Re: 29. FEBRUARY 2009-APRIL 2010: DJ JOINS THE BAND; TOURING CHINESE DEMOCRACY

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:45 am

'CRUCIFY THE DEAD' - ABOUT AXL?

One of the songs on Slash's solo album that was released in 2010, Crucify the Dead, sung by Ozzy Osbourne, would contain lyrics that seemingly dealt with Slash's relationship with Axl:

The fire started long ago
The flames burned out, still embers glow
So charred and black
There's nothing left to burn, to burn
We had the same dream
Lived life to extreme
A loaded gun jammed by a rose
The thorns are knots around your head
Your ego cursed you till you bled
You cannot crucify the dead
To me you're dead, yeah

Talking about Ozzy writing the lyrics and that the vocals were recorded in Ozzy's house:

Sitting next to Ozzy while he’s writing lyrics and practicing the vocal is really fuckin’ a trip. I’ve been listening to Ozzy since I was like 13 years old.

Rolling Stone, February 19, 2010

Ozzy was a lot of fun. It was a real honour – he’s so busy with his stuff – and he took the time to stop and really focus on writing the lyrics for this song.

We recorded the vocals up at Ozzy’s house, and it was funny because I’m sitting here and Ozzy’s here and we’re sitting at the control board and he’s got his microphone, and he’s working on the lyrics and he’s singing them, trying to work out how they should go. It’s such a recognisable voice!

It was just a trip to hear Ozzy working out the parts for a piece of music that I wrote. Somebody I’d been listening to since I was a kid, all of a sudden right there. He put together a very poignant set of lyrics about a particular subject matter that a lot of us can relate to...

MusicRadar, March 4, 2010

Being asked if he read the lyrics of the songs on the album before recording:

I did read most of them. I’d write the music and then send the demo to the singer, and then we’d get together and collaborate on the arrangements, and I got pretty familiar with the lyrics at that point.

Toro Town Storyworks, March 2010

An whether he ever asked some of the singers to change any of the lyrics:

I didn’t. I really wanted for the singers to feel completely comfortable and just do their own thing. I never even thought to change any of their lyrics! (laughs)

Toro Town Storyworks, March 2010

In early April 2010, Slash would deny that the lyrics were about Axl:

It was an Ozzy thing. He said the song represents the situation he’s had in his relationships with other musicians. Yes, there were some key lines in there that were very suggestive of my experience. But he said, ‘No, this is just an overall picture of the issues.’

The Toronto Sun, April 4, 2010

And in an interview released in May, but likely conducted weeks before, Slash would suggest the lyrics were about Zakk Wylde:

[Ozzy] actually took charge on this one. He was going through this thing with Zakk Wylde at the time so I think he had a lot to say. If you listen to the lyrics it’s got a very definite thing he’s going for that he’s trying to say. This is one of those songs, compared to a lot of stuff that I’ve heard him do of late, where he really takes the bull by the horns.

Total Guitar, May 2010

But Ozzy would confirm they were about Axl:

Slash sent me the music of it and I worked on the melody and some lyrics for him and what I did with the lyrics, I thought, what's always gotten me about the Guns N' Roses guys and I say to Slash all the time, 'Do you realize what you guys did? You'll never understand. You guys could've been the next Rolling Stones, the next superband,'" Ozzy said. "And what I wrote in the song, 'Crucify The Dead', is if I were Slash, what I would send in a message to Axl.

I've never met Axl but I would be pissed off and the lyrics are about that.

The Toronto Sun, April 4, 2010

I helped write the lyrics and melody for the song with my producer. It’s kind of about what I think happened to Guns N' Roses. I often say to Slash, ‘Y’know what? One day you guys are going to wake up and go, 'What the fuck did we have and why did we blow it?' The song's what I'd be singing to Axl if I was Slash, y'know: 'They can't crucify you when you're dead'.

Classic Rock, April 2010

In 2011, Slash would admit parts of the lyrics must have been about Axl:

Um, what’s that about? Yeah. I was... when he was writing the lyrics I was hanging around the house. And so he came to me with a couple different sort of passes and they all sounded hauntingly similar to some life experiences that I had. But his whole thing at the time was well you know I’ve been going through a lot of different things with different artists over the years and and this and this. And these all sort of pertain to all these different things. But I think the „the gun jammed by the rose“ was a definite Axl thing.

Dirty Rock Nation, April 10, 2011

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:46 am

FEBRUARY 2010

DOC MCGEE BECOMES THE BAND'S NEW MANAGER

Since parting ways with Irving Azoff and Front Line Management back in late 2009 [see previous chapter], Guns N' Roes had been without a management, but in February 2010 Axl announced Doc McGee had taken over the managerial reins:

On another note Guns is now managed by Doc McGhee n' we're off to a fun start. Big welcomes! It's nice to have the support!!

Twitter, February 16, 2010

This move with be disputed by Paul Stanley of KISS, a band that was managed by McGee:

That's been very funny. A few weeks ago I said to Doc: 'It would've been nice if you'd told us.' Doc replied: 'I had nothing to to do with it.'"

[...]

Axl has decided, from what I understand, that Doc is his manager. That's a one-way agreement. because Doc is not managing Guns N' Roses. One day he certainly might but he's not right now. And he definitely is still our manager.

Classic Rock/Blabbermouth, March 26, 2010

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:48 am

MARCH 7 AND 10, 2010

THE LATIN AMERICAN TOUR STARTS

Before coming to Latin America, Bumblefoot would be asked about his anticipations about touring this region of the world:

I expect to have a damn good time with a bunch of crazy Chileans...

Gunnerland Chile, December 5, 2009

I've been in touch with South American Guns N' Roses fans for a few years now, and they've been one of the most passionate and supportive of all. I can't wait to do this one-on-one. For me it will be spiritual. My expectation is that the Brazilian audience will be loud, beautiful and fun - I know you won't let me down! This is going to be awesome.

Rolling Stone Brazil, December 29, 2009; translated from Portuguese

Heey, just finished a great week of surprise acoustic shows in NYC - the South American tour is a few weeks away, and the excitement is growing! This will be my first time there, but after years of contact and support with S. American fans, I feel like I'm getting together with people I already know, the connection is already there. I look forward to meeting everyone and having a great time together - see you soon in Brazil!!

Whiplash (Brazil), February 24, 2010

In late February, 2010, Axl would deny the band would play shows in Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala:

IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!

There are NO new Guns N' Roses shows added to our current onsale itinerary dated as of February 25th. This means NO SHOWS in Panama, Costa Rica or Guatemala regardless of ANYONE's claims or ticket sales. These dates or ANY additional dates anywhere other than those already previously announced and on sale before February 25th will NOT BE HONORED. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS until further notice here on this my personal twitter account. If you have purchased tickets to ANY suggested new dates being offered after February 25th please contact your place of purchase for refunds. We apologize for any inconvenience.

MySpace/Twitter, February 28, 2010

But then in March the shows had been scheduled:

Attention!! Important Notice!!

We can now say officially we will be coming to Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Puerto Rico.

Our shows in these countries were originally announced without our knowledge n' dates were put up for sale that weren't confirmed.

We're also attempting to reschedule Rio for Apr 4. We'll let you know asap when this is confirmed.

[...]

Hope to see you out there!! Our apologies for any inconvenience. All the best!!

Axl-

MySpace, March 20, 2010

THE SHOWS

The first show of the Latin American tour took place at Ginásio Nilson Nelson in Brasília, Brazil on March 7.

At the venue, relaxing backstage listening to the rain fall. Good to see the crew again, missed them! Hands are aching to get on a guitar...

Twitter, March 6, 2010

(Just a soundcheck today...) 6000 contest entries, announcing the first winner soon......!

