Guns N' Roses to return to the road in 2025

[jamillos]

 

5 hours ago, GoBucky said:

If 2025 is all about Gn'R, but there's only a small summer tour, then what happens the other nine months? 

What happened in the first half of 2018, the first half of 2019, the entire 2020, first half of 2021, first half of 2022, and first half of 2023? 

Edited June 19 by jamillos

[Gordon Comstock]

5 hours ago, GoBucky said:

If 2025 is all about Gn'R, but there's only a small summer tour, then what happens the other nine months? 

 

Vegas residency at the sphere in the summer, maybe they do another South American tour in the fall...

The rest of the year they sell awful 40th anniversary merch. For the low price of $59.99 you can get a GNFNR 'Hell Tour' Chevy van to display next to the NITL tour trucks and nascar models

[Blackstar]

7 hours ago, GoBucky said:

If 2025 is all about Gn'R, but there's only a small summer tour, then what happens the other nine months? 

Slash says "We're trying to get some things going with that (=GN'R)". Judging from what he and Duff have said in other recent interviews, it looks like they're going to try to write new music or at least there is a tentative plan for it (or Slash hopes this is the plan).

2 hours ago, jamillos said:

 

What happened in the first half of 2018, the first half of 2019, the entire 2020, first half of 2021, first half of 2022, and first half of 2023? 

Mostly Slash recording and touring with SMKC.

[Italian girl]

it's all so sad..

[AxlIsGod.]

7 hours ago, DoMw94 said:

Axl would probably say the same thing. It'll be a management decision, not a band member decision. They aren't booking or arranging anything.

Management will get offers for shows, they'll take that to the big three's management (TB etc.) then they'll say if they want to or not – unless they have a legal/contractual obligation to, which we won't be privy to.

It's no different from higher-ups scheduling things in a normal job.

Translation: "Oh I heard the guys in the office talking about this thing..." He won't literally mean 'rumors', we all know Slash has a, erm, 'particular' way with words...

Axl knows what's happening. If he'd ever say something like that it'd be in jest.

Name another band where members come out and say they're hearing rumours about themselves touring 

[DoMw94]

2 hours ago, AxlIsGod. said:

Axl knows what's happening. If he'd ever say something like that it'd be in jest.

Name another band where members come out and say they're hearing rumours about themselves touring 

So you didn't bother to actually read what I said? Cool.

Edited June 19 by DoMw94

[GoBucky]

7 hours ago, jamillos said:

 

What happened in the first half of 2018, the first half of 2019, the entire 2020, first half of 2021, first half of 2022, and first half of 2023? 

Slash working on other projects?

[jamillos]

3 hours ago, GoBucky said:

Slash working on other projects?

Yeah. The question is, what were GNR doing in the meantime. 

[KeyserSoze]

I think the only logical thing to do here from every perspective is get the AFD 5 lineup on stage together again playing the album top to bottom before they no longer can or are dead. Plain and simple. 

That is the only way this band remains relevant after all the touring they've done. If they continue what they've done since 2016, the markets they go to will be so watered down, there wouldn't be sell outs. Venues would be smaller. There would be no hype. Axl and his voice have become a meme on social media. There aren't as many people willing to spend their hard earned money to see what they believe to be the same show as they saw in 2016. 

Axl taking "time off" in 2024 is actually to his detriment with the way the live music industry is going at the moment. Superstars that were arguably bigger to a different generation of people like Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez were unable to sell over FIFTY percent of tickets for most dates on their recent tours prompting cancellations. The Black Keys, while nowhere near the success level of GNR, did the same thing they've been doing for the last 23 years: put out an album of music and planned to tour for it. Except they couldn't sell tickets for the venues they booked. The whole tour was cancelled.

You also have to look at the bands current age as it relates to health: Pearl Jam, Heart, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and now most recently Pink, have all had to cancel shows in the past few DAYS due to health issues. If you've lived through Covid, you know how crazy it's been since that time.

Couple ALL of this with the fact that literally NOBODY wants to pay these ridiculous ticket prices anymore, and GNR's have been insane since 2016 and seem to remain at the same price, or RISE in price every time they come through your town and why would anyone take a chance to travel or pay money to potentially not get a show in the long run? 

