34. 2014: END TO THE NUGNR ERA; BUMBLEFOOT CLANDESTINELY LEAVES THE BAND

In early 2014, Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at the Super Bowl show, leading people to speculate that the performance had been pre-recorded, including Axl:





Afterwards, Flea would admit everything but Anthony Kiedis' vocals had been pre-recorded.

In a month where Axl was unusually active commenting on current news over twitter, Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark would slaughter a 2-year-old surplus Giraffe and feed it to their lions, causing uproar in the media and initiating a series of sarcastic tweets from Axl:







Then on February 17, Axl would post a longer statement regarding the giraffe killing and his previous tweets:


https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s0hrai

In 2012, Axl would tell USA Today that he would consider doing a second residency in Las Vegas if the first turned out well [USA Today, October 30, 2012]. And in the beginning of 2014, this second residency had been planned:









The residency was formally announced in February, revealing that it would last from 18 May 21 to June 7:



Being asked if it is difficult playing the same venue every night:




And talking about how they will mix things up every night:




As for what Axl was up to:

As usual, Guns N' Roses would pop up in most interviews Slash did and he would repeatedly respond to inquiries on a future GN'R reunion:



With Duff returning to play selected shows with Guns N' Roses as Tommy played with The Replacement, Slash would be asked what this meant for a possible reunion with him and Axl:



And later in the year he would be asked if he ever contemplated what could have been if he hadn't left the band:



And mention that he was fed up with media trying to stir up controversy and create unnecessary drama:

Slash was not hoping for a Guns N' Roses biopic:




By 2019, he had not changed his opinion:

Bumblefoot had previously talked about a future live DVD:



In December 2012, Bumblefoot would be asked if any DVDs were coming out from the Las Vegas residency the band had just finished::



Then in March the DVD was announced based on taping form one of the residency shows in 2012:



More than a month later, DJ was asked if it is really coming out:



The film would be released in June [see later chapter].

In February 2014, Frank would be asked if there is always as much chaos in the GN'R camp as it seemed:

In late March 2014, Duff would inform through tweet that he would be visiting South America with Guns N' Roses for shows panning April 6-15.



The scheduled shows would partially overlap with Tommy's reunion shows with The Replacements at Coachella in mid-April [for more information about Tommy and The Replacements, see previous chapter], which explains the need to replace Tommy.

Tommy had actually previously talked about how Duff could possibly step in for him in the future:



Confirming that Duff would replace him when he was doing shows with the Replacements:



Later, Duff would talk about the request to step in:



Walking Papers was touring Australia in February and early March of 2014, suggesting that he got the call not many weeks before the first Guns N' Roses show.

Duff would look forward to joining Guns N' Roses on stage again:



As for what this meant about Duff and Axl's relationship:



And talking about having to miss the shows:

The South American Tour of 2014 would start with an extensive run consisting of eight shows in Brazil: HSBC Arena, Rio De Janeiro (March 20), Esplanada do Mineirão, Bela Horizonte (March 22), Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, Brasilia (March 25), Anhembi, Sao Paolo (March 28), Estadio Durival Britto, Curitiba ( March 30), Devassa on Stage, Florianopolis (April 1), and Pavilhao Da Fiergs, Porto Alegre (April 3).





At the show in Brasilia on March 25, Bumblefoot met his friend, guitarist Marceloa Barbosa, and mentioned that he would quit Guns N' Roses [Facebook, April 7, 2016].

On April 6, Guns N' Roses played its first full show with Duff since 1993 at Ferro Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The last time Duff played a full show with GN'R was also in Buenos Aires, on July 17, 1993.









As for whether Duff was challenged to pick up the new material:





Axl introducing Duff:



Duff would comment on the occasion:



And after the show:



Slash would also be asked to comment upon Duff reuniting temporarily with Guns N' Roses:



This show would be the debut of Raw Power from the band's 1993 The Spaghetti Incident?.

The next show of the South American tour took place in Jockey Club, Asuncion, Paraguay, on April 9. This show was almost cancelled because of technical difficulties, but the band ended up playing a long show of 27 songs.

The tour followed with a show at Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia, on April 12.





The show unusually opened with You Could Be Mine. According to rumors, Axl was anxious about singing at the high altitude and decided to change the setlist order.



Later, Duff would tell an anecdote about him and Richard doing Yoga while in La Paz and how this conflicted with some fans' perpective of what Guns N' Roses members should be doing:



The tour concluded when the band returned to Brazil for two shows, at the Chevrolet Hall, Recife, on April 15 and at the Centro de Eventos de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, on April 17.

Looking back at the South American tour:

On April 23, 2014, Axl would be honored with the James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards show in Los Angeles.