Twitter, March 6, 2010

Kickin' back with the acoustic guitar, watching the crowd fill up the arena. DOH! I've been spotted!! (Throwing them guitar picks...)

Twitter, March 7, 2010

OK, the show... greatest moment, the GIANT FLAG! Couldn't believe my eyes when it unraveled and spread across

Twitter, March 8, 2010

Today is exactly one year ago that we played our first show of the South American tour, in Brazil. During the show, the audience unraveled a giant flag over their heads, had to be covering over a hundred people – never saw anything like that... playing, then seeing this giant colorful banner roll open across the crowd in front of us, I stopped playing, pointed to it and said “Do you fucking see that?” or something like to Axl – it was really heart-warming, it made the show feel more like we were all celebrating something together. One of the best feelings I ever had during a show.

RockAAA, March 18, 2011

During a later interview Bumblefoot would talk about what makes certain shows stand out and point to the fans, and mention this show in Brazil when the fans brought a huge flag with them:

Well, there’s always something about them. Usually it’s when the audience surprises me. For example I remember when we first started playing in Brazil suddenly in the middle of the show – how they had it in I have no idea -somehow they all revealed this giant flag bigger than this room all over their heads, a real huge flag with a nice message on it for us and about a hundred of people were holding it and I found out that about 70 people had made it in about two month. I stopped playing and said to Axl “Do you see this?” It is things like that that you do remember.

Cool Magazine (Austria), October 2010

Being asked what happened to the flag:

That was still one of the coolest fkn things ever Smile

Not sure who has that now - I have a ton of stuff, shirts, flags, gifts, but not the biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig flag...

mygnrforum.com, February 16, 2011

The band then continued for shows at Ginásio Mineirinho, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (March 10) and Estádio Palestra Itália in São Paulo, Brazil (March 13).

Bumblefoot
Belo Horizonte, March 10, 2010

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:49 am

MARCH 9, 2010

DALE "RAGE" RESTEGHNINI IS HIRED TO PHOTOGRAPH THE TOUR

On March 9, 2010, it would be reported that Dale 'Rage' Resteghini, world-renowned music video director, had been hired by the band to document the ongoing tour through still photography [Blabbermouth, March 9, 2010].

Commenting on the opportunity, Resteghini would say:

Axl Rose is the quintessential rock-star frontman and is all things you'd expect and some you would not expect. He is very humorous and very, very passionate about his fans and ensuring that the legacy of GN'R as being one of most incredible and best-selling rock bands in the history of music remains intact."

Blabbermouth, March 9, 2010

In 2010, Bumblefoot would talk about the shows being recorded:

We recorded almost everything, but I don't know what's been done with any of the photos or videos or sound recordings. I don't know if we have a DVD or anything of it. Personally, if it was me, I would love to record every show and then stream it at the web site, so people can see the show, from wherever they are or make video files, that people can download. Personally, that's what I would love to do with all of that footage. What's the point of having it, if we are not sharing it.

Teraz Rock, August 2010

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:50 am

THE SOLO SPOTS

Immediately after starting to tour with the band, Bumblefoot, like other band members, would get to do a solo spot during the show, something he did not enjoy:

I try to make it fun. I play an instrumental version of "Don't Cry" and the audience sings along. But I mix it up, I've played Van Halen's "Eruption", at Christmas I sang and played "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch", Ace Frehley's solo from the Kiss Alive! album, sometimes just technical tapping and speed soloing. Yeah, I just have fun with it.

Young Guitar (Japan), May 2007

I've always liked doing 'Don't Cry.' I did it as my solo and would have the audience sing along - love that kinda stuff, connecting with the audience.

Fireworks Magazine, March 2009

I think from the old stuff (I like] Don't Cry. It goes back to when I first started [in the band]. I f**king hate taking guitar solos. When I first joined the band I wasn't prepared for it. [...] I just felt like an idiot, just standing up there and wanking, thinking, 'I was brought into this to wank!' People always wrote to me saying that they wanted to hear Don't Cry. One day I just spontaneously started playing the melody and adding the chords to it and the audience started singing along. People would write and ask if we would do it at the next show, and that became my solo. I minimised all of the other stuff and the audience would sing along. I thought it was a moment of closing the gap between audience and stage, with everyone making music together.

Total Guitar, December 2012

As the 2009/2010 touring commenced, show reviews would frequently comment on the numerous solo spots where different band members got to shine while Axl took a back seat. For the touring that started in 2009, Bumblefoot chose the theme song from Pink Panther, despite not wanting to do a solo song:

I'd rather not even do a guitar solo, unless it's another GNR song - that's what the audience came there to see.

Appetite for Discussion, August 17, 2009

[Being asked if he planned on playing one of his songs during the shows]: Nah, I'd rather people get up and go to the bathroom during one of my solos, not one of my songs - they may not come back if I played one of my songs.

Gunnerland Chile, December 5, 2009

And the fans deserve the acknowledgement, the recognition and participation and the inclusion, even when I would do things on stage and for my solo—you stand up there like a jerk for 5 minutes, and play whatever – I would do something where the audience could sing along and make them part of it, instead of making it just a 5 minute wang fest, and I would just do a song we hadn’t done in the set, have the words on the screen for people to sing along, trying to make them a part of a show. So to me, having the fans a part of the show and having a connection to the fans is just a normal part of what I do. But, I understand others who can’t do it.

All Access Magazine, August 5, 2010

I never liked taking guitar solos. Ya wouldn't think so considering, but it's true. I always cared more about a song in its entirety, the musical aspect, I've never been comfortable with the 'attention' of standing on stage alone and noodling away. Maybe it's insecurity or lack of belief in myself, maybe it's obstinacy and an overly idealistic stance to my own detriment about the importance of a song, maybe it's just how I'm wired and I shouldn't psycho-analyze. Regardless, that's me. The 'song' is everything to me, I'm the anti-rockstar, I'd rather be heard than seen, I'm not about mystique or larger-than-life idol worship, although a good chunk of that philosophy goes out the window once I hit the stage and the switch is flicked. But ultimately I love music, making it, giving it, feeding souls, bringing smiles, it's that basic.

It was November 2009, Guns N' Roses was rehearsing at the LA Forum for the start of the next year(s) of touring, and we were to come up with our own solo spots for the show. Richard [Fortus] had his James Bond inspired spot, DJ [Ashba] had a song he made specifically called “Ballad Of Death” and I had nothing prepared, I had avoided it throughout the year, and was unwilling to bend on my anti-solo attitude. I'd spout off, “People didn't come here to see me screw around, they came to hear GNR songs...”, “I'll walk before doing something I don't believe in...” Methinks I doth protest too much. Perhaps I read too many YouTube comments.

Three days left of full-production rehearsals before we go home and our gear floats to Taipei for the start of the tour, and I give in. “Has anyone done a version of the Charlie Brown theme?” I ask. “Pretty much every kid in GIT [guitar school]” Fortus responds. “OK, how's about the Pink Panther?” Nope, hasn't been done. “OK, Frank, gimme a 'tsss, ts, t-tsss, ts, t-tsss' on the cymbals, Tommy, go 'dammmm, dommmm, dummmm' on the octave 5th & root, Rich, gimme the...” (Rich was already playing the part before I finished the sentence), “Deej, hit the heavy 'duh-dah, duh dah!' and we quickly threw the song together. And that was my solo for the next two years of touring. And I enjoyed it! It was a *song*, and it was fun.