Residencies and destination events are becoming the norm. Look at what Metallica is doing. 4 shows a month. 2 different cities, sometimes in 2 different countries. 2 shows per run. They spaced these shows out just enough for them to become destination events instead of 40+ date tours that may or may not sell. They created a demand, and attracted the right buyers. Did they make money? Between the prices they were selling tickets for and the merch money they probably brought in from each show, I can only imagine they're sitting pretty... 

And now, with something like the Sphere opening up it's door to bands with one foot in the door, one foot out the door so to speak (Dead & Co., The Eagles, probably The Stones sooner rather than later....) I can see this actually happening, and it's probably way more likely than we could imagine. 

Axl should take this time to not only build up his voice, but build his relationship back with Adler and Izzy. Then they should get up on that stage and play all of Appetite for Destruction and all those older songs they played in the beginning and the ones that Adler chose to learn himself that he plays with his solo band (YCBM, Civil War, Don't Cry etc etc), hell even throw in the ones from the EARLY shows like Shadow of Your Love, Reckless Life (they played it last year...) Move To The City, Jumpin Jack Flash and Heartbreak Hotel and boom, you have and almost 2 hour setlist. 

How does that work with the rest of the members that have supported Axl, Slash, and Duff since 2016? Fortus and Ferrer since 2002 and 2006 respectively? Dizzy??? 

I don't know. But I can tell you one thing, if the AFD 5 decided to play on a stage together, I really don't think it would matter. Everything else would fall into place, like it always does.

And if it was the Sphere? Destination event. If the 2 shows to kick off NITL were any indicator of who will travel to Las Vegas to see Guns N' Roses, I don't think you'd have a problem filling that Sphere for the original lineup 20 nights in a row if that could even be possible... 

I can totally see the Sphere happening. It seems the bookers of the Sphere have been putting feelers out to bands they believe would fit the Sphere and the visual artistry that goes behind it. I think Guns N' Roses name might have been tossed around for certain, but only if the show was special and not their normal hybrid lineup they've been touring with. It wouldn't make sense. 

Dead & Co. basically used the Sphere as a history lesson of the Grateful Dead. GNR could do the same. 

I'd say second to Los Angeles, Las Vegas probably has the most history associated with the band and Axl. They loved the 92 show so much they threw the audio on the B-sides of some singles and then gave us the whole thing for the UYI reissues. Axl showing love to the HOB/Joint since 2001. The New Years shows in 01/02. The Residencies with Izzy returning. Axl basically living there while those were happening, NITL tour kickoff etc, etc. It makes sense in my head. 

They have the opportunity to keep the momentum they've had since 2016 going without doing the exact same thing over and over again until it's run into the ground so terribly that the legacy is tainted.

Axl, Duff, and Slash are great business men. They have been since day 1. They've made so much generational wealth in the past 8 years, they no longer need to keep the GNR machine as a money printer. The real value becomes in giving those that have hung on for so long one last run for the money thats left in their pockets. 

Sometimes its best to bring the train into the station before it runs off the tracks.... 

Edited July 3 by KeyserSoze

[Rovim]

33 minutes ago, KeyserSoze said:

I think the only logical thing to do here from every perspective is get the AFD 5 lineup on stage together again playing the album top to bottom before they no longer can or are dead. Plain and simple. 

That is the only way this band remains relevant after all the touring they've done. If they continue what they've done since 2016, the markets they go to will be so watered down, there wouldn't be sell outs. Venues would be smaller. There would be no hype. Axl and his voice have become a meme on social media. There aren't as many people willing to spend their hard earned money to see what they believe to be the same show as they saw in 2016. 

Axl taking "time off" in 2024 is actually to his detriment with the way the live music industry is going at the moment. Superstars that were arguably bigger to a different generation of people like Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez were unable to sell over FIFTY percent of tickets for most dates on their recent tours prompting cancellations. The Black Keys, while nowhere near the success level of GNR, did the same thing they've been doing for the last 23 years: put out an album of music and planned to tour for it. Except they couldn't sell tickets for the venues they booked. The whole tour was cancelled.

You also have to look at the bands current age as it relates to health: Pearl Jam, Heart, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and now most recently Pink, have all had to cancel shows in the past few DAYS due to health issues. If you've lived through Covid, you know how crazy it's been since that time.

