Guns N' Roses - Autographed Guitar
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Autographed in person by W. Axl Rose, Slash & Duff McKagen We Offer a 100% Guarantee Of Authenticity, and all items come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We work exclusively with Collectors and Third Party Authenticators to ensure that every item is absolutely authentic. We want you to know that unlike most Autograph Dealers, all sales are not final here. You can return any item for any reason for up to 30 days, and authenticity is guaranteed for life! All reasonable offers will be considered. Guns N' Roses, often abbreviated as GNR, is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash,
Autographed in person by W. Axl Rose, Slash & Duff McKagen We Offer a 100% Guarantee Of Authenticity, and all items come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We work exclusively with Collectors and Third Party Authenticators to ensure that every item is absolutely authentic. We want you to know that unlike most Autograph Dealers, all sales are not final here. You can return any item for any reason for up to 30 days, and authenticity is guaranteed for life! All reasonable offers will be considered. Guns N' Roses, often abbreviated as GNR, is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Melissa Reese. Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), reached number one on the Billboard 200 a year after its release, on the strength of the Top 10 singles Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, and Sweet Child o' Mine, the band's only single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million units in the United States, making it the country's bestselling debut album and eleventh-bestselling album. Their next studio album, G N' R Lies (1988), reached number two on the Billboard 200, sold ten million copies worldwide (including five million in the U.S.), and included the Top 5 hit Patience. Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, recorded simultaneously and released in 1991, debuted at number two and number one on the Billboard 200 respectively and have sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide, including 14 million units in the United States. The Illusion albums included the lead single You Could Be Mine (also featured in the film soundtrack for Terminator 2), covers of Live and Let Die and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, and a trilogy of ballads (Don't Cry, November Rain, and Estranged), which featured notably high-budget music videos. The Illusion records were also supported by the extensive Use Your Illusion Tour, a world tour that lasted from 1991-1993. The Spaghetti Incident? (1993), an album of covers, was the band's last studio album to feature Slash and McKagan before their initial departure. Work on a follow up album stalled due to creative differences between band members; by 1998 only Rose and Reed remained from the Illusion-era lineup. After a more than a decade of work and several lineup changes, Guns N' Roses's long-awaited sixth studio album Chinese Democracy (2008), was released. At an estimated $14 million in production costs, it is the most expensive rock album in history. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, but undersold industry expectations despite mostly positive critical reception. Slash and McKagan rejoined the band in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime Tour, which became the second-highest-grossing concert tour on record, grossing over $562 million by December 2018. In their early years, the band's hedonism and rebelliousness drew comparisons to the early Rolling Stones and earned them the nickname the most dangerous band in the world. The band's classic lineup, along with later members Reed and drummer Matt Sorum, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, its first year of eligibility. Guns N' Roses have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in the United States, making them the 41st-bestselling artist in history. Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation (1985–1986) 1.2 Breakthrough and mass popularity (1987–1989) 1.2.1 Appetite for Destruction 1.2.2 G N' R Lies 1.3 International success and band turmoil (1990–1993) 1.3.1 Use Your Illusion I and II 1.3.2 Use Your Illusion Tour 1.3.3 The Spaghetti Incident? 1.4 Lineup changes and sporadic activity (1994–1999) 1.5 New lineups and Chinese Democracy (1999–2008) 1.5.1 Background of new album 1.5.2 Title announcement and touring, tour cancellation and member departures 1.5.3 Greatest Hits and label conflict, lawsuits 1.5.4 Lineup changes and resuming tour 1.5.5 Album release and promotion 1.6 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and Appetite for Democracy (2009–2014) 1.6.1 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction 1.6.2 Up Close and Personal and Appetite for Democracy tours 1.6.3 Progress on a follow up to Chinese Democracy 1.7 Slash and McKagan rejoin, tour, and future (2015–present) 1.7.1 Not In This Lifetime Tour 1.7.2 Appetite for Destruction remaster 1.7.3 Future 2 Legacy, style, influence, and criticism 3 Personnel 3.1 Current members 3.2 Former members 4 Awards 5 Discography 5.1 Studio albums 6 Tours 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links History Formation (1985–1986) Main articles: Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns The original lineup of Guns N' Roses in March 1985. From left to right: Rob Gardner, Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose, Tracii Guns and Ole Beich. In 1984, Hollywood Rose member Izzy Stradlin was living with L.A. Guns member Tracii Guns.[1][2] When L.A. Guns needed a new vocalist, Stradlin suggested Hollywood Rose singer Axl Rose.[1] Months later, Guns N' Roses was formed in March 1985 by Rose, rhythm guitarist Stradlin, along with L.A. Guns founders lead guitarist Guns, drummer Rob Gardner and bassist Ole Beich.[3] Guns recalled the formation of the band in a 2019 interview, stating: Axl got into an argument with our manager and our manager fired Axl but we all lived together so it was all really weird. So, that same night he got fired we started Guns N’ Roses and I called Izzy the next day and said 'Hey, we are gonna start this new band called Guns N’ Roses, do you want in?” It was as simple as that, no paint or cocaine involved.[4] The band coined its name by combining the names of both previous groups, initially it was the name of a label they were going to release music on.[4] Rejected names for the band included Heads of and AIDS.[5] Their first show, promoted as L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose presents Guns N Roses, was on March 26, 1985.[6] After this show, Beich was fired and replaced by Duff McKagan.[7] Around this time, the band planned to release an EP with Don't Cry, a cover of Heartbreak Hotel, Think About You and Anything Goes; the band demoed the songs during their first radio interview.[8] However, plans for the release fell through, as Guns left the band after an argument with Rose leading to his replacement by Rose and Stradlin's one-time Hollywood Rose bandmate, Slash.[1] Gardner quit soon after and was replaced by another former Hollywood Rose member, Steven Adler.[9][10] Slash had also previously played with McKagan and Adler in Road Crew.[10][11] We had a singer (Mike Jagosz) that our manager didn't like, so we fired him. So then I asked Axl to join L.A. Guns and he was in the band for about six, seven months. The same manager ended up hating Axl and he wanted to fire him. We're all living together at this point and Axl and I sat down and went 'What are we going to do?' So we both said 'Fuck that', and came up with the name Guns N' Roses, which was going to be just a record label that we'd put singles out on. —Original guitarist Tracii Guns[1] The band's classic lineup was finalized on June 4, 1985 when Adler and Slash officially joined.[12] After two days of rehearsals, the band played their first show with the lineup on June 6, 1985.[12] Two days later, the band embarked on a short, disorganized tour of the West Coast, from Sacramento, California, to McKagan's hometown of Seattle, Washington.[13][14] The band drove in a separate van and had to abandon their gear when both vans broke down on the way to Seattle, forcing them to hitch-hike up the coast and back home to LA with only their guitars.[15][16] The so-called Hell Tour settled the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting, This trip had set a new benchmark for what we were capable of, what we could and would put ourselves through to achieve our goals as a band.[13] Through the band's increasing presence on the Hollywood club scene – playing famed bars such as The Troubadour and The Roxy – Guns N' Roses drew the attention of major record labels.[5][17] The group signed with Geffen Records in March 1986, receiving a $75,000 advance.[5] They had turned down an offer from Chrysalis Records that was nearly double Geffen's, due to Chrysalis wanting to change the band's image and sound and Geffen offering full artistic freedom.[18] Guns N' Roses classic lineup, from left to right, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, & Slash. In December of that year, the group released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, designed to keep interest in the band alive while the group withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio.[19][20] The EP release was designed to sooth over the label, who felt the band didn't have enough songs to record an album.[21] The EP contained covers of Rose Tattoo's Nice Boys and Aerosmith's Mama Kin, along with two original compositions: the punk-influenced Reckless Life and the classic rock-inspired Move to the City. Although billed as a live recording, the four songs were taken from the band's demo tapes and overdubbed with crowd noise. Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide was released on the Geffen subsidiary Uzi Suicide, with production limited to 10,000 vinyl copies.[22] Seeking to record their debut album, producer Spencer Proffer was hired to record Nightrain and Sweet Child o' Mine to test his chemistry with the band.[23] The band eventually recorded 9 songs during these sessions, including Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Cry, Welcome to the Jungle and Shadow of Your Love.[23] The band then recorded demos with Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton,[23] (which were released in 2018).[24] Paul Stanley of KISS was considered as producer, but he was rejected after he wanted to change Adler's drum set more than Adler wanted.[23] Robert John Mutt Lange was also considered, but the label didn't want to spend the extra money on a famous producer.[23] Ultimately, Mike Clink (who had produced several Triumph records) was chosen,[25] and the group recorded Shadow of Your Love first with Clink as a test.[23] After some weeks of rehearsal, the band entered Daryl Dragon's Rumbo Recorders in January 1987 to record their debut album.[23] Two weeks were spent recording basic tracks, with a month of overdubs.[26] The drums were done in six days, but Rose's vocals took much longer as he insisted on doing them one line at a time.[27] Breakthrough and mass popularity (1987–1989) Guitarist Slash (left) and lead singer Axl Rose (right) were the band's most public faces during its late 1980s-early 1990s heyday Appetite for Destruction Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction was released July 21, 1987.[28] The album underwent an artwork change after the original cover design by Robert Williams, which depicted a surrealist scene in which a dagger-toothed monster vengefully attacks a robot rapist, was deemed too controversial.[29][30][31] The band stated the original artwork was a symbolic social statement, with the robot representing the industrial system that's raping and polluting our environment.[29] The revised cover was done by Andy Engell, based on a design by tattoo artist Bill White Jr., who had designed the artwork for a tattoo Rose had acquired the previous year.[32] The artwork featured each of the five band members' skulls layered on a cross.[29] The band's first single was It's So Easy, released on June 15, 1987 in the UK only, where it reached number eighty-four on the UK Singles Chart [33] In the U.S., Welcome to the Jungle was issued as the album's first single in October, with an accompanying music video. Initially, the album and single lingered for almost a year without performing well, but when Geffen founder David Geffen was asked to lend support to the band, he obliged, personally convincing MTV executives to play Welcome to the Jungle during the network's after-hours rotation.