I'd finish 'November Rain', the lights would go down, I'd carefully climb around the piano and swerve through the oncoming flurry of crew rushing to move the piano off-stage, McBob [my tech] would be meeting me half-way with my Vigier fretted/fretless double-neck and thimble in hand [thimble goes over my picking hand 4th finger for tapping high notes on the string past the fretboard], I'd be removing the single-cutaway guitar and he'd be strapping the 30-pound behemoth over my neck, and I'd get to the front the stage as Axl would be announcing me in an ever-changing amusing fashion, “The one, the only...”, or some twist on my name, “Ron 'Thalshank Redemption'...”

And half the time I'd be taking a solo Axl would be telling jokes into the band's in-ear monitors that only we hear. He'd do that to us all from time to time. So, if you ever see us bursting into a random laugh, shaking our head as we play, or looking behind us toward the side of the stage in mid-solo, that's why.

Bumblefoot website, December 30, 2011

[The Pink Panther Theme] happened in 2009 when I refused to take a solo. I was saying, 'I'm not taking a solo, I don't care, I'll leave this f**kin' band, I will not do a solo. Hey, has anybody done the Charlie Brown theme? And they were like, 'Yeah, every kid in MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has.' This was three days before we were going on the road. Then I thought, 'What about the Pink Panther theme?' So, we just started putting it together and it all clicked spontaneously. I did that for a long time, and we recorded it, too, at the end of the touring last year.

Total Guitar, December 2012

I started playing it in December 2009. It was one of Guns N’ Roses’ last rehearsals before hitting the road for our first tour after the release of Chinese Democracy, we all had new solo spots in the show worked out… except me. I didn’t want to take a solo. My attitude was that since people came to hear GNR songs, I’d rather give them another song than stand up there feeling like an attention-seeking buffoon, not giving people what they want. It was a bad attitude. It stemmed from insecurity.

Finally, with just a few days left before all the gear was being shipped off to Taipei, I asked the band “Has anyone done a guitar solo version of the Charlie Brown theme?” [guitarist Richard] Fortus said “Yeah, every kid in GIT has…” “OK, how about the Pink Panther?” Everyone quietly thought, got no resistance. “Cool? OK, Tommy [Stinson, bassist], play these octaves, bahmmm-bommm-bummmmm… Fortus, hit these clean chords dah-dahm-dah-daaaahm… Frank [Ferrer, drums], gimme a tssss-ta-t’-tssss-ta-t’-tssss…. Deej [guitarist DJ Ashba], come in heavy on this, DAH-DAHM-DAH-DAHM…!” And we put it together and played it every night from 2009 to 2011. At the end of 2011, we recorded it and I released it, as the final song of my song-a-month releases I did throughout 2011.

Rolling Stone India, July 10, 2013

The Pink Panther thing, that's an interesting one. See, honestly, I always hated taking the guitar solo, I did. I'm shy doing... and to stand up there alone and just be [imitating shredding]. I just feel like a douche, I do. I mean, I'm getting over it. I am. Finally in my mid 40s I'm getting over this thing. Took long enough. But yeah, so for me it was always about playing a song and giving people music and giving people what they want. And I just always felt like they don't want to see me up here just dicking around. They they want to hear a song. They want to hear something. So I started playing Don't Cry just as, you know, single version of it where I'm playing the melody and the chorus together and the audiences would sing along.

And then it was time to hit the road again. We did that. It ran its course. Time to do new solos. And I remember throughout 2009 I was just, you know, sucking on my thumb, "I don't want to do a solo! Wuaaah! I hate solos!" Just being a total brat about it, I was. And finally it was like 3 days before we had to pack up the gear and send it to Taiwan to start playing. I'm like, "Alright, I'm gonna have to do something on it." I remember asking them was like, "Has anyone done like a good version of the Charlie Brown theme?" And they're like, "Yeah, like every kid in MIT's," or "in GIT has done that". "What about Pink Panther?" "I don't think so." "Alright, let's do it. Let's do the Pink Panther theme." And it was just like that [snapping fingers]. "Alright, Frank [imitating a drum beat on cymbals], Tommy [imitating the bass riff], Richard [imitating the guitar melody], DJ, come in heavy [imitating louder guitar]." And we just put it together and just came up with chord progression and there we got together. A few weeks later we went over it [?] and just started playing it for years.

And did that until time to change the song go up and I was like, "Why don't we do one of my vocal songs or something like that?" and I went through a bunch of them. There's a song called Glad To Be Here off the Abnormal album, and then Objectify off the Abnormal album, and then the song Abnormal, and that was it. But I still do the Pink Panther theme, I recorded it and put it out, so it just became, I guess, part of what I do. So yeah, from that and from putting it out. It's a fun song. People like it, so, you know, like [?] [snapping and drumming the intro]. You know, and little kids smile. Everyone knows it and it's fun. It's putting in a good place, so I like doing that.

Louder Noise, November 20, 2015

For 2012, Bumblefoot would start playing his song 'Glad To Be Here' [see later chapter about the possible implications of this] and for the last touring at the end of the year, he would consider debuting another solo song:

The guys are leaning toward another song off Abnormal CD....

Nightrain, October 1, 2012

Richard would be playing the James Bond theme as his solo number throughout 2010:

I'll probably stick to it for Europe, as I don't know that we will have much time to rehearse before the next run.

Appetite for Discussion, June 13, 2010

DJ would include two of his own songs, Ballad of Death and Mi Amour as solo pieces leading into Sweet Child O' Mine [Saratogian Mobile, November 16, 2011].

Tommy, as the bassist, chose to cover two songs, The Who's "My Generation" and The Dead Kennedy's "Sonic Reducer" for the touring in 2009 and onwards:

They both came about as equally and accidentally as anything. We happened to be in Japan, and Axl introduced me as doing a "bass solo." The guys and I have been doing "My Generation" at rehearsal, just for laughs. It sparked that I had to fucking do something. I wasn't going to sit there and twiddle my thumbs and play a bass solo. I've never done that, that's kind of stupid. So we just busted into it. After that it was like, 'Eh, that's getting kind of boring.' He introduced me that way for a while, and then we did "Sonic Reducer," a couple times.

Then he stopped introducing me in that way, so I felt like it was time for that to go away, that whole element of the set had run its course. He asked me recently, "Why did you stop doing the songs?" and I was like, "I kind of thought you wanted me to because you stopped introducing me to do them." He was like, "No, you gotta do that." We'll probably work something new up. I'm getting a little bored of them.

Phoenix New Times, December 16, 2011

And when asked why he didn't take the opportunity to play something off his latest solo record:

You know, maybe. "It's a Drag" might, but eh...I just think that would be kind of weird. The guys [in the band] want me to do one or two off my last record, "Motivation" or "Moment Too Soon." They keep pushing. But I could just hear him [Rose] getting a breather while we're doing that saying "Real cute, guys." Not really appropriate. Or is it? I just don't know.

Phoenix New Times, December 16, 2011

And on December 16, in Seattle, Tommy did indeed debut his own song Motivation as his "solo spot" song.

I am a huge Who fan and [My Generation] just kind of came out of nowhere. I think Axel started introducing me one night like I was going to do some kind of bass solo. We started doing that song during rehearsals and then we busted it out for shows. It became kind of a thing, but then it went away for a while. I kept thinking why the fuck am I doing a bass solo in the middle of a Guns N' Roses show? I got bored doing that and "Sonic Reducer," so I started doing my own song, "Motivation." The rest of the band prompted me to do it. I still feel weird doing one of my songs in the middle of a Guns N' Roses show.

Dallas Observer, March 14, 2012

During the Not In This Lifetime touring of 2016-2018, Slash and Richard would jam on Wish You Were Here. Being asked about his favorite GN'R solo:

Wish You Were Here. That's the highlight of my night every night. That's my favorite thing to play.