Couple ALL of this with the fact that literally NOBODY wants to pay these ridiculous ticket prices anymore, and GNR's have been insane since 2016 and seem to remain at the same price, or RISE in price every time they come through your town and why would anyone take a chance to travel or pay money to potentially not get a show in the long run? 

Residencies and destination events are becoming the norm. Look at what Metallica is doing. 4 shows a month. 2 different cities, sometimes in 2 different countries. 2 shows per run. They spaced these shows out just enough for them to become destination events instead of 40+ date tours that may or may not sell. They created a demand, and attracted the right buyers. Did they make money? Between the prices they were selling tickets for and the merch money they probably brought in from each show, I can only imagine they're sitting pretty... 

And now, with something like the Sphere opening up it's door to bands with one foot in the door, one foot out the door so to speak (Dead & Co., The Eagles, probably The Stones sooner rather than later....) I can see this actually happening, and it's probably way more likely than we could imagine. 

Axl should take this time to not only build up his voice, but build his relationship back with Adler and Izzy. Then they should get up on that stage and play all of Appetite for Destruction and all those older songs they played in the beginning and the ones that Adler chose to learn himself that he plays with his solo band (YCBM, Civil War, Don't Cry etc etc), hell even throw in the ones from the EARLY shows like Shadow of Your Love, Reckless Life (they played it last year...) Move To The City, Jumpin Jack Flash and Heartbreak Hotel and boom, you have and almost 2 hour setlist. 

How does that work with the rest of the members that have supported Axl, Slash, and Duff since 2016? Fortus and Ferrer since 2002 and 2006 respectively? Dizzy??? 

I don't know. But I can tell you one thing, if the AFD 5 decided to play on a stage together, I really don't think it would matter. Everything else would fall into place, like it always does.

And if it was the Sphere? Destination event. If the 2 shows to kick off NITL were any indicator of who will travel to Las Vegas to see Guns N' Roses, I don't think you'd have a problem filling that Sphere for the original lineup 20 nights in a row if that could even be possible... 

I can totally see the Sphere happening. It seems the bookers of the Sphere have been putting feelers out to bands they believe would fit the Sphere and the visual artistry that goes behind it. I think Guns N' Roses name might have been tossed around for certain, but only if the show was special and not their normal hybrid lineup they've been touring with. It wouldn't make sense. 

Dead & Co. basically used the Sphere as a history lesson of the Grateful Dead. GNR could do the same. 

I'd say second to Los Angeles, Las Vegas probably has the most history associated with the band and Axl. They loved the 92 show so much they threw the audio on the B-sides of some singles and then gave us the whole thing for the UYI reissues. Axl showing love to the HOB/Joint since 2001. The New Years shows in 01/02. The Residencies with Izzy returning. Axl basically living there while those were happening, NITL tour kickoff etc, etc. It makes sense in my head. 

They have the opportunity to keep the momentum they've had since 2016 going without doing the exact same thing over and over again until it's run into the ground so terribly that the legacy is tainted.

Axl, Duff, and Slash are great business men. They have been since day 1. They've made so much generational wealth in the past 8 years, they no longer need to keep the GNR machine as a money printer. The real value becomes in giving those that have hung on for so long one last run for the money thats left in their pockets. 

Sometimes its best to bring the train into the station before it runs off the tracks.... 

but maybe Axl likes the current Gn'R lineup and has no interest in changing band members anymore. it's been pretty stable since Slash and Duff rejoined Gn'R.

I'd personally want them to move forward, less so backwards like an AFD 5 reunion, it just means more nostalgia only I suppose better quality of nostalgia for some people, but things are going well, shows have been cool, at least the one I've attended last year and there is talk about them trying to go for it when it comes to new material.

for me the best outcome would be for Axl to adjust to his current limitations as a singer but that Gn'R focus on at least making real progress when it comes to putting together an album of old/new or hybrid material.

there is still demand for Gn'R as there's no other band can provide the casuals the Axl and Slash combo and the hits, but if they go away for long enough they could create more demand, but they seem to want to make as much money as they can while they are still able to do so through doing tours.

[jamillos]

32 minutes ago, KeyserSoze said:

I think the only logical thing to do here from every perspective is get the AFD 5 lineup on stage together again playing the album top to bottom before they no longer can or are dead. Plain and simple. 

