

source:NZPA/Russell Baillie

image:images-eu.amazon.com:GUNS N` ROSES...Chinese Democracy?

[bear]

pfft.