The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6828129/guns-n-roses-reunion-coachella-stadium-las-vegas

If this is true, this is HUGE news.  Although no official release from the band yet. 

And, even if this news turns out to be true, I'm not even sure if it can be 100% believed until Axl and Slash are onstage together. 

.

If this tour really does happen, I'm going to have a pretty high concert budget for 2016. 

Already seeing The Beach Boys in February (although that was paid for over a month ago). 

Anticipating a Brian Wilson Pet Sounds date.

Iron Maiden touring for their new album. 

My wife and I are considering seeing Journey now that Steve Smith is drumming for them again.  That's all classic members sans Steve Perry.  That's probably as good as it's gonna get.

Now, a possible, and very expensive GNR ticket. 

Good thing I decided to pass on the Black Sabbath Farewell Tour ticket. 

Apparently this is true, though I still won't fully believe it until after it has happened.

http://pitchfork.com/news/62714-guns-n-roses-confirm-classic-lineup-reunion/

So far there has been no mention of who will be on drums. Hmm.

Or that Izzy is onboard.

Yeah, I forgot about him. I just read an article that speculated that some members of Axl's latest Guns 'n' Roses might be included to fill out the lineup. Somehow the "reunion" just got a little more uninteresting.

It's looking likely that the best of the lineup will be filled out by current GNR members. 

It could be a one time thing where Slash and Duff join Guns N Roses on a temporary basis for a one off performance, and maybe a tour. 

Sounds familiar. 

But, if the projected ticket prices really are close to $300, and Izzy, Steven Adler, Matt Sorum, or even Gilby Clarke aren't involved, I'll save my money. 

As much as I like GNR, their career really consists of one great album (Appetite), a decent EP (Lies), two very good albums that should've been one amazing album (Use Your Illusion), and an awful covers album (Spaghetti).  That's not a catalog that warrants a $300 ticket IMO.

I wonder why they wouldn't go for just the classic five lineup, or the early 1991 lineup with Izzy and Matt? It seems unusual that both Slash and Duff would both be on board for this.

Slash has always struck me as the type of guy that will play with anybody, anytime, I always assumed the reason Slash wasn't involved was because Axl wouldn't let him.... not sure Slash would be the type of guy to sit out if the other two weren't involved....

Slash has said several times that he wouldn't even consider a reunion if Steven Adler wasn't involved.

Izzy has been pretty much a recluse since he left GNR the first time. 

I thought the most recent Use Your Illusion touring lineup with Gilby Clarke and Matt Sorum would be used.

I get the impression that this "reunion" is not a long term deal.  So, I'm thinking Slash and Duff are just going to join the current incarnation of GNR.  Maybe for this one show.  Maybe for a tour.  Who knows? 

I'd be really shocked if Izzy toured. If I'm not mistaken, his distaste for touring was a major reason he quit GnR in the first place. (We must remember, he wasn't part of the Axl-driven house-cleaning: he left on his own.) But I could imagine him possibly doing Coachella, for example. Just a one-off. Wasn't he part of a taped and broadcasted show at the O2? But he was hugely important to that band. KDS correctly described their albums, and I think one of the main reasons for their declining quality was the absence of Izzy. His songwriting, his rhythm guitar, and his sensibilities were key. He and Axl were close, and I believe--totally speculating--he kept Axl somewhat in check, musically aligning better with the counterbalancing Slash. His presence would be really great.

For drums, the reality is that Adler wasn't very good. Maybe he's better now, being reportedly cleaned up. But Sorum is by far the better drummer.

As for Gilby and Dizzy, I don't much care either way. Axl-Slash-Izzy-Duff-Sorum/Adler would be an amazing, "true" GnR. Axl-Slash-Duff-Sorum/Adler would be great. Axl-Slash-Duff would be sufficient.

In the end, it's just a curiosity to me anyway: I'm not going to a GnR show regardless. And I'd be shocked--blown away--if they produced a new album. (Not that this has been suggested anywhere anyway.) Seems to me it's pretty obviously just a great way to make an enormous amount of money for relatively little effort. Dust off some decades-old songs and make a lot of GenXers with a few hundred bucks to dole out happy.

Actually, I believe a major factor for Izzy deciding to leave the group was the fact that he was newly sober, and the rest of the guys(minus Axl) were very much not sober. Both Duff and Slash have said that Izzy basically quit being an active group member as far back as 1989.

Interesting. I just did a little digging online to see a bit more, since I was writing based on my recollections alone before. One interview by Kurt Loder with Izzy conducted within that first year of his exit mentions that the perception/story was his displeasure with touring, and Izzy responds with what I'd call a measured turn: he says something like "it's not so much that I don't like touring..." and goes on to mention that he would take a bus and they'd take a plane, and he'd beat them to the gig. That almost implies a fear of flying, and so not that he's opposed to touring, per se, but would prefer to bus around than fly around. At least that's how I take that. A Slash interview says something about Izzy not liking all the nonsense that goes on with the band's huge status, which can mean a lot of things (including the dependency issues you mentioned).