[34] Even though the video was initially only played once at 4 a.m. on a Sunday, heavy metal and hard rock fans took notice and soon began requesting the video and song en masse.[35] The song, written in Seattle, was about Los Angeles. The music video took place in New York. According to Rose, the inspiration for the lyrics came from an encounter he and a friend had with a homeless man while they were coming out of a bus into New York.[36] Trying to put a scare into the young runaways, the man yelled at them, You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby; you're gonna die![36][37] The song was featured in the 1988 Dirty Harry film The Dead Pool, starring Clint Eastwood, and members of the band had a cameo appearance in the film.[38][39] Guns N' Roses Welcome to the Jungle (1987) Menu 0:00 Sample of Welcome to the Jungle from Appetite for Destruction, the album's opening track and the band's first single in the United States. Problems playing this file? See media help. Sweet Child o' Mine was the album's second U.S. single, a love song co-written by Rose as a poem for his then-girlfriend Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers.[40][41] Due to the growing grassroots success of the band and the cross-gender appeal of the song, Sweet Child o' Mine and its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, becoming a huge hit during the summer of 1988 and reaching the top of the charts in the U.S.[41] Slash later commented, I hated that song with a huge passion for the longest time, and it turned out to be our hugest hit, so it goes to show what I know.[40] The song was released in Japan as part of the EP Live from the Jungle, which also featured a selection of live recordings from the band's June 1987 dates at London's The Marquee, the group's first shows outside the United States.[42][43] The song is the highest charting Guns N' Roses song, and is the band's only song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[44] Steven Adler (left) was the band's drummer from 1985 to 1990, when he was replaced by Matt Sorum (right). Sorum was fired from the band in 1997. After the success of Sweet Child o' Mine, Welcome to the Jungle was re-issued as a single and reached No. 7 in the U.S. By the time Paradise City and its video reached the airwaves, peaking at No. 5 in the U.S., Appetite for Destruction had reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. To date, the album has sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide,[45][46] including 18 million units sold in the United States, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S, in addition to being the eleventh best-selling album in the United States.[47][48][49][50] Guns N' Roses toured extensively in support of their debut album, embarking on the 16-month-long Appetite for Destruction Tour.[51][52] In addition to headlining dates in Europe and the U.S., the band opened North American shows for The Cult, Mötley Crüe, and Alice Cooper throughout the second half of 1987. During the 1987 tour, drummer Steven Adler broke his hand in a fight, and was replaced for 8 shows by Cinderella drummer Fred Coury.[53] Bassist Duff McKagan missed several shows in May 1988 to attend his wedding; Kid Haggis Chaos from The Cult filled in.[54] Don Henley of the Eagles played drums for the band during the 1989 AMA show while Adler was in rehab.[55] The band proceeded to tour the United States, Australia and Japan, while serving as opening acts on North America shows by Iron Maiden and Aerosmith.[56][57] Tim Collins, Aerosmith's then-manager, remarked, By the end of the tour, Guns N' Roses were huge. They basically just exploded. We were all pissed that Rolling Stone Magazine showed up to do a story on Aerosmith, but Guns N' Roses ended up on the cover of the magazine. Suddenly, the opening act was bigger than we were.[58][59] G N' R Lies Izzy Stradlin was the band's rhythm guitarist from 1985 until 1991. Guns N' Roses' second album, G N' R Lies, was released in November 1988.[60] It included the four recordings from the band's 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide as well as four new acoustic tracks.[61] Patience, the only single, reached number 4 in the U.S., while the album reached number 2.[62][63] The album cover, a parody of tabloid newspapers, was modified after initial pressings to remove the headlines Wife-beating has been around for 10,000 years and Ladies, welcome to the dark ages.[64] The song One in a Million raised accusations of racism and homophobia.[65][66][67][68][69] Rose denied that he was a racist and defended his use of the word nigger, claiming that it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word nigger doesn't necessarily mean black. He cited the rap group N.W.A. and the John Lennon song Woman Is the Nigger of the World as other examples of musicians using the word.[70] Several years later, Rose conceded that he had used the word as an insult towards black people who had tried to rob him, and because the word is a taboo.[71] In response to the allegations of homophobia, Rose stated that he considered himself pro-heterosexual and blamed this attitude on bad experiences with gay men.[70][72] During a November 1987 show in Atlanta, Rose assaulted a security guard and was held backstage by police, while the band continued playing with a roadie singing.[73][74] Riots nearly broke out during two August 1988 shows in New York State.[75] At England's Monsters of Rock festival, held that same month, two fans were crushed to death during the group's set by the slam-dancing crowd.[35][76][77] During the first of four October 1989 dates opening for the Rolling Stones at the L.A. Coliseum, Rose announced that the shows would be the group's last if certain members of the band did not stop dancing with Mr. Brownstone, a reference to the band's song of the same name about heroin.[78] Events such as these helped earn Guns N' Roses the moniker the most dangerous band in the world.[78][79] International success and band turmoil (1990–1993) Use Your Illusion I and II Main articles: Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II The band's logo typeface In 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio. Adler was briefly fired over his drug use, but was reinstated after signing a contract in which he vowed to stop taking drugs.[80] During the recording session of Civil War, Adler was unable to perform well due to his struggles with cocaine and heroin addiction, and caused the band to do nearly 30 takes.[81] Adler claimed at the time he was sick from taking opiate blockers to help with the addictions.[81] He was fired on July 11, 1990, as a result, and later filed a lawsuit against the band.[81][82] In 2005, he recalled: Doug Goldstein called me into the office about two weeks later. He wanted me to sign some contracts. I was told that every time I did heroin, the band would fine me $2,000. There was a whole stack of papers, with colored paper clips everywhere for my signatures. What these contracts actually said was that the band were paying me $2,000 to leave. They were taking my royalties, all my writing credits. They didn't like me anymore and just wanted me gone. That's why I filed the lawsuit – to get all those things back.[81] Martin Chambers of the Pretenders and Adam Maples of Sea Hags were considered as replacements.[83] Jussi Tegelman, from local band Havana Black, assisted on drums in studio sessions before a permanent replacement was found.[84][85][86] The position was filled by drummer Matt Sorum, who had played briefly with the Cult.[87] Slash credited Sorum with preventing the band from breaking up at the time.[87] Duff McKagan was the band's bassist from 1985 until 1997, returning in 2016. In response to an interviewer's suggestion that replacing Adler with Sorum had turned Guns N' Roses from a rock 'n' roll band to a heavy metal band, Stradlin responded: Yeah, a big musical difference. The first time I realized what Steve did for the band was when he broke his hand in Michigan So we had Fred Coury come in from Cinderella for the Houston show. Fred played technically good and steady, but the songs sounded just awful. They were written with Steve playing the drums and his sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel. When that was gone, it was just unbelievable, weird. Nothing worked.[88] Guns N' Roses November Rain (1991) Menu 0:00 Sample of November Rain from Use Your Illusion I, the longest song to reach top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.[89][90] Problems playing this file? See media help. A few months prior, keyboardist Dizzy Reed became the sixth member of the group when he joined as a full-time member.[91] Reed was previously bandmates with Sorum in Johnny Crash.[92] Guns N' Roses band fired its manager, Alan Niven, replacing him with Doug Goldstein in May 1991.[93] According to a 1991 cover story by Rolling Stone, Rose forced the dismissal of Niven against the wishes of some of his bandmates by refusing to complete the albums until he was replaced.[93] The band released the recordings as two albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, on September 17, 1991.[94][95] The tactic paid off when the albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 respectively in the Billboard charts, making Guns N' Roses the only act to achieve this feat until hip hop artist Nelly in 2004.[96][97] The albums sold 770,000 units (Use Your Illusion II) and 685,000 units (Use Your Illusion I) in their first week,[98] and spent 108 weeks on the chart.[96] They have sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide,[99] including 14 million in the United States.[47] Guns N' Roses accompanied the Use Your Illusion albums with many videos, including Don't Cry, November Rain and Estranged, some the most expensive music videos ever made. The ballad November Rain reached number 3 in the US and became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning the 1992 MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. At 8.57, it is also the longest song in US chart history to reach the top ten. During the awards show, the band performed the song with Elton John accompanying on piano.[100] Use Your Illusion Tour Main article: Use Your Illusion Tour Before the release of the albums, Guns N' Roses embarked on the 28-month-long Use Your Illusion Tour. It became famous for both its financial success and the many controversial incidents that occurred at the shows. The tour had 192 dates in 27 countries, with over seven million people attending concerts.[101] It is considered the longest tour in rock history.[101] The Use Your Illusion World Tour program included a guitar solo from Slash based on The Godfather theme, a piano-driven cover of It's Alright by Black Sabbath, and an extended jam on the classic rock-inspired Move to the City, where the group showcased the ensemble of musicians assembled for the tour.[102] On July 2, 1991, at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri, outside the city of St Louis, Rose discovered that a fan was filming the show with a camera. After asking the venue's security to take away the camera, Rose jumped into the audience, had a heated confrontation with the fan, and assaulted him. After being pulled from the audience by members of the crew, Rose said, Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!, threw his microphone to the ground and stormed off the stage. The angry crowd rioted, injuring dozens. Footage was captured by Robert John, who was documenting the tour. The police were unable to arrest Rose until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose, but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot. In his defense, Rose stated that the Guns N' Roses security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove the camera, which were ignored, and that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles launched from the audience, while the security staff refused to enforce a drinking limit.[103] As a result, Use Your Illusion's liner notes featured a hidden message amidst the Thank You section: Fuck You, St. Louis![104] Dizzy Reed joined the band as keyboardist in 1990. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin abruptly quit the band on November 7, 1991, after a repeat of the St. Louis incident nearly unfolded during a concert in Germany.[105][106] Stradlin cited a combination of Rose's personal behavior, his mismanagement of the band, and difficulties being around Slash, Sorum, and McKagan due to his newfound sobriety and their continuing addictions.