It’s the news we’ve dreamed of but never thought we’d hear – Guns N’ Roses are officially reuniting for a festival headline show later this year.
When rumours of their reunion emerged last week, it all seemed too good to be true, but it’s pretty much official now!
According to the Mail Online, the infamously fractious rock band are getting back together to top the bill at Coachella later this year, with a possible U.S. tour to follow. There are also strong rumours that they could headline Glastonbury in the UK this summer too (fingers crossed!)
The show will mark the first time controversial singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash have played together since the end of the Use Your Illusion tour in July 1993 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Posted by Slash on Monday, 4 January 2016
The two musicians have had a well publicised feud dating back to Slash leaving GnR 20 years ago, and the two weren’t even on speaking terms until recently. But, in 2014, Axl and Slash announced they’d reconciled, with Axl saying at the time: “It was probably way overdue. [Let’s] dispel some of that negative stuff that was going on for so long”.
Original bass player Duff MacKagen is also back for Coachella, although there’s no confirmation yet as to whether fellow originals Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler will be back for the show do give us the entire classic Appetite For Destruction line-up.
Given that rhythm guitarist Izzy is still on good terms with Axl and has played shows with him since leaving the band in 1991, he is more likely to be brought back into the fold than drummer Adler, who was last seen appearing on Celebrity Rehab. Use Your Illusion-era drummer Matt Sorum seems the more probable return, to be honest.
Guns N’ Roses have infamously continued as a band since Slash and Duff left the fold in the 90s, with volatile frontman Axl Rose bringing in a constantly changing cast of characters to carry on playing shows and festivals. Hell, they even finally brought out Chinese Democracy in 2012, the album we never thought we’d hear.
Slash, on the other hand, has been a busy boy since splitting from GnR, first forming Slash’s Snakepit, then Velvet Revolver in 2002 alongside former Guns N’ Roses lads Duff and Sorum, as well as the late Scott Weiland. Slash has been working on his solo projects since 2008.
Billboard claims that the guys decided to go ahead with the reunion because they stand to earn as much as $3 million per show. Funny how quickly feuds can be set aside when that much cash is involved, isn’t it?
This is amazing news! We just hope that the guys can get through the show without arguing.
