Re: 32. JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2012: EXTENSIVE TOURING AND A LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:47

JULY-SEPTEMBER 2012

"FUCK GNR"; THE TOURING ITINERARY IS HARD ON BUMBLEFOOT

JULY 2012: THE TOURING ITINERARY IS HARD ON BUMBLEFOOT

Before the penultimate show of the tour on July 21, Bumblefoot would clearly be ready for a break:

One. More. FUCKING. Show. One more.

Twitter, July 21, 2012

Drained of passion & desire, way too many nails in the coffin on this tour. Need to get home & recharge my batteries. Love you all Smile

Twitter, July 21, 2012

Then before the final show, he tweeted again:

Now, ONE show left. Then I get home, continue spine treatments, & think about what brings the best/worst out of me & what needs to change.

Twitter, July 22, 2012

His tweets prompted Fernando Lebeis to comment in a a discussion between fans at mygnrforum::

I too believe that a lot is being made of a simple heat of the moment venting session. We were all tired, but we too were also happy to embark on a private show to St. Tropez. To suggest that we (GNR) would think less of the crew, and/or put them in harm's way, or exhaustion; is mistaken. And anyone in the crew can vouch for what I am saying.

We chartered 6 planes back and forth, in which allowed band and crew to travel with ease and not what might be lead to believe by some, after reading Bumble's tweet. The show in St. Tropez, was by far the easiest gig to date, for our band and crew. Even Izzy was there!

Just really bums me out that Bumble wrote something to suggest we didn't care about our crew. We are a family away from our homes which have been together for some more than 10 years and respect one another.

As for the CULT-LIKE comment, that is really far-fetched. I am sorry that I really enjoy this band and I don't have anything bad to say about it, when something happens within the camp, it's not anyone else's business; like an argument between you and a(family member) is none of ours. Regardless of what's said, and/or done, at the end of the day; all's forgiven and we move on.

mygnrforum, July 2012

And Bumblefoot would clarify he was not blaming Axl:

Oh geez... seems some people are blaming Axl for the difficult logistics the crew had at the end of the tour with the extra gig thrown in. Allllways blamin' the singer.... my fault, I went on a twitter rant Razz

(http://www.twitter.com/bumblefoot/status/226815415882493952) He doesn't plot out the travel itineraries between shows, not how it works. The planners did the best they could to make everything happen, was just no way to make it easy on the crew. On a positive, once upon a time tours had canceled shows, now they have added shows... so there. Smile

Thank you all again for being such great audiences everywhere we went Smile

Made a lot of new friends that I hope I'll be seeing soon....... Smile

Twitter, July 2012

SEPTEMBER 2012: "FUCK GNR"

Then in September, a fan would talk with Bumblefoot about the leaked music video for Better, resulting in Bumblefoot being disparaging about Guns N' Roses, the music video, say "Fuck GNR" and refer to the band as Axl's:

FUCK GNR. I'm on vacation, my concern is my family & my health, I don't fucking care & don't want to hear anyone's complaints about Axl's band.

Communication with fan, September 13, 2012; posted on mygnrforum

JUNE 2013: "A BIG RUNAWAY ROLLER COASTER OF CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION"

Despite this, Bumblefoot stayed in the band and in early 2013 he would describe his time with the band:

Things have changed a lot from where it began, for everyone I think. We're more unified than we were in the beginning. I've learned a lot and grown a lot, the growth was a bumpy ride, but I haven't lost who I am in the process. If I had to describe the last seven years, it's been like surfing on a runaway train, haha.

Better B#, January 31, 2013

Later in 2013, he would refer to GN'R as "a big runaway roller coaster of chaos and destruction" [The Times of India, June 17, 2013]. When asked if he wasn't afraid a statement like that would be misconstrued, he replied:

Trust me, I mean it the way it sounds. It causes destruction in its path wherever it goes, and I am not only a part of it but also the reason for it. So I take full responsibility.

The Times of India, June 17, 2013

After this interview was published, Bumblefoot would post a disclaimer on Facebook possibly referring to the quotes above:

These are NOT all word-for-word quotes in this interview!! Just sayin'...

Facebook, June 2013[/url]

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:49

AUGUST 2012

THE BAND'S FIRST VEGAS RESIDENCY IS ANNOUNCED

In August 2012, it was reported that Guns N' Roses would perform 12 shows at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in October-November:

Guns N' Roses will launch a Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino this fall. The series of 12 shows starts October 31 and wraps up November 24.

Guns N' Roses has teamed up with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to invade Las Vegas with a never-before-seen, one-of-a-kind music experience. Each night, the band will perform an electrifying show featuring a set list created exclusively for The Joint. "Appetite For Democracy" will span the band's biggest hits from their debut album "Appetite For Destruction" (1987) through their platinum-selling record "Chinese Democracy" (2008). Exact details about the show are being kept under wraps but fans can expect the raw and gritty heavy metal Guns N' Roses is known for along with a few surprise elements. Produced exclusively by AEG Live, "Appetite For Democracy" is unlike any show the band has ever done before or will ever do again.

"We are ecstatic to announce Guns N' Roses as our newest residency at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino," said Paul Davis, vice president of entertainment at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "This is what The Joint is all about, bringing fans up close and personal with one of the most iconic bands in the world. It will be a truly unique Guns N' Roses experience!"

"This past New Year's Eve, Guns N' Roses tore the roof off The Joint with two sold-out shows. They were incredible; we watched them perform their timeless hits and soon-to-be legendary songs off 'Chinese Democracy'. Immediately following, AEG Live and Hard Rock began turning our fantasy of having them as a resident artist into a reality," added Bobby Reynolds, vice president of booking at AEG Live, Las Vegas. "To hear one of the biggest bands in the world rip through their catalog of hits is going to be amazing. There is no better way to celebrate the anniversary of their iconic album 'Appetite For Destruction' than to present 'Appetite For Democracy' at The Joint."

Ticket prices start at $45 (plus applicable services fees) and go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 17.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000. Ticket and room packages are available at www.hardrockhotel.com.

"Appetite For Democracy" schedule:

* Wednesday, Oct. 31
* Friday, Nov. 2
* Saturday, Nov. 3
* Wednesday, Nov. 7
* Friday, Nov. 9
* Saturday, Nov. 10
* Wednesday, Nov. 14
* Saturday, Nov. 17
* Sunday, Nov. 18
* Wednesday, Nov. 21
* Friday, Nov. 23
* Saturday, Nov. 24

Motley Crue earlier in the year became the first hard rock band to ever launch a Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Press Release/Blabbermouth, August 13, 2012

The residency would be times to the 25 year anniversary of Appetite for Destruction [Rolling Stone, October 9, 2012].

The perception among fans about the band doing a Las Vegas residency, was not all positive and some considered it something a band would do in their twilight years. After the band's second Las Vegas residency in 2014, Bumblefoot would comment on this:

I think years ago, the whole idea of a residency seemed not rock and roll but it's changed. Honestly looking at it from a practical point of view of what's good for everybody, it is the best thing. Let's just start with the crew - they don't have to break down and set up every night and they work harder than anybody. They're setting up at eight o'clock in the morning and the show finishes at four in the morning and they have to do it again the next night. [...] The band? We walk downstairs and we play. We can perform better because we're not worn down from travel and lack of sleep. But the real main thing is if the fans wanna see five shows, they don't have to travel five times. They don't need five separate plane tickets and five different hotels to book. They go to one place and they camp out for as long as they want and see as many shows as they want.

Ultimate Guitar, July 2, 2014

DJ, who had moved to Las Vegas, approved of the residency:

Yeah, it's perfect. I don't really have to drive anywhere, so it's nice. [...] It will be the first time in a long time that it actually feels like a regular job.

Noisecreep, August 17, 2012

Vegas is a fun town, a great place to play. We love playing there. Great atmosphere, very festive, so it seemed like a good idea.

Vegas.com, October 25, 2012

The whole anniversary thing is pretty amazing to me – it just makes me feel kind of old. I’ve been in this band a long time. That’s a lifetime for a lot of people, but it’s cool that it’s still going strong. It’s great to be a part of it. Like I said, this is just a kickass band, and we definitely do it all justice.

Vegas.com, October 25, 2012

Before the Las Vegas residency, the band would play at Neil Young's 'Bridge School' Benefit event on October 20 and 21 [Blabbermouth, September 7, 2012].

Before the residency, the band would auction old equipment to make room for new:

Hard rockers Guns N' Roses are well known for high-energy, grandiose live performances with a riotous attitude. Now fans can own a piece of "The world's most dangerous band's" storied history as GNR is selling pieces of used touring equipment on eBay.

The equipment comes from the depths of the band's warehouse in Santa Monica, CA. The touring crew has handpicked items to make room for new gear as the Gunners prepare for upcoming shows. Items will be listed at random over the next several weeks under the eBay seller name "dvamp2u."

Some items currently up for auction include custom bass and electric guitars, banners, road cases, wireless microphone monitors and mixing boards. Buyers must pay for shipping and autograph requests will not be honored.

NorthwestOhio.com, September 12, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:49

WORKING ON NEW MUSIC WHILE IN LAS VEGAS?

After the European tour ended, the band had a break for about three months before the Las Vegas residency started. This was the time when band members had suggested they would work on new music, and in an interview from mid-August, DJ would confirm he was working on new songs for the new album:

[I am] writing songs around the clock.

Colleage Magazine, August 16, 2012

In October, Bumblefoot would be asked if 2013 was the year for a new album:

no predictions. Everything takes 3x longer than you plan for, that I know.

Nightrain, October 1, 2012

It doesn't seem like the band came together to work on new music in the period between touring because in early October DJ would suggest the band could get lots done when they came together for the residency in Las Vegas later in October:

This is the first time we're all gonna be in the same place for a month solid and that will be, and already has been talked about, our main focus. So I think we're gonna get a lot of done. There's a lot of stuff recorded and I think it's just a matter of sitting down and working together as a band, putting together what we feel is gonna be the next best Guns N' Roses record. And I can't wait; I'm so excited to dive even deeper into that.

Rolling Stone, October 9, 2012

But it doesn't seem like the band did any writing or recording while in Las Vegas because in interviews they would talk about spending their free time golfing and riding Harleys [8 News Now, November 8, 2012].

At the very beginning of the residency, Dizzy would say the band hadn't written together yet, but that they had worked on new music in smaller groups with no mention of Axl:

We’ve been kicking some ideas around. We have some time off in Vegas. Hopefully we’ll be able to organize ourselves to get in a room and continue to refine a lot of those ideas and see what happens. I think as a whole this particular lineup has never really written together. We have in smaller groups…it could be great, it could be a disaster, you never know. We have three guitar players. You have three guitar players in a room together it’s always going to be volatile, but I shouldn’t say that because those guys are great. They actually work really great together, and they’re all so good. They’re the top of the heap, and for them to be able to work things out and present it the way we do every night live, it’s pretty amazing. I’m sure we can harness that energy and that vibe and get stuff recorded.

Vegas.com, October 25, 2012

All of us are always bouncing ideas around. We got a lot of time to kill on the bus and stuff, so I know that there’s a lot of stuff floating around and [Vegas] might be a good time to get together and float some more.

ABC News Radio, October 30, 2012

But then, later during the residency, DJ would say they had been working on new music in his house:

We're actually working on it. We've been writing a bunch of cool songs over at my house.

Always Acoustic, November 26, 2012

Before the residency, Axl would also confirm that all the band members had been writing:

All the guys are writing, and we recorded a lot of songs over the years. We'll figure out what we feel best about. Chinese was done in piecemeal with one person here and one there at different times. Appetite for Destruction was the only thing written with lyrics and melody fitting the guitar parts at the same time. After that, I got a barrage of guitar songs that I was supposed to put words to, and I don't know if that was the best thing for Guns. I do want to lean more toward lyrics and melody.

USA Today, October 30, 2012

Axl would also say that the wait wouldn't be as long as for Chinese Democracy:

(The next album) will come out sooner.

USA Today, October 30, 2012

In November, Bumblefoot would suggest Axl wanted to release more music but that his attention was always elsewhere:

I know Axl wants to [release music]. It’s just a question of, with so many outside things breaking focus and just little fires you always need to put out, we just need to focus on that. I’m hoping that we do. We’re not getting younger, and neither are our fans. Let’s do this. It’s what they want. Ultimately that doesn’t even matter. They want music. So, that’s what I care about.

Metal Mayhem Magazine, November 2012

And in December, Dizzy ominously implied it could take some time:

We had a lot of stuff that we haven’t finished from the past, some great songs… I just hope it won’t take us to another 10 years.

Jakarta Post, December 2, 2012

Around the same time, Bumblefoot would talk about why they hadn't worked on new music while together in Las Vegas:

[...] we've been talking about recording for a long time and plans to record, but life just always gets in the way, everything gets in the way and it just doesn't happen. The time flies by as I go out, we never did it. We were in Vegas for a month and we didn't get together and record and write and do all the stuff. We even moved some gear into DJ's house and to do some stuff, just never happened.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

And Axl would get asked when fans could expect new music:

Yes, in the future! Ha!

Hindustan Times, December 5, 2012

During a press conference on December 14, Tommy, Bumblefoot and DJ would get the same question:

About 20 years from now.

Indika 91.60 FM, December 14, 2012

No, no, no. We like to make jokes. Soon?

Indika 91.60 FM, December 14, 2012

We get asked that a lot and I think none of us are in [?] to make a bad record, so like anything, you know, it's like cooking food, you know when it's done and we won't put it out until then. You can't really put a date on that- [...] We got tons of cool shit in the works and we're gonna sit down together collectively and put together what we feel is going to be the next best Guns N' Roses record. And when we decide that you will have it in your hands.

Indika 91.60 FM, December 14, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:50

SEPTEMBER 2012

DJ RELEASES 'SONGS FOR THE DEMENTED MIND'

Guns N' Roses/Sixx: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba will release "Songs For The Demented Mind", an edgy soundtrack to accompany the grand opening of Sin City's most terrifying horror experience — "Eli Roth's Goretorium" — on Thursday, September 27.

With Ashba's unprecedented style, his exclusive gore-themed tracks will echo throughout the year-round haunt experience providing an eerie backdrop to the haunt's victims. Guests can relive the horrifying experience one track at a time by purchasing the album online at AshbaSwag.com or Goretorium.com and at the Goretorium retail store beginning September 27.

