Planning for the next tour...

[August 18th]

Axl burnt alot of bridges with that 2002 fiasco. That tour is one of the worst moments in GNR history.

your constant negativity amazes me. most fans were happy and excited to see axl back and continue to support him through his fan forums. i suggest you tone down your negativity a bit, because comments like these makes you seem like you love to point out flaws. well, i guess it will all change when the new material is released. but i think it's safe to say that any axl fan that wasn't thrilled with the 2002 tour taking place isn't really a fan.

[Chief]

i dig your plan. you should be their tour advisor or something!!
this could definitely work out well!!!

Wow some people here are clueless.

No, Axl will not be fronting the money himself.

Forget about touring - this is possibly the most thoughtless comment I've ever seen. Touring is where an artist makes his money. Even a tour 1/4th of the size of the last one could make Axl some cash. Check PollStar if you wanna see what GNR took in for a single night in the 2002 tour. The shows that did well, did REALLY fucking well.

As for insurance costs/liability - someone will foot the bill. Don't even be surprised if it turns out to be Clear Channel again - but ONLY if there's an album to go with the tour. And with an iron-clad contract and a shitload of restrictions.

GH went on the be a top disc AFTER the fiasco, and despite it being old songs, someone will want to cash in. If CD can sell a million copies, and I'm pretty sure it can, then someone will jump in. There's a couple other viable promoters that could put on a good show, although CC is the largest (thanks to  bullshit US laws).

You want a tour? Here's an idiot-proof tour for you:

Japan - Osaka and Tokyo. They did Summersonic in 2002 and were very successful. They could play those cities solo (with an opening act or two) and sell the joints out (even Tokyodome).

Europe - some festivals again, and some solo dates mixed in. 10 dates total, spread out - none of this four shows a week bullshit. The last tour was, imo, too compacted.

US - 10 shows in MAJOR MARKETS. Do NOT play buttfuck, idaho.

New York
Albany, NY (two NY State shows are no problem, Albany pulled in around 10K people last time)
Philly (if possible - they owe Philly, they cancelled two shows there, and the first was sold out)
Boston (Boston was a strong-selling show last time)
Buffalo
Los Angles (was to be the final show of the last tour, got missed)
Chicago
Dallas
??  - Florida
Las Vegas (since they seem to like it).

Notice - no Detroit. Detroit is not rock city these days. After these dates you play Canada - next to MSG in MY, Toronto was the biggest show on the 2002 tour and the band always does great there.

Canada:

Toronto (near sell-out at about 15,000)
London, ON (this was a sold-out show, I was there, people were turned away from the ticket windows, several people snuck in, although the building holds only 9000 for concerts (10,000 for hockey), and the building owner/manager(?), when interviewed after the cancellation of the tour, said he'd take them back no problem since they made him a shitload of money).
City of Your Choice - since we've started riots in Vancouver and Montreal, Calgary or Edmonton make more sense.

So there's 2 Japan shows, 10 Euro shows, 10 US, and 3 Canadian shows.

25 shows for an opening leg of the tour. You then book later dates depending on the success of the album over time, adding strong markets, and revisiting some of the places that were hot before.

This crap in booking Boise, Biloxi, etc. - even before the tour last time I knew those dates would suck. I knew Detroit would suck since it's now Feminem country. You can add those later when there's a single or two out and the album (we hope) is doing well, but you don't do them to start and you sure as fuck don't do them without an album.

[Voodoochild]

Yeah, it's cool how some just ignore the rest of the world!
Why not playing FIRST in Brasil like he did in the past?

[alternativemonkey]

Wow some people here are clueless.

No, Axl will not be fronting the money himself.

Forget about touring - this is possibly the most thoughtless comment I've ever seen. Touring is where an artist makes his money. Even a tour 1/4th of the size of the last one could make Axl some cash. Check PollStar if you wanna see what GNR took in for a single night in the 2002 tour. The shows that did well, did REALLY fucking well.

As for insurance costs/liability - someone will foot the bill. Don't even be surprised if it turns out to be Clear Channel again - but ONLY if there's an album to go with the tour. And with an iron-clad contract and a shitload of restrictions.

GH went on the be a top disc AFTER the fiasco, and despite it being old songs, someone will want to cash in. If CD can sell a million copies, and I'm pretty sure it can, then someone will jump in. There's a couple other viable promoters that could put on a good show, although CC is the largest (thanks to? bullshit US laws).

You want a tour? Here's an idiot-proof tour for you:

Japan - Osaka and Tokyo. They did Summersonic in 2002 and were very successful. They could play those cities solo (with an opening act or two) and sell the joints out (even Tokyodome).

Europe - some festivals again, and some solo dates mixed in. 10 dates total, spread out - none of this four shows a week bullshit. The last tour was, imo, too compacted.

US - 10 shows in MAJOR MARKETS. Do NOT play buttfuck, idaho.