Axl would reference the show in a tweet a few days prior:



Commenting upon the honor:



And being asked who he thought deserved such an award:



And being asked if he thought he would continue working at 70 like Jagger:



Bumblefoot would comment on being back at the Golden Gods:



And be asked about what Axl thoughts about getting the award:







During the awards show, many artists would talk about Axl:











And Richard and DJ would talk about Axl's singing skills:







Nicolas Cage and Andrew Dice Clay would introduce Axl. Clay would talk about Axl before the show and Axl would talk about both Cage and Clay:





Cage's and Clay's award speeches:




Axl did a short acceptance speech:






Usually, the headlining act would play a few songs, but Guns N' Roses played nine songs.



Review of the show in Metal Assault:



Prior to the Golden Gods Awards show it was announced that Duff would again step in for Tommy [Blabbermouth, April 21, 2014]. After the show, Duff tweeted:



After the show, Dizzy would talk about having been nervous since it was a live broadcast, but that things had gone down without a hitch:

______________________________________











Duff would talk about how this was an opportunity to "get [his] old pal back" and:



Duff would also describe Axl as being punk and one who cannot lie:



And how they had connected again:



Responding to the interviewer suggesting this was different to back in earlier years:



And discussing hearing Duff sing:



Axl would also get asked if he thought Duff might do more with the band:



Slash would insist it was not that big a deal and refer to Tommy as "what's his name":




While Matt would be more congenial:



In 2019, Duff would look back at having played with the band again and indicate that it served as a primer for Slash and Duff rejoining the band permanently in 2016:

2014 would start with Tommy saying it is a good time do make a record:



And Bumblefoot would again say he still hadn't written anything with the band and didn't want to write songs for the band:



Despite this, on Bumblefoot's next solo record two of the songs had been intended for Guns N' Roses [see later chapter], indicating that he did actually write songs with GN'R in mind.

Yet, DJ would claim they had worked on new music:



And in April:



Richard was hoping for a release in 2015:




When asked when fans could see new music, DJ insisted again, despite having stated this for a long time, that creating a new album was the band's main focus:



Specifically asked if GN'R now is only a touring entity:





Around the same time, Dizzy would joke saying it can't take another 14 years (from the release of Chinese Democracy in 2008), because he might not be around then:



And also:



And before the residency, Dizzy would be asked if it was possible they would play any new songs:



And that it was just a matter of deciding what songs to release:







In connection with the Golden Gods Awards show in April, Axl would finally talk about the band's plans and confirm they basically had the follow-up ready and also the remix album:

After the Golden Gods Awards show, the band played two more shows in the US before their second residency in Las Vegas, at Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA, on May 13, and Rock on the Range in Columbus, OH, on May 16.

Excerpts of review of the Bethlehem show in The Express Times, May 14, 2014:



Before playing on Rock on the Range, Dizzy and DJ would talk about the upcoming show:






And Dizzy would talk about Axl:



And what Axl's doing when he is not singing:



Around the same time, Axl would also talk about trying to mess with bandmates by telling jokes in the in-ear monitor:









Dizzy would talk about the show afterwards:

On May 21, RadarOnline would claim Axl was considering retiring after the upcoming Las Vegas residency and that the band members had been told nothing would happen after the scheduled shows:



The following day Guns N' Roses responded:





"A very solid source within the band's camp" would also confirm to Loudwire that the retirement rumours was "bullshit" but the band had been notified their calendars were cleared after the residency and that hence the band would not tour in a while [Loudwire, May 21, 2014].

Later, Dizzy would be asked about the rumour and how it had started:




It seems likely the band members had been told the band would take a well-earnt break after the residency, since they picked up various side projects fairly quickly [see later chapter].

Like in 2012, before coming to Las Vegas, band members would speculate that being in the same area for a period could result in them writing together and working on new songs:



As stated in the quote above, Tommy had submitted a song to the band, possibly a result of Bumblefoot's plan for each band member to bring in one song to get the writing going [see previous chapter].

And DJ would reiterate that he didn't join the band to only play the guitar and that he had submitted as much as 13-14 songs (something he had also talked about previously, see earlier chapter):



DJ would also again talk about songs Axl had probably not recorded yet:



And state that he was felt he had more to offer as a producer and songwriter in Guns N' Roses than a guitar player:



Yet, right after the residency, Bumblefoot was asked about progress with the new album and answer shortly:

A few days prior to the show, DJ was still not sure how this residency would be different than the previous residency nor their regular touring gigs:



And talking about meeting fans:



Then, a few days later, DJ would again talk about how no one would know what they would play:



He would also mention new pyrotechnics:



And Dizzy would talk about the band having a few "surprises up [their] sleeves" in terms of their setlists:






The first show took place on May 21, and despite the promises of surprises, the setlist was identical to their previous show at Rock on the Range, albeit a bit shorter. The next show took place on May 24.