That is the only way this band remains relevant after all the touring they've done. If they continue what they've done since 2016, the markets they go to will be so watered down, there wouldn't be sell outs. Venues would be smaller. There would be no hype. Axl and his voice have become a meme on social media. There aren't as many people willing to spend their hard earned money to see what they believe to be the same show as they saw in 2016. 

Axl taking "time off" in 2024 is actually to his detriment with the way the live music industry is going at the moment. Superstars that were arguably bigger to a different generation of people like Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez were unable to sell over FIFTY percent of tickets for most dates on their recent tours prompting cancellations. The Black Keys, while nowhere near the success level of GNR, did the same thing they've been doing for the last 23 years: put out an album of music and planned to tour for it. Except they couldn't sell tickets for the venues they booked. The whole tour was cancelled.

You also have to look at the bands current age as it relates to health: Pearl Jam, Heart, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and now most recently Pink, have all had to cancel shows in the past few DAYS due to health issues. If you've lived through Covid, you know how crazy it's been since that time.

Couple ALL of this with the fact that literally NOBODY wants to pay these ridiculous ticket prices anymore, and GNR's have been insane since 2016 and seem to remain at the same price, or RISE in price every time they come through your town and why would anyone take a chance to travel or pay money to potentially not get a show in the long run? 

Residencies and destination events are becoming the norm. Look at what Metallica is doing. 4 shows a month. 2 different cities, sometimes in 2 different countries. 2 shows per run. They spaced these shows out just enough for them to become destination events instead of 40+ date tours that may or may not sell. They created a demand, and attracted the right buyers. Did they make money? Between the prices they were selling tickets for and the merch money they probably brought in from each show, I can only imagine they're sitting pretty... 

And now, with something like the Sphere opening up it's door to bands with one foot in the door, one foot out the door so to speak (Dead & Co., The Eagles, probably The Stones sooner rather than later....) I can see this actually happening, and it's probably way more likely than we could imagine. 

Axl should take this time to not only build up his voice, but build his relationship back with Adler and Izzy. Then they should get up on that stage and play all of Appetite for Destruction and all those older songs they played in the beginning and the ones that Adler chose to learn himself that he plays with his solo band (YCBM, Civil War, Don't Cry etc etc), hell even throw in the ones from the EARLY shows like Shadow of Your Love, Reckless Life (they played it last year...) Move To The City, Jumpin Jack Flash and Heartbreak Hotel and boom, you have and almost 2 hour setlist. 

How does that work with the rest of the members that have supported Axl, Slash, and Duff since 2016? Fortus and Ferrer since 2002 and 2006 respectively? Dizzy??? 

I don't know. But I can tell you one thing, if the AFD 5 decided to play on a stage together, I really don't think it would matter. Everything else would fall into place, like it always does.

And if it was the Sphere? Destination event. If the 2 shows to kick off NITL were any indicator of who will travel to Las Vegas to see Guns N' Roses, I don't think you'd have a problem filling that Sphere for the original lineup 20 nights in a row if that could even be possible... 

I can totally see the Sphere happening. It seems the bookers of the Sphere have been putting feelers out to bands they believe would fit the Sphere and the visual artistry that goes behind it. I think Guns N' Roses name might have been tossed around for certain, but only if the show was special and not their normal hybrid lineup they've been touring with. It wouldn't make sense. 

Dead & Co. basically used the Sphere as a history lesson of the Grateful Dead. GNR could do the same. 

I'd say second to Los Angeles, Las Vegas probably has the most history associated with the band and Axl. They loved the 92 show so much they threw the audio on the B-sides of some singles and then gave us the whole thing for the UYI reissues. Axl showing love to the HOB/Joint since 2001. The New Years shows in 01/02. The Residencies with Izzy returning. Axl basically living there while those were happening etc, etc. It makes sense in my head. 

They have the opportunity to keep the momentum they've had since 2016 going without doing the exact same thing over and over again until it's run into the ground so terribly that the legacy is tainted.

Axl, Duff, and Slash are great business men. They have been since day 1. They've made so much generational wealth in the past 8 years, they no longer need to keep the GNR machine as a money printer. The real value becomes in giving those that have hung on for so long one last run for the money thats left in their pockets. 

Sometimes its best to bring the train into the station before it runs off the tracks.... 