Gretsch at NAMM, January 26, 2019

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:50 am

MARCH 12, 2010

ANGRY FANS IN BRAZIL RIOT WHEN SECRET SHOW DOESN'T HAPPEN

On March 9, 2010, there would be rumours that GN'R would perform three secret shows while in Brasil, including one in Sao Paolo on March 12 [Reuters, March 9, 2010]. The shows had been orchestrated by Jamison Ernest, an alleged friend of Axl who owned the clothing company and band, both named Yellow Fever [Reuters, March 9, 2010].

But the very same day, Fernando Lebeis, posting on Here Today...Gone Tomorrow, would deny the band intended to do these three secret shows [Blabbermouth, March 9, 2010]:

Sorry, guys, there will not be three secret shows in South America.

[...]

Sorry for the confusion, some people just need to be quiet and enjoy the sun.

Blabbermouth, March 9, 2010

It seems that this message was not conveyed to party-goers in Sao Paolo, because on March 12, the date of the first of these secret shows, would riot when it dawned on them the concert would not happen:

An A-list crowd of Brazilian billionaires and supermodels rioted at 3 a.m. yesterday after waiting hours for Guns N' Roses to perform, and then learning Axl Rose and his band wouldn't play. The exclusive concert in a Sao Paulo club was hosted by Ana Beatriz Barros and fellow lingerie models. "The audience got angry and started to mount the stage, and fight and destroy everything," our source said. "It was wild. There were fights everywhere, on the dance floor, in the bathrooms, outside the club. Crazy. I guess the free drinks didn't help."

The New York Post, March 12, 2010

Axl would explain what that was about and indicate that he never really had wanted to do the secret shows, who were booked without his consent, and that when it came to it, his health meant he had to prioritize the larger, normal show:

So a couple of nights ago we had some problems here. I know I'm probably giving him too much credit by talking about it, but i gotta get it off my chest, 'cause I'm fucking pissed off. See, we know this little scumbag up in New York. He talked about booking a show, a bunch of models and shit, that's his shtick. And I told him no, but he booked it anyway. I found out the night before the show and I was gonna go... But then I had a show, my throat was pretty fucked up from the show before. And I wanna apologize if I'm not hitting all my high fucking notes tonight. But as much we hate to disappoint anyone, had to look at priorities. It was either a couple of hundred people or all of you. And my so called friend thought I was being selfish by not doing his show, and I'm supposed to say "Fuck You!" to you. I didn't wanna say "Fuck You!" to you... So as why that didn't happen and why we're here tonight, it's because, we wanted to play this show.

Estádio do Palmeiras, São Paulo, Brazil, March 13, 2010

So I'm in the shower at the gig after r Sao Paulo show n' when I touch the faucet I get a jolt of electricity!! Wtf!! Time 2 get the fuck out da water!! Anyway! After a bunch of meds, about 2 1/2+ hrs of warmups, r show n' another hour of warmdowns we'll b headin' into Rio for r show there. This was hard comin' as all anyone bsides the band thinks about is the money. Who gives a fuck about the fans, how it sounds or if it fucks up the rest of the tour?! I don't perform for ANYONE in this industry n' no matter how nice, funny or what spin they put on things they're seemingly n' unfortunately all the same. We had a good show here in Sao Paulo n' a bunch of opportunists w/out my knowledge or consent did their best to make it about them b4 hand instead of the fans or there wouldn't have been shit in the Post but hey we got past 'em enough to do r gig. What's really crazy is these same types have the unmitigated gall to feel they're the ones who were taken advantage of!! Fuck the bourgeoisie!! Of course that's not to say there weren't plenty in attendance the other nite who like us got duped as well but the others well... It's not for them or their kind (or stalkers or press agents etc.) It's for u. Thank you Sao Paulo!! Peace, Axl-

Twitter, March 14, 2010

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:50 am

MARCH 13-22, 2010

THE LATIN AMERICAN TOUR CONTINUES

The next show of the Latin American tour was at Estádio Palestra Itália in São Paulo, Brazil (March 13).

Already at the beginning of the show, a bottle was thrown on stage:

Singer Axl Rose stopped Guns N' Roses' concert last night (Saturday, March 13) at Estádio do Palmeiras in São Paulo, Brazil about two minutes into the show's opening number, "Chinese Democracy", after a member of the audience allegedly threw a bottle on stage. "Where's the little fuck over here?" Axl asked after he instructed his bandmates to stop playing. "C'mon, coward. You wanna fuck up the show for everybody? 'Cause I've got no problem — I will leave. We will all leave. You wanna play games? You can fuck yourself or we can have some fun. You guys wanna have fun? Then I don't need no little fucking pussies like we had the other night at that club. [Presumably referring to the incident Thursday night when an A-list crowd of Brazilian billionaires and supermodels rioted after waiting hours for Guns N' Roses to perform, and then learning Axl Rose and his band wouldn't play. — Ed.] You wanna fuck with me and my boys? We will leave."

Blabbermouth, March 14, 2010

Later, Axl would lead the audience in a "Fuck you, Axl Rose! chant:

It's a lovely evening, don't you think? We have a saying around my house. See if you can help me with my saying. It goes like this: "Fuck you, Axl Rose!" So can you help me out? I'll say "Fuck You", and then you'll say "Axl Rose"...

Estádio do Palmeiras, São Paulo, Brazil, March 13, 2010

The band then continued to Porto Alegro, in Brazil, for a show at Estacionamento da FIERGS on March 16.

Fun gig tonight in Porto Alegre!! That was the most slippery stage I ever stood on, feet would slip n' slide

Twitter, March 17, 2010

Then followed a show at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay (March 18), Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile (March 20) (which had originally been scheduled for March 22) and Estadio Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina (March 22).

Later, Bumblefoot would mention all the Chilean fans that had reached out to him before the tour and urged the band not to cancel due to an earthquake (on February 27, 2010) having recently hit the country:

The earthquake was a big deal in the US, very concerned. Immediately people from Chile started emailing me asking us to please not cancel our show there, they need us to give them a break, some happiness. I heard a lot of personal stories about loss, it was very sad. And this is why I say you can't predict anything - you never know what's going to happen, all you can do is not forget this, appreciate the good people and good things around you, be a good person and leave behind something positive.

Vortec.cl (Chile), September 2, 2010

In Chile, Bumblefoot's wife Jennifer would come onstage to play the tambourine:

Then for a one show in Chile my wife played tambourine in Patience, I think. She got called up on stage, she was up on the riser near Frank and played tambourine, so she's the member of Guns N' Roses now too (laugh).

Teraz Rock, August 2010

Ax and Bumblefoot
Montevideo, March 18, 2010

Before coming to Uruguay, Bumblefoot would mention having relatives there:

I have family in Uruguay, but we've never met - we don't even know who we are. Before WWII my grandparents and their siblings changed their identity to escape the Nazis - some went to New York, and some went to Uruguay. All information and contact was lost. Maybe somewhere in the audience there will be family of mine and we won't know it, so I will think of *all* of you as my possible family and greet you with love, as my own.

El Observador (Uruguay), February 27, 2010

In Argentina, 12 people were arrested after fans tried to enter the venue without tickets resulting in a scuffle with the police who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd [Blabbermouth, March 22, 2010].

Excerpt of review in the Buenos Aires Herald:

Before it started, it was impossible to find the right entrance. Fans wandered from one side to another, misled by police officers who had no idea how to direct them to the door corresponding to the ticket. Outside Vélez stadium on Monday, black-dressed youngsters, some wearing a red headscarf favoured by Axl, confronted police as they supposedly had fake tickets. Although some weren’t carrying a ticket, others were but it didn’t matter — they weren’t allowed in anyway. Arrests were made and the ones who did escape burnt down a tree to show how they felt about the injustice.

