Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I was curious and maybe even excited about the rumor of Slash rejoining Guns (at least for a couple of shows even).

But now I'm downright convinced and psyched that this is actually happening!? Could it really be a coincidence that Axl would make a press-release statement in which he explicitly uses the words "friends", "old", and "new"?? He's not in a bubble.? He knows what the latest rumors are about the band.? ? If he wasn't aware of the legions of fans lurking on the web how would he have known they could sell so many tickets?? But this is so in-your-face obvious that he could just be fanning the fire.

The title is also "They're back!!!".  That's also a bit obnoxious.

Press release:

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2006--They're back!!!
Guns N' Roses' 4 warm up shows at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom have sold out in less than 3 minutes.

The 4 shows on the 12, 14, 15 and 17 of May are warm ups for the European leg of the band's forthcoming tour which starts on the 25th of May in Madrid at Juan Carlos Arena.

Axl Rose commented, "New York has always been so great to Guns and myself. The response to our last show at Madison Square Garden was nothing short of amazing. I've spent the last couple of months here in New York. I've had a great time, met a lot of great people and the band and I are excited that we get to play New York City and play for the friends - both old and new - that we've made before we head to Europe."

The band are playing a mixture of headline Festival appearances including Rock In Rio in Portugal, Download at the UK's famed Castle Donington, Rock Am Ring in Germany, Gods Of Metal in Italy, Novarock in Austria, Graspop in Belgium, Roskilde in Denmark, and A Heavy Day In The Park in Holland as well as their own headlining indoor shows in Madrid, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Paris, Zurich, Stockholm, Oslo, and Helsinki, most of which have been instant sellouts.

Following their strongest ticket sales for the event ever Download promoter Stuart Galbraith of Live Nation enthused, "The comeback of GN'R into the UK live market place has been quite phenomenal. GN'R along with Metallica and Tool will be headlining the biggest Download festival ever at Donington that for the first time in its history will sell out and in addition will also play to a sell out audience at Download Dublin - it's been a very long wait but it's certainly been worth it - GN'R are back!"

Guns N' Roses have sold over 65,000 tickets in Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki in just a couple of hours. Promoter Thomas Johannson of Live Nation commented, "Guns N' Roses, the cornerstones of Rock, will forever and ever do sell outs."

New York promoter Randi Henner at Live Nation commented, "GN'R is as hot a ticket in NYC as anything I have seen in recent memory. It blew out in 3 minutes."

As part of the European tour, Guns N' Roses will also be reunited with the Rolling Stones for two special shows in Germany. Guns N' Roses will be the Stones' special guests on the 10th of July in Nurnburg and the 12th of July in Leipzig. They last played together in 1989 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Additional dates will be announced in due course.
   
 
Source(s): http://www.businesswire.com/ 

I don't think Slash will be there.  I would guess Izzy before Slash - but my gut tells me neother will be there :smoking:

Um... He says play FOR the friends, not with. As in old and new fans.

I've spent the last couple of months here in New York. I've had a great time, met a lot of great people and the band and I are excited that we get to play New York City and play for the friends - both old and new - that we've made before we head to Europe."

play for friends old and new. not join friends old and new.
read it.

It's a nice thought.  However, the way I read this...Axl is referring to friends "old and new" to the fans, not band members.  He is saying he will be playing for new and old gunners.
Plus, even if he was referring to band members...new could be the guitarist and old could be dizzy.  no need to speculate on slash and Izzy after reading this news

I realize he used "for" not "with".  However, I think this is just awkward use of the language.  You have to admit that he's used some odd wording in other press releases and in interviews.  He could be overly polite and suggestive in this statement to intimate that they are doing it not only for the fans but also for themselves.

would Buckethead be considered a new or old friend? ???

i'd expect him before any of the original members to return

It's definitely one of those situations where we think for the best, but deep down inside know that it's just some new guy and Dizzy.   :no:

Can we just stop speculating about a reunion. Its really getting annoying. How many times to people have to deny it for people to get it through their head. The only old member I can even imagine coming back right now is Izzy and thats because he and Axl have become friends again. Other than that, I think its all bullshit.