DJ Ashba kicked off his rock 'n' roll career by moving to Los Angeles at eighteen, and since then has successfully climbed his way to becoming a Grammy-nominated songwriter. In addition to playing lead guitar for Guns N' Roses since 2009, Ashba has had the pleasure of collaborating with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Motley Crue, Sixx: A.M., Run-D.M.C. and Neil Diamond.

About "Eli Roth's Goretorium": The multi-level maze of frights immerses visitors into the tale of Sin City's most deadly mythical hotel and casino, The Delmont. The self-guided horror experience begins in the lobby of the Delmont and unveils gruesome and ghastly sights of past hotel guest victims and the serial-killing family behind the deeds at every turn. Employing high-tech Vegas showmanship with old-fashioned scares, the terrifying labyrinth of live actors, animatronic frights and stunning special effects is contained in a vintage hotel setting that rivals Hollywood's best movie sets.

"Eli Roth's Goretorium" also includes a freaky, '60s-inspired lounge called "Baby Dolls." Featuring a magnificent view of CityCenter, the bar will entertain with caged zombie dancers and live "feedings." Goretorium also features a one-of-a-kind horror retail shop with a to-go bar called "Bloody Mary's," specializing in gruesomely themed cocktails.

Press Release/Blabbermouth, September 21, 2012

I got home and then I got approached with a really interesting project to do some scary music for Eli Roth’s Goretorium. I’ve always wanted to get into movie scoring because I just love scores and that kind of stuff and I love writing sixty piece orchestra parts. It’s fun for me. I got my first taste of it when I produced and wrote the Neil Diamond Christmas album and I just loved watching a real orchestra recreate what I had done on a keyboard. It was just fascinating. So when I got approached, and how my brain works, I was like, uh, well, I don’t want to do just creepy music. But then I got the storyline of the Delmont Hotel and how Mr & Mrs Delmont chopped up their guests and served them to the people. Then I sat down and said, I have two weeks to do something really special here and I love Eli Roth’s work. So I wrote a story within his story. I go, what would it have been like if the last honeymoon couple are staying at the Delmont and realizing they’re in the hotel by watching the news. “Holy crap, this is going on in the house, how do we get out?” So I thought that was a really cool twist so I started writing all the dialogue and script and stuff. And I have three movie scripts right now written. So it was one of those things that I had to throw it together really quick. It has ten music interludes with nine scenes and it’s awesome. It’s available right now on www.ashbaswag.com and Eli Roth came over and listened to it and he’s like, “You need to be directing movies.” (laughs) I have a lot of things going on.

Glide Magazine, November 15, 2012

Big fan of Eli Roth's stuff, too, you know so I did it, you know, because of Eli Roth, not because of, you know, the Haunted House thing. And you know, I knew it was a a really niche type album because it's just for a haunted house and it was geared around the whole story that Eli Roth wrote for the Goretorium which is at the Delmont Hotel and Mr. and Mrs. Delmont killed their guests and feeds them to the next guests and then blah blah. So what I did is I heard the story, I walked through the Haunt, and I wrote a story within his story and I go, "What would it be like if you were the last honeymoon couple to stay at the Delmont Hotel?" And so I just got this idea in my head and I wrote 19 jingles on the Goretorium soundtrack. And it was something that was just so fun for me to do. You know, I did it at my house and I had two weeks to write and record every piece of music. And not only did I, you know, have to write the dialogue and blah blah blah, every cricket noise, every, you know, raindrop, every little thing, you know, all the Foley sounds were done right here at the home, too, which is a lot of fun. [...] I would love to, you know, and we've talked... I mean, we talked quite a bit but we're always, like, our minds are too twisted not to work together again in the future and I know we will. You know, it's just a passion of mine, writing is a passion, I have three movie scripts that are done. I just finished an insanely scary horror movie script which he will be the first person I pass off to, and just to get his advice, nothing else. But, you know, it's just a passion. In my whole life I've written three minute, songs three-minute stories, so to sit down and actually write, you know, a script, you know, 100-120 page script, it's just... the details you can tell, you know. And I remember he sat in my home studio here and he was listening to Goretorium for the first time and he his jaw was dropping, he's just like, "You need to be a director," and I'm like, "What are you talking about? I can't direct," but he was like, "But you can, because you're directing a movie without a picture, right? Which is incredibly hard to do, that's harder than actually directing a film." And so, I mean, it kind of opened my mind to, "Oh wow, that's kinda cool to do one day," you know. But, you know, he just really inspired me and opened up a whole new door so, yeah.... It's fun.

The Scotty Mars Show, July 19, 2013

I was always a big fan of Eli Roth and Horror movies in general. Eli had a really good grasp on what the young generation likes as far as what they need to see out of a horror movie and he captures that extremely well. They wanted to make me a partner and a part owner of the Goretorium , which is a haunted house they put on the Las Vegas Strip and I immediately jumped at it because I'm a Horror fan and blah blah blah. So the inspiration just came from the story they told me about the Delmont Hotel and what they were trying to do with the haunted house. I just got inspired by the whole thing. Of course, I've always wanted to score movies and I thought this would be a great way, more as just something for Eli to hear and go "wow, this is cool" and kind of takes the story and turns it into kind of like what we did with the Heroin Diaries with the book so I thought let's do this with a haunted house. So I took this story of the Delmont Hotel and wrote the entire dialogue. My inspiration came from, I don't know how old you are, but when I was a kid we would drive around in the car with mom and dad and they'd always play the radio and they would have the audio stories where you could hear the wind blowing and they would tell the stories with the dialogue and that's kinda what I remember from driving around with my parents. It would paint such a vivid picture in your head just listening and I thought that was really cool so I thought let's try and capture some of the spirit of that. I literally wrote and recorded the entire record in two weeks, which was from morning to night, morning to night, morning to night for two solid weeks. It was the funnest album I have ever done. I had so much fun because I could be as creative as I wanted and it wasn't about being a guitar player. It was about writing a good album from beginning to end. I was micing everything in my house from pouring puddles out in the yard and micing them and running through them to micing doors squeaking to slamming doors and beating on shit. For "Ghost in the Machine", I actually went out to the garage and got a bunch of tools like saws and drills and I wanted to create a song out of power tools. It was just different. It was a lot of fun and we only printed up so many copies. I didn't want it on iTunes. I didn't want it to be a big release type thing. I wanted it to be this special kind of thing that I did in my life where if you got it, if you liked it, cool, if not, it's not a big deal to me. I wrote it more for me. It was just a fun art project more than anything and if I could score any movie in the world, God, any Horror movie, it would have to be probably some of the Saw movies would have been a lot of fun to score. Some of those types of movies would have been a lot of fun for me.

Rock Reflected, February 18, 2015

Songs for the Demented Mind
September 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:50

TOURING ASIA IN LATE 2012?

Rumours were flying that the band would travel to Asia for dates at the tail-end of 2012, and in a chat on the band's official fan forum, The Nightrain, Bumblefoot would confirm dates were being planned:

I don't think it's been formally announced and until it is I have to assume they ...still need to dot I's & cross T's, but it's looking pretty good for India Smile

[...] Hopefully it'll be 100% confirmed Smile

Nightrain, October 1, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:50

CONTROVERSY AROUND THE ARTWORK FOR THE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY

As the band announced the upcoming residency at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, the band also announced the upcoming artwork based on the original Appetite for Destruction layout:

Appetite for Democracy poster

In addition to the above version of the Appetite artwork, the band would use another version where the woman did not have an exposed breast and underwear in mainstream advertisement [Las Vegas Sun, October 30, 2012].

"Sanitized" artwork shown on a bus

Commissioner Mary Beth Scow, who represented the county at the ceremony commemorating the temporary street name change [see later chapter], said she was unaware of the ad promoting the concert that the county was throwing its support behind [Las Vegas Sun, October 30, 2012]:

I hadn’t seen the advertising before the media event. t’s clearly inappropriate. Maybe it’s the risk of doing business with a rock band, but I guess we’ll have some remorse over this decision. It’s a lesson learned.

Las Vegas Sun, October 30, 2012

Scow would claim she had done proper due diligence in advance of attending the renaming ceremony, even to the point of reading the lyrics to 'Paradise City' and concluding that she liked the chorus [Las Vegas Sun, October 30, 2012].

The band would also receive criticism from Safe Nest, a woman's shelter, with a spokesperson referring to the artwork as being "almost a celebration — of rape and violence against women" [Las Vegas Sun, October 30, 2012].

Dizzy would comment on the controversy:

Sometimes, it feels like we're getting targeted when other bands can get away with whatever.

8 News Now, November 8, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:50

2008-2013

RICHARD AND SAIVU

In 2008 Richard started to work with a Norwegian band called Saivu. Richard would mention this collaboration in 2009:

[...] and doing a record with a very cool Norwegian band called Saivu. See, I told you my tastes were varied!

Appetite for Discussion, July 27, 2009

Teddy Millmore (likely a pseudonym form Lasse Kvernmo) from Saivu would discuss how he got in contact with Richard:

We've known each other for a while, it was just one of those things bound to happen I guess. Lots of mutual friends. The collaboration has been great, Richard is an awesome guitar player and a great guy. He's very cool to work with and he has a very interesting sound and style of playing. His parts are very unique and he added a new dimension to the music and the band. Without him the guitars would've sounded very different.

Appetite for Discussion, July 27, 2009

In mid-2010, Richard would provide an update:

There is a band called Saivu from Norway whose album i played on. I'll be playing with them at a festival in Norway in July.

Appetite for Discussion, June 13, 2010

That Norwegian band, Saivu has some great songs and I'm really proud of what I did on the record.

Appetite for Discussion, June 13, 2010

The festival Richard mentions would be Midnattsrocken in Tromsø, Norway, in July 2010.

On October 2, the first single from the band, Gooodbye, would be released and Richard would again talk about the collaboration:

I fell for his songs. Right then and there I decided that I wanted to be a part of this. He's got some really unique and amazing rock songs.

Blabbermouth, October 4, 2012

Goodbye
October 2012

And in December he would talk about their first music video:

[...] there is a new single coming out and we’re doing a video for it in Vegas the day after I finish here. This band had sent me some of their material and I really liked it. Then they hired me to play on some tracks and I ended up getting more involved with them and writing with them and the song that we’re doing, “Goodbye,” is a song that I wrote with the singer.

Glide Magazine, December 12, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:50

2012-

KINGS OF CHAOS WITH MATT AND GILBY

2012: ROCK 'N' ROLL ALLSTARS WITH GILBY, MATT AND DUFF

In March 2012, a new supergroup comprised of Gene Simmons, Joe Elliott, Matt, Duff, Gilby, Glenn Hughes, Ed Roland, Sebastian Bach, Steve Stevens, Mike Inez and Billy Duffy, named Rock 'N' Roll Allstars was announced [Blabbermouth, March 1, 2012]. The band planned to tour South and Central America in April/May 2012 [Blabbermouth, March 1, 2012].

Dizzy, hearing about the band for the first time:

They’re all in the same band? All those people? [...] Wow. Hahaha. You know that sounds interesting. Laughs. You said Gene Simmons. Wow, that’s weird. All those guys are phenomenal musicians and I’ve had the good fortune of actually playing with a few of them. That should be cool.

Real Rock News, March 8, 2012

In April, Duff would talk about the all-star band:

About three months ago, I received a call from [Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver] drummer Matt Sorum, about me possibly doing some gigs with him and some "other dudes" down in South America in the spring. Matt seems to always have a few balls in the air, and I sort of chalked it up as something that only might happen.

Spring is here, and I am indeed in South America with Matt and those "other dudes."

In Los Angeles, there is a rock band called Camp Freddy. It is actually more of a collective, if you will, with a core band of Matt Sorum, Dave Navarro, Chris Chaney and Billy Morrison. Camp Freddy specializes in getting big-name guest singers -- from Ozzy to Lemmy to Elton John, Iggy Pop and Steven Tyler. It’s always fun to see one of your rock heroes just kind of get up and jam with Camp Freddy. It's raw and refreshing, and some of you reading this have most likely been to a CF show somewhere or another.

Sorum had the idea to kind of take this collective idea and make it a huge touring beast. But how? Everyone is always on their own tours, and it would be tough to find guys who were all off of a tour at the same time. But he did it, and I am now down in South America with:

Billy Duffy (The Cult)
Ed Roland (Collective Soul)
Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)
Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple)
Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)
Joe Elliott (Def Leppard)
Mike Inez (Alice In Chains)
Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses)
Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses)
AND … Gene "God of Thunder" Simmons (KISS)

I thought I was going to have some really good and snark-filled material from this tour, as some fodder for my columns. But something happened on the way to South America. You know what? This thing actually REALLY kicks some ass. You kind of forget how good it is to see really good players do their thing. And the set list is pretty unstoppable. It goes something like this:

"Welcome To The Jungle" (Guns N' Roses)
"It’s So Easy" (Guns N' Roses)
"Youth Gone Wild" (Skid Row)
"Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)
"Wildflower" (The Cult)
"Highway Star" (Deep Purple)
"Burn" (Deep Purple)
"Firewoman " (The Cult)
"Tie Your Mother Down" (Queen)
"Animal" (Def Leppard)
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" (Def Leppard)
"All The Young Dudes" (Mott The Hoople)
"Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan)
"Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses)
"Love It Loud" (KISS)
"Deuce" (KISS)
"Rock And Roll All Night" (KISS)

There are a few more songs in the set, but you get the general idea. It’s a mixture of songs by the actual artists who are here, and a couple of tunes that someone or other just simply wanted to play … and it is an absolute barn-burner of a set.

It’s a great experience to go out and play music with guys in other bands. It’s like an NFL All-Star weekend, but on tour (well, to be fair, it’s like being the old guy at NFL All-Star weekend). But none of these guys play like old guys, and this music seems fresher and somehow relevant to what is going on right now. I’m sure it is probably just the excitement of playing a KISS song, or a Deep Purple song that makes everyone else play better and a bit harder. And down here, the classic music is huge with the younger set.

Of the 20,000 people who showed up at the first gig in Paraguay, you would’ve been hard-pressed to find anyone over the age of 25.