[106][107][108] Stradlin later commented, Once I quit drugs, I couldn't help looking around and asking myself, 'Is this all there is?' I was just tired of it; I needed to get out.[109] The band had three weeks to find a replacement or cancel several shows. Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction was considered, but according to Slash he couldn't get it together.[110] Stradlin was eventually replaced by Los Angeles guitarist Gilby Clarke, whom Slash credited for saving the band.[111] At many shows on the tour, Rose introduced Clarke to the audience, and Slash and Clarke would play Wild Horses, a Rolling Stones cover.[110] In late 1991, the band added a touring ensemble, including a horn section and backing vocalists.[112] In 1993, Clarke broke his arm in a motorcycle accident during the tour, and was replaced for several weeks by Stradlin.[113] In 1992, the band performed three songs at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.[114] Because of the controversial song One in a Million, activist group ACT UP demanded that the band be dropped from the bill and urged other artists to shun the group and the crowd to boo it.[114] Members of Queen dismissed the activists, with lead guitarist Brian May stating: People seem so blind. Don't they realize that the mere fact that Guns N' Roses are here is the biggest statement that you could get?[114] Slash later performed Tie Your Mother Down with the remaining members of Queen and Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott, while Rose performed We Will Rock You and sang a duet with Elton John on Bohemian Rhapsody.[115] Their personal set included Paradise City and Knockin' on Heaven's Door. When the band returned to the US for the second leg of the Use Your Illusion Tour, they were supported by May and the Brian May Band.[116] Rose had wanted the grunge band Nirvana as the support act, but lead singer Kurt Cobain declined.[117] Later that year, Guns N' Roses embarked on the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour with heavy metal band Metallica, supported by Faith No More, Motörhead, and Body Count. During a show in August 1992 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, Metallica's lead singer James Hetfield suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face after malfunctions with pyrotechnics.[118] Metallica was forced to cancel the second hour of the show, but promised to return to the city for another performance. After a long delay, during which the audience became increasingly restless, Guns N' Roses took the stage. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors and the band members could not hear themselves. In addition, Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early.[119] The cancellation led to another audience riot, in which 10 audience members and three police officers were injured. Police made at least a dozen arrests related to the incident.[120] The pyrotechnics incident and riot can be seen on video in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica.[121] In a segment on the video, Hetfield mocked Rose and read his personal tour rider, making fun of various items on the list.[121] Rose responded by addressing the crowd during a later concert, labeling Hetfield a racist for his decision to pull Body Count from the tour, called him a stupid little cocksucker, and denigrated the rest of the band.[121] On VH1's Behind the Music documentary about Metallica, Hetfield stated that We couldn't relate to Axl and his attitude. Other members of Metallica and Rose stated that the groups were not friendly.[122] External image Guns N' Roses receiving an MTV Video Music Award in 1992. From left to right: Duff McKagan, Gilby Clarke, Axl Rose, Slash, Dizzy Reed, Matt Sorum In mid-1993, former drummer Steven Adler's lawsuit was settled out of court; Adler received a back-payment check of $2,250,000 and 15% royalties for songs he recorded.[123][124] The Use Your Illusion tour ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17, 1993. The tour set attendance records and lasted for 28 months, in which 194 shows were played. The show in Buenos Aires marked the last time that Sorum and Clarke played in the band, and the last time Slash performed with the band until 2016.[125] The Spaghetti Incident? Main article: The Spaghetti Incident? Gilby Clarke replaced Izzy Stradlin as rhythm guitarist, playing from 1991 to 1994. Lineup changes and sporadic activity (1994–1999) Between 1994 and 1996, the band sporadically recorded new material. Slash stated that most of this was written by Rose,[138] but in 2008, Rose wrote on the band's website that Rose was allowed very little input.[139] According to Matt Sorum, in 1996, the band had recorded seven songs, with seven more in the writing stages, and intended to release a single album with 10 or 12 songs in spring 1997.[140] Sorum said that It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, the debut album from Slash's band Slash's Snakepit, could have been a Guns N' Roses album, but Axl didn't think it was good enough.[140] We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped. —Axl Rose[141] In May 1994, Gilby Clarke said work on the next Guns N' Roses album had ended.[142] He described the incomplete album as not as sophisticated as Illusion, but not as wild as Appetite.[140] It was described by McKagan as consisting of up-tempo rock songs with no ballads.[143] In 2002, Rose said the guitar work Slash had recorded was the best playing [he's] done at least since Illusions.[144] Rose said the material was scrapped due to the lack of collaboration between band members.[141] He told USA Today in 2012 that he did not write any music for years in the mid-1990s because of criticism from Slash, McKagan, and ex-fiancee Stephanie Seymour.[145] In January 1994, Rose inducted Elton John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and that night performed a duet with Bruce Springsteen on a cover of the Beatles' Come Together.[146] It was Rose's final public performance for six years.[146] Also in 1994, all of the members of the band at the time contributed to Gilby Clarke's debut album, Pawnshop Guitars.[147] In December 1994, GN'R released a cover of the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil.[148] The song appeared in the films Interview with the Vampire and Fallen and was released as a single. Entertainment Weekly stated that the 'note-for-note remake works up a decent lather but seems utterly bankrupt'.[149] It is the final GN'R track to feature Slash on lead guitar, McKagan on bass, and Sorum on drums. The song also featured Rose's childhood friend and Hollywood Rose collaborator Paul Huge Tobias on rhythm guitar.[148] Tobias's presence on the track and in the band created tension; reportedly Slash had 'creative and personal differences' with Tobias.[150] A 2001 interview revealed Slash told his bandmates in September 1996, I'm going to confront it. Either Paul goes, or [I go].[151] The music was going in a direction that was completely indulgent to his friend [Huge] And another factor is this guy that Axl brought in and told us, 'This is our new guitar player' There was no democracy there. And that's when Slash really started going, 'Fuck this. What, this is his band now? or something?' It was ridiculous. I'd go down there to start rehearsal at 10, and Axl would show up at four or five in the morning. That sort of thing was going on for a couple of years. — Duff McKagan[152] Guitarist Zakk Wylde played with the band for several weeks and was considered as a potential second guitarist in 1995. Gilby Clarke's contract was not renewed and he was gone from the band by 1995.[148] Slash stated in his book that Rose fired Clarke without consulting anyone, claiming he was a hired hand.[153] Clarke was not involved in the recording of 'Sympathy for the Devil': I knew that that was the ending because nobody told me about it. Officially I was in the band at that time, and they did that song without me.[154] Clarke mentioned that before the final show of the Use Your Illusion Tour, Rose told him Hey, enjoy your last show.[154] Clarke later sued the band over the use of his likeness in Guns N' Roses Pinball.[155] In 1996, Rose, Slash, McKagan, and former member Izzy Stradlin guested on Anxious Disease, the debut album by The Outpatience, featuring GN'R collaborator West Arkeen.[156] The recording of Sympathy for the Devil, coupled with tension between Slash and Rose, led the former to quit the band officially in October 1996.[157] Rose sent a fax notifying MTV of the departure, and Slash responded: Axl and I have not been capable of seeing eye to eye on Guns N' Roses for some time. We tried to collaborate, but at this point, I'm no longer in the band.[158] Slash stated, Axl's whole visionary style, as far as his input in Guns N' Roses, is completely different from mine. I just like to play guitar, write a good riff, go out there and play, as opposed to presenting an image.[159] Slash was replaced by Nine Inch Nails touring guitarist Robin Finck in January 1997. He signed a two-year contract with the band in August 1997, making him an official member.[160] Finck was originally recommended by Matt Sorum to Rose a year earlier as a possible second guitarist to complement Slash.[151] Slash's departure was followed shortly thereafter by Matt Sorum in April 1997, who was fired by Rose after getting in an argument about Tobias's inclusion in the band.[161] Sorum later stated Tobias was the Yoko Ono of Guns N' Roses.[151] McKagan was the last of the Appetite lineup to leave, resigning as bassist in August 1997.[162] McKagan had recently become a father and wrote about his decision to leave in his autobiography: Guns had been paying rent on studios for three years now—from 1994 to 1997—and still did not have a single song. The whole operation was so erratic that it didn't seem to fit with my hopes for parenthood, for stability.[162] An actual break-up of Guns N' Roses never occurred, as new members were brought in as the old ones left. Rose reportedly purchased the full rights to the Guns N' Roses name in 1997.[159][163] Slash claimed he and bandmates signed over the name under duress: Axl refused to go onstage one night during the Use Your Illusion tour in 1992 unless the band signed away the name rights to the band. Unfortunately, we signed it. I didn't think he'd go on stage otherwise.[164] Rose denied the claim, saying (it) Never happened, all made up, fallacy and fantasy. Not one single solitary thread of truth to it. Had that been the case I would have been cremated years ago legally, could've cleaned me out for the name and damages. It's called under duress with extenuating circumstances.[164] Rose auditioned multiple potential members, including Chris Vrenna, Zakk Wylde, Dave Abbruzzese, Michael Bland, Joey Castillo and Failure drummer Kelli Scott.[36][165][166][167][168][169][170] Rolling Stone reported in April 1997 that the lineup of Guns N' Roses was Rose, McKagan, Tobias, Finck & Vrenna.[171] Dizzy Reed's roommate and friend Sean Riggs participated with the group as a studio drummer sporadically during these years, receiving writing credits on Oh My God.[172][173] Josh Freese was ultimately hired to replace Sorum on drums, joining in the summer of 1997.[174] After being recommended by Freese, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson joined in 1998, replacing McKagan. [175] By the end of 1998, a new version of Guns N' Roses had emerged: Rose, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Josh Freese, lead guitarist Robin Finck, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Pitman. Geffen released an edited single disc version of the Illusion albums in 1998, entitled Use Your Illusion.[176] In November 1999, the label released Live Era '87–'93, a collection of live performances from various concerts during the Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours.[177] Former guitarist Slash described the selection of songs of the album as a very mutual effort,[178] further adding the live album was one of the easiest projects we all worked on. I didn't actually see Axl, but we communicated via the powers that be.[179] Tommy Stinson, Chris Pitman, Bryan Brain Mantia, Robin Finck & Josh Freese all joined the band in the late 1990s. New lineups and Chinese Democracy (1999–2008) Main articles: Chinese Democracy and Chinese Democracy Tour Background of new album A new Guns N' Roses album had reportedly been in the works since 1994, with Rose the only original member still in the band.[180] 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.