But here's my predicition, I say Izzy makes a guest appearance for one or two songs at the New York shows. Just a guess, not saying its gonna happen, but thats the only thing I think is actually possible.

I would say that even if he said for not with, there's a little intrigue in all this, wouldn't it be great to at least slash, duff, matt watch the show? also the appereance of steven would be cool I know Im dreaming but hey think about it might be an invitation ;)

Axl and Izzy are friends again? ?They had one dinner with a management chaperone and now they're friends again? ?What about Slash visiting Axl's house in the middle of the night? ?I'd say that's more of an intimate friend thing than business. ?What about Axl randomly running into Matt Sorum at a club in NYC and then giving him a ride back to his hotel? ?Are they friends again?

Actually, Axl and Izzy have been talking at least since January, so its pretty safe to say they are friends again. Plus it wasnt just for any old reason, it was for Izzy's birthday. Its not just like running in to Matt Sorum at a club. They actually have some sort of relationship.

Maybe he was referring to the message board members because he is a regular poster here.   ;)

I don't think he's a regular poster.. haha.. but I bet he meant with the new and old fans.  It would seem most logical without speculating for hours upon hours.

since when has logic prevented hours and hours of speculation?  :P

Haha..point taken.  I was more or less referring to the rumor of a reunion.

            I'd like to see Slash,Izzy and Axl back again. But thats not gonna happen and it would literally blow the house out. I do think we should just accept the past for what it is and move ahead. This is the New Band's time.

"They last played together in 1989 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum." ?This is what intrigues me the most ::).

i think this is refering to the stones and gnr playing together again...  i know its not going to happen... BUT..... i'm hoping for some sort of reunion on may 12th.. izzy kinda makes sense.. they need another guitgarist.. and he plays the guitar..  so i don't see any reason.. why he wouldn't be the 3rd guitarist. 

It'll be cool if Izzy is back with Axl

I think that would make the most sense

Izzy wrote most of their best tunes

i think its better not to be expecting any of them to appear in the shows... It?s better to go there, this is an advise for those who are going  ;) and expect to see Axl and his band (the new one) cos if eventually slash or any other former member appears it?ll be fucking awesome... can u imagine the feeling? lol but it?s better to keep the expectations not that high....

axl made them great tunes.
on topic i think he ment fans old and new.

 ::) Here we go again...
Please dont open Pandoras box!

Whatever, why even bother  :smoking:  :beer:

He def. meant old fans and new fans. I would expect some cool surprises at the show, but no reunion.

You see....it every single fucking fuck-time it comes down to people misquoting Axl! Way to go! Some of you only hear / or read what you fucking want to read. Some of you 'hear', 'think', 'analyze': reunion! with every single thing. Is that neccecary? Is it that hard to read Axl's comments? Is it that hard to interpetate them? Don't think so.

He most likely meaned old and new fans! Like some others already pointed out. It makes me sad that every single discussion derails, u-turns into a reunion debate. I realy hope that in 7 or 8 days this belongs to the past.

I came to love and embrace the new guns! Some of you need to give them a chance. You might like them. *sigh*


 :(

good post, i agree 100% but i can also understand the excitement every time axl speaks, it's not like he's your regular artist, he likes to keep his distance and i respect that.

or dude it could mean fans of him in the old days and ffans of him now his new friends. Slash wont be there diff wont be there.

I'd say it's quite possible some of the old guns join for a couple of songs at some gig. If I was them I would.

It's like having sex with some ex-gf,you'll do it,  if she was/looks good enough.

Hahaha.....depending on who you are, people won't go nuts posting in forums about whether or not you'll have sex with your ex-g/f though.

I don't buy into the reunion speculation....though the Izzy thing is interesting.