[/url]ESPN, April 25, 2012

In 2017 and 2019, Duff would talk about having been in a cover band for the first time in his life:

Like this first time I ever played cover songs was just recently, this Kings of Chaos thing. They're playing like Deep Purple. [...] You're playing with the guys, and, like, Real Texas Shuffle with ZZ Top, like playing those songs. Like, "Whoa, this is cool!" Aerosmith songs. Like playing them real. Like, not as like a cover band, but you're playing with Steven Tyler. "You're gonna play and this is gonna be perfect." Deep Purple with Glenn Hughes. Those songs. [...] Cheap Trick songs with Robin Zander. [...] It's amazing. But it was the first time I played cover songs. So I got this little setup where I got, you know, these blasters that plays the music and then I have a little bass amp. And I play these, I learned the songs, playing over and over and over and learn them. I don't read music. You don't really need to, you just get in the tuning, whatever it is. Some of those old 70s songs they weren't really in tune with anything so you gotta tune to the record, you know? "Okay, here I am, alright."

Talk Is Jericho, September 6, 2017

That was the first time in my life I played covers. I always played my own stuff. So, I had to go to the woodshed, to the basement, man, because I’m playing Deep Purple songs with Glenn Hughes singing, and he was the bass player, right? So, I had to know the songs better than him. I was like, “I’ve gotta play it better than Glenn Hughes.” Because I don’t want to show up and have him going, “Oh fuck, dude, really?” [Laughs.] It was so good for my bass playing, learning all that stuff note-for-note. And I think my point is, learning other people’s songs opened up my scope of what I know about bass playing. Playing Aerosmith tunes ... I emailed Tom Hamilton and I said, “Man, without you, this band just wasn’t a band.” His bass lines are so good.

Bass Magazine, May 15, 2019

2012- : KINGS OF CHAOS

By October 2012, the band had changed name to Kings of Chaost:

Matt Sorum, drummer for many a great rock band (Guns N’ Roses, The Cult, Velvet Revolver), has organized some supergroups of his own, and one such group, Kings of Chaos, decided to debut their sound in the studio with a track for the Deep Purple tribute album, Re-Machined: A Tribute To Deep Purple’s Machine Head, just released by Eagle Records. Kings of Chaos consists of Joe Elliott on vocals, Steve Stevens on guitar, Duff McKagan on bass and, of course, Sorum on drums, and they contribute their rendition of the Purple song “Never Before” to the Re-Machined compilation.

Powerline, October 3, 2012

Well, musically, I'm touring a lot right now. I have two projects I'm currently doing. One is, I have a solo band that's just my name, Gilby Clarke. I go out and do live dates. It's songs from solo records I've done, a little bit of Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit... any kind of music I've always liked to play.

And then I have another band called Kings of Chaos, and that's with myself, Matt Sorum and Duff [McKagan] from G n' R, with Steve Stevens, Joe Elliott, Glenn Hughes, Ed Roland - it's like an all-star cast of musicians. We go out and do shows and basically play the greatest hits. Whoever's in the band, we play songs from their catalog. So that's basically what has been keeping me busy over the last year.

Songfacts, October 9, 2013

Explaining the origin of the group:

Well, it’s interesting because I went down to South America and put together a bit of supergroup which we are now calling Kings of Chaos. We went on tour and I love playing in South America ’cause the fans are absolutely insane. And went down there with Joe Elliot, Steve Stevens, Duff McKagan, Glenn Hughes … we did this crazy tour. And when we got back I got this call from a friend who had connections with this label out of Australia that was doing this Deep Purple tribute. At first I was like ‘Oh, a tribute album?’ I usually shy away from those but then I heard Deep Purple, and then I heard the lineup that’s on it. I was like ‘What do you mean you’ve got Iron Maiden and Metallica?’ ‘Santana? Really?!’ And I’m like ‘Okay. I’m in.’ I had a new band that I wanted to kind of experiment recording with and I thought it would be a good opportunity. Get us into the studio, record a track, see what the vibe is. So, that’s what we did. And we knocked it out. The only problem was that Joe Elliott was out on the road and how were we gonna get the vocals. But the miracles of modern recording — he was able to record it on a laptop and email it to me, then mixed it and I think it sounds killer.

Powerline, October 3, 2012

After Velvet Revolver I was like, “Oh my God, I can’t go out and try to put another band together.” I was in my early 40s and Velvet Revolver was a band that we were very fortunate to do as well as we did, in my opinion. I thought, “Why don’t I just go get all my friends and we’ll got play some shows and have a good time and not be so pressured with trying to put a record together and trying to be successful.”

It’s a very difficult business and if everyone who’s never tried it went and tried it I guarantee most people would go home with their tail between their legs. But I thought, “Why don’t I put together a great supergroup and we’ll go do some shows and we’ll be able to go out on the road, come home, people can go back to their regular stuff.” So the Kings of Chaos idea came up and I started calling my friends, we got great offers to tour and that’s the whole concept behind it. I thought, the name Kings of Chaos, I want to get some of my greatest friends and rock guys that I love to play in the band. The first bass player I thought of was Duff McKagan and I thought if me and him are together it’s all good after that. Gilby [Clarke], who comes from the Use Your Illusion line-up – I grabbed Gilby who’s just a great guy and I really wanted it to be super fun, super easy, no drama, no pressure from a label, no pressure from press, no pressure. Because in my 30-year career there’s been a lot of pressure and I just wanted to play rock’n’roll, play great songs and have a great time and then go home when I’m done, you know?

Faster Louder, April 19, 2013

And the purpose:

[...] to play all the hits from everybody in the band, in an hour long non-stop show of great hits.

The AU Review, March 21, 2013

I’m at that stage of my career where I haven’t really got the energy to go and try and create a band. I mean how many bands do I have in my back pocket? I’d rather just get a bunch of great guys together that everybody knows and go and play a bunch of shows to 60,000 people, like whoa. Even Velvet Revolver, it took us 18 months to build that up, and we we’re on the road like 20 year old kids. So my thing was, number one I don’t really want to go on the road for 18 months any more, which will basically kill you unless you’re doing hard drugs and I don’t do hard drugs anymore and I don’t drink anymore and the rest of it’s just kind of boring. So I’d rather go and do great festivals and do two or three week tours, go out and just have a blast and then go home and then think about the next thing. This idea that I came up with, this is like a release for all the other guys because it’s fresh for them, even though we’ll be playing all our hits, it’s all with all our friends and the buddies that we’ve met through years and years of rock n roll.

The AU Review, March 21, 2013

Matt has always kind of had this idea of putting something together like this. He has a band called Camp Freddy in L.A. If you've been n L.A. you've probably heard of it or seen it or whatever. They've been together for the last 12 years. So this is that sort of Camp Freddy idea where some sort of known guys play songs - cover songs but this is different. Kings Of Chaos, yeah we're playing cover songs but by the guys who are on stage. So if Joe Elliott's there we're playing Animal and we're playing whatever else you know. Pour Some Sugar On Me is a song for me as a bass player I never thought ever I probably play. Why would I think I'd play that song? And suddenly the first time we played that song Joe was in Asuncion, Paraguay together and suddenly me Duff the bass player. I'm looking over we start the song and people are losing their minds and there's Joe Elliott. I'm like, "I'm playing Pour Some Sugar On Me with Joe Elliott! this is so killer."

The Joe Elliot Show, July 6, 2013

Adding Slash to the fold:

That’s really what this is all about and I gotta tell you, it’s basically turned into a whirlwind now. Everybody wants to do it. I don’t want to name names but Slash is coming with me to Africa and after that we’re gonna go down and do South America, we’ll come back to Australia next year hopefully and do a big run with a couple of great singers, whoever wants to come. It’s gonna make people excited to come out and buy a ticket, you know?

Faster Louder, April 19, 2013

We recently went to South America, and we brought Slash, Duff (McKagan), Gilby (Clarke), who are my old band mates from Guns. We also had Steve Stevens (of Billy Idol), Cory Taylor (of Slipknot), and Joe Elliot (of Def Leppard). We played 20,000 seats a night in South America, 10,000 in Africa. It was amazing, a lot of star power on one stage.

The Street, February 8, 2014

And Slash would compare the band to Velvet Revolver:

With Velvet, there's no singer in place, and there hasn't been, but we've been, actually, very quietly been looking for somebody who's right for that band. But, interestingly enough, I'm playing some shows in South Africa with Duff and Matt and Glenn Hughes and Sebastian Bach, and that's going to be interesting. It's called Kings Of Chaos, and Duff and Matt and Steve Stevens and Glenn Hughes and Sebastian Bach are the main band, and then they have guys that come up and guest… It's going to be sort of like Velvet Revolver with Sebastian and Glenn Hughes singing.

Banana 105.5, May 9, 2013

Talking about the plans in early 2014:

Well things are going to get done hopefully later this year. We came back from a great tour of South America last fall and had a great time. We've got some big plans that I don't want to get into right now. There are just so many busy people involved that it takes some planning to get everybody in the same place at that same time. But we're really looking forward to this. It's a blast to play with all these great people.

abtiMusic, March 4, 2014

And then in June:

I’ve got a new project called Kings of Chaos, which is kind of my rock project. It’s going to be a rotating band. I’ve been very blessed, I love playing with other musicians, it’s so inspiring. [...] I’m playing drums on that gig. They might give me the microphone to talk but that’s about it. We’ve gone out on tour, Slash, Myles Kennedy, Corey Taylor, Joe Elliott. We’re going to do a big run of the States, go over to the UK. I called everybody from Robert Plant to Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden and Roger Daltrey. I’m talking to all these guys I can’t confirm any of them [will be involved with the project] and it’s super cool, they’re my heroes, my peers. I have a plan to make an original album that would be something a bit like classic rock mixed with new music somehow.

Radio.com, June 20, 2014

Talking about the band in 2015-2017:

You know what? It’s really a fun, easy gig. There’s really no agenda behind it except to play a cool show … I’ve played with all these guys before. It’s super easy-going. Everyone gets on the airplane, drives out to the gig, sets up the gear, and rocks. There’s really no drama around it at all.

Windsor Star, October 28, 2015

It started out as purely a bucket list thing. It was just like, “OK, let’s see who’s going to answer the call and come out.” I can’t even tell you everyone that I’ve called but there were even members of the Rolling Stones and members of Led Zeppelin. I have this no fear concept! [laughs] I’m at this place where I feel like I’ve pretty much done everything in rock ‘n’ roll and now the rest is going to be just icing on the cake! I look at these other guys who went to Desert Trip and they are 75-year-old guys up there playing rock ‘n’ roll. They’re guys like Paul McCartney, Neil Young and The Stones. Those guys give me hope because I’m 20 years younger than those guys! [laughs] I can keep going! Mick Jagger — I would put him up against any kid! I don’t care who they are! If these guys are out there waving the flag for rock ‘n’ roll, so can I! That’s what I do! I’m interested in seeing if it organically grows into a band that is something different. I’m pulling in younger players now like Chester Bennington and Corey Taylor. I might even go a bit younger; I’m just looking for the right person. Who is worthy of being in Kings of Chaos? This is the country club of rock ‘n’ roll! It’s like, “Who’s cool enough, has done enough and can bring something to the table?” When I invited Corey Taylor, who people know from Slipknot, he gets up there and kicks ass! And for him it’s a great experience because he’s up there with some of his heroes! The same thing goes for Chester Bennington. It is a revolving circle of a community of rock ‘n’ roll that we need to nurture and keep on track. Yes, this isn’t new music yet but it’s a fresh perspective on music that’s great and will be part of the rock ‘n’ roll catalog for eternity!

Icon Vs. Icon, December 16, 2016

It’s dream come true to play guitar and see Steven Tyler, Robin Zander, and Billy Gibbons on the same stage playing the same song. I hope there are more shows, but it’s a hard concept to keep going.

The Cornwall Seeker, September 12, 2017

Talking about the sets:

It’s a catalogue from all the bands we’ve been in, collectively and separately. Cheap Trick-wise, I tell Robin to do my favourites: I Want You to Want Me, Surrender, Dream Police. We’ve got Steve Stevens, so we do Billy Idol’s biggest hit, Rebel Yell.

We get Sebastian singing Skid Row stuff, and then we do a bunch of Guns N’ Roses with Sebastian — Paradise City, Welcome to the Jungle … Robin sings Mr. Brownstone. We break it down and Gilby sings Knocking on Heaven’s Door.

Windsor Star, October 28, 2015

On July 26, 2019, Slash would post a picture of him with Kings of Chaos with the caption, "....and this happened tonight." This would be the first image of Slash back with Gilby and Matt since he rejoined Guns N' Roses, and they didn't. KISS’ Ace Frehley, Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, Ratt’s Warren DeMartini, and White Lion’s James LoMenzo were also featured in the photo.

Kings of Chaos with Slash
July 26, 2019

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:51

OCTOBER 2012

PREPARING FOR THE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY

Talking about what fans can expect for the residency:

We got a lot of stuff. You know we're planning on having a lot of cool surprises, hopefully a lot of fun special guests, and just all kinds of stuff. We're really excited about it, and it's called, Appetite for Democracy and we're going to be playing everything from Appetite for Destruction to Chinese Democracy and it's going to be a lot of fun for the fans, and a lot of hang time with the fans too. I'm sure we're going to be spending quite a bit of time in the casino hanging out. And it's just going to be a kick back, fun month in Vegas.

Noisecreep, August 17, 2012

Very much looking forward to the residency.

Nightrain, October 1, 2012

It's gonna be a different experience for sure. The whole entire stage looks different. [...] We're playing three shows a week and our main goal is to make every show unique and really change it up because we do realize there are going to be a lot of people flying from all over the world to see maybe one, two, three shows. But there are the local people that we do take into consideration that may show up to every single show. That's kind of what's been cool about Guns: it's so spontaneous live, we've never followed a set list.

Rolling Stone, October 9, 2012

Probably a little bit, because I think we’re going to have to alternate sets and do different things. Whereas when we tour we kind of tweak the set as we go and then kind of get in a mode of it being a certain way, with a few audible changes as we go along. I think with the Vegas sets, we’re going to try and make some different things happen to kind of keep each show a little bit different.

Weekly Las Vegas, October 24, 2012

There’s definitely going to be some cool surprises, and I don’t want to give anything away. The main thing is that they’re going to see a kickass rock and roll show. That’s what we deliver, and we do it every night. That’s where it’s at; that’s the bottom line.

Vegas.com, October 25, 2012

We're doing stuff that we've never done before at any shows. [...] When you're on the road, you can only do so much a night because the show has to be big, but it can't be too big to where you can't tear it down and get it to the next state. This is something where we can custom build a stage just for the venue, we can bring in the right lighting. You can do so many things and really cater to the venue that you're playing in. [...] We don't want to play the same show 12 times in a row. We do know that there's people who are going to see the show four or five times, and our main goal is to make sure that it's a different experience every show.

Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 26, 2012

From here we go to L.A. for some rehearsal time for about a week, put our live show together and work on some different stuff for the different shows. We’re looking to change each set up, and do some different things.

Las Vegas Magazine, November 2, 2012

And Axl, who was described as divorced and unattached, would joke about the dangers of Las Vegas:

I've been married in Vegas before. This could be my demise.

USA Today, October 30, 2012

And on whether the band would stay in Las Vegas in-between shows:

As far as I know, we’re going to be hanging in Vegas most of the time, the whole time probably. I may have to come home maybe once or twice just to check on the place, but for the most part we’ll hanging there. So, you’ll see us around out on the golf course, in the casinos, the nightclubs – that’s what Vegas is all about.

Vegas.com, October 25, 2012

Being asked whether 12 days in Las Vegas is a good idea:

Yeah, it will be a challenge in a different way.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 24, 2012

Dizzy would also be asked what he felt about being part of the "entertainment lineup in Vegas":

You know when I was growing up it was such a really cool special thing. You heard about the Rat Pack performing there. Then when Elvis did his residency, that was just a huge thing. It was just like magic – you just wanted to be there. So I think, you know, not that we’re as cool as Elvis or anything, but we’re still alive, that’s a positive, and just to be a part of that, that’s pretty awesome.

Vegas.com, October 25, 2012

For the residency, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino would offer !its guests one-of-a-kind drinks inspired by the band":

* "Patience Punch" ($10): Ketel One, Triple Sec, pineapple juice, orange juice and grenadine
* "November Rain" ($10): Belvedere Lemon Tea and fresh lemonade
* "Liquid Dream Shot" ($9): Absolut Raspberry, Absolut Vanilla, Blue Curaçao, pineapple juice and grenadine
* "The Axl Rose" ($10): Champagne, cranberry juice and belvedere vodka
* "Paradise City Limits" ($8): Cruzan Rum, Watermelon Pucker, pineapple juice and grenadine
* "Welcome to the Jungle" ($8): Jim Beam, Triple Sec, Midori, Blue Curaçao, pineapple juice and sweet and sour.

Blabbermouth, October 18, 2012

The casino would also launch commemorative chips for the occasion [Blabbermouth, October 20, 2012].

GN'R commemorative chips
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, October 2012

Tommy would be asked about the name for the residency, Appetite for Democracy:

I just think somebody came up with a cute term (laughs). I don’t really know where that came from, but it is definitely going to be more than just Appetite and Chinese Democracy. It’s going to be a lot of things—as much as we can throw out there.

Weekly Las Vegas, October 24, 2012

In another stunt, on October 29, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas and Clark County declared Las Vegas' Paradise Road to be temporarily known as Paradise City Road [Blabbermouth, October 27, 2012]. To commemorate the event, the entire band, except Axl, took part in a photo session with new street signs.

Street renaming event

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:51

BOTH FRANK AND BRAIN DRUMMING FOR THE BAND?

In 2012, Brain would reveal that Axl had tried to get both Brain and Frank by touring drummers for the band:

He was trying at one point even on this last tour, he was calling saying, ‘Hey, would you want to do a double drumming type thing where you play all of the new songs, Chinese which are a little more technical and let Frank do more of the rock stuff from the older days’. I was considering it. I don’t know if Frank wanted to do that and I didn’t want to put him in that position. And I didn’t know if I wanted to do the Grateful Dead thing with two drummers.

But he was talking about having this rotating drums thing where it’s, ‘Hey, ok we’re playing ‘I’m Sorry’ from Chinese, the drum thing twirls and Brain’s playing, ok we’re playing ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, it twirls back and Frank’s playing’. It never rolled, I’m not sure they had the budget and Frank might not have been 100% into that. He’s the drummer now and I felt weird about that.

MusicRadar, October 22, 2012

From this quote, it seems like Axl had tried to make this happen a few times, and possibly this had been Axl\s wish since Brain left.

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:51

OCTOBER 20 AND 21, 2012

PLAYING AT THE BRIDGE SCHOOL BENEFIT SHOW

We're playing two acoustic shows on Oct 20th & 21st with Neil Young and Jack Black at the Annual Bridge School benefit concert in San Jose, California. The Bridge School is a non-profit organization that helps people with severe speech and physical impairments through education and alternative means of communication technology.

ChainREACTION, January 2013; interview from fall 2012

________________________________________________

On October 20 and 21 the band joined Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit show for the first time, playing an all acoustic set both night. Partial proceeds benefited the Bridge School, which assists children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs.

A lot of the acoustic shows in the past, I would still play on the [electric] Les Paul – but for this, we're going all acoustic, no electric anything. That's how Neil kind of envisioned the whole thing, so we're gonna stay true to that, for sure. We're gonna add a couple [songs] that the band's never played... I know Axl is really excited to do it.

Rolling Stone, October 9, 2012

It’s about the kids. Of all the different types of things we do, charity stuff is the most fulfilling.

Metroactive, October 19, 2012

Despite Axl having a streptococcus infection which made it harder for him to sing, especially noticeably at the first show, the shows would be fondly remembered by the band and management:

Yes, Axl *did* perform with strep throat, not easy to do. And there are 2 months of shows coming up to consider, you can't push and risk damage for the rest of the touring. Kudos for him pulling it off Smile

Rather than judging, let's remember the whole point of this, which is to support those kids. It was about the smiles on their faces, and they had fun Smile

In my world this was the most meaningful and successful show we've done. Anyone who wants to join me in that world is welcome to, room for all Smile

www.gunsnroses.com, October 21, 2010

One of my favorite moments on stage was playing an acoustic show for Neil Young's annual Bridge School benefit concert, and having dinner at Neil's house in northern California, and getting to know his family.

The Telegraph Calcutta, June 5, 2013

What an amazing show yesterday, even with strep throat, Axl killed it. So awesome to watch Eddie Vedder perform! Great how it went down, as we were walking to stage, Neil's people asked to see if Eddie could perform a few songs; Axl's like, "For sure!"... what a great show, hats off to one of the best weekends I have had.

Unknown source, October 21, 2012

HUGE THANKS to everyone at the Bridge School concert - amazing experience! Neil & family, bands, crew & most of all the kids 32. JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2012: EXTENSIVE TOURING AND A LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY - Page 2 679352

32. JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2012: EXTENSIVE TOURING AND A LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY - Page 2 679352

Love ya's!! [...] And to the AUDIENCE!! Thanks to all of you who watched, and all who were there, all who gave support!! 32. JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2012: EXTENSIVE TOURING AND A LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY - Page 2 90521

32. JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2012: EXTENSIVE TOURING AND A LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY - Page 2 90521

Love ya's!!

Twitter, October 22, 2012

In 2012 we played the Bridge School Benefit concert http://bridgeschool.org/concert/ It's an annual acoustic concert in Northern California, all profits go to the Bridge School, to help people with severe speech and physical impairments. We had children and parents on stage with us, I would have the kids strum my guitar during the show, to me it was the most meaningful valuable show GNR ever did. On my own I do a lot of charity performances, it's what matters most to me about making music, doing something that doesn't just entertain people, but truly *helps* people. That's the most important part of making music.

Komsomolskaya Pravda (Belarus), April 22, 2014

Playing the Bridge School Benefit show in 2012 [is one of my fondest memories of being in GN'R]. I do a lot of benefit shows and it felt good to be doing that with Guns. The kids and families were on stage with us, having them strum my guitar… for me, that’s what makes it meaningful to be a musician, doing what you do for a greater good.

Revolver Magazine, May 21, 2015

The first thing that always comes to mind [when thinking about my best experiences with GN'R] is playing the Bridge School Benefit [organized by musicians Neil Young and Pegi Young], when we got to play a show… It was a benefit for [the Bridge School, which assists children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs]… And having the kids and their families right on stage with us on this big platform behind us. I remember just almost ignoring the audience in front of us and just going back to them and just taking a kid's hand and helping him strum the guitar. Things like that. That's always the first thing that comes to mind.

SiriusXM's Trunk Nation, March 20, 2017

Axl would a few days later refer to having been sick:

Oh, I'm doing better now. I was a little sick the last couple of days.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 24, 2012

Rockin' In The Free World, end of second show

After the shows, Axl would jokingly refer to Chris as "Neil Pitman" after his exuberant performance next to Neil Young:

Well, Neil Pitman, that's what we're calling him now after the Neil Young shows.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 24, 2012

And Axl would talk about doing the shows and meeting Young:

It went great, it was great to meet him.... [...] and he's such a... And then he came out and did a song with us. Because I've always liked the song of his, Don't Let It Bring You Down. And he agreed to sing it with us. And then when he came out singing, he's just a power house. It was... [...] I mean he's so the real deal and so strong, and everything.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 24, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:51

OCTOBER 24, 2012

AXL IS A GUEST AT JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!

On October 24, 2012, Axl would be a guest at Jimmy Kimmel's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, presumably to promote the upcoming Las Vegas residency.

Axl and Jimmy Kimmel
October 24, 2012

Being asked why he is doing the interview:

I was asked to, and you wanted me to come here and... And I was asked so...

Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 24, 2012

At the end of the segment, Axl would deliver out free tickets to the upcoming Las Vegas residency to two lucky audience members as well as free burgers to everyone:

I think we got, some tickets under the peoples' seats. There might be, there should be like two sets of tickets under.. Reach under your seats... And also I have another surprise. [...] I wanted to bring you something, and then I thought I should bring like the audience and the crew something. So I brought a Tommy's burger truck. [...] So there's gift certificates and there's a burger truck outside. So everybody can have something to eat. Just thought it would be something fun!

Jimmy Kimmel Live! October 24, 2012

Perla Hudson, Slash's wife, would take the opportunity to take stabs at Axl for the performance at the talkshow:

I was waiting for something enlightening and all I got was promotion for a show and his evident affinity for a chili burger. Where is the love Axl? And I stayed up for this? Sex, drugs and chili dogs. Long live Axl Rose. And a Halloween tree.

US Weekly, October 25, 2012

He's had a Slash, a Buckethead and a Bumblefoot and evidently way too many Tommy's chili burgers! Hope there were some left for the audience!

US Weekly, October 25, 2012

Matt, though, would be gracious:

Really enjoyed watching Axl on Jimmy Kimmel made me happy to see him happy and having fun.

Twitter, October 25, 2012

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:52

DJ'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GUNS N' ROSES FANS

I am very happy that the fans have never given up on me … They are my motivation. My Strength, and their love and support, is the fuel that burns the fire in my heart.

The Levity Ball, May 2, 2013

________________________

The following story was printed in Glide Magazine in November 2012:

Her name is Katie. And she is nine years old. She has made a sign for guitar player Dj Ashba because tonight is his birthday. It is hand-written with bright markers and a small cake has been drawn at the bottom. She holds up the sign to show me before Saturday night’s show with all the innocent excitement only a pure soul can emit. Her eyes are bright and her smile is wide. When I ask her if she likes Ashba a lot, she shakes her head no. “I super love him.” Five minutes later, a security guard tells Katie that she cannot bring in her sign because they are allowing no signs tonight. Katie’s face breaks into a million pieces and she starts to quietly cry. Everyone is heartbroken. But I have a secret that I whisper into Katie’s ear and a few minutes later I am headed backstage to meet with Ashba, sign in hand. When I sit down with him, I tell him about Katie and with no hesitation, no pre-thought-out-silent-agenda, Ashba asks that Katie be brought upstairs immediately.

Following our interview, he slides behind the door, as Katie and her father are led into the green room. Katie runs up to me crying. When I ask her why, she quietly says that she is so nervous and so happy. I ease her around and there stands Ashba, smiling down at her. And she grabs him with all the love a child can have in their heart. It is touching beyond words and I slip out quietly. If you only know Dj Ashba as a rock star with both Guns N Roses and Sixx: AM, then you are missing probably the most important part of this man.

His actions on Saturday night were above and beyond his duties as a public personality. It was his birthday, he had friends and family waiting in the next room to give him a crazy cool cake, he had a Meet & Greet to do within minutes, he had to warm-up. He didn’t have to do anything for Katie. Yet he did. And for ten minutes, she was the only thing that mattered.

Glide Magazine, November 15, 2012

But it wasn't always easy for DJ to be accepted by the fans despite him trying to be respectful to his predecessors:

You know, I was a fan growing up, you know. You know, I realize how important these songs were to me and how important these songs are to fans so, you know, as the guitar player stepping in those shoes, you know, I'm doing whatever I can to do those shoes justice, so to speak. You know, to come in, not try to rewrite the book because you know, a lot of those solos are classic, you know, you don't want to fuck with that, and I wouldn't want to be in the audience watching some new guy up there fucking up these solos either. So with me it's one of those things, "What would I want to see?" You know, being in the crowd. And I would want somebody to show respect for the parts and playing as close to the album because they really bring back memories for people, you know. It does for me as a kid when I hear an old Guns song, it's like I remember when I was in high school and, you know, vandalizing cars and stupid stuff and whatever memory it brings back. But you kind of want to create.... you know, music's one of those things where you got to concerts and forget about your troubles and you reflect and it brings back, kind of takes you back to good times, bad times, with songs, you know, too. So it's one of those things where.... Yeah.

One on One with Mitch Lafon, April 25, 2014

And in 2011 and 2012, he would talk about the shock about how passionate the Guns N' Roses fans are:

It was just surreal. It was a lot of stress, because I have Sixx: A.M., too. I didn't realize at the time just how hardcore the Guns fans are. I was a fan — I am a fan — but you have to win their respect. And stepping in the shoes of somebody like Slash, I just didn't realize how tough it was going to be as far as winning people over. But at the same time, it makes you a real strong person, and it also was a huge challenge that I was definitely up for.

Up until [I joined the band], I had never read a negative thing on me in the press and stuff, and when I first joined, I got a couple of playing to some middle fingers and some hardcore fans, and I wasn't used to that. And then once I think people kind of did their homework and realized, 'Oh, this guy's been around for a bit,' slowly I started winning people over and I hope to continue to do so. But the guys [in the band] were really supportive and kept my chin up.

Rock Over America/Blabbermouth, February 28, 2012

The thing that pisses me off is that fans attack us, because we're just trying to do whatever we can to keep the music alive and do it justice. If it weren't us, somebody else would be doing It. But what they don't realise is that we're on their side. I never really understood that: if we hated Slash, we wouldn't be doing this gig. I personally have a lot of respect for all of the guys that have brought this band to this level, and that's why I wanted to be part of it.