[181][182] Mike Clink, who had previously produced every Guns N' Roses album, was also attached to produce in May 1997.[160] In April 1998, Moby was replaced by Youth, and the album was still in the writing stages.[183] In July 1998, journalist Neil Strauss indicated that an 'electronica influenced' album by a new Guns N' Roses lineup was due in 1999.[184] Rolling Stone stated that the label planned for the album to be released in late 1999.[185] By August 1999, the band had recorded over 30 songs for the album, tentatively titled 2000 Intentions.[186] September 1999 saw Youth being replaced by producer Sean Beaven, known for his work with several industrial bands.[185] 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.[187] 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.[187] 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.[188] 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.[189] The track featured additional guitar work by Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine, Rose's personal guitar teacher.[190] 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.[190] Buckethead was the band's lead guitarist from 2000 to 2004, while Richard Fortus joined on rhythm guitar in 2002. In August 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, on tour.[191] In March 2000, avant-garde guitarist Brian Carroll, more commonly referred to as Buckethead, joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Finck.[192][193] Also in March 2000, drummer Josh Freese left the band, being replaced with Bryan Brain Mantia (formerly of Primus).[193][194] 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.[195] Queen guitarist Brian May and former Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker worked with the band in 2000.[196] With the album nearing completion in mid-2000, Baker convinced Rose to re-record the entire album, causing further delays.[197] Title announcement and touring, tour cancellation and member departures 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.[136] 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.[136] Rolling Stone described the album as Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti remixed by Beck and Trent Reznor.[136] 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.[136] 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.[136][160][185] The album had been completely re-recorded several times with varying musicians and producers.[180] 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.[198] 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.[136] 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.[136] Rose also described the dissolution as a divorce.[136] Jim Barber, a former A&R executive with 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.[199] 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 Rio Festival in Rio de Janeiro.[180] 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.[200][201] External image Rose and Buckethead during Guns N' Roses's performance at Pukkelpop 2002 The group played a further two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001.[202] Former guitarist Slash claimed that he tried to attend a show and was turned away at the door by security.[203] Due to his frustrations with touring, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias left the band in 2002 and was replaced by Richard Fortus (formerly of The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love).[204] Fortus is good friends with and had previously collaborated with bassist Tommy Stinson, who recommended him for the position.[205] Producer Roy Thomas Baker was fired in February 2002.[206] Drudge Report reported in June 2002 that Chinese Democracy was scheduled for a September 2, 2002 release.[207] 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.[208][209] 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.[180][210] 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.[211] According to Guns' management, Axl's flight from L.A. had been delayed by mechanical troubles.[211] A riot ensued.[211] 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.[212] 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.[211][213] 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.[214] Rose then apologized to the city of Philadelphia when playing there in 2012, adding I'm not saying I'm innocent.[215] Guns N' Roses tour canceled. Typical. And freakishly expected. Haha. Really bad idea. I wouldn't suggest they come back. —Opening band CKY[213] The band went on hiatus in 2003. While on hiatus on September 1, 2004, baseball player Mike Piazza leaked a previously unheard track, I.R.S. on the Eddie Trunk radio show.[216] The band management heard about the nationwide leak, and obtained a cease and desist order for all stations that had a copy of the track. The band's hiatus continued until it was scheduled to play at Rock in Rio Lisboa in May 2004.[217] However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing the band to cancel.[218][219] Buckethead reportedly left the band because of the inability to complete an album or tour, according to his manager.[219] 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.[218] Greatest Hits and label conflict, lawsuits 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.[180][220] Slash and McKagan joined Rose in suing Geffen to stop the release of the album, which was compiled without authorization from any current or former band members.[221][222] 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.[220][223] McKagan and Slash also joined Rose in an unsuccessful effort to prevent the release of The Roots of Guns N' Roses.[224] 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.[180] Around then, manager Merck Mercuriadis stated that The 'Chinese Democracy' album is very close to being completed.[180] According to a 2005 report by The New York Times, Rose had allegedly spent $13 million in the studio by that point.[180][225] 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.[226] The $13 million makes the album the most expensive rock album ever produced.[227][228][229] 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.[230][231] The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files and all lyrics to the songs be removed from forums and websites.[232] 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.[233] 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.[180][234][235] Lineup changes and resuming tour 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.[236] After sending demos and jamming with the band, Thal officially joined Guns N' Roses in 2006, replacing Buckethead.[237][238] 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.[239] Five warm-up shows before a North American tour were held in September 2006.[240] The tour officially commenced on October 24 in Miami.[241] Drummer Frank Ferrer replaced Bryan Mantia, who took a leave of absence to be with his wife and newborn child.[242] 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.[241] 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.[243] The ad with Better was mislabeled and inadvertently uploaded online for a day before being replaced by the intended ad with Paradise City.[243] That same month, Rolling Stone published an article revealing that Andy Wallace would be mixing the final album.[244] In November 2006 shows in Portland, Maine, were cancelled, with the band claiming it was due to limitations imposed by local fire marshals.[245] 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.[214] In December 2006, Rose released an open letter to fans announcing that Merck Mercuriadis had been fired as the band's manager.[246] 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.[246] He also set a tentative release date for the album for the first time since the album's announcement: March 6, 2007.[246] On February 23, 2007, Del James announced 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.[247] However, this proved that March 6 release date would be impossible to achieve, and the album once again had no scheduled release date.[248][249] 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.[250] He was talking to me about it. He was talking about finishing liner notes.[250] 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.[250] Also in February 2007, the 'final' version of Better leaked online to positive reviews.[248][251] On May 4, 2007, three more tracks leaked from Chinese Democracy; an updated version of I.R.S., The Blues and the title track.[248][252] 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.[253] 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.[254] 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. Album release and promotion Drummer Frank Ferrer joined the band in 2006. Rumors arose that Chinese Democracy had 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.[255] 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.[256] 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.[257] On March 26, 2008, Dr Pepper announced 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.[258][259][260] 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.[261][262][263] 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.[264] However, due to heavy volume on the server throughout the entire day, it was impossible to submit for a free coupon.[265] Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy (2008) Menu 0:00 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.[266] The band later condemned Dr. Pepper for the failed promotion.[267] 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.[268] 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.[269][270] 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.[271] 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.[272][273] 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.[273][274] On July 14, 2008, Harmonix, in conjunction with MTV Games, officially announced the release of a new song from Chinese Democracy, called Shackler's Revenge, through the new game Rock Band 2.[275] The entire album was eventually added to the game as DLC in April 2009.[276] The song If the World debuted October 10, 2008, playing in the end credits of the Ridley Scott film Body of Lies.[277] Wikinews has related news: Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy' released after 15 years 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.[278][279] 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.[280][281] Several days before its official release, the band streamed the entire Chinese Democracy album on the group's Myspace page.[282][283][284] The album was streamed over three million times, breaking the Myspace record for most streamed album ever.[285] 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.[278] The album had an estimated $14 million in production costs, making it the most expensive rock album to ever be produced in music history.[227][228][229] It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 but undersold industry expectations, despite generally positive critical reception.[286] Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and Appetite for Democracy (2009–2014) 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.[187] In an informal chat with Rolling Stone magazine in February 2006, Rose stated the band had 32 songs in the works.[287] 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).[288] 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.[271] 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.[289] Bach also remarked that Chinese Democracy would 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.[289] 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.[290] Former drummer Bryan Mantia mentioned working on a 'club remix' of Shackler's Revenge, stating that Rose planned to put out a remix album of songs from Chinese Democracy.[242] 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.[291] On April 20, 2011, Ashba said in an interview at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards that Guns N' Roses have been working on new songs every day.[292] In an interview with 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'.[293] Guns N' Roses playing the Sofia Rocks Fest 2012 in Bulgaria. On February 6, 2009, Rose gave his first interview in nine years when he sat down with Billboard's Jonathan Cohen.[294] 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.[294] 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.[294] 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.[295] 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.[296][297][298] Ashba had previously played with former drummer Steven Adler in BulletBoys in 1998.[299][300] In June 2009, it was reported that manager Irving Azoff had been 'fired, then re-hired, then fired'.[301] 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.[302][303][304] Rose filed a $5 million counter-lawsuit against Az