Here's what I think he meant:

Axl is well aware of what management did to try to get tickets out to the forum users and the hardcore GnR fans.  He knows that the odds are this is going to be a crowd mostly made up of HUGE fans.  He was paying us a courtesty by calling us friends, rather than just fans, because of how we've stuck with the band for so long.

I took it the same way too. I was kinda honored by the wording. I'm sure he'll make some sort of comment at the shows thanking everyone for standing/believing in him.

Yeah, I really think he meant the fans. The new fans and the old ones. And IF Slash was to rejoin Gn'R, Axl wouldn't give such obvious clues.

Yeah that's true too. I don't think that Matt would be posting in his forum and Axl would be out to dinner in public w/ Izzy if any sort of reunion was coming.

Its a beautiful dream but it will hardly ever happen...

Thank god for those of us who inderstand the english language and carry the ability to use common sense.


Belly-laugh comical tht one would take Axl's words as meaning reunion.

Well, Axl, rest assured that many of us felt from those words that you were speaking of US, the fans.

The New York shows are not only for the fine tuning of GNR live skills but also for "us"........old friends (80's/early 90's) and the new friends (21st Century).  Straight from Axl's mouth.

Thank you Axl.  Most of us support the new lineup and aren't waisting any words on the old lineup. 

well.... you say that people are overanalyzing his comments... he said friends, NOT fans. did it occur to you, that axl probably made some friends while living in NYC for a couple of months??? and he probably has some old friends as well :peace:

he definately meant us the fans as his friends.....just like he mentioned us back in the Bucketehad press release when saying "our support group".....

That's exactly the way I took it. A reunion of the FANS after all these years of waiting? : ok:

dude axl is not going to start  a reunion with sloth and doof. Izzy is the only one who would do a few shows hes the only one axl would ask.

well now thats mature  ::)

People from HTGTH stop Dreaming!!!! this is not a reunion tour like Judas Priest!!!! I don't support the new line up(excepting Brain) but that's what we have at the moment old members are busy doind their thinks is it difficult to understand that????

Read his previous posts he constantly goes on like that  ::)

I take it you're NOT coming to New York then to join us "old/new friends"??

No offense man, but if you don't support the new lineup, why are you here? Granted this is a place for GNR fans to talk and debate news and all that stuff, but the new GNR is the new GNR, no 2 ways around it. They are now Guns and Roses. So if you don't like them.... ???

Yep. I feel the same way man! Why are you hear and posting about the new shows if you don't like the new band?

B/C they don't have lives and that is something to do.

totally disagree, just b/c you like something a lot doesn't mean you have to love the sum of all the parts.  There are thousands who like "skinny elvis" to "vegas elvis", old beatles to new beatles, metallica before the black album and those who like the newer stuff....i could go on and on.  GNR isn't just Axl (although hes a HUGE part of it for sure).  I happen to like BOTH old and new GNR, but respect those that don't. 

Our definition of reunion tour might vary, but considering they released a new album, and a good one at that, its hard for me to define what they just did as a reunion tour. Two years ago when they were on ozzfest, that was a reunion tour, they had no new material to promote.

Point taken...but your missing something. Elvis, fat or skinny was elvis. Beatles were ALWAYS John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Metallica was always pretty much the same lineup to.

Guns and Roses is a different beast. Your talking about one of the biggest hard rock bands in history, and their frontman replacing all of the original members because he owns the name.

MUCH, MUCH, MUCH different than the Beatles or Metallica.

Ok, what about van halen then?  What about non music related - can you call yourself a starwars fan but HATE the new movies (as most people seem to)?

and my point was more to the collection of music, not the members of the band - meaning you can like something (someone can like AFD and Lies) from a band, but totally HATE something else (UYI and SI) but still be a fan of the band who produced both.