Total Guitar, December 2012

I didn't really think about it too much in the sense of I didn't realize you have to win these people over.

They're hardcore, and you go up there and you have to give 300 percent or you won't gain the respect. To me, I like that. I would rather get somebody's respect by going in and kicking their ass than to have people go, 'Yeah, I've heard of him. He's cool. It's fine.'

My whole thing is I'm not coming in to this to try to replace anybody. I am my own person. I want to do what I can to do the job justice. I'm a fan of the band, too. I'm trying to give the crowd what I would want to hear if I was standing in the crowd if some new guy was on stage. I don't want to sway too hard off the original vision. People come out to hear those old songs, and they're classics. They take you back to certain memories in life. I'm trying to stay as true to those parts as I possibly can on this stuff.

SoundSpike, November 10, 2011

And admit it had been tough at start:

In the beginning, it was tough because the Guns N’ Roses fans, I didn’t realize how hardcore they are. You have to win their loyalty — you have to really go out and really give them 200 percent. When you’re stepping into a position like I did, there’s a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations.

It’s neat going out and winning fans over every night. It’s been a lot of fun for me; it’s definitely some big shoes to fill. I never came in to replace Slash or replace anybody, I just want to do the gig justice.

The Weekender, November 15, 2011

And talk about how fans tried to pit him up against Slash:

I don't really take it personal because it doesn't matter who stepped in those shoes. You're stepping in one of the biggest guitar slots in rock and roll. And, you know, it's kind of 'damned if you do, damned if you don't'. You know, I mean, if anybody can honestly look at a picture of me and Slash next to each other and go, "Wow, these guys look just alike," I mean, okay, I don't see it. But, you know, I have a lot of respect for what he has done for this band, you know, and I'm a fan of this band. And you know, that's the one thing that kind of shocked me, that they immediately tried to pin me against him and him against me. I mean, you know, I mean, I've run into him a couple times, I don't know the guy, but he's, you know, we don't know each other well enough to have issues with each other. It's one of those things where it's just, it's the Internet running wild and they're gonna make their own opinions and I just kind of stay numb to it. And I just kind of, you know, just stay focused and try to do this the best job I can. And that's it, you know, that's all anybody can do in there and in this position. But at the same time, you know, I've won a lot of those people over and, you know, I think more people are starting to dig and go, "Who is this guy?" They're starting to realize, "Oh, wow! You've done this and that and this." And they know I'm just not fresh off the turnip truck. But, you know, it's one of those things where it's a tough gig because of that. But other than that, you know, at the same time, I'm very honored, very thankful and, you know, it's a blessing to be in a position like I am, so it could be worse, you know.

One on One with Mitch Lafon, April 25, 2014

In 2015, he would state that he hasn't been able to win everybody over:

I didn't have a clue… Even after I accepted and everything, I had no idea that the shoes I was stepping into were pretty hardcore; it was a hardcore thing. I'd never read a bad thing about me on the Internet ever [before], and [now it was], like, 'You're not Slash. Fuck you!' And I'm, like, 'Oh, shit! This is a whole different thing.' I mean, that kind of blindsided me, 'cause my head wasn't even there. I was, like, 'I'm a fan of the band. I'm just trying to help keep that music alive.' But, you know, I finally slowly won those… some of them over, so it's good.

Sweetwater, June 17, 2015

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:52

2012-

THE SAGA OF ADLER'S APPETITE, PT II'

2012: ADLER

After having disbanded Adler's Appetite [see previous chapter] Steven's new band would simply be called Adler and would in 2012 be comprised of Lonny Paul (from Adler's Appetite) on guitar and Jacob Bunton (Lynam, Mars Electric) on vocals/guitar, in addition to Steven [Blabbermouth, March 16, 2012].

It might sound corny, but God brought them to me. That’s all I can say, is I was blessed again with another group of real guys, great musicians, just sweethearts. My new band, I’ve met a lot of groups in my day, and I thought my new band has the coolest guys, but the guys in Green Day are the coolest guys I’ve ever met in my life. Those guys play hard punk rock kind of stuff – these guys are the mellowest, sweetest, laid back hippies. They just love each other, they’re happy, they hang out with each other. In my band, me and my guitar player go out for breakfast every morning, and when my singer’s in town, we all three go out. Now with the new bass player, we all go out. We hang out and watch TV, listen to music, go over tunes. [...] It’s so great being part of a group, a group of guys. We’re all on the same page. We all want the same thing, we all have the same goals, and we all respect one another.

Rolling Stone, April 23, 2012

When I was doing the Adler's Appetite thing, Lonny Paul came down when I needed a guitar player. He's the only guy who ever played Izzy's parts right. I told him that this was the last time I was doing Adler's Appetite. After that tour, it was done, and I was ready to go to the next level in my career - and life.

I asked Lonny to write me some songs, and they were really great. I got so inspired when I heard them. Actually, I think they're more rock 'n' roll than metal. And then the other guys came in. But you know who brought them to me? God brought them to me [Laughs].

MusicRadar, October 11, 2012

[Adler's Appetite is] no longer. That was just something… the whole G N’ R just happened and ended too soon for me, and I just had it in me to keep playing those songs. Those songs are very important to me, and they mean so much to me. I wanted to just play them out of my system, and plus, I got an opportunity to travel around the world. Believe it or not, I played every foreign village around the world. I figured that after ten years of doing that, if I wanted to still be a part of the whole rock ’n’ roll game then this is gonna prove it, and it has proved it. Lonny came into my life right when I was done doing this Adler’s Appetite thing. Lonny came into my life, and he was like Thomas Edison. He brought a spark back into my life, and it’s just been very exciting.

Plus, I don’t like talking about the whole drug thing anymore. It’s kind of old and everybody already knows. but once I took responsibility for my life and started making amends to people everything became very easy. Like I said, Lonny Paul came into my life, and Jacob and Jeff, and all of these wonderful people. Doing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (on April 14th, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio) was the best way and the perfect way for me to end that chapter of my life. If anything with G N’ R would’ve happened again it would’ve happened that night, and it didn’t. Now I’m okay with that, and now I’m starting the second chapter of my life. It’s been very exciting. We finally did our first show on the Kiss II Kruise. People reading this can go on Adlerrocks.com, and videos and photos of that are there. Like I was saying, there couldn’t be a better way to start the second chapter of my life. I couldn’t be more thankful.

Metal Forces, November 2012

It’s just a great team. Growing up and having Slash as a best friend, I couldn’t have been more blessed. But to meet someone when you’re forty-seven years old, like I did with Lonny Paul—to have another best friend when you’re forty-seven—is a double-blessing. I just love being part of a team. I love that camaraderie where we’re all on the same page, we’re all after the same goal…we’re like a Super Bowl team! We’re trying to get to the Super Bowl, which for us is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Nervous Breakdown, December 3, 2012

Steven would explain that he wanted to move away from his GN'R past and start something new:

It's my second chapter. Adler's Appetite was just something I wanted to do because I wasn't done playing those songs. They were a big part of my life and I was so proud of them. Such a crazy part of my life! With Guns, the success happened so fast. Duff [McKagan] will argue with me about this, but it was like 13 shows in and we were pretty big! At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, my dream of playing with all those guys together, any hopes of that, just went away. So you move on. And I have moved on with this amazing band.

NoiseCreep, November 27, 2012

I told the guys [=Adler's Appetite] I wanted to do something that was relevant. We played every village around the world. I’m not talking cities or towns. We played every village. It was time to move on.

Rolling Stone, November 29, 2012

Talking about the name:

I wanted to call it No Quarter, like, you know, 'take no prisoners,' but the rest of the guys were like, 'That's a Led Zeppelin song.' I said, 'So what? It's a great Led Zeppelin song.' But we went with Adler. Adler means 'eagle' in German. I would've loved to have called it Eagle, but you know, the Eagles have the Eagles. [...] Adler was the next-best-thing. It's kind of cool. It sounds like a band. And everyone in the world knows who I am, so it works. No one has to explain that I'm in the band. It's Steven Adler, and this is the band. It's right there.

MusicRadar, October 11, 2012

In March 2012, the band was recording songs for their debut album, and Slash and John 5 would join them in the studio to add guitars to one of the songs [Blabbermouth, March 16, 2012; Classic Rock, March 2012].

Slash has been my favorite guitarist since I was twelve years old. We did a couple of singles with Adler’s Appetite and I wanted Slash to come down, but I wasn’t in the right state of mind and it wasn’t the right time. Now that I have been working with Lonny, Jacob and with our producer, Jeff Pilson, I have found that I’m in a better place in my life. Slash isn’t going to come down just for anybody or anything. He came down because I’ve earned his respect and I’ve paid my dues. I am making an effort with my life and my career. John 5 came down too. These guys are superstars. Slash is the guitar hero of the world and John 5 is like the Eric Clapton of the 21st Century. I had to earn there respect for them to come down and I did.

Classic Rock, March 2012

John 5 is a guitar hero, a phenomenal artist….period point blank and Slash is the Eric Clapton of our generation. I am so honored that they played on our record because them doing that is really them giving us their blessing. They didn’t HAVE to. They don’t just play for anyone but they thought enough of what we’re doing with the new album and how far I’ve come personally, with my progress with getting my shit together and also these new guys in our new band Adler. Make no mistake about the name, this is a BAND in the truest sense of the word and to have guys like Slash and John 5 basically give their stamp of approval to what we are doing means the world to us. They liked our music and were as excited about what they heard as we are.

Legendary Rock Interviews, April 13, 2012

Slash played and came down and John 5. And let me tell you—those two guys they just don’t go play with anybody. So having them come down made me feel great and I know it made the guys feel great. It made me feel really special because it made me feel like Slash is believing in me and respecting what I’m doing and respecting me. So that just felt great. ‘Cause for some godforsaken reason it matters so much to me what Slash thinks of me [laughs.] I don’t know why but I just love him so much that it means so much to and having him come down was wonderful.

Ultimate Guitar, April 30, 2012

It was wonderful [working with Slash again]. Just to have him be proud enough and believe in me enough again after all of the things that have happened. I have to prove myself every second of every day and it got to where I’ve proved myself enough for Slash to be happy and want to be a part of this record. It feels great that we have such a history together. I really care about what he thinks and feels about me.

Technorati, November 25, 2012

It was the best way to start this new chapter of my life. [Slash] wouldn’t let me watch him record…once he got there, we said hi, and he said, “Get out!” (laughing) But I didn’t get out. I was hiding in the laundry room, right next to him. I was right next to his room! It was great. It made me feel good because he’s very particular about who he works with. He wouldn’t work with me in the past because of my addiction problems, and he just doesn’t want to be around it. So for me, to have got myself to a place in my life where he’s willing to come around me and wanting to be around me, I couldn’t be happier and more proud. Things have changed. I’ll tell you, the biggest change was when Dr. Drew got a hold of Slash and I got the opportunity to apologize to Slash for blaming him for everything that happened in my life. Once I took responsibility for my own actions and started making amends, everything in my life became so much easier. Of course, I still have issues but that’s to be expected; I did drugs for thirty-five years! It’s like going in the ring with Manny Pacquiao; it’s gonna take some time to heal after they kick you out of the ring. (laughing) It’s just nice that I got to the point of my healing where Slash is wanting to be a part of my life again, and to have him work with me is a plus.

The Nervous Breakdown, December 3, 2012

Before recording, Steven would take drum lessons:

I actually took drum lessons again for a year before starting to work on this project. I want to be the best I can be in what I do. It’s not just a job for me. It’s my career and it’s my life. It’s who I am. I can’t help it. I enjoy me. I look in the mirror and see a few scars, but I like myself.

Technorati, November 25, 2012

Adler and Slash in the studio together with their producer
Early 2012

Steven was excited:

I love the music that we're creating! I haven't been this excited about my band since the GN'R days. Jacob is exactly the singer I have been searching for. He has an amazing range and is a great writer and frontman. Lonny is an amazing guitarist and songwriter and the vibe is amazing! I'm so excited for everyone to hear this record!

Blabbermouth, March 16, 2012

Jacob and Lonny came into my life and it has been great. I got rid of the old circle that was in my life and once I did that everything came together. [...] The last Adler’s Appetite thing that we did with the old circle of friends and family was New Year’s Eve. On January 2nd, I started working with my new circle of friends and family, Lonny, Jacob and Jeff, and it has been ho, ho, ho, it’s been heavy.

Classic Rock, March 2012

We’ve got 13 songs but we are still writing constantly. We’ll keep writing even after it’s released and we’re touring. That’s what real bands do and that’s what we’re doing all the time. No more wasting time and not being productive. [...] We’ve been having a really fun time in the studio and out of that has come a fun record. Of course it is amazing that it’s come together and that we are going to be able to go out there as a real band and play these songs right alongside those songs and it finally all makes sense to me. This is fun just like the beginning of Guns was fun. That’s how music and rock and roll should be and this has been the most fun I’ve had in the studio and in general since Appetite For Destruction. If you really stick to it, believe in what you’re doin and get through all of the shit and can manage to have fun again it’s possible to actually enjoy the music business even all these years later with all new guys. I’m living proof.

Legendary Rock Interviews, April 13, 2012

Lonny Paul would explain the process behind deciding to make a record:

I joined Adler’s Appetite two weeks before the last tour that we did over the summer – that was my first, and last, experience with that project. We were pretty much just playing Guns N’ Roses songs. When we were on tour, during the downtime, I played Steven some of my songs from my past bands and he said they were great songs and that we should look into doing some of this when we got back home. Once we got back home, we started looking for a singer. We found Jacob and it was really obvious that he was the one.

Classic Rock, March 2012

Discussing the forthcoming album:

It is where Appetite for Destruction takes off. We did everything possible to not be like the bands that are out there now. Jacob writes songs for a lot of other musicians and singers. When we were in the studio Jeff would say to try this sound, or that sound, and we would. The engineer said he has seen a lot of bands record entire albums with the same guitars and the same amps all the way through. We liked experimenting with the sounds. The world needs a new rock and roll band and we’re just the guys to give it to them.

Classic Rock, March 2012

They can expect in-your-face rock’ n’ roll, something that the world needs. The world hasn’t had a great rock’ n’ roll band since what the Foo Fighters ’95. The world needs a good rock ‘n‘ roll band and we’re just the guys to give it to them. We are gonna crush souls and destroy dreams [Laughs].