Autographed in person by W. Axl Rose, Slash & Duff McKagen We Offer a 100% Guarantee Of Authenticity, and all items come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We work exclusively with Collectors and Third Party Authenticators to ensure that every item is absolutely authentic. We want you to know that unlike most Autograph Dealers, all sales are not final here. You can return any item for any reason for up to 30 days, and authenticity is guaranteed for life! All reasonable offers will be considered. Guns N' Roses, often abbreviated as GNR, is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Melissa Reese. Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987), reached number one on the Billboard 200 a year after its release, on the strength of the Top 10 singles Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, and Sweet Child o' Mine, the band's only single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide, including 18 million units in the United States, making it the country's bestselling debut album and eleventh-bestselling album. Their next studio album, G N' R Lies (1988), reached number two on the Billboard 200, sold ten million copies worldwide (including five million in the U.S.), and included the Top 5 hit Patience. Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, recorded simultaneously and released in 1991, debuted at number two and number one on the Billboard 200 respectively and have sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide, including 14 million units in the United States. The Illusion albums included the lead single You Could Be Mine (also featured in the film soundtrack for Terminator 2), covers of Live and Let Die and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, and a trilogy of ballads (Don't Cry, November Rain, and Estranged), which featured notably high-budget music videos. The Illusion records were also supported by the extensive Use Your Illusion Tour, a world tour that lasted from 1991-1993. The Spaghetti Incident? (1993), an album of covers, was the band's last studio album to feature Slash and McKagan before their initial departure. Work on a follow up album stalled due to creative differences between band members; by 1998 only Rose and Reed remained from the Illusion-era lineup. After a more than a decade of work and several lineup changes, Guns N' Roses's long-awaited sixth studio album Chinese Democracy (2008), was released. At an estimated $14 million in production costs, it is the most expensive rock album in history. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, but undersold industry expectations despite mostly positive critical reception. Slash and McKagan rejoined the band in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime Tour, which became the second-highest-grossing concert tour on record, grossing over $562 million by December 2018. In their early years, the band's hedonism and rebelliousness drew comparisons to the early Rolling Stones and earned them the nickname the most dangerous band in the world. The band's classic lineup, along with later members Reed and drummer Matt Sorum, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, its first year of eligibility. Guns N' Roses have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 45 million in the United States, making them the 41st-bestselling artist in history. Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation (1985–1986) 1.2 Breakthrough and mass popularity (1987–1989) 1.2.1 Appetite for Destruction 1.2.2 G N' R Lies 1.3 International success and band turmoil (1990–1993) 1.3.1 Use Your Illusion I and II 1.3.2 Use Your Illusion Tour 1.3.3 The Spaghetti Incident? 1.4 Lineup changes and sporadic activity (1994–1999) 1.5 New lineups and Chinese Democracy (1999–2008) 1.5.1 Background of new album 1.5.2 Title announcement and touring, tour cancellation and member departures 1.5.3 Greatest Hits and label conflict, lawsuits 1.5.4 Lineup changes and resuming tour 1.5.5 Album release and promotion 1.6 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and Appetite for Democracy (2009–2014) 1.6.1 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction 1.6.2 Up Close and Personal and Appetite for Democracy tours 1.6.3 Progress on a follow up to Chinese Democracy 1.7 Slash and McKagan rejoin, tour, and future (2015–present) 1.7.1 Not In This Lifetime Tour 1.7.2 Appetite for Destruction remaster 1.7.3 Future 2 Legacy, style, influence, and criticism 3 Personnel 3.1 Current members 3.2 Former members 4 Awards 5 Discography 5.1 Studio albums 6 Tours 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links History Formation (1985–1986) Main articles: Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns The original lineup of Guns N' Roses in March 1985. From left to right: Rob Gardner, Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose, Tracii Guns and Ole Beich. In 1984, Hollywood Rose member Izzy Stradlin was living with L.A. Guns member Tracii Guns.[1][2] When L.A. Guns needed a new vocalist, Stradlin suggested Hollywood Rose singer Axl Rose.[1] Months later, Guns N' Roses was formed in March 1985 by Rose, rhythm guitarist Stradlin, along with L.A. Guns founders lead guitarist Guns, drummer Rob Gardner and bassist Ole Beich.[3] Guns recalled the formation of the band in a 2019 interview, stating: Axl got into an argument with our manager and our manager fired Axl but we all lived together so it was all really weird. So, that same night he got fired we started Guns N’ Roses and I called Izzy the next day and said 'Hey, we are gonna start this new band called Guns N’ Roses, do you want in?” It was as simple as that, no paint or cocaine involved.[4] The band coined its name by combining the names of both previous groups, initially it was the name of a label they were going to release music on.[4] Rejected names for the band included Heads of and AIDS.[5] Their first show, promoted as L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose presents Guns N Roses, was on March 26, 1985.[6] After this show, Beich was fired and replaced by Duff McKagan.[7] Around this time, the band planned to release an EP with Don't Cry, a cover of Heartbreak Hotel, Think About You and Anything Goes; the band demoed the songs during their first radio interview.[8] However, plans for the release fell through, as Guns left the band after an argument with Rose leading to his replacement by Rose and Stradlin's one-time Hollywood Rose bandmate, Slash.[1] Gardner quit soon after and was replaced by another former Hollywood Rose member, Steven Adler.[9][10] Slash had also previously played with McKagan and Adler in Road Crew.[10][11] We had a singer (Mike Jagosz) that our manager didn't like, so we fired him. So then I asked Axl to join L.A. Guns and he was in the band for about six, seven months. The same manager ended up hating Axl and he wanted to fire him. We're all living together at this point and Axl and I sat down and went 'What are we going to do?' So we both said 'Fuck that', and came up with the name Guns N' Roses, which was going to be just a record label that we'd put singles out on. —Original guitarist Tracii Guns[1] The band's classic lineup was finalized on June 4, 1985 when Adler and Slash officially joined.[12] After two days of rehearsals, the band played their first show with the lineup on June 6, 1985.[12] Two days later, the band embarked on a short, disorganized tour of the West Coast, from Sacramento, California, to McKagan's hometown of Seattle, Washington.[13][14] The band drove in a separate van and had to abandon their gear when both vans broke down on the way to Seattle, forcing them to hitch-hike up the coast and back home to LA with only their guitars.[15][16] The so-called Hell Tour settled the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting, This trip had set a new benchmark for what we were capable of, what we could and would put ourselves through to achieve our goals as a band.[13] Through the band's increasing presence on the Hollywood club scene – playing famed bars such as The Troubadour and The Roxy – Guns N' Roses drew the attention of major record labels.[5][17] The group signed with Geffen Records in March 1986, receiving a $75,000 advance.[5] They had turned down an offer from Chrysalis Records that was nearly double Geffen's, due to Chrysalis wanting to change the band's image and sound and Geffen offering full artistic freedom.[18] Guns N' Roses classic lineup, from left to right, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, & Slash. In December of that year, the group released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, designed to keep interest in the band alive while the group withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio.[19][20] The EP release was designed to sooth over the label, who felt the band didn't have enough songs to record an album.[21] The EP contained covers of Rose Tattoo's Nice Boys and Aerosmith's Mama Kin, along with two original compositions: the punk-influenced Reckless Life and the classic rock-inspired Move to the City. Although billed as a live recording, the four songs were taken from the band's demo tapes and overdubbed with crowd noise. Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide was released on the Geffen subsidiary Uzi Suicide, with production limited to 10,000 vinyl copies.[22] Seeking to record their debut album, producer Spencer Proffer was hired to record Nightrain and Sweet Child o' Mine to test his chemistry with the band.[23] The band eventually recorded 9 songs during these sessions, including Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Cry, Welcome to the Jungle and Shadow of Your Love.[23] The band then recorded demos with Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton,[23] (which were released in 2018).[24] Paul Stanley of KISS was considered as producer, but he was rejected after he wanted to change Adler's drum set more than Adler wanted.[23] Robert John Mutt Lange was also considered, but the label didn't want to spend the extra money on a famous producer.[23] Ultimately, Mike Clink (who had produced several Triumph records) was chosen,[25] and the group recorded Shadow of Your Love first with Clink as a test.[23] After some weeks of rehearsal, the band entered Daryl Dragon's Rumbo Recorders in January 1987 to record their debut album.[23] Two weeks were spent recording basic tracks, with a month of overdubs.[26] The drums were done in six days, but Rose's vocals took much longer as he insisted on doing them one line at a time.[27] Breakthrough and mass popularity (1987–1989) Guitarist Slash (left) and lead singer Axl Rose (right) were the band's most public faces during its late 1980s-early 1990s heyday Appetite for Destruction Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction was released July 21, 1987.[28] The album underwent an artwork change after the original cover design by Robert Williams, which depicted a surrealist scene in which a dagger-toothed monster vengefully attacks a robot rapist, was deemed too controversial.[29][30][31] The band stated the original artwork was a symbolic social statement, with the robot representing the industrial system that's raping and polluting our environment.[29] The revised cover was done by Andy Engell, based on a design by tattoo artist Bill White Jr., who had designed the artwork for a tattoo Rose had acquired the previous year.[32] The artwork featured each of the five band members' skulls layered on a cross.[29] The band's first single was It's So Easy, released on June 15, 1987 in the UK only, where it reached number eighty-four on the UK Singles Chart [33] In the U.S., Welcome to the Jungle was issued as the album's first single in October, with an accompanying music video. Initially, the album and single lingered for almost a year without performing well, but when Geffen founder David Geffen was asked to lend support to the band, he obliged, personally convincing MTV executives to play Welcome to the Jungle during the network's after-hours rotation.[34] Even though the video was initially only played once at 4 a.m. on a Sunday, heavy metal and hard rock fans took notice and soon began requesting the video and song en masse.[35] The song, written in Seattle, was about Los Angeles. The music video took place in New York. According to Rose, the inspiration for the lyrics came from an encounter he and a friend had with a homeless man while they were coming out of a bus into New York.