Excerpt of May 24 review in Vegas Seven:



Then followed shows on May 25, May 28 and May 30.

On May 19, 2014, Spin Magazine would write an article about a list presented at Concert Hotels that showed that Axl had the largest singing range, with just over 5 octaves, of those studied [Spin, May 19, 2014].





This article prompted Axl to send Spin a humble letter:



And Dizzy would voice his opinion:






VVN Music then did a larger study which including more singers, and here Axl ended up with the 5th largest vocal range, with Mike Patton on top [Spin, May 27, 2014].

For the May 31 show at the Las Vegas residency, Duff again replaced Tommy.



Axl would explain the unexpected replacement from the stage:

The residency continued with a show on June 4. For this show the band played Yesterday's for the first time since 1993. They also played Prostitute which hadn't been played since 2009. Furthermore, to honor Doc Neeson, frontman of The Angels, who had just passed from cancer, the band also covered Marseilles.



The band played Marseilles again for the next show on June 6 which was a whooping 29-song show.

The final show of the residency took place on June 7.







After the residency, Dizzy, DJ and Richard would talk about the benefits of doing a stationary series of live shows:








The June 7, 2014, show in Las Vegas would be the final show for Bumblefoot, DJ, Tommy and Chris, and the final show before a reunited Guns N' Roses played their first show on April 1, 2016. As such it was also the end to the "nuGN'R" era.

In 2017, Tommy would shed some light on the reasons for having Duff replace him in 2014::



The couple divorced in 2012, resulting in Tommy becoming a a full-time dad:



Talking about being a single dad:



Looking back at this period:





Tommy would later explain how his problems at home had affected five planned tours and that this has soured his relationship with the band:






By June 2014, Tommy had effectively left Guns N' Roses [Rolling Stone, January 27, 2017] although this was not made public and in contrast to Bumblefoot [see later chapter] he managed to avoid talking about this to the press. Tommy would comment on being out of the band first on January 21, 2016, after it was confirmed Duff and Slash had rejoined the band:



In the above quote, Tommy alludes to the period where his personal life resulted in Duff replacing him for tours in 2014, and suggested this paved way for the semi-reunion. If so, the process of Tommy leaving had been a gradual process starting in 2014 and finally being cemented by the confirmation that Duff had formally rejoined the band in 2016.



In contrast to Bumblefoot [see earlier chapter], Tommy seems to have left the band on completely amicable terms and had nothing negative to say about his previous band and band mates:









He would go on to say he didn't miss being in Guns N' Roses but that he miss the people [NYS MUSIC, December 10, 2019].

As for talking about the professionality of Axl:






And how Axl is misunderstood:



Talking about how it had been touring with GN'R and whether he thinks the fans had been fair:

In February 2015, Tommy would again work on solo music, releasing the singles Can't Be Bothered and L.M.A.O.:



Explaining the lyrical themes:



By 2019, Tommy had moved into an apartment:





In 2016, Tommy revived his old band Bash & Pop:






Taking about why he revived the band:







And talking about two of the songs off the album, Anytime Soon and Never Wanted to Know:




In 2018 he wanted to do another Bash & Pop record soon:



In December 2019, Tommy was working on an album for Bash & Pop [NYS MUSIC, December 10, 2019]. The lineup included Steve Selvidge of The Hold Steady on guitar, Joe Sirois of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones on drums and Justin Perkins of Screeching Weasel on bass [NYS MUSIC, December 10, 2019].





At the same time as Tommy was reviving Bash & Pop, he was collaborating with Chip Roberts on what was at first only live shows called Cowboys in the Campfire:






Talking about Roberts:




And how he would work with Roberts and Cowboys in the Campfire when nothing was happening with Bash & Pop:



And about the plans to release an EP with the band:



In December 2019, Tommy was working on an album for Cowboys in the Campfire [NYS MUSIC, December 10, 2019].








In early 2019, Tommy would be working on three albums, one for Bash & Pop, one for Cowboys in the Campfire, and a new solo album:




Talking about the upcoming Cowboys in the Campfire album:



In 2019, Tommy would also tour with Lemonheads:



Tommy would also mention wanting to work with Richard:

____________________

As discussed in previous chapters, Bumblefoot was at time very uncomfortable in Guns N' Roses and had been on the verge of leaving previously. In April 2014, Bumblefoot wrote what seemed like a goodbye message to the fans:



As mentioned in a previous chapter, he had also mentioned in private to his friend Marcela Barbosa, that he would leave the band [Facebook, April 7, 2016]. He would also work to make Barbosa his replacement, and mention this in an email he sent to Barbosa on May 2, 2024 [Facebook, April 7, 2016].