When I finally managed to enter, nobody walked me to my seat. I agreed to wait until Sebastián Bach (former Skid Row) support act finished. When lights came on, I looked for my mysterious location. It was impossible to find an usher and, after stalking one for a while, he told me where I was supposed to be but advised me not to go there. “OK, I’ll show you where, but please don’t ask me to argue with the person sitting there because I’ve had enough for one day,” he told me. It’s a deal, I’ll do the talking, I assured him.

Row six, seats one and three. Two teenage girls were in my seats, claiming innocence by saying they had the same tickets as me. But they lacked evidence, so I had no choice but to call security. Of course, it was useless, so I threatened them, much to my regret. “Don’t worry, we’ll all stand up when Axl starts singing and it will be a mess anyway, look around you,” she said to me.

The same was happening all over the place. I wasn’t the only one quarrelling, on the verge of a physical fight with another person over a seat that cost $400 (the cheapest were $90). Some shouted, others accepted the inevitable, the smartest sought out free space. In the jungle, animals dressed as humans flew off the handle, and the only rule that prevailed was Darwin’s survival of the fittest. But they didn’t react that way out of the blue: they had their reasons.

Were the same tickets sold twice? Where did all those fake passes came from? Who knows. But the fact remains that this was an international concert that was far from well-organized — and no excuse can redeem it, not even the fact that the venue changed from River to Vélez the week before due to BA city government’s excessive regulations. The discontent could be perceived in the atmosphere, overcrowded with people whose blood boiled during and after the two-hour delay.

At 11pm, Axl showed up on all-fire stage with the song that lends its title to the album, Chinese Democracy. Then, it was the turn of Welcome to the Jungle, followed by several hits from the latest album. His rock-n-roll spirit fuelled the anger as people jumping in the front row started throwing amicable Argentine flags (Axl put one on) and unfriendly bottles (which triggered Axl’s fear). When the attacks went too far, he stopped the show and was crystal clear. “Thank you for your love and support but, please, don’t throw this kind of crap on stage because you might hurt me or you. We don’t wanna arrest you. We all came here to have fun, didn’t we? If you keep on doing this, I’ll call it a day,” he threatened. Although his words didn’t materialize, he had to interrupt the concert three times.

Apart from the extramusical complications, the gig wasn’t as fluent as expected. He intertwined new, rocker songs with old, calmer ballads, giving way to confusion as he didn’t lead the mood of the audience — most of them were halfway between rock’s unstoppable energy and the concentration required to enjoy the more profound songs such as Don’t Cry, Patience, November Rain and a great version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

In between hits, he included solo sections by his musicians that slowed down the gig’s pace. If it was too in-your-face with Axl’s out-of-control movements, the instrumental segments were too long and tedious — except for the recreation of Lalo Schifrin’s The Pink Panther Theme or James Bond soundtrack followed by Live and Let Die. Was Axl generous enough to give room for his crew to shine or was he trying to avoid being on stage as long as possible? When performing lengthy tracks, such as You Could be Mine (Terminator 2), he would run away mid song and return when it was time to finish it.

Buenos Aires Herald, March 25, 2010

Axl would comment on fans throwing stuff on stage and how great it was to play for South American fans:

Headed 4 Lima! Was great gettin' back 2 Buenos Aires!! The crowds everywhere on this tour r unique un2 themselves. Don't get much rowdier or energetic than here n' as w/ Belo Horizonte n' Santiago etc. very humbling. Sure there's excited idiots who throw shit or whatever but 4 the most part the fans r so enthusiastic, positive n' we mean so much 2 them it sets u bk n' makes u work hard to feel u can earn a small part of the respect they show u. So many of these shows we have trouble w/r sound on stage to b able to hear 'cuz the audience is singing along so loud which is amazing!! It's also nice to visit places that aren't as jaded n' influenced by peer pressure or media nonsense. They know what they like n' stand up 4 it rather than b told what they should n' shouldn't b in2. I grew up w/the preppies n' jocks w/their pink Izod's where Bowie, Cooper, Zeppelin etc. were considered garbage n' when The Cars, The Police, The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols etc were "gay", whatever. South American fans have always been so good to us, I'm happy we were able to find a way to play for those we've been fortunate enough to have seen so far!! Obrigado, Gracias n' Thank You!! N' to the officials who gave us extra time in Buenos Aires a triple Thank You!! Peace!!

Twitter, March 25, 2010

by **Soulmonster** Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:51 am

ADDITIONAL MUSIC VIDEOS FROM CHINESE DEMOCRACY?

In February 2009, Axl would suggest more music videos were planned, in addition to the one for Better (which was never released) and that to him "a few videos" were part of the product:

For me, once the real accompanying artwork is there with a few videos and some touring, the package was achieved and delivered.

Billboard, February 6, 2009

We're finalizing a video for "Better" and writing a couple others now. Over time different ideas have been tossed around, written up or submitted but that was then. Nothing we had come up with -- or at least the approaches so far -- felt right.

Billboard, February 6, 2009

Then in March 2010 in the press release announcing that he had been hired to take photographs during the ongoing 2010 tour, Dale "Rage" Resteghini, would say that Axl planned to release music videos for songs off Chinese Democracy "on the same grand scope and style of classics such as 'November Rain'" [Blabbermouth, March 9, 2010].

In July 2010, Bumblefoot would indicate that the band was not working on new videos:

No video stuff to speak of, not at this point.

Daily Better (Argentina), July 11, 2010

In 2011, Axl would explain he wanted the songs to exist without videos for a while:

It's like sometimes music to me is just you're supposed to hear the song, you don't have to write a script to it and that's part of the reason why there are not videos for Chinese yet. I want people to have a certain amount of time. I didn't... I wanted people to get what they could out of the material for a while, rather than tell them what I want them to think.

That Metal Show, November 11, 2011

In the end, no music videos were officially released, not even the Better video.

by **Soulmonster** Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:47 am

MARCH 24, 2010

AZOFF SUES AXL

On March 24, 2010, Front Line Management, Irving Azoff's management company, would sue Axl, Black Frog Music and BVF Productions for breach of contract for failing to pay Azoff compensation for his services based on an oral agreement allegedly made between Azoff and Axl in or around August 2008 [Lawsuit documents, March 24, 2010]. Azoff claimed he was owed in excess of $1,870,500 in commissions from the shows in Asia in the beginning of 2010, in addition to additional compensation not clear at the time of the lawsuit [Lawsuit documents, March 24, 2010].

The Wrap would report on the lawsuit:

Two years ago music mogul Irving Azoff told the world he and his management company Front Line Management were "honored” that Axl Rose had “placed his trust in us" to represent him and Guns’N’Roses.

That was then. On Thursday, Front Line filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming that Rose and GNR owe the company more than $1.8 million under their management agreement.

The suit also asks for a full accounting of Rose to determine what other funds Front Line might be owed.

The suit alleges not only that Rose owes Front Line money for services as "artist’s manager," but that the singer committed "fraud" and "an abuse of corporate privilege" with "shells … through which Rose has at all times material herein carried out his business."

The suit states that Rose, GNR and 10 as yet unnamed defendants breached an “oral agreement” by "failing and refusing" to pay a 15 percent commission on “in excess of $12,470,000 in monies that defendants received and/or earned on connection with performances in Taipei, Seoul, Japan, Canada and South America."

This suit puts one of the most powerful men in the music industry in a head-on collision with one of the most notorious performers in the business.

As well as being the longtime manager for the Eagles, Azoff handles superstars such as Van Halen, Miley Cyrus and Christina Aguilera.