Anyway, thanks for that insight into another possible cause.

While digging around a little, I came across this Steven Adler interview with Eddie Trunk from September of 2015. (I had no idea this was so publicly discussed that early, I only just heard of the reunion through the Billboard article I started off the thread with.) According to Trunk, the plan has been that the original members would indeed be part of / the core of the reunion, but with other guys both for their own work as that is performed, and (presumably in the case of Adler specifically) as a backup plan should things go wrong.

So maybe we'll have Adler and Sorum, Izzy and Gilby, Dizzy for this or that, and so on.

https://youtu.be/waM0iqEFDZQ?t=17m34s

If Duff sticks around Tommy Stinson is going to need a new gig.

Tommy Stinson won't lack for work. He's touring on his own music now and has had no trouble sitting in or forming bands over the years.

Of course even if he didn't want to work, after the GnR paychecks and the more recent Replacements reunion shows, I think he'll be fine...

When Duff filled in for Stinson for a few shows a year or two back, I strongly suspected that some kind of reunion would take place soon. Axl apparently asked Duff to fill in, which seems pretty significant because it shows that for the first time in years Axl has been willing to work with another member of the old group, other than Izzy.

This isn't especially surprising, but at least now it's official (for now): no Izzy.

http://pitchfork.com/news/63877-guns-n-roses-reunion-wont-include-izzy-stradlin/

The thing is, this isn't and never was a reunion of the original GNR.  Basically the bass and guitar spots opened in Axl's existing band so Duff and Slash slid back in.  That's a very different distinction to me.

While no dates or venues yet, Guns N Roses have announced cities in the US they'll be hitting on tour.

http://eddietrunk.com/guns-n-roses-announce-north-american-tour-dates/

I wonder if this announcement was made earlier than planned to squash the rumor of Axl playing with AC/DC.

I think I've got a fairly unique perspective on this stuff, I was never a big fan back in the day, but over the years have of course heard all their big stuff hundreds of times.  So the 'story' I'd always heard was that basically Axl was crazy, and had lost his voice, and now he's fat, etc.

So with all this info about the reunion, and Axl possibly singing lead for AC/DC (who may actually open for Guns N Roses on tour this year) I thought I"d finally actually go LISTEN to one of their recent shows on youtube.

So I checked out a clip of Axl last year doing "Welcome to the Jungle".  I don't know what everybody's complaining about.  He sounds great.    He's dead on key, he's hitting pretty crazy high notes, he's pretty agressive... it's not exactly like the record but I suspect he was probably never exactly the same live as he was in the studio, as is usual for Rock singers.

So then I checked out last year, him doing "Sweet Child 'o Mine" and while part of it he sang with a kind of over dramatic tone it was obvious it was just a style he wanted to sing it in and his voice sounds as good as it ever did. 

It seems his weight was a bit of a hindrance, in some of the songs he sounds a little winded.

So then I see that he's lost a lot of weight, and watched some videos from their reunion show last night.  He sounds fantastic.

Not really sure why the die-hard fans are so eager to throw Axl under the bus, the guy looks good, sounds good, is working hard, buried the hatchet with at least a couple members of the band and is out trying to make the fans happy. 

Good for him. 

Honestly I think there are just some people who aren't happy unless they're unhappy. Maybe it's sharing their personal misery, maybe it's talking sh*t about this, that, or the other, but just shutting up and enjoying something (minus snark) appears to be beyond them. And I'll admit to some hypocrisy here because I'm prone to sarcasm that veers toward nastiness at times, myself ... but I'm not proud of that, and work to defeat it.

Axl was very big at times, from what I understand, but he's certainly not Meatloaf. And even if he were, he's a singer, not an underwear model. (People seem to fail to realize these aren't the same thing, the way they harp about how pop stars look.) Much of what I've seen of live clips from recent years, he sounded fine. Not the same, but fine. There have been more dramatic declines from other singers over the years. I'd guess that Axl will be training his ass off, physically and vocally, before this tour because if there's one thing he's going to want to do in front of American audiences, it's re-energize their legacy.

So, the tour dates are official, and tickets go on sale this Friday. 

I heard the warm up show was great, and Axl was in good form.  My question is whether or not Axl will show up on time. 

Showing up on time would be a measure of his discipline, and the only other thing we have to point to that is his weight.  He looks to have lost a lot of weight which would have taken a lot of discipline... I think he's in a good place right now and about to put on a hell of a tour... at least at first.  To me the real question is how does the band act 2 months into it?

I hope you're right, but if I do decide to get tickets to one of the GNR shows, I'm definitely taking off work the following day, just in case there's a late start time. 