New York
Albany, NY (two NY State shows are no problem, Albany pulled in around 10K people last time)
Philly (if possible - they owe Philly, they cancelled two shows there, and the first was sold out)
Boston (Boston was a strong-selling show last time)
Buffalo
Los Angles (was to be the final show of the last tour, got missed)
Chicago
Dallas
- Florida
Las Vegas (since they seem to like it).

Notice - no Detroit. Detroit is not rock city these days. After these dates you play Canada - next to MSG in MY, Toronto was the biggest show on the 2002 tour and the band always does great there.

Canada:

Toronto (near sell-out at about 15,000)
London, ON (this was a sold-out show, I was there, people were turned away from the ticket windows, several people snuck in, although the building holds only 9000 for concerts (10,000 for hockey), and the building owner/manager(?), when interviewed after the cancellation of the tour, said he'd take them back no problem since they made him a shitload of money).
City of Your Choice - since we've started riots in Vancouver and Montreal, Calgary or Edmonton make more sense.

So there's 2 Japan shows, 10 Euro shows, 10 US, and 3 Canadian shows.

25 shows for an opening leg of the tour. You then book later dates depending on the success of the album over time, adding strong markets, and revisiting some of the places that were hot before.

This crap in booking Boise, Biloxi, etc. - even before the tour last time I knew those dates would suck. I knew Detroit would suck since it's now Feminem country. You can add those later when there's a single or two out and the album (we hope) is doing well, but you don't do them to start and you sure as fuck don't do them without an album.

"Some people are clueless" - Include yourself!

Right Now Motley Crue ranks among the Top 10 concert tours of 2005, with only a double-album greatest hits to tour behind. It just goes to show what good marketing and a willingness to engage your fan base can do. Don't blame the people of  Boise and Biloxi. GNR needs to create a real web-site, do radio interviews, get on TV, go on the Tonight Show or Late Night.  You need to tour a mix of amphitheatres, clubs, and arenas. Look where Motley started this year.
2/17: Sunrise, FL, Office Depot Center
2/18: Tampa, St. Pete Times Forum
2/20: Greenville, SC, Bi Lo Center
2/22: Cleveland, Gund Arena
2/23: Toronto, Air Canada Centre
2/25: Auburn Hills, MI, Palace of Auburn Hills
2/27: Ottawa, ON, Corel Centre
2/28: Hartford, CT, Hartford Civic Center
3/1: Boston, FleetCenter
3/3: New York, Madison Square Garden
3/4: Philadelphia, Wachovia Spectrum
3/6: Washington, DC, MCI Center
3/8: Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Center
3/10: Rosemont, IL, Allstate Arena
3/12: Milwaukee, U.S. Cellular Arena
3/14: Minneapolis, Target Center
3/15: Kansas City, MO, Kemper Arena
3/17: Grand Prairie, TX, Nokia Live
3/19: Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel/The Joint
3/20: Phoenix, Cricket Pavilion
3/22: Chula Vista, CA, Coors Amphitheatre
3/23: Inglewood, CA, The Forum
3/25: Reno, NV, Lawlor Events Center
3/26: Oakland, Oakland Arena

IF GNR continues to ignore their fanbase and not get out a do interviews like they did last tour, Axl will be left sitting on his ass in his big mansion turning gray while he reflects on his past glories in what is left of his mind.
 

[jabba2]

Will VR touring affect GNR's plan whenever Axl finally decides to do shows? I know some people suspected Axl cancelled RIR4 after finding out VR was offered to perform too. Once Axl decided not to play, VR then decided not to. Would Axl perform at the same festival?

They could become the X factor.

[Chief]

Personally, I doubt it.  i don't think they will affect any plans unless the 2 bands are playing in the same city on the same day.

Will VR touring affect GNR's plan whenever Axl finally decides to do shows? I know some people suspected Axl cancelled RIR4 after finding out VR was offered to perform too. Once Axl decided not to play, VR then decided not to. Would Axl perform at the same festival?

They could become the X factor.

[kyrie]

"Some people are clueless" - Include yourself!

Right Now Motley Crue ranks among the Top 10 concert tours of 2005, with only a double-album greatest hits to tour behind. It just goes to show what good marketing and a willingness to engage your fan base can do. Don't blame the people of? Boise and Biloxi. GNR needs to create a real web-site, do radio interviews, get on TV, go on the Tonight Show or Late Night.? You need to tour a mix of amphitheatres, clubs, and arenas. Look where Motley started this year.
2/17: Sunrise, FL, Office Depot Center
2/18: Tampa, St. Pete Times Forum
2/20: Greenville, SC, Bi Lo Center
2/22: Cleveland, Gund Arena
2/23: Toronto, Air Canada Centre
2/25: Auburn Hills, MI, Palace of Auburn Hills
2/27: Ottawa, ON, Corel Centre
2/28: Hartford, CT, Hartford Civic Center
3/1: Boston, FleetCenter
3/3: New York, Madison Square Garden
3/4: Philadelphia, Wachovia Spectrum
3/6: Washington, DC, MCI Center
3/8: Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Center
3/10: Rosemont, IL, Allstate Arena
3/12: Milwaukee, U.S. Cellular Arena
3/14: Minneapolis, Target Center
3/15: Kansas City, MO, Kemper Arena
3/17: Grand Prairie, TX, Nokia Live
3/19: Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel/The Joint
3/20: Phoenix, Cricket Pavilion
3/22: Chula Vista, CA, Coors Amphitheatre
3/23: Inglewood, CA, The Forum
3/25: Reno, NV, Lawlor Events Center
3/26: Oakland, Oakland Arena

IF GNR continues to ignore their fanbase and not get out a do interviews like they did last tour, Axl will be left sitting on his ass in his big mansion turning gray while he reflects on his past glories in what is left of his mind.
 