Loudwire, April 5, 2012

I have the greatest new band, and it’s so great being part of a new band, being part of something that’s fun again and real. It’s real and it’s fun, and our new record we just finished, I recorded a whole record, I have 12 songs. In two weeks when Jeff Pilson gets back, he’s on tour with Foreigner, when he gets back, we’re going to do one more song. 13 songs. The new record will be done. I haven’t been finished with something in 22 years.

Rolling Stone, April 23, 2012

Adler's debut album, Back from Dead, was released on November 26, 2012.

Back from Dead
November 26, 2012

After a stint in rehab for alcoholism, Steven was back:

It's the new chapter that will be the best part of my life. I've got a new attitude, and the only thing that can stop me is me - and I won't let that happen anymore.

MusicRadar, October 11, 2012

Talking about his goals for Adler:

Our goal here is the goal I had with G N’ R. What I wanted was to be together like The Rolling Stones or Aerosmith, for 40 to 50 years, and of course go into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. That didn’t happen with G N’ R. With this band though I just want to be together for the next 40 years, and 25 years from now be inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame again. Like Ronnie Wood; he’s been in there twice (in 1989 and 2012, for being a member of The Rolling Stones and The Faces respectively). I wanna be in there again.

Metal Forces, November 2012

2012-2013: TOURING WITH ADLER

Being asked if they intend to tour:

That’s what it’s all about. That’s the whole idea of having a rock and roll band is playing it for the people.

Ultimate Guitar, April 30, 2012

The plan was to tour with Duff's Loaded in Japan in 2013:

We've been rehearsing six months straight - we are so tight and so ready to play now. We're a force to be reckoned with and we are anxious to get out and play. We're touring Japan next year with Duff's band. But we are very anxious to hit the road here at home.

NoiseCreep, November 27, 2012

Out of respect for the fans, we will probably do two Guns N’ Roses songs. We’ll probably do ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ and ‘Mr. Brownstone.’ But beyond that it’s all about this band, though in certain countries we’re gonna have to play more than two. We’re going to do some dates with Duff McKagan’s band Loaded in South America, but I don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that yet.

Rolling Stone, November 29, 2012

Some musicians were built to just stay at home and record, and some of us were built to travel around the world and play live. That’s what we enjoy. I love meeting people, new, interesting people. The Kiss Kruise was great; we met people from all around the world on one boat. I hugged so many people, and it was so exciting. We’re addicted to cruising now.

[...]

Out of respect for the greatness of the songs, we’ll play one or two of them [songs from Appetite]. This is all about a new band though. This is new music. In certain countries we’ll go to promoters will probably want us to play a couple of more tunes than one or two G N’ R songs, so we’ll of course do that. Like I said, those songs mean so much to me in the first place. These new songs bring a new excitement though, and a new chapter in my life (laughs). A new chapter of rock ’n’ roll.

[...]

I’m waiting for the right moment, but I wanna see if Slash will come with us. We could have Slash’s band, Duff’s band, and Adler all perform on one show. We could go to Japan together, and call ourselves The Three Kamikazes (laughs). For now it’s just me and Duff though.

Metal Forces, November 2012

A complete tour with Loaded did not happen, but in early 2013 it was reported that Loaded would play two shows in Japan with Adler on March 7-8, 2013, at the Duo Music Exchange in Shibuya [Blabbermouth, November 20, 2012] which they did with Duff joining Adler for Sweet Child O' Mine while Steven returned the favor and joined Loaded on It's So Easy [Blabbermouth, March 8, 2013].

MAY 2013-DECEMBER 2014: ADLER ON HIATUS AS STEVEN SOBERS UP

Then in May 2013, Steven had to go to rehab and the planned 2013 tour had to be postponed [see previous chapter about Steven's struggles with addiction].

In early 2014, singer Jacob Bunton would explain why they hadn't toured yet and insist that the band not broken up:

We haven't broken up. We had to cancel the tour, obviously, 'cause Steven had to concentrate on himself, and that's priority No. 1. We love him; he's our brother and we want him to be healthy and staying at home. For the meantime, it's healthier [that way]. And maybe one of these days we'll be able to do some shows, or whatever. But nah, we haven't broken up, and he's our brother. [...] Obviously, from where we stand, it was an absolute honor to play with somebody that was in our favorite band of all time. Not only Steven — we also played with Duff, we played with Slash; three-fifths of the original Guns N' Roses. It's like, when you are a kid, you can never even dream of doing something like that. You're just, like, 'Wow!' It's crazy.

Radioscreamer/Blabbermouth, January 19, 2014

By late 2014, the band was back in the studio to record new music [Blabbermouth, December 29, 2014]. The producer, Jeff Pilson, commented on the proceedings:

Steven started recording today [at my Southern California studio]; we recorded the first tune today. I don't know if we're gonna do a whole record. I think we're gonna just do a couple of songs, because it's kind of, like, why bother doing a whole record these days? But his juices are flowing, so we started in on that today, and that's gonna be great.

Blabbermouth, December 29, 2014

And in early 2015, Steven would talk about how great it was to be part of a gang:

People don't want to get me shows that I'm not going to do or do right, so I have to prove myself. When you mess up, you've got to prove yourself. It's so exciting being a part of a gang again. I love it! There's strength in numbers, and I love being part of a gang where we all are into the same thing.

Joel Gausten Blog, March 18, 2015

In July, the band was recording in-between playing occasional shows, and was looking at a February 16, 2016 release date [California Rock News, July 10, 2015]. Nothing seems to have come out of these recording sessions and in 2017 Steven would say he had no intention of releasing another album with the band:

No, no, no. Dude, rock and roll doesn't sell. Unless I get into a band that's already established, there's no point in doing it, dude. It's such a pain in the ass to fly all over the world, and you play little clubs or bars… Dude, I am so tired of driving up to the gig and going… I have pair of dice in my hand and I go, 'C'mon, seven. Let there be people here. C'mon!' I walk in and I go, 'Fuck! There's twenty people.' It's not the same. So unless I get in an established band, there's no point in doing it. There's no money. And my whole goal is to play for as many people as possible. Don't get me wrong — I love and appreciate playing for that one or ten or hundred people. I was thankful. But I wanna do it right.

GloboTV, September 4, 2016

2018: ADLER'S APPETITE AGAIN; BACK TO TOURING

In 2018 he was back touring again, commemorating the 30 year anniversary of Appetite for Destruction, and again referring to his band as Adler's Appetite:

I've got some shows in Australia, some shows in Europe. I'm going to go down in South America. Of course, hit the beautiful America. I'm going to do 'Appetite', plus I've got my ADLER record, 'Back From The Dead'. I'm going to be doing songs from that.

Johnny Dare Morning Show, February 20, 2018

Right now we're gonna try and record one song before we go to Australia. So we'll have a new song" to play for the fans.

Australian Rock Show, February 30, 2018

Steven's mother would accompany him on the tour who would promote her book [see previous chapter about this book]:

Let me tell you I've got a great show together. We're gonna be playing Appetite from the beginning to the end and then some. I've got myself a powerful Broadway singer and I'm coming there with my Mom who is talking about her book Sweet Child of Mine: How I Lost My Son to Guns 'N Roses and it goes along with my book, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex and Drugs and Guns 'N Roses. Most rock star books are all about the crazy stuff but you never hear about how what you're doing is affecting the people closest to you and who love you the most. In my Mom's book, you get the other side of all the things I was doing.

[...]

We will be playing that whole album AND THEN SOME. I'll be playing a couple of songs from Use Your Illusion that I helped write and did the demo tapes for but didn't get to record. Australia is gonna hear the songs the way they are supposed to be played! I'm gonna hear something back from that comment (laughs) but it's the truth. We're gonna kick ass.

Rogue Inc, April 8, 2018

As for the new lineup, Steven would not immediately disclose the name of the singer:

You know what? I'm not gonna tell you [laughs]. He's a Broadway singer, he's been in movies, he's got a great name but he won't announced until May 4. We're putting it on the website. Everybody is going to go "wow, that's so cool." Unfortunately, it isn't Steven Tyler but it is gonna be somebody that's really, really great.

Rogue Inc, April 8, 2018

But a few weeks later, the singer was revealed to be Constantine Maroulis, 42, of American Idol and Rock of Ages fame [Billboard, April 23, 2018].

Let me just fucking tell you something... this guy Constantine, who I call 'Casanova'... he came up to New York and I'm like 'oh my God, I got this great rock and roll singer! [...] I'm finally working with a real superstar again. I call him 'Casanova" because he's so goddamn sexy. Because he dresses so nice. I wish I was his size so I could double my wardrobe! ... He flew up to New York and within five minutes I wanted to kick his fuckin' ass! And within 10 minutes I fell in love with him!

Billboard, April 23, 2018

The entire new lineup would be Constantine Maroulis (vocals), Carl Restivo (rhythm guitar), Sean McNabb (bass) and Michael Thomas (lead guitar) [Press release/Blabbermouth, April 25, 2018]. Then a few months later, Maroulis had been replaced with Arial Kamin from the Argentinian Guns N' Roses tribute band Son Of A Gun [Instagram/Blabbermouth, August 21, 2018].

Alan Niven would comment on Steven's touring:

Stevie is a joyful puppy. And if he's out there bouncing around it with a smile on his face, I'm really happy for him.

Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon, June 10, 2018

by **Soulmonster** Mon 28 Mar 2022 - 11:52

OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 21, 2012

THE FIRST SHOWS OF THE 'APPETITE FOR DEMOCRACY' LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY

Appetite for Democracy

The first of 12 shows at the band's Las Vegas Residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino kicked off on Halloween, October 31.

During the shows, while playing November Rain, Axl would play a piano that was hanging from the ceiling:

They tried to get me to go up on the piano at soundcheck, and I said, 'Absolutely not.' I'm not afraid of heights; I'm afraid of Murphy's Law. Eventually, they needed to test it and Axl couldn't be there so I gave it a shot. It was pretty sturdy. It looked more like everything was moving down below. But whenever Axl would go up on that thing, I was just worried that something bad was going to happen.

Rolling Stone Magazine, July 11, 2014

Axl and his levitating piano
The Joint, November 25, 2012

Review in Loudwire:

Guns N’ Roses have kicked off their nearly monthlong residency in Las Vegas. Beginning on Halloween night, the band ripped through a set where singer Axl Rose gave a far greater performance than he has at recent shows.

After a highly criticized performance by Axl Rose at Neil Young’s annual Bridge School benefit show, which was widely distributed online at the expense of Rose, the singer proved that he can still deliver a quality vocal show at this first Vegas show. Additionally, the city of Las Vegas celebrated the Guns N’ Roses residency by temporarily renaming Paradise Road as Paradise City Road.

The band ripped through a 29-song set that included covers of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2′ and Neil Young’s ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down.’ The show also allowed band members Tommy Stinson and Bumblefoot to take lead vocals on their own original songs.

Loudwire, November 1, 2012

Bumblefoot would discuss his Halloween makeup:

A little bit of trivia for you, speaking of Gene Simmons before, Nick Simmons, his son, did my Halloween makeup on Halloween when at the last minute I was like, "God, should i do something for Halloween?" So someone in the hospitality room had some Halloween makeup, they had a face paint, crayon kind of face stuff makeup. So Nick Simmons volunteered, he's like, "Oh let me help you with that, let me.... I could do that for you." And he did up my face like a like a zombie. [...] it was like a straight up Alice Cooper-ish zombie kind of dude. Came out great.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

The residency shows would feature dancers on stage during Rocket Queen and Axl's piano being hoisted down from the roof before November Rain.

Before the second show (November 1), Axl would tweet:

Unbelievable! 3 days in Vegas & still alive. The Bel-Air is on the Hard Rock floor and next month we go to India and Indonesia

Twitter, October 31, 2012

After the third show (November 3), Bumblefoot tweeted:

Thank you @TheJointLV @HardRockHotelLV and MOSTLY (lol) the @gunsnroses fans for a fantastic 1st week of shows Smile

Great seeing you all! Very Happy

Twitter, November 5, 2012

Axl and gogo-dancers
The Joint, 2012

Axl
The Joint, 2012

Talking about what to expect from the shows:

I never have a clue because it’s all about that moment. Every night I want to reach that space where I am that conduit, that antennae, where I’m open and it’s bliss, absolute bliss. Like a two hour orgasm.

Glide Magazine, December 12, 2012

And Axl would tweet about having a good time:

Good times in Vega$$!

Twitter, November 9, 2012

Axl, Tommy and DJ
The Joint, 2012

Bumblefoot
The Joint, 2012

FILMING APPETITE FOR DEMOCRACY 3D

The show on November 21 was shot in 3D and would be released as a live concert film, Appetite for Democracy 3D, on July 1, 2014 [see later chapter for more on this]. During soundcheck to this show, Bumblefoot would invite 9-year old Chloe to rehearsal having her sing Catcher In The Rye with the band:

There was this sweet girl, Chloe, she was about nine years old. She was in.... She was like the youngest kid in her School of Rock and all the kids picked on her and she was just starting out and she wasn't up to speed yet. And she was getting a hard time and she quit and stuff. And I brought her into a rehearsal and she was a big fan of the song Catcher in the Rye, so I gave her the mic and we played the song Catcher in the Rye with her singing and and popped it on YouTube. So she's pretty much the only other person that ever sang with Guns N' Roses.

Loud Wire, July 6, 2016

by **Soulmonster** Wed 30 Mar 2022 - 14:11

NOVEMBER 24 AND 24, 2012

THE LAST SHOWS OF THE LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY; IZZY JOINS

For the two last shows at the Las Vegas residency, November 23 and 24, Izzy joined for selected songs.

It’s a crazy day, because Izzy (Stradlin) is going to join us. [...] So, around 6:30, we’re going to do a sound check and go through it. We’re just going to brush up on “14 Years” with him because we usually play that.

Metal Mayhem Magazine, November 2012

Izzy
November 23, 2012

Review of the residency in Examiner.com:

Axl Roses and G n’ R 2.0 wrapped up a wild month-long residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino this past weekend in Las Vegas, joined by original guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and the New York Hard Rock Examiner went on the road to ride the nightrain one more time.

No other band in the history of rock and roll has had as a tumultuous, drama-filled rise, explosive fall, and eventual second life like the five original members of Guns n’ Roses. In 2012, Slash is touring successfully behind his second solo record, Duff is equal parts business adviser and punk star, Steven Adler is sober and building his newest band, and until Friday night, no one knew where Izzy was, as per usual.