Neither plain, nor simple. It would be a total and obvious sell-out. The guys are not in their 20s any more. There would be nowhere to go from that afterwards other than to retire. 
Whatever you mean by "relevant" (what does it mean these days for a rock band anyway?), it could be achieved by normal conduct, as usually carried by normal bands. The same could have happened in the last 8 years, but they chose a different approach – milking the cow. By the "normal conduct" I mean releasing new songs, releasing albums, music videos, DVDs, being active on YouTube (releasing old pro-shots like Metallica and others), doing proper interviews, opening up about the song-making process, the history, letting people peak behind the curtain, uploading shots from the studio, etc. etc. (Naturally, for this you need a professional PR/management and a singer who doesn't suffer from anthropophobia.)
All of these things are absolutely normally achievable, yet we’re so used to this band doing pretty much none of them that we resort to despair or plotting improbable ultimate scenarios – like an AFD reunion. 

Yes, the numbers will be going down, but again, that’s only their fault. The time from 2018 up to now could have been filled with a completely different activities – like I’ve described above – than what they’ve been actually doing. And I agree, Axl’s voice suffered from that (and AC/DC), and there’s no wonder it’s been going downhill. 
You're right about some things, but like I said, if they take the normal band approach, they can still keep going (as long as Axl can still sing). Plus, nobody says they always have to do these greedy multi-year tours with 3 gigs a week. How about a one-year tour with one gig a week? And then an EP release? Rinse, repeat? Etc. It’s all up to them, they are the ones who can dictate the conditions, no matter what the usual business practices look like. But going the AFD5 way would be the real goodbye, plus it wouldn’t be good at all. Whatever they represented back then is not there any longer – they’re multi-millionaires in their 60s, with the singer barely resembling his young self vocal-wise (which is natural, after all). The 80s are gone, everything’s changed, and the ghost of youth some fans seem to be chasing in this is also gone, sorry. It would suck. A thrill for the first show, yes, but inevitable sad comparisons ensuing right after. 
I just want them to function as a normal fucking band, release NEW music and communicate with their fans, that’s all. 

[DoMw94]

3 hours ago, KeyserSoze said:

I think the only logical thing to do here from every perspective is get the AFD 5 lineup on stage together again playing the album top to bottom before they no longer can or are dead. Plain and simple. 

Why would they pull apart the most stable lineup the band has ever had in favour of something that would be volatile, and include two notoriously unreliable people? It's not worth the risk. If it was, it would have happened by now.

3 hours ago, KeyserSoze said:

You also have to look at the bands current age as it relates to health: Pearl Jam, Heart, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and now most recently Pink, have all had to cancel shows in the past few DAYS due to health issues.

Heart's age and Ann Wilson's health issues don't directly correlate though. Cancer can get anyone at any age, any time.

Edited July 3 by DoMw94

[Cosmo]

At this point, my level of excitement is pretty much zero. They could reunite the AFD 5 or add TWAT to every show, and I still would probably not go. They could release Atlas and Monsters and make an EP out of these CD leftovers and play it entirely on tour and I still wouldn't be exactly excited. Man, wtf happened? I'm really hoping for one last tour with Steven/Matt and Izzy/Gilby, and then retirement. That would be the best case scenario, IMO.

[2020_Intensions]

On 6/3/2024 at 12:34 AM, twistoflemon21 said:

Don't get me wrong, I love it when they come to town but why are they still touring if they haven't released anything? If you're revisiting the same places on the same tour then you're touring too much. 

To make money? So fans can see their favorite band play live? I want new music too. But I would never want to not see them play live unless there was new music. This band is only going to be playing live for so much longer ....

[2020_Intensions]

It amazes me how people here will say GnR HAS to release new music to continue touring ... or they HAVE to do an AfD5 tour ... or this or that ... Seemingly ignoring or refusing to accept that the NiTL Tour was one of the highest grossing tours OF ALL TIME ... They don't NEED to do anything different. They're traveling the world, making money and having fun. 

[allwaystired]

4 hours ago, 2020_Intensions said:

It amazes me how people here will say GnR HAS to release new music to continue touring ... or they HAVE to do an AfD5 tour ... or this or that ... Seemingly ignoring or refusing to accept that the NiTL Tour was one of the highest grossing tours OF ALL TIME ... They don't NEED to do anything different. They're traveling the world, making money and having fun. 