Motley Crue and GNR are in very different situations. What worked with the Crue tour won't work with GNR.

As you pointed out, Motley Crue has an album, complete with new tracks. They didn't try to tour without an album, then have the tour aborted (leave the WHY discussion at the door please).

GNR didn't have an album last time around. The tour got fucked. Now, they're restarting, as opposed to starting fresh.

This time around, they have to prove themselves again after the 2002 fiasco. If they could start fresh, than doing something similar to Motley Crue would be fine. That's not the case. They need to have a solid start.

I don't blame the people of Biloxi or Boise. I just think they're not strong places to start. Motley Crue had better advertising, and an album. GNR lacked that before (ads were strong in some markets, crap in others). Smaller cities are ok. Axl pulled in over 9000 in a city with a population of 200,000 (London ON).  But for a new tour to work, after the last one, cities like Biloxi and Boise need to be left off the list until later in the tour.

You start in strong markets, promote the album, let word of mouth build, etc.

For the record, I agree about interviews, although Axl did some radio spots early on last time.

Whoever suggested Brazil - I agree with that, but geographically, it should come after North America (or before, but I think Japan/Europe is a better place to start. Then again, Axl loves Brazil). But I'm sure they'll play South America eventually whenever a tour happens, and I know those shows will be big.

[deliverthecow]

I think first and foremost they have to have an album out. Nobody is going to back another tour by GnR unless they have a product on the shelves. I actually agree with Dave on something, start in Europe and show that he can pull off a tour and well basically show up. If that is a success and the new album does well they wont have any problems getting backed for a big US tour. Bottom line is they first gotta get a record on the shelves, no record no tour.

[rainX]

i'm sure they'll be willing to take a chance with axl, especially overseas. there's gonna be a lot of hype to this - and if theres a chance to make money it doesn't matter if axl pisses on the mayor's face so to speak, money talks.

they could announce to play a show anywhere in europe right now and i bet it would sell out on the first day. with or without a record. the US is a totally different market, people here are mostly douchebags who listen to whomever the radio station is being paid to play. the whole not showing up thing didn't hurt axl in terms of ticket sales at all, if anything it created more of a "possible train wreck" atmosphere and as we all know americans love to watch when that might happen.

[jameslofton29]

Rain, Axl has to have CD out if he tours, or even just plays some huge festival. If he tries 2001-02 again, his career is basically over. He'll be singing 'Jungle' at the free stage at county fairs.

[Sudz]

I think the best way to go about it is, get the album out and do a few free shows...the Makin' It Up Tour if you will. Free shows in places like Montreal, Philly, and Vancouver and anywhere else that has been a disaster in the past would do a lot to show that he's taking the whole thing seriously. Then if the album rocks (which as much as I dislike Axl as a person, his brilliance is undeniable, so it will) he does the whole giant world tour thing

[dustNroses]

promoters have nothing to lose, if it all turns to shit....well........they still get paid. plus more. A big name like GnR will always have interest from promoters, thats NOT a problem.

[madagas]

Wrong. Promoters have ALOT to lose. Clear Channel took a bath on Axl's Escapade-that is why it was stopped. Axl and the band got guaranteed money every night-whether 5000 or 15000 showed up. The promoter loses if the place doesn't sell up to expectations-promoters set the ticket prices as well. Kyrie, the other big difference between the Crue tour and new Gnr is that Crue had the original lineup back together. Axl let the cat out of the bag at the VMA's so most people knew before they purchased tickets that it was a new band-that hurt ticket sales as well. I agree with Kyrie's plan. 

[Saul]

I most certainly agree with everyone that says a new album MUST be released before they decide to tour again. 

The next tour should be the time to really introduce the world to the new band and their music as Guns N Roses. 

[smeagol2124]

Jesus don't even mention Motley Crue and GNR in the same paragraph.  Motley Crue was SOOOO desperate on this tour, they took next to zero up front money, and banked on the fact that every middle-aged fast food working fan would show up.  It worked for them (god knows how or why).  Axl Rose is Axl fucking Rose, he is not going to perform without a huge guarentee upfront.  I totally agree with the above poster regarding tour dates.  Fuck playing in small shit towns, and motherfuck playing in places like South Carolina, Mississippi, and North Dakota.  Keep it simple and keep it big.  Clear channel will sure as all hell promote this tour, they will just have stronger contract language regarding no guarenteed money when the band doesn't perform that night.  In the end, it's still all business -everyone made money on the last tour