I saw tickets can be had (granted not great seats) for under $100, so I might go for it.

They're playing at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. I'd love to be able to go see them. I need to figure out how far of a trip it would be. I live in Sharon, PA.

Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods, they're playing Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD (home of the Washington Redskins). 

That stadium is the most difficult venue in the Baltimore/DC/VA area to go to an from.  It took me four hours to drive to a Paul McCartney show there back in 2009, on a Saturday.  It's only about a 30 mile drive.  The parking lot is a disaster.  Takes forever to get there, and to leave. 

But, I caved and bought tickets via the Facebook presale yesterday. 

Although Ticketmaster should've at least taken me to dinner before hitting me with those service charges.  Still under $100 per ticket with the fees.

We're in the upper deck, but we'll be there. 

I envy you.  ;D From the available footage of the gig  yesterday, they sound amazing. All actually sounds pretty Damn good. They performed "Coma", which was a real surprise. They're also doing a few Chinese Democracy songs, and they sound so much better with Slash.

Interesting they did those songs. Maybe G&R re-imagines Chinese Democracy? ;)

I've been watching the youtube footage of those first few shows, broken-footed Axl in his throne and everything. To see Illusion tunes like "Estranged" and "Coma" is a slight, but pleasant, surprise. And of course it was even more surprising to hear of them doing the Chinese Democracy stuff, but it's great: at this point, just make some setlists, everyone compromise a little, and put on a great show. It's a bit sad Axl is immobilized, but conversely it makes him focus on his voice, which might not be a bad thing for the sound.

I'm not the type to bash the fill in guys, like the dude in the top hat that played all Slash's solos the last couple years it looked like... he seems very talented and I'm sure he's great, but I concur with you that Slash sounds much better.  He just has a lot of soul that comes out in his playing, he's a natural guitar god.  I saw a video of the other guy doing "Sweet Child 'o Mine" and while he was playing it note for note the soul was completely missing out of it.  Really neutered the song. 

The fill in guitar player was a guy named DJ Ashba.  While in GNR, he imitated to Slash to the point where he even donned a top hat.  But, if you want to hear what Ashba can really do, check out the first s/t album from a band called Beautiful Creatures. 

He's also the guitarist in Nikki Sixx's band Sixx AM who'll likely be more busy now that Crue have done their farewell tour. 

http://pitchfork.com/news/64442-axl-rose-is-acdcs-new-frontman/

So, Axl's having quite a busy summer then.  With the GNR Tour, I would've bet my house that there was no way that Axl would do any shows with AC/DC. 

I'm excited to see Axl getting into the swing of things, I hope it works out for him.  It's a shame to see such talented singers disappear for decades, I'm also looking at you Steve Perry!!!!

Steve Perry has come out of the woodwork recently.  He did a live appearance with The Eels, doing a couple of Journey songs. 

I honestly think that the other guys in Journey wouldn't have him back.  They are very profitable without Perry. 

I believe that was here in the twin cities too--yet I missed it! (I've seen Eels probably 4-5 times and just got burned out.) very cool.

My wife and I were actually considering going to see Journey with The Doobie Brothers this summer.  Steve Smith is back on drums, so they have the entire classic lineup sans Perry, who I don't think will ever play with them again.

But, GNR announced they were touring.  Journey comes around every summer.  This GNR thing is most likely a one off reunion between a talented prolific musician and an ego driven lead singer.....sounds oddly familiar. 

I'm kind of disappointed that Axl has joined AC/DC. I would have thought that the Guns N' Roses tour would have been extended once the U.S. shows were done. It's odd that they don't seem to be playing any shows outside of America. I was hoping that the reunion wouldn't be temporary.

I could be wrong, but I think AC/DC just needs to make up about ten or so dates that were postponed.  So, I have a feeling after Axl does those dates, the GNR tour on.  I'd be surprised if the GNR tour doesn't hit Europe. 

I still think it's only temporary though.  There have been talks of new music, but we'll see. 

I'd be surprised if there's much, if any, new music. My guess is they capitalize on the huge $ they can draw from reunion shows for a while, and that's it. Maybe some ill-conceived attempt at studio work that blows up.

I'm really curios about how Axl and Slash are getting along. From what I can tell in the available footage, there doesn't seem to be much interaction between them.

I imagine it's a Motley Crue / Van Halen type arrangement where the only time they really see each other is onstage. 

Even in their heydey, I don't think there was much on stage interaction between Axl and Slash. 

That's sad, if you think about it. These guys have known each other since 1984. They deserve better than to settle for an arrangement where nothing is actually worked out between them.

All too common when it comes to bands.  I think that's why Pink Floyd didn't accept the Brinks truck that was driven up to them after their 2005 one off Live 8 Performance.  If you're already rich, why be miserable when you don't need to be? 