[36] Trying to put a scare into the young runaways, the man yelled at them, You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby; you're gonna die![36][37] The song was featured in the 1988 Dirty Harry film The Dead Pool, starring Clint Eastwood, and members of the band had a cameo appearance in the film.[38][39] Guns N' Roses Welcome to the Jungle (1987) Menu 0:00 Sample of Welcome to the Jungle from Appetite for Destruction, the album's opening track and the band's first single in the United States. Problems playing this file? See media help. Sweet Child o' Mine was the album's second U.S. single, a love song co-written by Rose as a poem for his then-girlfriend Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers.[40][41] Due to the growing grassroots success of the band and the cross-gender appeal of the song, Sweet Child o' Mine and its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, becoming a huge hit during the summer of 1988 and reaching the top of the charts in the U.S.[41] Slash later commented, I hated that song with a huge passion for the longest time, and it turned out to be our hugest hit, so it goes to show what I know.[40] The song was released in Japan as part of the EP Live from the Jungle, which also featured a selection of live recordings from the band's June 1987 dates at London's The Marquee, the group's first shows outside the United States.[42][43] The song is the highest charting Guns N' Roses song, and is the band's only song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[44] Steven Adler (left) was the band's drummer from 1985 to 1990, when he was replaced by Matt Sorum (right). Sorum was fired from the band in 1997. After the success of Sweet Child o' Mine, Welcome to the Jungle was re-issued as a single and reached No. 7 in the U.S. By the time Paradise City and its video reached the airwaves, peaking at No. 5 in the U.S., Appetite for Destruction had reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. To date, the album has sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide,[45][46] including 18 million units sold in the United States, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S, in addition to being the eleventh best-selling album in the United States.[47][48][49][50] Guns N' Roses toured extensively in support of their debut album, embarking on the 16-month-long Appetite for Destruction Tour.[51][52] In addition to headlining dates in Europe and the U.S., the band opened North American shows for The Cult, Mötley Crüe, and Alice Cooper throughout the second half of 1987. During the 1987 tour, drummer Steven Adler broke his hand in a fight, and was replaced for 8 shows by Cinderella drummer Fred Coury.[53] Bassist Duff McKagan missed several shows in May 1988 to attend his wedding; Kid Haggis Chaos from The Cult filled in.[54] Don Henley of the Eagles played drums for the band during the 1989 AMA show while Adler was in rehab.[55] The band proceeded to tour the United States, Australia and Japan, while serving as opening acts on North America shows by Iron Maiden and Aerosmith.[56][57] Tim Collins, Aerosmith's then-manager, remarked, By the end of the tour, Guns N' Roses were huge. They basically just exploded. We were all pissed that Rolling Stone Magazine showed up to do a story on Aerosmith, but Guns N' Roses ended up on the cover of the magazine. Suddenly, the opening act was bigger than we were.[58][59] G N' R Lies Izzy Stradlin was the band's rhythm guitarist from 1985 until 1991. Guns N' Roses' second album, G N' R Lies, was released in November 1988.[60] It included the four recordings from the band's 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide as well as four new acoustic tracks.[61] Patience, the only single, reached number 4 in the U.S., while the album reached number 2.[62][63] The album cover, a parody of tabloid newspapers, was modified after initial pressings to remove the headlines Wife-beating has been around for 10,000 years and Ladies, welcome to the dark ages.[64] The song One in a Million raised accusations of racism and homophobia.[65][66][67][68][69] Rose denied that he was a racist and defended his use of the word nigger, claiming that it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word nigger doesn't necessarily mean black. He cited the rap group N.W.A. and the John Lennon song Woman Is the Nigger of the World as other examples of musicians using the word.[70] Several years later, Rose conceded that he had used the word as an insult towards black people who had tried to rob him, and because the word is a taboo.[71] In response to the allegations of homophobia, Rose stated that he considered himself pro-heterosexual and blamed this attitude on bad experiences with gay men.[70][72] During a November 1987 show in Atlanta, Rose assaulted a security guard and was held backstage by police, while the band continued playing with a roadie singing.[73][74] Riots nearly broke out during two August 1988 shows in New York State.[75] At England's Monsters of Rock festival, held that same month, two fans were crushed to death during the group's set by the slam-dancing crowd.[35][76][77] During the first of four October 1989 dates opening for the Rolling Stones at the L.A. Coliseum, Rose announced that the shows would be the group's last if certain members of the band did not stop dancing with Mr. Brownstone, a reference to the band's song of the same name about heroin.[78] Events such as these helped earn Guns N' Roses the moniker the most dangerous band in the world.[78][79] International success and band turmoil (1990–1993) Use Your Illusion I and II Main articles: Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II The band's logo typeface In 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio. Adler was briefly fired over his drug use, but was reinstated after signing a contract in which he vowed to stop taking drugs.[80] During the recording session of Civil War, Adler was unable to perform well due to his struggles with cocaine and heroin addiction, and caused the band to do nearly 30 takes.[81] Adler claimed at the time he was sick from taking opiate blockers to help with the addictions.[81] He was fired on July 11, 1990, as a result, and later filed a lawsuit against the band.[81][82] In 2005, he recalled: Doug Goldstein called me into the office about two weeks later. He wanted me to sign some contracts. I was told that every time I did heroin, the band would fine me $2,000. There was a whole stack of papers, with colored paper clips everywhere for my signatures. What these contracts actually said was that the band were paying me $2,000 to leave. They were taking my royalties, all my writing credits. They didn't like me anymore and just wanted me gone. That's why I filed the lawsuit – to get all those things back.[81] Martin Chambers of the Pretenders and Adam Maples of Sea Hags were considered as replacements.[83] Jussi Tegelman, from local band Havana Black, assisted on drums in studio sessions before a permanent replacement was found.[84][85][86] The position was filled by drummer Matt Sorum, who had played briefly with the Cult.[87] Slash credited Sorum with preventing the band from breaking up at the time.[87] Duff McKagan was the band's bassist from 1985 until 1997, returning in 2016. In response to an interviewer's suggestion that replacing Adler with Sorum had turned Guns N' Roses from a rock 'n' roll band to a heavy metal band, Stradlin responded: Yeah, a big musical difference. The first time I realized what Steve did for the band was when he broke his hand in Michigan So we had Fred Coury come in from Cinderella for the Houston show. Fred played technically good and steady, but the songs sounded just awful. They were written with Steve playing the drums and his sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel. When that was gone, it was just unbelievable, weird. Nothing worked.[88] Guns N' Roses November Rain (1991) Menu 0:00 Sample of November Rain from Use Your Illusion I, the longest song to reach top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.[89][90] Problems playing this file? See media help. A few months prior, keyboardist Dizzy Reed became the sixth member of the group when he joined as a full-time member.[91] Reed was previously bandmates with Sorum in Johnny Crash.[92] Guns N' Roses band fired its manager, Alan Niven, replacing him with Doug Goldstein in May 1991.[93] According to a 1991 cover story by Rolling Stone, Rose forced the dismissal of Niven against the wishes of some of his bandmates by refusing to complete the albums until he was replaced.[93] The band released the recordings as two albums, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, on September 17, 1991.[94][95] The tactic paid off when the albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 respectively in the Billboard charts, making Guns N' Roses the only act to achieve this feat until hip hop artist Nelly in 2004.[96][97] The albums sold 770,000 units (Use Your Illusion II) and 685,000 units (Use Your Illusion I) in their first week,[98] and spent 108 weeks on the chart.[96] They have sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide,[99] including 14 million in the United States.[47] Guns N' Roses accompanied the Use Your Illusion albums with many videos, including Don't Cry, November Rain and Estranged, some the most expensive music videos ever made. The ballad November Rain reached number 3 in the US and became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning the 1992 MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. At 8.57, it is also the longest song in US chart history to reach the top ten. During the awards show, the band performed the song with Elton John accompanying on piano.[100] Use Your Illusion Tour Main article: Use Your Illusion Tour Before the release of the albums, Guns N' Roses embarked on the 28-month-long Use Your Illusion Tour. It became famous for both its financial success and the many controversial incidents that occurred at the shows. The tour had 192 dates in 27 countries, with over seven million people attending concerts.[101] It is considered the longest tour in rock history.[101] The Use Your Illusion World Tour program included a guitar solo from Slash based on The Godfather theme, a piano-driven cover of It's Alright by Black Sabbath, and an extended jam on the classic rock-inspired Move to the City, where the group showcased the ensemble of musicians assembled for the tour.[102] On July 2, 1991, at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri, outside the city of St Louis, Rose discovered that a fan was filming the show with a camera. After asking the venue's security to take away the camera, Rose jumped into the audience, had a heated confrontation with the fan, and assaulted him. After being pulled from the audience by members of the crew, Rose said, Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!, threw his microphone to the ground and stormed off the stage. The angry crowd rioted, injuring dozens. Footage was captured by Robert John, who was documenting the tour. The police were unable to arrest Rose until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose, but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot. In his defense, Rose stated that the Guns N' Roses security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove the camera, which were ignored, and that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles launched from the audience, while the security staff refused to enforce a drinking limit.[103] As a result, Use Your Illusion's liner notes featured a hidden message amidst the Thank You section: Fuck You, St. Louis![104] Dizzy Reed joined the band as keyboardist in 1990. Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin abruptly quit the band on November 7, 1991, after a repeat of the St. Louis incident nearly unfolded during a concert in Germany.[105][106] Stradlin cited a combination of Rose's personal behavior, his mismanagement of the band, and difficulties being around Slash, Sorum, and McKagan due to his newfound sobriety and their continuing addictions.[106][107][108] Stradlin later commented, Once I quit drugs, I couldn't help looking around and asking myself, 'Is this all there is?' I was just tired of it; I needed to get out.[109] The band had three weeks to find a replacement or cancel several shows. Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction was considered, but according to Slash he couldn't get it together.