After the purchase of Front Line by Ticketmaster in October 2008, Azoff also became the chairman and CEO of the giant ticket sales company, where he was one of the architects and leading proponents of the merger with promoter Live Nation.

The Wrap, March 26, 2010

by **Soulmonster** Tue Aug 24, 2021 1:30 pm

MARCH 25-APRIL 15, 2010

THE LATIN AMERICAN TOUR CONCLUDES

The band then continued to Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental in Lima for the band's first ever concert in Peru on March 25.

Axl
Lima, March 25, 2010

Blabbermouth would report on the show:

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose threatened to cut short last night's concert in Lima, Peru after enraged fans — who were forced to wait until 12:30 a.m. for the headlining act to take the stage — began throwing objects at the singer. "If you wanna throw shit, we will leave," Axl said through an interpreter. "We would like to stay and have fun with you for a long time tonight." He then added, "So we're gonna have fun? Let's try that again."

A total of three support acts performed before Guns N' Roses took the stage, including former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, who ended his show just after 11:00 p.m. Fans were then made to wait for more than one hour before Axl and his bandmates began the concert, with many of the more than 25,000 people in attendance showing visible signs of fatigue (see video footage below).

Guns opened its performance with "Chinese Democracy" and "Welcome To The Jungle"; however, the songs that received the most enthusiastic response were "Live And Let Die", "You Could Be Mine", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "November Rain", "Patience" and "Madagascar", according to LivingInPeru.com.

Blabbermouth, March 26, 2010

The next concerts were at the Poliedro de Caracas in Caracas, Venezuela (March 27) and at the Parque Jaime Duque in Bogotá, Colombia (March 30).

The band
Caracas, March 27, 2010

not sure if we left a trail of genius in bogota or not but it sure was a lot of fun.what a great crowd.cheers bogota!!!!

Twitter, March 31, 2010

The tour continued with the band's first ever show at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, Ecuador (April 1) and then Praça da Apoteose in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (April 4).

The show in Rio was originally scheduled to take place on March 14, but had to be postponed because the stage collapsed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!! ATTENTION: The March 14th Guns N' Roses show in Rio De Janeiro at Apoteose Stadium has been officially canceled for this evening due to the stage collapsing because of heavy rains. Stay tuned for more info and possible rescheduling information as we receive it. There is a possibility the show may be rescheduled for tomorrow night March 15th or at a later date. There fortunately are no fatalities but there are injuries from both our camp and Rio crews the extent of which is not known at present. The Rio Fire Dept is evacuating crews out of the venue to avoid further injuries with the heavy rains and winds. Details are just coming in. Also a truck w/part of The Sebastian Bach Band's gear has rolled on the trip from Sao Paulo to Rio what is our understanding several times and we are awaiting details on the safety of the driver at this time. Thank you for your understanding and please be safe out there. Thank you. Axl Rose-

MySpace/Twitter, March 14, 2010

RIO UPDATE: All injuries appear to be minor. There were originally radio reports of a fatality which has fortunately turned out to be false. Initial reports are that our staging is for the most part ok but a more accurate assessment is being made. No word yet on if the show will be moved to tomorrow the 15th or another night. Reportedly Baz's truck driver is ok as well. Thank you again for your understanding.
Axl-

Twitter, March 14, 2010

RIO UPDATE: They're now saying the venue actually experienced a minor tornado. Either that or regional Global media blowing usual hot air. J/k !! Love, El Gordo!!

Twitter, March 14, 2010

Oh my God. Sometimes it just seems like someone put a curse on us during that tour. And that angels were just trying to reach down and protect us from the curse. Like tings would happen followed by something where it could have been a lot worse. So what happened in Rio was: first the bus that had our crew broke down and they were late for 2 hours, so they were 2 hours late getting to the venue and setting up. And then Sebastian's bus with his gear on it went off the road and smashed pretty bad. All of their gear got busted up, so everything was running late for that show. So they prepared the stage, they got everything going and then a storm hit. It was actually a tornado. It started knocking the stage down. And there were pieces of huge chunks of sheet metal flying through the air, which could cut people in the half. So everyone had about 10 seconds to get off the stage. One guy had cut himself and drop 20 feet and broke both his legs. It was really dangerous. Stage started collapsing and it would have landed on the first 30 feet of the audience and it definitely would have killed people. So I guess the fact, that the bus broke down is the only thing that saved the audience from getting killed, because it delayed the doors from opening for 2 hours and if the doors have been open the people would have been there when the stage came down. So the stage was just a big pile of destroyed equipment and twisted metal. The crew just barely make out of there, covered in bruises and scratches and we met up with them. They were shacking up, but they were OK. Then I went back to the hotel and there were a few dozen G N'R fans crying and upset. There was an acoustic guitar, so I played a two hour acoustic show outside the hotel for G N'R fans.

Teraz Rock, August 2010

The collapsed stage

The next show took place at the Figali Convention Center in Panama City, Panama (April 7).

The band was then supposed to play a show in Costa Rica on April 9, but this was cancelled after parts of the newly built stage collapsed under the weight of the large video screen used in the show [Blabbermouth, April 9, 2010].

3 shows 2 go!! No word on if there'll b a makeup 4 Costa Rica. Though we'd obviously rather have a had a fun show we're more than thankful the very real n' serious staging problems were discovered b4 hand n' no one was hurt. We're lookin' at gettin' bk 2 a place or 2 in SA asap. Hope everyone enjoyed the shows. Big thanks 2 everyone who came out n' supported us!!

Twitter, April 10, 2010

The next show took place at the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador (April 10).

Richard, Axl and Dj
San Salvador, April 10, 2010

The concert was super, super awesome. The crowd was incredible, we started at a pretty decent hour [laughs] and I've heard from a few people that not a lot of shows come through here, right? And it was awesome. Awesome.

Canal 21 El Salvador, April 13, 2010

DJ would compare the audiences in South America with those in the US:

It's amazing! I had the most fun at the concert and all the people here are beyond nice. I can't wait to come back. [...] The people, the passion they have here for the music, the love and appreciation has been overwhelming. It's a relief from being in the USA, you know, because people, I feel, have kind of lost a sense of that in the USA. We are here, you know, the passion. Someone can tell they really don't listen to media here saying, "This band sucks, don't go see them." If they like it in their hearts they don't care what anybody else has to say and I think that is really cool.

Canal 21 El Salvador, April 13, 2010

Then the show in Guatemala was also cancelled:

El Salvador ROCKED! The stadium felt like ancient Rome. Great crowd!! Unfortunately r show in Guatemala's been cancelled. Attempts to substitute Costa Rica ultimatley weren't successful which leaves 1 SHOW LEFT!

Twitter, April 12, 2010

We tried to go to Guatemala but there was too much political unrest there and we tried to do Costa Rica and that got a little interesting, you know, a little shady.

That Metal Show, November 11, 2011

According to Blabbermouth, using Nuestro Diario newspaper as its source, the show was cancelled after only 3,000 out of 15,000 tickets were sold [Blabbermouth, April 13, 2010].

Axl would tweet about wanting to return to Guatemala and Costa Rica to make up for the two cancelled shows:

We do hope to be able to play both Costa Rica n' Guatemala at a later date. Management n' promoters r in talks. It'd b great 4 the fans 2 b able 2 get their performance. Our apologies 4 any inconvenience this has caused. It's a crazy business n' this tour's had it's share of twists n' turns. The fans n' shows have made all the chaos n' confusion worth it in the long run. Here's 2 u!! Hope to see u in Puerto Rico!!