From a selfish point of view, I'm grateful for the opportunity to hear those songs done with 60% of the members who played on them.  As a classic rock fan, that's as good as you can hope for sometimes. 

Oh, I'm thrilled to be able to hear Slash,, Duff, and Axl together again. After the Roack and Roll Hall of Fame, I was 100% positive Axl and Slash would never  be in the same room ever again. The Hall of Fame was the miracle us fans needed, and it didn't happen. To go on YouTube and see Slash onstage with Axl in 2016 is a strange, surreal scene that I'm not sure I even believe yet.  :lol I just wish that at the end of the day, they can be friends, you know?

Yeah, I get what you're saying.  I'm just hoping they stay friendly enough to complete the tour. 

I see it differently.  Personally I used to work with lots of people, some of those people I didn't get along with.  We can't really expect me to work with people I don't get along with for 40 years... and we can't really expect Axl and Slash to be great friends, maybe they just don't get along.  I don't really think it speaks bad about either of them, although I've always heard Axl was the hard one to get along with.

With all that said, though, I also see the scenario where a band just has to stand on stage with each other for 3 hours every few nights, and they make a ton of money and make a ton of fans happy.  Nothing wrong with that either... but it takes professionalism. 

I'm just glad to see the guys acting like pros for a little while at least. 

I just saw this quote from the great Courtney Barnett re wanting to see the reunion. "To wish for bands to reunite is like wishing your divorced parents get back together: You'll be happy, but they'll be having a really bad time." (Sorry if someone else has posted this already, I just saw it today.)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/courtney-barnett-on-guns-n-roses-jack-white-and-ramen-inspiration-20160329#ixzz46spFaQss

While she might have a point, it isn't always the case.  Sometimes, time can thaw icy relationships.  The Eagles seemed to be alright in the last stage of their career.  Anthrax seems to be very happy with Joey Belladonna these days.  Some with Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson.

I was reading about the 2016 version of GNR (I struggle to call it a reunion without Izzy, Steve, Gilby, or Matt), that suggested that one of Axl's biggest issues with Slash was that Axl had been mostly sober since the late 80s, while Slash was imbibing in.....everything.   Now, Slash is sober.  One of Axl's problems with Slash was Slash's wife, and they've recently divorced. 

I attended the 2nd show on Guns N Roses "Not in This Lifetime" Tour in Landover, MD on Sunday night. 

I can say that the show far exceeded any expectations I had.  Axl, Slash, Duff, and Co played an amazing two and a half hour set.  Axl's voice showed some wear towards the end of the set, but all in all, the show was amazing. 

I was hesitant to get a ticket at first, but I'm very glad I did. 

I did notice that when the band came out at the end of the encore to take a bow, Axl was wearing an AC/DC jacket.  Could his heart already be somewhere else? 

Damn, I really wish I could see this tour. They sound amazing from the available recordings I've heard. All sounds better than he has in years. One of the things I did not want to see happen was Duff and Slash having to play Chinese Democracy songs, but now that ive actually heard them play a few, they sound MUCH better than the studio versions. This could end up being one hell of a tour. I can't wait for the inevitable CD/DVD release.  ;D

I came when I learned that Coma was in the set list.   >:D

I'd always liked the CD song "Better," but live it went from a decent song to a very good song. 

I hope they do release a CD/DVD from the tour. 

To me, "Better" and "Chinese Democracy" sound like "classic" Guns N' Roses songs with Slash and Duff. I wish those songs had existed  25 or so years ago.  ;D

I'd agree with that. 

"This I Love" also sounded really good live. 

I LOVE "This I Love". I loved it from the first time I heard it. I consider it one of Axl's greatest songs. Having Slash on it just makes it even greater. I've oftened wondered how "There Was A Time" would sound with Slash and Duff.

To be honest, I found the Chinese Democracy album to be a cumbersome listen.  Since "This I Love" is tucked away at the end of the album, I don't think I paid it any mind.  So, I didn't recognize it when I heard it the other night.  Makes me wonder if I need to give the album another listen. 

I don't actually have the album. My knowledge is to the extent of just the few songs we have already discussed.  ;D

I bought it when Best Buy heavily discounted it.  From what I remember, it was kind of a mess.  Of course, it was recorded over a decade's time with many different musicians. 

Went to the Orlando show last night. Perhaps one of the best concerts I've ever been to and certainly the best GnR show Ive ever witnessed firsthand.

This band is several times better with Slash back with them.  Tickets aren't cheap, but very much worth it.

Took a few video clips with my phone & uploaded to youtube:

Nightrain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqCOVvYPwh0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqCOVvYPwh0)

Sweet Child O'Mine- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QL9wylB6oM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QL9wylB6oM)

Slash Solo -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0DcIFSDzA8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0DcIFSDzA8)

Looking forward to it.