[110] Stradlin was eventually replaced by Los Angeles guitarist Gilby Clarke, whom Slash credited for saving the band.[111] At many shows on the tour, Rose introduced Clarke to the audience, and Slash and Clarke would play Wild Horses, a Rolling Stones cover.[110] In late 1991, the band added a touring ensemble, including a horn section and backing vocalists.[112] In 1993, Clarke broke his arm in a motorcycle accident during the tour, and was replaced for several weeks by Stradlin.[113] In 1992, the band performed three songs at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.[114] Because of the controversial song One in a Million, activist group ACT UP demanded that the band be dropped from the bill and urged other artists to shun the group and the crowd to boo it.[114] Members of Queen dismissed the activists, with lead guitarist Brian May stating: People seem so blind. Don't they realize that the mere fact that Guns N' Roses are here is the biggest statement that you could get?[114] Slash later performed Tie Your Mother Down with the remaining members of Queen and Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott, while Rose performed We Will Rock You and sang a duet with Elton John on Bohemian Rhapsody.[115] Their personal set included Paradise City and Knockin' on Heaven's Door. When the band returned to the US for the second leg of the Use Your Illusion Tour, they were supported by May and the Brian May Band.[116] Rose had wanted the grunge band Nirvana as the support act, but lead singer Kurt Cobain declined.[117] Later that year, Guns N' Roses embarked on the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour with heavy metal band Metallica, supported by Faith No More, Motörhead, and Body Count. During a show in August 1992 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, Metallica's lead singer James Hetfield suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face after malfunctions with pyrotechnics.[118] Metallica was forced to cancel the second hour of the show, but promised to return to the city for another performance. After a long delay, during which the audience became increasingly restless, Guns N' Roses took the stage. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors and the band members could not hear themselves. In addition, Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early.[119] The cancellation led to another audience riot, in which 10 audience members and three police officers were injured. Police made at least a dozen arrests related to the incident.[120] The pyrotechnics incident and riot can be seen on video in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica.[121] In a segment on the video, Hetfield mocked Rose and read his personal tour rider, making fun of various items on the list.[121] Rose responded by addressing the crowd during a later concert, labeling Hetfield a racist for his decision to pull Body Count from the tour, called him a stupid little cocksucker, and denigrated the rest of the band.[121] On VH1's Behind the Music documentary about Metallica, Hetfield stated that We couldn't relate to Axl and his attitude. Other members of Metallica and Rose stated that the groups were not friendly.[122] External image Guns N' Roses receiving an MTV Video Music Award in 1992. From left to right: Duff McKagan, Gilby Clarke, Axl Rose, Slash, Dizzy Reed, Matt Sorum In mid-1993, former drummer Steven Adler's lawsuit was settled out of court; Adler received a back-payment check of $2,250,000 and 15% royalties for songs he recorded.[123][124] The Use Your Illusion tour ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 17, 1993. The tour set attendance records and lasted for 28 months, in which 194 shows were played. The show in Buenos Aires marked the last time that Sorum and Clarke played in the band, and the last time Slash performed with the band until 2016.[125] The Spaghetti Incident? Main article: The Spaghetti Incident? Gilby Clarke replaced Izzy Stradlin as rhythm guitarist, playing from 1991 to 1994. Lineup changes and sporadic activity (1994–1999) Between 1994 and 1996, the band sporadically recorded new material. Slash stated that most of this was written by Rose,[138] but in 2008, Rose wrote on the band's website that Rose was allowed very little input.[139] According to Matt Sorum, in 1996, the band had recorded seven songs, with seven more in the writing stages, and intended to release a single album with 10 or 12 songs in spring 1997.[140] Sorum said that It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, the debut album from Slash's band Slash's Snakepit, could have been a Guns N' Roses album, but Axl didn't think it was good enough.[140] We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs. Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped. —Axl Rose[141] In May 1994, Gilby Clarke said work on the next Guns N' Roses album had ended.[142] He described the incomplete album as not as sophisticated as Illusion, but not as wild as Appetite.[140] It was described by McKagan as consisting of up-tempo rock songs with no ballads.[143] In 2002, Rose said the guitar work Slash had recorded was the best playing [he's] done at least since Illusions.[144] Rose said the material was scrapped due to the lack of collaboration between band members.[141] He told USA Today in 2012 that he did not write any music for years in the mid-1990s because of criticism from Slash, McKagan, and ex-fiancee Stephanie Seymour.[145] In January 1994, Rose inducted Elton John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and that night performed a duet with Bruce Springsteen on a cover of the Beatles' Come Together.[146] It was Rose's final public performance for six years.[146] Also in 1994, all of the members of the band at the time contributed to Gilby Clarke's debut album, Pawnshop Guitars.[147] In December 1994, GN'R released a cover of the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil.[148] The song appeared in the films Interview with the Vampire and Fallen and was released as a single. Entertainment Weekly stated that the 'note-for-note remake works up a decent lather but seems utterly bankrupt'.[149] It is the final GN'R track to feature Slash on lead guitar, McKagan on bass, and Sorum on drums. The song also featured Rose's childhood friend and Hollywood Rose collaborator Paul Huge Tobias on rhythm guitar.[148] Tobias's presence on the track and in the band created tension; reportedly Slash had 'creative and personal differences' with Tobias.[150] A 2001 interview revealed Slash told his bandmates in September 1996, I'm going to confront it. Either Paul goes, or [I go].[151] The music was going in a direction that was completely indulgent to his friend [Huge] And another factor is this guy that Axl brought in and told us, 'This is our new guitar player' There was no democracy there. And that's when Slash really started going, 'Fuck this. What, this is his band now? or something?' It was ridiculous. I'd go down there to start rehearsal at 10, and Axl would show up at four or five in the morning. That sort of thing was going on for a couple of years. — Duff McKagan[152] Guitarist Zakk Wylde played with the band for several weeks and was considered as a potential second guitarist in 1995. Gilby Clarke's contract was not renewed and he was gone from the band by 1995.[148] Slash stated in his book that Rose fired Clarke without consulting anyone, claiming he was a hired hand.[153] Clarke was not involved in the recording of 'Sympathy for the Devil': I knew that that was the ending because nobody told me about it. Officially I was in the band at that time, and they did that song without me.[154] Clarke mentioned that before the final show of the Use Your Illusion Tour, Rose told him Hey, enjoy your last show.[154] Clarke later sued the band over the use of his likeness in Guns N' Roses Pinball.[155] In 1996, Rose, Slash, McKagan, and former member Izzy Stradlin guested on Anxious Disease, the debut album by The Outpatience, featuring GN'R collaborator West Arkeen.[156] The recording of Sympathy for the Devil, coupled with tension between Slash and Rose, led the former to quit the band officially in October 1996.[157] Rose sent a fax notifying MTV of the departure, and Slash responded: Axl and I have not been capable of seeing eye to eye on Guns N' Roses for some time. We tried to collaborate, but at this point, I'm no longer in the band.[158] Slash stated, Axl's whole visionary style, as far as his input in Guns N' Roses, is completely different from mine. I just like to play guitar, write a good riff, go out there and play, as opposed to presenting an image.[159] Slash was replaced by Nine Inch Nails touring guitarist Robin Finck in January 1997. He signed a two-year contract with the band in August 1997, making him an official member.[160] Finck was originally recommended by Matt Sorum to Rose a year earlier as a possible second guitarist to complement Slash.[151] Slash's departure was followed shortly thereafter by Matt Sorum in April 1997, who was fired by Rose after getting in an argument about Tobias's inclusion in the band.[161] Sorum later stated Tobias was the Yoko Ono of Guns N' Roses.[151] McKagan was the last of the Appetite lineup to leave, resigning as bassist in August 1997.[162] McKagan had recently become a father and wrote about his decision to leave in his autobiography: Guns had been paying rent on studios for three years now—from 1994 to 1997—and still did not have a single song. The whole operation was so erratic that it didn't seem to fit with my hopes for parenthood, for stability.[162] An actual break-up of Guns N' Roses never occurred, as new members were brought in as the old ones left. Rose reportedly purchased the full rights to the Guns N' Roses name in 1997.[159][163] Slash claimed he and bandmates signed over the name under duress: Axl refused to go onstage one night during the Use Your Illusion tour in 1992 unless the band signed away the name rights to the band. Unfortunately, we signed it. I didn't think he'd go on stage otherwise.[164] Rose denied the claim, saying (it) Never happened, all made up, fallacy and fantasy. Not one single solitary thread of truth to it. Had that been the case I would have been cremated years ago legally, could've cleaned me out for the name and damages. It's called under duress with extenuating circumstances.[164] Rose auditioned multiple potential members, including Chris Vrenna, Zakk Wylde, Dave Abbruzzese, Michael Bland, Joey Castillo and Failure drummer Kelli Scott.[36][165][166][167][168][169][170] Rolling Stone reported in April 1997 that the lineup of Guns N' Roses was Rose, McKagan, Tobias, Finck & Vrenna.[171] Dizzy Reed's roommate and friend Sean Riggs participated with the group as a studio drummer sporadically during these years, receiving writing credits on Oh My God.[172][173] Josh Freese was ultimately hired to replace Sorum on drums, joining in the summer of 1997.[174] After being recommended by Freese, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson joined in 1998, replacing McKagan. [175] By the end of 1998, a new version of Guns N' Roses had emerged: Rose, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Josh Freese, lead guitarist Robin Finck, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, and multi-instrumentalist Chris Pitman. Geffen released an edited single disc version of the Illusion albums in 1998, entitled Use Your Illusion.[176] In November 1999, the label released Live Era '87–'93, a collection of live performances from various concerts during the Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours.[177] Former guitarist Slash described the selection of songs of the album as a very mutual effort,[178] further adding the live album was one of the easiest projects we all worked on. I didn't actually see Axl, but we communicated via the powers that be.[179] Tommy Stinson, Chris Pitman, Bryan Brain Mantia, Robin Finck & Josh Freese all joined the band in the late 1990s. New lineups and Chinese Democracy (1999–2008) Main articles: Chinese Democracy and Chinese Democracy Tour Background of new album A new Guns N' Roses album had reportedly been in the works since 1994, with Rose the only original member still in the band.[180] 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.[181][182] Mike Clink, who had previously produced every Guns N' Roses album, was also attached to produce in May 1997.[160] In April 1998, Moby was replaced by Youth, and the album was still in the writing stages.[183] In July 1998, journalist Neil Strauss indicated that an 'electronica influenced' album by a new Guns N' Roses lineup was due in 1999.