Twitter, April 15, 2010

And later Bumblefoot would be asked if he was angry that the Costa Rican show did not go as planned:

Yes, very angry. It was very sad. We went there to do a show and we couldn't do it. It hits hard not doing what you were supposed to do, even though you went there for it. They gave a second option and that didn't work either... You know how disappointing it is for the fans, but it's just as disappointing for you, too, because you wanted the show to be done as much as they did.

[...]

Since we arrived we met a lot of wonderful people, we enjoyed the weather, the food and we had an excellent time there. We were really looking forward to doing the show, but on the same day (Friday April 9th) we were told that they had built the stage poorly and that there was no time to rebuild and inspect it to make sure it would be fine when we played. They told us they were working hard so that we could play the next night, but they couldn't ... or at least that was the information they gave us.

That day a handful of fans came at the hotel, so I gathered them, we went outside and I played an almost 2-hour acoustic show for them. We sang and played songs at a private show; It was the least I could do for them. I went there to play and I had to make sure I could give some kind of a show to some people in Costa Rica and at least make them happy.

Vuelta en U (Costa Rica), May 2, 2010; translated from Spanish

And being asked what he felt when the second date to perform the concert was cancelled:

That was like a second punch to the face. At that moment you feel that everything is against your hope to play, but you refuse to let the negative things win over you.

Even as just a matter of principle, we need to return to Costa Rica in some way and give people a show. However, it is very complicated: there are promoters, contracts, 55,000 pounds of equipment that we have to carry by plane and a crew of 60 people. It is not as easy as saying "let's go" and traveling there. It is very complicated and many times you feel that you are moving a mountain as long as things are carried out.

I remember that with my own band, seven people traveled on tour: we slept on the equipment, we all drove anywhere in a minibus, and it was that simple. However, the machinery of Guns N' Roses is much bigger, it is not so easy for everything to happen.

Axl wants it to happen, and so do we and the audience… we're going to find a way to make it happen. I don't know when; I'd like to snap my fingers and get there… for now we hope to be lucky enough to do that and go to both Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Vuelta en U (Costa Rica), May 2, 2010; translated from Spanish

This final show of the tour took place at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 15.

by **Soulmonster** Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:07 am

LOOKING BACK AT THE
LATIN AMERICAN TOUR OF 2010

All things considered, I’d say South America was a success! I have a few new scars, one less bass, one less favorite coat (damn thieving baggage handlers!), a few less brain cells, and a new appreciation for Cipro. I have seen a lot of beautiful places and people on this tour, and only a few not-so-much.

The shows were a lot of fun. We played to a lot more of you than I expected we would. I really want to thank all of you who braved the elements and everything else to see the show.

I also want to thank our crew for enduring the beating. This was a huge show to put together and they made it happen under some of the worst circumstances imaginable, except where it was truly impossible to do so, LOL.

Tommy Stinson website, April 27, 2010

Oh, it was amazing! It is so different compared to going on tour to other parts of the world, especially the United States. Latin Americans are more passionate about music and I knew that was going to be the case, I have spoken with GnR fans for a long time: they told me what to expect and they really did not lie.

GnR fans, and music fans in general, in Latin America love it so much… In Lima, Peru, when we got off the plane there were like 300 people behind a gate at the airport: they yelled, they wanted videos and autographs. In the United States there is nothing like that, it's very different here, so it was very intense to go on tour in Latin America.

I will always carry the memories of those moments with me, I will never forget them and hopefully we can repeat it and live that again.

Vuelta en U (Costa Rica), May 2, 2010; translated from Spanish

I think the South American tour ruined me for all other tours, haha! It was so good, nothing will ever be quite like it...

Whiplash (Brazil), June 29, 2010; translated from Portuguese

When I was playing with them last year in South America, sometimes we didn’t know if we would be playing the next show. We have to be paid to play; it costs a lot of money to fly to El Salvador or Uruguay, it’s insane how much money it costs. So I would be in Bogota, Colombia, and I would ask: “Are we playing in El Salvador?” And they would tell us yes or no at 6 o’clock. We wouldn’t know if we were playing the next day. One time we flew to Costa Rica, and they’d cancelled the show, so we were in Costa Rica for like three days, just being silly! (Laughs) We didn’t even play! It was very funny. They’re a wild band, and you cannot predict what Axl’s going to do. You never can.

Radio Metal, September 1, 2011

by **Soulmonster** Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:13 am

NEW BAND MEMBERS TALKING AND INTERACTING WITH OLD BAND MEMBERS

The new band members would get to know Izzy after he played with them in 2006:

Talking about playing with Izzy:

Izzy’s a sweet guy, I really enjoy spending time with him. He’s a cool guy to hang with. We always had fun playing on stage. It was funny – one of the last shows that we were doing together, we were backstage and we were working out a song – “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”. It’s a southern song from the late 70’s, and it has this really fast violin stuff in it, and we worked it out. I was doing the violin part, and he was strumming the chords. It was cool, but we didn’t play it on stage. He’s a real nice guy and I definitely enjoyed his company.

Gaffa Magazine/HTGTH, September 2007

Had some good times hangin' with Izzy when he joined us on the '06 tours - great guy! He and I had worked out a guitar version of 'Devil Went Down To Georgia' - good stuff. We almost busted it out at one of the LA shows in December, 2006.

Fireworks Magazine, March 2009

[Being asked if he would consider doing a project with a former band member]: Jammed with Izzy plenty of times, and we worked out a nice version of 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia', does that count? Haha... Bucket and I talked before he joined GNR about me singing on his stuff [ed. note: this happened in 1999], way back when - generally, if someone's cool and there's no issues, I give things a chance. You can always find a reason to not do things, I say fuck it and just play... but there are people in my history I'd never play with again no matter what, so I understand anyone feeling that way about anyone. And it's best not to get in the middle of those situations.

gnrevolution.com, August 25, 2009

Had a great time hangin' with Izzy on tour. He and I had worked out a version of "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" together, we were thinkin' of busting it out at one of the shows, haha.

Whiplash (Brazil), February 24, 2010

There are a lot of cool Izzy stories. He’s spent a lot of time with us on the road. Izzy is one of my favorite people! He is a very genuine person, a very authentic guy and he does what he wants to do. We share a passion for motorcycles so we have a lot in common.

He doesn’t have much interest in being in a touring rock band otherwise he’d be doing it. It was great to hang out with him and to have him out on the road with us! Whenever he comes out, it is always a treat and it is always fun! He is a good hang!

Legendary Rock Interviews, July 27, 2015

I also identify a lot with Izzy, personally and musically and what he does and where he came from. There's a lot of similarities. We, actually, when we were together, when we've played together, we have a lot of fun playing old Stones stuff, Aerosmith… We came up with the same type of stuff. So I think I approach it in a similar way that he did, where I tend to go for a lower-gain type of sound, maybe a bit more 'vintage-y' than Slash's high-gain sound. And I think that's sort of where he just naturally went as well. So I think there's similarities in that.

Reverb, August 5, 2016

Izzy on his side would be asked why he decided to return to play with Guns N' Roses:

You know, there's a very special connection with rock' n' roll audiences, and I had the desire to experience that again. When you play such energetic songs as Nightrain, Mr. Brownstone or Welcome to the Jungle, there is instantly a connection between the band and the audience. There's something electrifying to that and I had the desire to experience it again.

Popular 1, November 2008

And talk about the new version of the band:

They're tighter than we were. (Laughter) Those guys are great musicians. We were more spontaneous.

Popular 1, November 2008

As for which version was the better:

I only played four or five songs a night during that tour and didn’t see a lot of the show. So I really wouldn’t know.

Popular 1, November 2008

Tommy had also met Duff previously:

I met [Duff] a few years back, and he seemed like a really sweet guy. He didn’t seem to have any issues with me – I don’t think he wanted the gig anymore.