Your still not getting it. Let me try again:

Star Wars in the 70's directed by George Lucas
Star Wars in the 21st Century directed by George Lucas

The Beatles first album: John, Paul, George, Ringo
The Beatles last album: John, Paul, George, Ringo

I understand your point about not liking the new Star Wars, I don't, but I'm still a Star Wars fan. MY POINT, is that the same person who made those movies in the past is still doing it today. The same people who made Guns and Roses in the past ARE NOT the same people making Guns and Roses music TODAY.

I'm not saying you're not allowed to only like one version of GNR, I'm saying take into account that this is a COMPLETLEY different GNR...not just different music, but different people making that different music. That's the point.

it's all cryptic writings. Axl's statement about Slash, Matt's positive comments about Axl, Duff's refusal to say anything, etc...

the other guys (Tommy, Robin,Brain, pittman, fortus) are still under contract and Axl will continue to pay them for the remainder of their contracts. That's why they can't reveal anything about the reunion. That's why the dates are no longer on Fortus's website.


JUST KIDDING!!!!!!! Not too bad for just making shit up on the fly though. i just couldn't resist.

sigh, i already said drop the music comparison (but you didn't answer my Van Halen question).....as for Starwars, you missed the point - wasn't talking about who created it, i meant the new characters, the wacky story etc......i don't think people go around saying they are George Lucas fans, they are star wars fans.  So you can be a star wars fan and really like the first three movies but think Jar Jar Binks is a joke (who knows, maybe you like him haha kidding). and hayden christiansen can't act his way out of a paper bag.  You said you yourself don't like the new movies but like the old ones....so if someone was talking about the new movies you wouldn't give your opinion about them and say they suck (but still consider yourself a fan)?

anyways, we are WAY off topic, if you wanna continue, just PM me.

The key words are "for new  and old friends" not "with" old and new friends. If Slash were  to rejoin Axl would not say "for" he would say "with." So it ain't happening. I stake  1000 donuts on it.

From reading various things, I could see Izzy joining the band to do a song on a date (or two) of the tour. Axl and Izzy could sing 14 Years, that'd be ridiculously perfect and blow my mind... and potentially get up Slash and Duff's noses, which I'm sure would appeal to Axl.

I just can't see Izzy being involved in any big dates GNR might play. Isn't that why he left in the first place? If he does anything with this band, I'll bet it'll be at the NYC shows.

yes i herd he was makin new friends there in NY.i think that is great !

If Izzy ever appears onstage with Axl, certainly they are gonna play Dont Cry...  damn... that will be a huge moment for those who are in the concert...

If Izzy walks out we gotta hear Dust N' Bones or 14 years.....maybe even You Ain't The First!

Not forgetting Double Talkin' Jive.

Hey man, do you think that the new line-up is the only, the real Guns n' Roses? So if you like the old band, but not the new, you CAN'T come here to discuss about the band you love, about the old members of the band, about the old shows/bootlegs, about AFD, Lies, UYI, SI etc? You just have to come here and say "Oh, this new band is so fucking great and Slash/Duff/Steven/Matt/Izzy/Gilby can suck my fucking dick, 'cause this new band is way better!". Then you can start discussing..

Actually, if you took the time out to read the rest of the discussion I had with the guy with the south park logo, you'd see we debated this into full more explicit detail. So take your attitude elsewhere

This is very offtopic now. But it's not just you, there is plenty of people who tell others to fuck off from this board, if they say something like "I think the new band ain't that good..". It sucks. Let's get to the topic -->

AT ANY POINT, IN ANY OF WHAT I WROTE, did I tell you to "fuck off"? I told you to drop the attitude. Eveyone here is entitled to their opinion about the new and old guns and roses. I'm allowed to disagree with them, present my point of view, and I also happen to listen to what they say. Me and the other person weren't "fighting" or "arguing" we were discussing our points of view.

So do me a huge favor, don't put words in my mouth and then say "lets get to the topic"...either read what I wrote, and quote me on that...PM me if you want to continue this insane discussion...or better, drop it, and YOU can get back on topic.

Take that one to heart  :-*