What amazes me more is that they DON'T need to. I honestly thought the NITL interest would have dried up now......but I guess there are a lot of casual tickets buyers who just don't care about anything different or new. 

Having said that I got drawn in last time by the refreshed setlist and the fact they were playing really well (way better than the previous year). 

I'm probably done though unless there's a big change or tickets are cheap.... which they won't be! 

 

Edited July 3 by allwaystired

[Sweersa]

4 hours ago, 2020_Intensions said:

It amazes me how people here will say GnR HAS to release new music to continue touring ... or they HAVE to do an AfD5 tour ... or this or that ... Seemingly ignoring or refusing to accept that the NiTL Tour was one of the highest grossing tours OF ALL TIME ... They don't NEED to do anything different. They're traveling the world, making money and having fun. 

Guns arguably peaked early in their careers, the early 2000s was their last shot with a ton of potential with that incredible lineup, though they missed that mark.  They missed again in 2006 when Axl and most of the band was on fire. 

I'm not saying they are incapable of blowing the world up again, but I doubt it will be half of the effect AFD and UYI had, or even Chinese Democracy. Slash and Duff being back should be a marketing advantage when pushing a new album. (Even if the leave Robin and Bucket on some songs, *fingers crossed*)

I hope they hit Detroit when they tour NA next. They skipped it in '23.  I don't want to deal with Chicago for a show. I'd rather drive a few hours more to Indianapolis if they play there. Not sure if Fort Wayne ever gets big bands performing there. 

Edited July 3 by Sweersa

[2020_Intensions]

18 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

What amazes me more is that they DON'T need to. I honestly thought the NITL interest would have dried up now......but I guess there are a lot of casual tickets buyers who just don't care about anything different or new. 

Having said that I got drawn in last time by the refreshed setlist and the fact they were playing really well (way better than the previous year). 

I'm probably done though unless there's a big change or tickets are cheap.... which they won't be! 

 

I'm going to see them every single time I can. The price of tickets is so inconsequential. Hershey last year I got the cheapest tickets and it was an amazing experience 

[KeyserSoze]

Yes, YOU are going to see them because you are a die hard fan.

i can’t say the same about “casual” fans anymore, and its being proven right in front of us with the tours that have been cancelled.

Pearl Jam, and the die hard fans they have vs the casual fans that show up to their shows, is a great example of why the current touring model for GNR probably will not work anymore.

Pearl Jam toured Europe in 2022. Many dates sold out, as the band hadn’t played Europe since 2018, pre-covid. The tour was small: 14 shows, with almost half of them being festivals.

fast forward to 2024 and the band decides to go back to Europe. They book stadiums and arenas and less festivals this time around. Ticket sales have been a disaster, with almost 60% of the venue still available for their London shows before they were cancelled…

there was backlash everywhere, from the diehards to the casuals: “i refuse to pay this much to see my favorite band.” “This is unreasonable” “this show will not sell out no matter what they do”

ticket prices dropped from $175 to $60 in the weeks leading up to the show. No band or promoter wants to live between those lines or have to do something like that.

this is happening to a band that hasn’t toured like they used to, or even Guns N Roses has since 2018.

hell, i’ve even seen discounts on Slash tickets for the markets that aren’t selling: $15 for a ticket on the lawn, compared to the $60-100 they were originally selling it for. 

The live music industry is in flux, and just because GNR is your favorite band doesn’t mean they aren’t affected.

unless you’re doing something absolutely CRAZY, theres no reason to even attempt an arena tour. I think thats why 2024 has been so silent. 

Edited July 3 by KeyserSoze

[DoMw94]

3 hours ago, KeyserSoze said:

unless you’re doing something absolutely CRAZY, theres no reason to even attempt an arena tour. I think thats why 2024 has been so silent. 

(Assuming you're on about GN'R here)

Nah this year is silent because (COVID aside) they've been almost constantly on the road for the last eight years. A rest is necessary for the band, and the fans. It's only natural.

Thsy toured without something crazy before, and they'll do it again. They're a legacy act now, just like countless others, and they know that.