[184] Rolling Stone stated that the label planned for the album to be released in late 1999.[185] By August 1999, the band had recorded over 30 songs for the album, tentatively titled 2000 Intentions.[186] September 1999 saw Youth being replaced by producer Sean Beaven, known for his work with several industrial bands.[185] 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.[187] 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.[187] 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.[188] 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.[189] The track featured additional guitar work by Dave Navarro and Gary Sunshine, Rose's personal guitar teacher.[190] 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.[190] Buckethead was the band's lead guitarist from 2000 to 2004, while Richard Fortus joined on rhythm guitar in 2002. In August 1999, guitarist Robin Finck departed to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, on tour.[191] In March 2000, avant-garde guitarist Brian Carroll, more commonly referred to as Buckethead, joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Finck.[192][193] Also in March 2000, drummer Josh Freese left the band, being replaced with Bryan Brain Mantia (formerly of Primus).[193][194] 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.[195] Queen guitarist Brian May and former Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker worked with the band in 2000.[196] With the album nearing completion in mid-2000, Baker convinced Rose to re-record the entire album, causing further delays.[197] Title announcement and touring, tour cancellation and member departures 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.[136] 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.[136] Rolling Stone described the album as Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti remixed by Beck and Trent Reznor.[136] 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.[136] 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.[136][160][185] The album had been completely re-recorded several times with varying musicians and producers.[180] 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.[198] 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.[136] 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.[136] Rose also described the dissolution as a divorce.[136] Jim Barber, a former A&R executive with 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.[199] 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 Rio Festival in Rio de Janeiro.[180] 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.[200][201] External image Rose and Buckethead during Guns N' Roses's performance at Pukkelpop 2002 The group played a further two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001.[202] Former guitarist Slash claimed that he tried to attend a show and was turned away at the door by security.[203] Due to his frustrations with touring, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias left the band in 2002 and was replaced by Richard Fortus (formerly of The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love).[204] Fortus is good friends with and had previously collaborated with bassist Tommy Stinson, who recommended him for the position.[205] Producer Roy Thomas Baker was fired in February 2002.[206] Drudge Report reported in June 2002 that Chinese Democracy was scheduled for a September 2, 2002 release.[207] 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.[208][209] 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.[180][210] 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.[211] According to Guns' management, Axl's flight from L.A. had been delayed by mechanical troubles.[211] A riot ensued.[211] 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.[212] 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.[211][213] 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.[214] Rose then apologized to the city of Philadelphia when playing there in 2012, adding I'm not saying I'm innocent.[215] Guns N' Roses tour canceled. Typical. And freakishly expected. Haha. Really bad idea. I wouldn't suggest they come back. —Opening band CKY[213] The band went on hiatus in 2003. While on hiatus on September 1, 2004, baseball player Mike Piazza leaked a previously unheard track, I.R.S. on the Eddie Trunk radio show.[216] The band management heard about the nationwide leak, and obtained a cease and desist order for all stations that had a copy of the track. The band's hiatus continued until it was scheduled to play at Rock in Rio Lisboa in May 2004.[217] However, Buckethead left the band in March of that year, causing the band to cancel.[218][219] Buckethead reportedly left the band because of the inability to complete an album or tour, according to his manager.[219] 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.[218] Greatest Hits and label conflict, lawsuits 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.[180][220] Slash and McKagan joined Rose in suing Geffen to stop the release of the album, which was compiled without authorization from any current or former band members.[221][222] 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.[220][223] McKagan and Slash also joined Rose in an unsuccessful effort to prevent the release of The Roots of Guns N' Roses.[224] 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.[180] Around then, manager Merck Mercuriadis stated that The 'Chinese Democracy' album is very close to being completed.[180] According to a 2005 report by The New York Times, Rose had allegedly spent $13 million in the studio by that point.[180][225] 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.[226] The $13 million makes the album the most expensive rock album ever produced.[227][228][229] 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.[230][231] The band's management requested that all links to the MP3 files and all lyrics to the songs be removed from forums and websites.[232] 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.[233] 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.[180][234][235] Lineup changes and resuming tour 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.[236] After sending demos and jamming with the band, Thal officially joined Guns N' Roses in 2006, replacing Buckethead.[237][238] 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.[239] Five warm-up shows before a North American tour were held in September 2006.[240] The tour officially commenced on October 24 in Miami.[241] Drummer Frank Ferrer replaced Bryan Mantia, who took a leave of absence to be with his wife and newborn child.[242] 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.[241] 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.[243] The ad with Better was mislabeled and inadvertently uploaded online for a day before being replaced by the intended ad with Paradise City.[243] That same month, Rolling Stone published an article revealing that Andy Wallace would be mixing the final album.[244] In November 2006 shows in Portland, Maine, were cancelled, with the band claiming it was due to limitations imposed by local fire marshals.[245] 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.[214] In December 2006, Rose released an open letter to fans announcing that Merck Mercuriadis had been fired as the band's manager.[246] 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.[246] He also set a tentative release date for the album for the first time since the album's announcement: March 6, 2007.[246] On February 23, 2007, Del James announced 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.[247] However, this proved that March 6 release date would be impossible to achieve, and the album once again had no scheduled release date.[248][249] 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.[250] He was talking to me about it. He was talking about finishing liner notes.[250] 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.[250] Also in February 2007, the 'final' version of Better leaked online to positive reviews.[248][251] On May 4, 2007, three more tracks leaked from Chinese Democracy; an updated version of I.R.S., The Blues and the title track.[248][252] 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.[253] 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.[254] 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. Album release and promotion Drummer Frank Ferrer joined the band in 2006. Rumors arose that Chinese Democracy had 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.[255] 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.[256] 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.[257] On March 26, 2008, Dr Pepper announced 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.[258][259][260] 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.[261][262][263] 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.[264] However, due to heavy volume on the server throughout the entire day, it was impossible to submit for a free coupon.[265] Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy (2008) Menu 0:00 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.[266] The band later condemned Dr. Pepper for the failed promotion.[267] 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.[268] 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.[269][270] 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.[271] 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.[272][273] 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.[273][274] On July 14, 2008, Harmonix, in conjunction with MTV Games, officially announced the release of a new song from Chinese Democracy, called Shackler's Revenge, through the new game Rock Band 2.[275] The entire album was eventually added to the game as DLC in April 2009.[276] The song If the World debuted October 10, 2008, playing in the end credits of the Ridley Scott film Body of Lies.[277] Wikinews has related news: Guns N' Roses' 'Chinese Democracy' released after 15 years 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.[278][279] 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.[280][281] Several days before its official release, the band streamed the entire Chinese Democracy album on the group's Myspace page.[282][283][284] The album was streamed over three million times, breaking the Myspace record for most streamed album ever.[285] 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.[278] The album had an estimated $14 million in production costs, making it the most expensive rock album to ever be produced in music history.[227][228][229] It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 but undersold industry expectations, despite generally positive critical reception.[286] Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and Appetite for Democracy (2009–2014) 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.[187] In an informal chat with Rolling Stone magazine in February 2006, Rose stated the band had 32 songs in the works.[287] 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).[288] 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.[271] 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.[289] Bach also remarked that Chinese Democracy would 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.[289] 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.[290] Former drummer Bryan Mantia mentioned working on a 'club remix' of Shackler's Revenge, stating that Rose planned to put out a remix album of songs from Chinese Democracy.[242] 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.[291] On April 20, 2011, Ashba said in an interview at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards that Guns N' Roses have been working on new songs every day.[292] In an interview with 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'.[293] Guns N' Roses playing the Sofia Rocks Fest 2012 in Bulgaria. On February 6, 2009, Rose gave his first interview in nine years when he sat down with Billboard's Jonathan Cohen.[294] 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.[294] 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.[294] 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.[295] 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.[296][297][298] Ashba had previously played with former drummer Steven Adler in BulletBoys in 1998.[299][300] In June 2009, it was reported that manager Irving Azoff had been 'fired, then re-hired, then fired'.[301] 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.[302][303][304] Rose filed a $5 million counter-lawsuit against Az
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