Axl Rose, however, has built himself a new Guns n’ Roses full of rock and roll veterans and guitar virtuosos whom he toured with heavily in 2011 and earlier this year (read about the explosive Izod Arena show here, as well as his intimate Roseland Ballroom and Terminal 5 shows in New York City). So the band’s twelve date, month-long residency at the Hard Rock came as little surprise, and Las Vegas may prove to be the band’s final stand before they head back into the studio for their second 21st century record.

Once settled into the glitz and glam of the Vegas strip, it didn't seem out of the ordinary when this Examiner bumped into guitarists DJ Ashba and Bumblefoot just wandering the grounds of the Hard Rock casino. Gn’R might have started as a Sunset Strip band, but their extravagant setlists and larger-than-life stageshows are pure Sin City. The members of the band happily posed for pictures with fans, and even Axl himself was spotted arm-around-the-shoulder of a beaming casino guest.

The Hard Rock’s music venue is a 2,000 seater called The Joint, but it’s worth noting that two rooms over played a local tribute band called Smashing Alice. Knocking out 90’s covers from Alice in Chains to Bush to Seven Mary Three, the group ended up serving as a quasi opening act for those wandering the casino floor before Guns n’ Roses’ midnight arrival on Friday night.

And what an arrival it was! Like the national tours, the band opened up with Chinese Democracy and Welcome To The Jungle, jamming out on an explosive energy that wouldn't subside for nearly three hours as fans sang along to the timeless lyrics of Jungle and played air guitar to its ferocious solo.

Axl remains in top form, dancing and shimmying as he howled through high notes and low rumbles. The band powered through Appetite For Destruction hits like It’s So Easy and Nightrain before shifting to Chinese Democracy cuts like Better and the heartwrenching This I Love, never missing a note as the focus and spotlights bounced around the eight man band, each masters of their chosen instrument. Power ballad Estranged generated roars of approval from every section of the theater, and the song easily knocked the energy up a few more levels with its crushing choruses.

A few hundred lucky fans, this Examiner included, crowded into the general admission pit right in front of the stage, rocking out just a few feet away from one of rock music’s most notorious frontmen. Axl was in a good mood for all of Friday night’s show, joking with the crowd and band and smiling broadly as he did what he does best. Especially impressive was the band’s cover of Live and Let Die, which saw Axl hold wailing screams for over 10 seconds while blasts of pyro erupted from all corners of the stage.

But the night’s biggest treat was still in store. “We have an old friend here tonight,” Axl said, as fans in the crowd chattered knowingly, tipped off by Twitter posts hours before. “Mr. Izzy Stradlin’!”

The crowd applauded wildly as Guns’ original rhythm guitarist came out in a three piece suit and sang lead on 14 Years, with Axl joining in on the choruses. Words can’t truly do justice to seeing the magic of Guns’ original songwriters together once again, but fans can easily find video on Youtube and elsewhere. Izzy stayed on stage for You Could Be Mine, which Axl introduced as a song about angry sex and featured Vegas pole dancers grinding, bumping, and prowling the stage like a strip club runway.

While most of the setlist echoed that of last year’s national tour, November Rain held some true Vegas-style surprises. Axl and his grand piano floated out over the crowd on a levitating platform, where he performed the whole song just inches above the heads of the crowd. On either side of the stage twirled another pair of showgirls, wrapped in flowing curtains some 30 feet above the stage and twirling gracefully in midair. Showers of sparks lit up the stage for the song’s grand guitar finale, a spectacle worthy of any casino show on the entire Strip.

After a pair of Use Your Illusion favorites in Don’t Cry and Civil War, Izzy rejoined the band for a slow-paced Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door and hard partying Nightrain. It’s hard to argue that the band needed a fourth guitarist, but Axl and Izzy radiated a true sense of chemistry, sharing a knowing smile as they sang 14 Year’s “just like a hooker” line. Judging from that brief electric moment, no doubt there’s a story behind that lyric.

As the encores started, Izzy also stayed on stage for Used To Love Her, the tongue-in-cheek ode to killing your girlfriend. Despite Vegas’s “up all night” attitude, the crowd was noticeably thinning by the 2 A.M. mark but the band’s energy never wavered for a second. The mood stayed mellow with Patience, Axl whistling into his red microphone while his guitarists strummed their acoustic axes.

Paradise City served as the night’s final track, and a shower of confetti blanketed the crowd as DJ Ashba, Bumblefoot, and guitarist Richard Fortus shrieked through breakneck solos. While mosh pits were forbidden at The Joint, fans in the pit jumped, stomped and danced to the party anthem until the final, crushing chords finally faded out.

Those on the floor scrambled to catch guitar picks and Axl’s microphone, which he flung directly into the crowd. Fans filtered out onto the main casino floor, still singing Paradise City as they returned directly to the slot machines and poker tables, or headed outside to catch a cab to the next club. For Vegas, the night was still young and there was still a few hours until the desert dawn.

Despite all the rumors, despite all the controversy, despite all the bad press and lineup changes, when you’re five feet away from Axl howling through the high notes of Sweet Child O’ Mine, you’re seeing Guns n’ Roses at its very core, and there’s nothing in the world that can match that raw experience. This rock fan has seen hundreds of bands and concerts in dozens of cities, but it’s hard to imagine that anything will ever top spending Thanksgiving weekend partying with Guns n’ Roses in Sin City.

Examiner.com, November 26, 2012

In December, Bumblefoot would tell an anecdote about having jammed with Izzy before one Guns N' Roses show which could have been during the residency but also possible earlier:

Well, you know what I did? Actually right before one of the GN'R shows, me and Izzy jammed in the back room to the entire Unleashed in the East album. I walk into the room and he's going [playing a riff], so i just had to join him and, you know, and just ended up doing the whole album from there. We did [playing a riff], like we're both singing and trying to do like our best Halford. And what did we do? We did Tyrant, we didn't do Genocide, but we did Victim of Changes. I did Ripper-[...] We did a bunch. Yeah, we pretty much covered the whole lot [?], yeah, we did Tyrant.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

[Izzy]'s a sweetheart. Had a lot of nice times with him, soft-spoken, nice good-hearted guy Smile

Reddit / AMA, December 27, 2013

And Tommy would mention that Izzy had played them some new songs:

Just a totally great guy. He's a funny dude, man- [...] you should check out his new record, he played us when we just saw him recently, where did we see him? We saw him in Vegas, he came out and he played us a couple songs and his new stuff. He's got like Rick Richards from the Georgia Satellites playing with him and he's got the same.... I think it's the same band, that's the JuJu Hounds he had going. But his new stuff sounds great. [...] I think he made like an EP, you know, on his own, a little video clip of him and the guys just playing in a studio, it's great.

WTF podcast, June 6, 2013

These songs would likely be Baby Rann and Upside which Izzy releases as singles in 2012 [see separate chapter].

by **Soulmonster** Mon 4 Jul 2022 - 10:39

LOOKING BACK AT THE 2012 LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY

After the residency, Bumblefoot would talk about all the benefits of doing multiple shows in the same spot:

[...] the fans love the fact that if they want to see three shows, they don't have to buy three sets of plane tickets and spend all that money reveling in and working out their whole crazy itinerary. They can camp out just the same way we are, see as many shows as they want and they're loving that. So it's a good thing. Turned out to be good for everybody and that's not even something I thought about until they mentioned it, like, "You know, you know, I wasn't sure which show... you know, usually if you're gonna play Vegas you're doing one show and I just have to hope that I could get off and but now it's like you are here for a whole month, and I was like, 'All right I'll go with the third week,' or 'Maybe I'll go the second week and I'll see three shows or however many'" It's good. [...] And usually a lot of those fans would be traveling from place to place very often and now they were able to just kind of in one spot and it was easier for them. It was much better for them and also, you know, we all get to hang out a bit more. It's not so rushed, you know, see other on days off. So it's good. [...] The big wear down is the traveling, you known. The show's, yeah, we're playing three hours, not finishing at three in the morning, that's not... that's fine, that's no problem. It's having to go to the airport and deal with all that crap, that's the part that kicks your ass. And not having to do that... we have so much more energy...Well, I am speaking for myself, I had a hell of a lot more energy. I felt a lot better. It was good, yeah. I wouldn't.... for me, I would be completely happy if the future of touring was doing one month somewhere and then one month somewhere else and one month somewhere else, just picking different spots on the globe.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

I think that we were able to build the show a little bit more as it went on. Like we started off we... our production manager, Clay, made this phenomenal stage set up with the levitating piano thing, you have your unidentified flying Axl going out over the crowd, UFA, and had the big arms coming out over the crowd, standing on the... stuff like that, experimented with holograms, didn't go that great, but then dancers and aerialists... the aerialists were amazing, the stuff they did was beautiful. You just have to stop and watch and... So that's something that happened as the show went on, it sort of built and became more of a show and we started adding more show, more songs, different songs as it went on. So yeah, I don't think that would have happened if we were just constantly traveling and being a little worn down and didn't have the mental energy to take on all that stuff, to focus on all that stuff really. So yeah, it helped.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

That was the most wonderful thing in the world. I wish the history from here on of touring would be residency after residency after residency. The crew, they don't have to break down and reset up between every show, you're not worn out from flying everywhere all the time, and the fans, most of all what was good about it, is that the fans if they want to see five shows in a row it's not like they have to buy five sets of plane tickets and find five hotels and deal with all the travel, they get one set, they get one hotel and they see as many shows as they want, so it's a fantastic thing for everybody.

MzHollywood, January 2013

That was awesome. It was fun, I survived it. Which I didn't count on initially [...]

DRUMline, January 2013

It was a lot of fun. I was sort of dreading it, I was afraid of how I was gonna survive a month in Vegas, but that was great.

MzHollywood, January 2013

And Axl would talk about how the live shows had changed:

Musically it’s still our show with a few new songs, some different videos, changes in our staging, different light show, some new effects, a flying piano, some hologram imagery, dancers and aerialists. We’re all in a pretty good place about how it’s eventually come together and worked out. The public response has been great. And somehow we’re having more fun with the show. We’re enjoying it more. We liked it previously, but this has been a great experience for us. The band genuinely enjoys playing the material. The fans and shows push them to be at their best. We have a good time doing our job together and trying to make each show the most it can be.

Daily News and Analysis, December 6, 2012

Being asked if they would release a live DVD from the residency:

Don't know. I mean, we had a video that were recorded from London in the end of May or early June and that never came out. We filmed some good 3D footage. See if it comes out. Its out of my hands, you know, once it is in the hands of management and whatever else - that's it. I did my part, I played.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

Bumblefoot would also talk about correcting smaller issues with the band's live shows and tours:

I've been to every meet and greet, in fact I did a lot of things to try and help. There were things that were not right that needed fixing, like the meet and greets were happening at the same time the doors were opening so what was happening is people that bought VIP tickets had to choose between, you know, their preferred seating or standing or rail hugging, wherever they wanted to be, or going to the meet and greet, coming back down and there's 20 rows of people in front of them and losing a good spot. So we... you know, I petitioned or just, well I asked that we can move the meet and greets a half hour early so that they can still do the meet and greet and then go... yeah. So just little things like that that we did to like fix little things. You know, nothing's perfect so you just gotta take things one at a time and fix them. Another issue we were having was the local security was taking fan signs and was telling them that if they hold up the signs, if they show the signs, that they're going to get thrown out, signs being confiscated and then be told that this was like the band wanted this, which isn't true of course. And finally it got ridiculous where there was like a nine-year-old girl who's like spent all day like making and coloring in this big beautiful sign, "Happy birthday, DJ!" on his birthday that she wanted a show to him and like one for me as well and then her dad sent me a tweet saying that they confiscated her signs. It's like, she's not a troublemaker, she's a nine-year-old girl. So we actually, me and DJ, we brought her upstairs and to hang out like before the show and everything and took pictures with her and then I took her signs and held them up on the stage for everyone to see and... So yeah, you gotta, you know, you gotta take care of your fans, you know, you gotta look out for them when there's a little hole and they're not being looked out for and they let you know, you gotta jump in and and fix it and take care.

Dropping The Needle, December 3, 2012

And, you know, I don't know the exact details, as far as the first residency and how it came about, but I do know that it was amazing. They treated us great there. The show was awesome and people came from all over to see one or two shows. And you know, before it was over, we were talking about doing it again, how great it would be.

Front Row Report, May 11, 2014

by **Soulmonster** Sun 6 Nov 2022 - 10:15

2012-2015

TOMMY GETS BACK WITH THE REPLACEMENTS

Like with Slash and Axl, Tommy would get bombarded with questions about reuniting with Paul Westerberg to resurrect The Replacements. Tommy would never say never in interviews:

Well, every year it seems there's talk about us, you know, playing this or the other festival and, you know, every year, you know, he and I exchange phone calls about, "Yeah, what are you doing?" "I don't know, what are you doing?" "You know, what do you feel like doing?" "Nothing," you know? You know, I think he and I are more likely to play together without it being Mats than anything else because I think we enjoy playing together. I think the idea of the Mats is just too daunting. Again, I wouldn't say never but, you know, it's one of those things. I think both of us, at different times, I think Paul probably agree that some things are better left alone, you know. Like, why blow the myth now by coming out and sucking in stereo, you know? Or, you know, trying to relive the glory days of whatever that was, you know? [...] I get asked that question a lot and, you know, I pretty much the same pat answer like, "Maybe one day it'll happen, maybe not." I think in general it's probably one of the things we'll leave it alone.

The A.V. Club, May 18, 2011

I don't know if Paul or Chris [Mars] have completely shut the door on it, but I've always thought of it as an open door. If we wanted to go play some shows, we'd just go do it, no big deal. After all these years, we've all kind of grown up and lived quite different lives, but we left a good thing behind and have some good music that'd be OK to revisit.

Star Tribune, May 19, 2011

You know what, the flames are feeding themselves. I'm just the voice. I mean, there's always stuff that gets talked about that I don't want to elaborate on, 'cuz, you know, it either does or doesn't happen. I just hate to be the one that says it's gonna happen, the thing's gonna happen, and then have it not happen.

delaware.com, August 11, 2011

Whether being in GN'R prevented a reunion with The Replacements:

I never signed anything with Guns 'N' Roses that prevented me from doing anything with Paul. I don't know where that came from. The only one preventing me from doing that really is Paul.

delaware.com, August 11, 2011

Paul Westerberg would also talk about a reunion and suggest it was Tommy who wanted it because he "needed a gig":

I don’t know, man. You catch me on one day and I think, ‘Oh hell, why not?’ Tommy [Stinson] has never stopped. He’s a performer. I’m more of a writer-artist, though I perform as well – or at least I used to. But, God . . . I don’t know.