Bass Player, June 2009

In 2018, Tommy would talk more about having met with Duff before Duff rejoined GN'R, and be very gracious:

You know, when I met with him, you know, well before he was back in the band or stuff, we just met together for coffee and just, you know shoot the breeze. We had some mutual friends, you know, kind of hooked that up. And, you know, it was in Burbank, we met at Starbucks. It turns out, you know, one of his bands early on had opened for a Replacement show in Seattle, I didn't know that. We had a chat about it and had a laugh and he was always just, you know, very cool to me and a very good guy. I always liked him as a guy and a player. After meeting initially, you know, we kind of would once in a while just, you know, put through a text out to each other and, "Hey, what's going on? How you doing out there?" and stuff like that, he's that kind of guy. It's been kind of cool to know him.

Appetite for Distortion, April 20, 2018

After Duff played with the band in October 2010:

About a week and a half ago, I had the pleasure of hanging out with Tommy Stinson. For those of you who don't know, he is the guy who replaced me in Guns N' Roses. But also for those of you who don't know, Tommy is known to a lot of us music fans for his work in his first band, The Replacements.

Our meeting last week was by no means the first time we have hung out. No, back in 1983, my band 10 Minute Warning opened for The Replacements right here in Seattle, at the long-defunct punk club Metropolis.

Tommy is a great fucking guy, and I always come away glad when our paths have crossed over the years.

Seattle Weekly, October 25, 2010

[Tommy]'s my replacement -- that's our ongoing joke. We're good buddies. I was in the band that opened for The Replacements in 1983, so I've known Tommy since then. He's a fine gentlemen. We have a lot of things in common besides rock music. I think he's a fine fellow and a righteous dude. I like him.

Citypages, October 18, 2011

On May 19, 2009, Bumblefoot would join Loaded on stage at the Gramercy in New York on the songs Stone In Love (Journey), Tush (ZZ Top) and Living After Midnight (Judas Priest) [Blabbermouth, May 20, 2009].

Slash, on the other hand, would suggest he barely knew Tommy and dismissively refer to him as "what's his name" after Duff played shows with Guns N' Roses in 2014:

It really isn’t that big a deal. Duff told me he was going to fill in for what’s his name.

Daily Star, June 4, 2014

He would also say he only knew "the one with the top hat":

I've never met any of them except for the guy who wears the top hat. I can't remember his name.

The Pit, January 2015

Interestingly, Richard would claim Slash had tried to recruit him to his own band while he was playing with Thin Lizzy (so in 2011):

I had actually been asked to join Slash's band awhile ago, actually, at a Thin Lizzy show. We were playing a festival and his manager came up to me and said, "Man, we'd love to steal you." Yeah, I can't do that, I couldn't do that to my friend, you know? That would be such a slap in the face, you know? [...] I hadn't met [Slash]. He was there, but I hadn't met him.

KSHE 95, December 5, 2016

So either Slash is lying when he suggested he didn't know anyone in the band, Richard is lying when saying Slash tried to recruit him, or Slash's manager did this without telling Slash.

Bumblefoot on stage with Loaded
May 19, 2009
Credit Dave Cromwell

We were joined onstage by Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, a virtuoso on guitar and a first-class all-around guy!

Seattle Weekly, May 21, 2009

DJ had had dinner with Slash at some point:

I've actually had dinner with Slash, and y'know, it's cool. I always put myself in the fans' shoes. They come to see all of those great Appetite songs, and who am I to change it up? I'm a fan too, so my motivation is to stay true to Slash's sound.

Nuvo, December 7, 2011

[Being in Guns N' Roses is] surreal. It has its good and bad [points]. The good is, obviously, you're in Guns N' Roses and you're getting to stand on stage next to Axl, who is gonna go down in our time for one of the most legendary singers. And it is an honor. And it's bad, because everybody thinks, for some weird reason, that me and Slash hate each other, or I have a thing against Slash… I don't get that at all. I grew up cutting my teeth, I was a fan. I'm honored to be in the band. I never joined the band to replace anybody. Slash is his own person, I'm my own person. I'm just here merely trying to do the gig justice, and that's all I can do.

WRIF 191.1/Blabbermouth, December 8, 2011

In March 2012, Steven would attack the current lineup and refer to it as "Axl and his Hacks":

[Axl] wants to do [play at the RRHOF]. I want to do it. Just from what I hear, Izzy [Stradlin]'s not gonna show up and Axl will probably want to play with his hack band -- his band of hacks. 'Axl and His Hacks' -- it shouldn't even be Guns N' Roses. He's just driving that name into the freakin' ground. 'Axl and His Hacks.

Loudwire, March 29, 2012

The very next day, Steven offered an apology through a press release:

Sometimes my emotions get the best of me when talking about my former band. It’s hard to see your ex in bed with somebody else. We created one of the biggest selling debut albums of all time and it’s no secret that I want to finish what we started 25 years ago and play together at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. The guys that Axl has put together are all great players. They’re not hacks in the sense that they can’t play, they’re all incredible musicians. I just meant that they are not the original lineup. I would like to apologize to Axl, Bumblefoot, D.J., Tommy, Dizzy, Richard, Frank, and Chris for my statement.

Press Release (via Loudwire), March 30, 2012

Bumblefoot would graciously accept the apology:

All good, bro. Thanks so much. We all just want to make music and make people happy. As far as all the GN'R hoopla, I'd rather it be what connects us than what separates us. You and I played together in Chicago a few years ago (I was jammin' with Lita Ford) and you guys were great. I won't be at Hall Of Fame. If you go, please give everyone a big hello for me.

Bumblefoot's Facebook page, March 30, 2012

Then Steven would say he used the wrong word and meant to say "scabs":

I apologized to them. I said the wrong word. I meant to say “scabs.” But, see, scabs are something from when big factories – when the main workers would go on strike, the factory would get people off the street and it would call them scabs. I wasn't saying they can't play, I was just saying, “Well, the main people are on strike and this is who Axl has got going.” Of course they're great players or they wouldn’t be playing with Axl.

Artisan News, April 5, 2012

When asked if he isn't worried over a fall-out with Axl after referring to them as "scabs":

Well, I hope not. He knows I love him. I’m just very passionate about my part and the legacy of Guns N’ Roses. I’m just very passionate about it and it means a lot. I’m not saying these are bad people; I don’t know these people to say they’re bad people. I just get a little emotional.

Artisan News, April 5, 2012

I have a feeling if [Axl] would’ve shown up [to the RRHOF induction ceremony] it would only be to perform with his band of scabs. I’m sorry Lonny, sorry Jacob. I promised them I’d shut up (laughs). Those guys are great players, they’re great performers but they’re not Guns N’ Roses. They’re just not.

Legendary Rock Interviews, April 13, 2012

A few years later, Frank would discuss both Matt and Steven:

"You Could Be Mine" is the funnest drum song I get to play . Matt wrote those parts. I think that Steven's drum performance on the first GNR album is one of the greatest debut drum performances ever...Its perfect. The rock parts rock, the funky groove parts are funky and the punk rock parts are real punk. The pushes and pulls make you want to get up and dance. Steven rocks.

GNRLA, June 22, 2015

Steven would not be as gracious just a few weeks later when he talked about why he is considered the "one and only" drummer for Guns N' Roses:

[It's] 'cause I am. Do you know the name of the drummer who's in Guns N' Roses now? See, neither do I. Nobody knows. I only found out Matt Sorum's name last week, 'cause he called me up. [Laughs] I'm kidding. I love you, Matt.

Peru21/Blabbermouth, July 23, 2015

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