[allwaystired]

5 hours ago, 2020_Intensions said:

I'm going to see them every single time I can. The price of tickets is so inconsequential. Hershey last year I got the cheapest tickets and it was an amazing experience 

Yeah, you seem to be able to get those cheaper tickets over there in the US. Here (UK) they just don't drop/aren't cheap. It really makes you question the gigs you go to....when you start to think how many smaller gigs you could go to for the price of one gig (usually in a shit stadium).....choices get made..

[allwaystired]

3 hours ago, KeyserSoze said:

Yes, YOU are going to see them because you are a die hard fan.

i can’t say the same about “casual” fans anymore, and its being proven right in front of us with the tours that have been cancelled.

Pearl Jam, and the die hard fans they have vs the casual fans that show up to their shows, is a great example of why the current touring model for GNR probably will not work anymore.

Pearl Jam toured Europe in 2022. Many dates sold out, as the band hadn’t played Europe since 2018, pre-covid. The tour was small: 14 shows, with almost half of them being festivals.

fast forward to 2024 and the band decides to go back to Europe. They book stadiums and arenas and less festivals this time around. Ticket sales have been a disaster, with almost 60% of the venue still available for their London shows before they were cancelled…

there was backlash everywhere, from the diehards to the casuals: “i refuse to pay this much to see my favorite band.” “This is unreasonable” “this show will not sell out no matter what they do”

ticket prices dropped from $175 to $60 in the weeks leading up to the show. No band or promoter wants to live between those lines or have to do something like that.

this is happening to a band that hasn’t toured like they used to, or even Guns N Roses has since 2018.

hell, i’ve even seen discounts on Slash tickets for the markets that aren’t selling: $15 for a ticket on the lawn, compared to the $60-100 they were originally selling it for. 

The live music industry is in flux, and just because GNR is your favorite band doesn’t mean they aren’t affected.

unless you’re doing something absolutely CRAZY, theres no reason to even attempt an arena tour. I think thats why 2024 has been so silent. 

Yeah that Pearl Jam tour looks to have totally priced people out. People just wouldn't pay it and called out the prices. They were doing one Arena in the UK (alongside one stadium) and couldn't sell it out.

I think the tide is turning on this stuff for sure. I'm glad about that. 

[KeyserSoze]

14 hours ago, Rovim said:

but maybe Axl likes the current Gn'R lineup and has no interest in changing band members anymore. it's been pretty stable since Slash and Duff rejoined Gn'R.

12 hours ago, DoMw94 said:

Why would they pull apart the most stable lineup the band has ever had in favour of something that would be volatile, and include two notoriously unreliable people? It's not worth the risk. If it was, it would have happened by now.

I agree with this. I think this is the most stable the band has ever been, and I think a lot of that has to do with Axls outlook on life this late into his career and how he presents himself as a showman vs how he used to at one point back in the day. But if it's been sooooooooooooo stable, why isn't there anything tangible to show for it?

Axl had 10+ different musicians come through the band during the Chinese Democracy era and STILL had an album come out. Thats not so stable, but very tangible. 

You realize there has been more time that has passed since Chinese Democracy has release to this present day, then there was when the UYI tour ended in 1993 and Chinese Democracy was released in 2008? 

Izzy seems to be the only "unreliable" person, but yet went out of his way MULTIPLE times in 2012 to join GNR on stage, even flying to London to do a handful of songs, when he could have played the whole set sans Chi Dem material. Steven went out of his way to FLY to South American to play TWO songs with the band in 2016 and DID it, when he could have played all NINE Appetite songs they played that night. Is this deemed unreliable? 

The bond is there, it just hasn't been as strong as it once was, which is why i prefaced in my first post with Axl needing to build his relationships up BEFORE asking anyone if they would want to do it.

Stability is one thing. Not being a pretentious lazy person is another. 

14 hours ago, Rovim said:

I'd personally want them to move forward, less so backwards like an AFD 5 reunion, it just means more nostalgia only I suppose better quality of nostalgia for some people, but things are going well, shows have been cool, at least the one I've attended last year and there is talk about them trying to go for it when it comes to new material.

Would you say the same about the 2009-2014 iteration of the band?

Was "moving backwards" to them incorporating Duff, who then incorporated Slash after a few years? Is that not a nostalgia trip?

Why would a reunion be moving backwards? If anything, it shows how far they've actually come: through all the bullshit, they're STILL Guns N' Roses. They're STILL the 5 guys that made THAT album that everyone owns and mentions when they talk musical influences. 