[...]

Who are the Replacements? Me, Chris and Tommy? Chris wouldn’t do it. He might get together in a room and sit around and shoot the shit and if there were instruments, might play. I don’t know more than that. I don’t think Chris would ever go out and tour. I met with him last year a couple of times just for fun. Tommy is a little more aggressive towards it, because I think he needs a gig.

Rolling Stone, August 22, 2011

Tommy would respond to this:

He thinks I need a gig? That’s funny. I got fucking three or four gigs going at any one time. Paul likes to sit home and record in his basement, and that works for him. I like to perform. But you never know. I’m more like, if a reunion happens, it happens. If the planets align and the oceans don’t swallow up the earth first.

[...]

Why would we do it? The only reason we would ever do it would be to get paid. We’re not going to recapture anything. I think I could probably have fun with it though. It’d probably be a short-lived moment of having fun with it, but I ultimately think it might not be very good to try and go back.

Rolling Stone, August 22, 2011

Talking about their reunion in 2005-2006 [see previous chapter] in 2011:

From time to time we’ll get together and jam just for fun. We do it without any sort of expectations or anything. We didn’t break up in any sort of a nasty fashion. There was no dispute or anything. We just kind of walked way from it. I’m not so sure if there’s any point in really revisiting it necessarily.

Rolling Stone, August 22, 2011

And being asked how much they would have to be paid for a reunion:

You know, they've been holding up pretty good ones already [=big checks] and, you know, we couldn't probably do it for the money, we'd have to do have fun first and foremost and I think that's just a daunting thing. I think that... One, I think Chris has gone his direction with art, and he's done very well with it and he's having a great run, and I think, you know, for Paul and I to just go do it alone we'd have to really sit down and just kind of go, "Let's go play some songs to these people that really wants to play, it'll make them happy, let's go try to have fun and see what it does," and be really light about it. But what ends up happening every time we talk about it, I think that it just becomes a little too precious and issue and like, you know, like we really want to, you know, tarnish it?

The Street, August 26, 2011

A few days later:

I can see us playing together some day. We'll always have that connection and it's easy to spark up -- just add water.

Soundspike, August 30, 2011

And in October:

There's not much of a chance of it anyway. I think that Chris [Mars, drummer] has moved on from the music business altogether. Paul and I might play again together, every couple of years we hook up and do something together, whatever. I don't think there's a need to do it. We've done it once and ... I think people would be kind of happy if we did it but at this point, I can't see any point to it. We'd have to do it where we could have fun with it and not be so mindful of the baggage that goes with it. I don't think Paul could do that. I think he's still stuck with being Paul. It would be too daunting of a task. [...] When we broke up, he did his thing and I did my thing and we moved on from it. He made his records, but I think he never got around the fact that the Replacements will always be bigger than he was to become after. I'm not being cheeky about it. I wasn't Paul Westerberg. I went on to do all kinds of crap, good or bad or whatever you want to call it, but I moved on gracefully from it, more so I think. I think he's still stuck in that mindset a little bit, you know? [...] I think if Paul and I get together and have fun with it and not have to be bogged down with bulls--- or being the Replacements, we could have fun with it and actually do it and that could be something, but I think that there's probably, more so for Paul than me probably, there's just too much baggage.

Spinner, October 28, 2011

Comparing his relationship with Westerberg to Axl's relationship with Slash:

They have their issues that are far greater [laughs]. Probably because they sold too many records. [Laughs] Maybe if we tried to sell more records we'd have that inter-band feud.

Spinner, October 28, 2011

Being asked about a reunion:

Not in the immediate future, but I never say never. You never know.

Dallas Observer, November 3, 2011

About as likely as a f---in’ Guns reunion.

Chicago Sun Times, November 13, 2011

It gets entertained about every two years, and entertainment is about as far as it gets. My idea would be we’ve got to have fun with it and put on a great show. We’ve had enough of, ‘Man, I loved that one show I saw you guys play, you couldn’t even stand up.’ I get tired of hearing that. It would be great to celebrate the songs.

On the other hand, I think Paul’s got too much baggage wrapped up in it. He never quite got past the ’mats. He’s had a lot of success in a lot of different ways, but I think he fights with the legacy of (The Replacements). If Paul and I did it, we’d make a bunch of money because they tell us, ‘We’ll pay you up the eye sockets to play.’ We love those songs, we played them a billion times and we haven’t played together in 20 years. It might be fun to go whack them out a little bit.

CityBeat, November 30, 2011

There's just too much baggage, really. We didn't really break up. We just walked away from what that was. It's just too daunting -- more so for Paul [Westerberg, the Replacements' frontman]. I've done so many other things since we broke up. I don't really carry the baggage around with me anymore, and I've got a good feeling about where we left it... and good memories about what we did. I have no regrets about it. For Paul, I think he's having a hard time getting around the fact that his solo career didn't get past that. The baggage is more on his shoulders: "Why would I go up there and try and do that? I can't really compete with myself from 20 years ago. That's not gonna work." I think he carries that a bit more, the heaviness of it. It doesn't really matter to me. I've got enough crap to do.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 30, 2011

Never say never. But it's probably about as likely as an original Guns reunion. [Laughs] About that likely. For the 'Mats, there's a certain amount of baggage that Paul still carries with him, and it's harder for him to get over it. He's done his solo stuff, and scored Open Season, and done some other things since the Replacements have broken up, but he still has that traveling with him.

I don't know if it's the disappointment of not getting past it or just having to live up to being that guy. He was the singer of that band and wrote most of the songs, but it's harder for him to deal with that baggage of "Can I be as good as I was?" or "Should I even bother?" or "Should I just go play my songs and have fun?" He can't really get around that. I've been doing so much other shit, I would only be interested in doing it if we could go out and have a good time with it. You know, appreciate what we did.

I would never want to try and re-create our youth, it's fucking 20-some years ago, and there's been lots of different lifestyle changes since. There's the rub right there.

Phoenix New Times, December 16, 2011

I think it’s less than a 20 percent chance we’ll get back together. I think there is a much better chance that there will be another Guns N’ Roses album than there will ever be a Replacements reunion.

The Mercury, February 23, 2012

Paul and I always end up doing things together, but I don’t think there’s any point to a reunion. There’s such baggage, more so for Paul. I still think he’s a little bummed out his career didn’t skyrocket after the Mats broke up. He’s had to deal with competing with his past, and for him it was kind of tough.

Jerusalem Post, June 23, 2012

THE SLIM DUNLOP CHARITY EP SONGS FOR SLIM

Despite the above, in the summer of 2012, Tommy and Westerberg would come together to record EP Songs For Slim to benefit former Replacement's Slim Dunlop who had suffered a stroke:

It’s like 21 years hadn’t passed. We didn’t overdub anything. We just played live, like we were doing a show almost. The way we used to do things. When Paul and I get together and play, there’s a certain chemistry that’s undeniable. It’s just a very special, finite thing that we have. Many bands never get that. They can get in a room together and play, but that’s it. There’s a certain chemistry that he and I have that goes beyond that.

Metroactive, October 19, 2012

Yeah, we recorded some songs live in the studio a couple weekends ago to benefit Slim Dunlap, the guitar player that took my brother’s place. He had a massive series of strokes this last spring, and he’s pretty laid up, so we’re trying to raise some money for his recovery. We did, like, four songs. [Ex-Replacements drummer] Chris Mars did a song to throw on there, and we’re going to release a Replacements EP at some point. The proceeds will all go to Slim.

Weekly Las Vegas, October 24, 2012

It was (former The Replacements manager) Peter (Jesperson) who came up with the idea to help Slim. We then came together and worked out the idea for the EP. You know, recording one of Slim’s songs as The Replacements. Later, Paul had a couple of other covers in mind. It was recorded live. When we started playing together, we had a lot of fun.

The Star, March 31, 2013

[...] sadly [Dunlop] had a series of strokes last year that has left him in pretty rough shape. He's not, you know, he's not able to play guitar, you know, I think it's his left side that's kind of is still trying to recover from it. And recently we did a Songs For Slim EP. Paul and I and Chris kind of got together, not as Replacements, the three of us, but Paul and I recorded some songs. [...] it was a lot of fun. We did [?] Slim songs and we did four other covers and then Chris did one of Slim's songs at his studio and we put that in there together and made an EP out of it. And we just auctioned them off which made him, like, hundred and five thousand dollars, you know, out of 250, you know-

WTF podcast, June 6, 2013

Being asked if these recordings wouldn't fuel reunion rumours and Tommy would respond that a reunion was likely:

You never know. We certainly had a f*cking ball doing it, and it was fun to get in the f*cking mud and just kind of sling around until it kind of warps into something and you’re just like, “Wow, we can actually still f*cking do that.” I think some time, maybe end of December or early January, we might try to just record some songs together, not for any purpose for The Replacements necessarily but just do some recording just to have that vibe, whether it’s for his record, my record, whatever. That’s just something we talked about. It could fall apart at any point. We both had enough fun with it that it seemed like it would be a good thing to try and do.

Weekly Las Vegas, October 24, 2012

And in March 2013, Tommy seemed at a loss when describing whether they had reunited or not when being asked how many bands he plays with:

I was in Soul Asylum, but they really needed a bass player who was there all the time. [...] So I’m in one band. Well, I guess that depends on what you want to call the Replacements and what that could be.

Time Entertainment, March 28, 2013

And he would say recording the charity EP had been so much fun he would be working with Westerberg on new, original music after the current GN'R shows:

It was so much fun. It was so much fun that we talked about doing it again with some original material. In fact, when I get done with this GnR tour, I’m booking a flight to Minneapolis and doing that. Putting some songs down, but not getting stuck on making record — seeing what comes out of it. Neither one of us feels the pressure to become the Replacements again, although we talk about it.

Time Entertainment, March 28, 2013

And when asked if he thought they would really reunite:

I think if we think we’re having fun and it made sense and the music we were making was fun, we would do it. If it became too much of a nightmare, we wouldn’t. We want to enjoy ourselves, make some people happy, do our bit — not make a nightmare. Paul has more at stake, as he has more real feelings about it. He’s more reticent. He’s a singer. He doesn’t want to go out and compete with his 25-year old self. He’s 50. But if he could go out and have fun without the pressures and personal demons of competing with himself, I think he would.

Time Entertainment, March 28, 2013

Paul and I have always played together. We’ve played together for years post-Replacements. I’ve played on his records; he’s played with me. I throw songs at him, he’s thrown them at me. We’re always going to play together when the planets align. We love each other. We have chemistry together and you don’t just get that with just anyone.

Time Entertainment, March 28, 2013

Paul and me, you ask? We’ll probably do it again, get into the studio in the next couple of months to write original material ... it’s just like getting back on a bike. I don’t know if we’ll call it The Replacements, but we had a blast recording the Slim EP. So long as it’s enjoyable, we’ll do it. As I’ve always said, The Replacements never really broke up, we just walked away.

The Star, March 31, 2013

You know, we're at a "We'll see". I mean, we [?] it every year, he and I, you know, start poking around with this thought. And, you know, I think we had a really good time recording. We might go record again together and do some original song this time. We might do that for the fun of it. It might turn into something, or it might just turn into us having fun, recording some songs together. Either way, him and I are going to play together again and we always will, we always have. You know, it's not like a question of whether we'll play together or not. Whether there's any point in calling it The Replacements or not, remains to be seen.

CD102.5, April 11, 2013

You know, I think Paul and I are always going to play together in some fashion at some point. And, you know, like I said, we didn't break up. But, you know, what's to say we wouldn't start a new band together here either, you never know. But we had a really good time doing the Songs For Slim thing and I think we might go and try and record some more stuff live like that. I mean, the thing that we did was really fun. We met at the studio with a drummer guy that we know and so the guitar player that we've known forever, and we just started hacking out some songs and we did it for an afternoon and came up with, you know, five-four songs for this EP. One of them was Slim's. Had a great time doing it, great vibe, and kind of came to the conclusion, "We should do this again with some original songs one of these days," "Yeah, let's do it," "I'll call you in a couple months, we'll fucking make both some time and go do it." You know, without any fanfare we're going to record again at some point soon and I don't know what we'll do then, that's-

WTF podcast, June 6, 2013

Then in June 2013 it was reported that The Replacements would unite for three July and August festival shows [Rolling Stone, June 13, 2013].

In April 2014, The Replacements played two shows at Coachella. These shows coincided with GN'R's tour in South America and Duff would step in for Tommy [see later chapter]. Being asked what would happen to the Replacements after the Coachella shows:

We're going to go out there and have fun and play our fucking show and go from there. Anything at this point could happen. As long as we're having fun doing it, I think we fucking do it for as long as we want. That's kind of our modus operandi right now -- go out and have fun and play our songs and make people happy and have a hoot. I'm just surprised people want it so much; it's a daunting prospect, but then again nobody's really expecting us to be anything better or worse than we were 20 years go, so it's not really that big of a hurdle to jump over.

Billboard, April 1, 2014

The Replacements continued to tour:

[...] we've talked about it here and there for a while and now even Jeff Gordon got in on the conversation a while back, like, "Hey, you guys should do this." So you know, we talked about it and you know, finally came around like, you know, we pulled the trigger on it just because it seemed like the right time. I think Paulie and I needed to kind of have some time together and you know it's worked out great. We some fun shows.

Matt Cord, 93.3 WIMMR Rocks! February 20, 2015

But in 2015 it was over:

There were some things I didn’t like about it, but that’s [expletive] rock ’n’ roll. Emotionally, it had its heavy moments. And it still does, but that’s the nature of our beast. And if you read into Paul’s shirts, it probably went on about a year longer than he felt he wanted it to go. As for me, I was fine with how far it went.

Star Tribune, September 2, 2015

Tommy would also talk about recording again with The Replacements:

It was one of those things: We dipped our toe in the water, and it didn’t feel so good. The water was a little too hot. I won’t say never, but the songs of mine that we recorded, I’ve redone. You know, if [Westerberg] called me up and said, ‘Hey, you wanna try this again?’ of course I would do it, if only to [mess] around a bit. Do we need to do that right now, though? I don’t think so.

Star Tribune, September 2, 2015

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