The shows have been GREAT, but be honest with yourself: as a business model, how long can this go on before its just the same movie playing at a different cinema? The same book, but a different library? The same band, doing the same songs, in the same city just a year or two apart? 

14 hours ago, Rovim said:

there is still demand for Gn'R as there's no other band can provide the casuals the Axl and Slash combo and the hits, but if they go away for long enough they could create more demand, but they seem to want to make as much money as they can while they are still able to do so through doing tours.

I assume your answer would be "as long as people continue to keep paying, they will play." 

Great. So we rest on our laurels. We switch nothing up and expect people to buy our bullshit.

My point is and continues to be: the band has made ENOUGH money. The people who have spent that money time and time again (me included, just check out my signature) will be over it soon enough if the way the live music industry is going gives any indication. The way the WORLD is going. 

It's more likely Guns N' Roses headlines a festival in 2025 and people bitch and moan about it, then will be excited and WILLING to buy a ticket just for the name Guns N' Roses. 

Axl Rose is now associated with sounding like Herbert The Pervert to people who pay money to go to Music Festivals. 

14 hours ago, jamillos said:

Neither plain, nor simple. It would be a total and obvious sell-out. The guys are not in their 20s any more. There would be nowhere to go from that afterwards other than to retire. 

And so?

The only one who would "retire" is Axl. Everyone else seems to be doing just fine when the GNR ship isn't sailing. 

What is the other option? Wait around for an album that may or may not come? Because by all accounts, it would appear Axl just doesn't have it left in him. Even DIZZY REED has put out a new song before Axl has laid fresh vocal tracks down on ANYTHING. This hybrid band probably hasn't written ONE song, and we just expect an album to come out. 

Axl (and Izzy....) just turned 62, and appears to want to waste his 62nd year on this Earth by not doing a god damn thing. 

How many years does he have left of that? Ideally how much time IS there left to "sell out" before Adler can no longer play the drums? Was getting Slash and Duff back together and screaming to the world "WE'RE F'N BACK!" not "selling out" if we're going by what you're trying to describe here? Are you saying die hard fans WANT this to be the final version of Guns N' Roses to play on a stage EVER?

Right. 

Maybe not plain or simple. But it's pretty cut and dry the way I see it. 

14 hours ago, jamillos said:

But going the AFD5 way would be the real goodbye, plus it wouldn’t be good at all. Whatever they represented back then is not there any longer – they’re multi-millionaires in their 60s, with the singer barely resembling his young self vocal-wise (which is natural, after all). The 80s are gone, everything’s changed, and the ghost of youth some fans seem to be chasing in this is also gone, sorry. It would suck. A thrill for the first show, yes, but inevitable sad comparisons ensuing right after. 

Why would it not be good? We haven't heard these 5 gentlemen play together on the same stage since 1989 so how can we possibly say this wouldn't be great? 

I think the shows Steven did with the band in 2016 and 2017 were possibly the best moments of the NITL tour. And guess what? Steven fucking killed it.

How can you say the "80's are gone, and everything has changed" while continuously going to see a band that has done the same exact songs since that time? 

 

[2020_Intensions]

48 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Yeah, you seem to be able to get those cheaper tickets over there in the US. Here (UK) they just don't drop/aren't cheap. It really makes you question the gigs you go to....when you start to think how many smaller gigs you could go to for the price of one gig (usually in a shit stadium).....choices get made..

Yeah, I can only speak from US perspective. How expensive are they in comparison? I got a GA ticket for like $50 last tour

[allwaystired]

53 minutes ago, 2020_Intensions said:

Yeah, I can only speak from US perspective. How expensive are they in comparison? I got a GA ticket for like $50 last tour

Last one I went to had two price tiers -front standing and rear standing. 

Can't remember exactly, so looked up the thread...https://www.mygnrforum.com/topic/225887-062723-glasgow-gb-bellahouston-park/

Front standing was £190 (so $243) and rear standing was £100  ($127). 

I'd absolutely go and see them everytime for $50 (which would be £40) ....but that option just doesn't exist. Factor in travel time, time off work, food, drinks, potentially a hotel and you're talking a huge sum of money. 

 

Edited July 4 by allwaystired