Barbosa would discuss this in 2016:



Although Bumblefoot's attempts at finding a replacement wasn't known to the public at the time, another indication that it was coming towards the end for Bumblefoot in GN'R, was his focus on his solo career, including solo tours that he had previously not done because the regularly conflicted with GN'R's plans and work on a new album [see previous chapter for more information on how Bumblefoot focused on his solo material and how he presented an ultimatum to GN'R to start accommodating his own plans, and below].

And as the second residency in Las Vegas unfolded, Bumblefoot would state that he would again go on a solo tour right after the end of the residency:



Although the band members might have been informed their calendars were open as the band would go on a break after the residency, it was clear something had changed and that Bumblefoot was now prioritizing his solo career over Guns N' Roses.

In December 2014, Bumblefoot did an interview with Horns Up Rocks! where the interviewer asked him for an update on Guns N' Roses and what "you guys are working on at the moment," to which Bumblefoot replied by clearly putting a distinction between GN'R and himself:



The interviewer then followed up with, "You're going to be focusing on your solo career, is that what you're saying?", to which Bumblefoot confirmed and then explained:



In February 2015, Bumblefoot, while complaining about not having control over what the media chooses for headlines, would hint that he had been asked to not discuss his current status in Guns N' Roses and say that this had put him in an awkward position:



The very next day he obviously felt a need to emphasize that Team Brazil had not forced him to be non-communicative regarding his status in the band, and posted the following message on the GN'R fan forum mygnrforum:



By March 2015, Bumblefoot had stopped answering questions related to Guns N' Roses in interviews.



In April it was stated he was contractually not able to say anything regarding his status in GN'R and:



Then in July 2015, a band source would be incredulous as to why Bumblefoot wasn't clear on having quit the band:  



Tommy would later find amusement in the protracted back-and-forth between Bumblefoot and the press trying to find out if he was still in the band or not:



Being asked if he was fired:





Already in 2010 would Bumblefoot talk about what he had learnt from being in the band:



Discussing his period in the band:





When asked when he had decided to leave the band and why:






He would also mention his car crash and having to play while injured, although blame himself for doing it:



And when asked if Axl was both a friend and a bandmate:



In 2017 he would be asked if he regretted ever having joined GN'R and admit that at the time of leaving that would have been true, but not now:



And on whether he had seen any of the reunion shows in 2016:





And whether he would ever consider playing with the band again:



And if he had talked to Axl since he left:





Bumblefoot would later admit he knew about the reunion:




Then it is reasonable to think that this could be the reason he decided to leave the band, not wanting to play in yet another incarnation of the group, maybe not wanting to draw direct comparisons between himself and Slash on stage, and maybe he knew he would be surplus if Slash really joined, but based on the fact that he had been really uncomfortable in the band for a long time, and considered quitting earlier, such an explanation is not really needed, although we can't rule out the knowledge of a reunion being in the works could have factored in.

This is also what Bumblefoot himself would say about the reasons for leaving:



Also, it is not likely Bumblefoot actually knew that Slash would rejoin the band already back in mid-2014. This was before Slash and Axl had reconciled and Slash would still criticize Axl in interviews [see later chapter]. More likely, Bumblefoot was thinking about Duff rejoining the band and perhaps finding it likely that with Duff and Axl talking about a reunion, Slash would likely join too. Or, Bumblefoot would consider the time he actually left the band as much later in 2014 or perhaps in early 2015 when Slash and Axl had started speaking and a reunion was in the cards.

In 2017, Bumblefoot would be asked if he would have remained to play alongside Slash:

In September 2016 it was reported that Bumblefoot had had a recurrence of his bladder cancer and that two tumors had been successfully removed on August 12 [Blabbermouth, September 3, 2016].





In 2014, right after Guns N' Roses' residency in Las Vegas, Bumblefoot would embark on the Guitar Gods tour with Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Hoey, and Uli John Roth that would be financed through a Kickstarter campaign [One on One with Mitch Lafon, June 21, 2014].

Bumblefoot would talk about some fans not understanding why they would have to raise money to do the tour:



And talking about the tour:







Already in 2014, while still being in Guns N' Roses, Bumblefoot started working on his next solo album that would come out in 2015:





The name of the new album with the track list was revealed in February 2015 [Press Release, February 4, 2015].







Two of the songs had been written with Guns N' Roses in mind:






In early 2015 it was announced that Bumblefoot would join a supergroup together with Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver) on vocals, John Moyer (Disturbed) on bass, and Jon and Vince Votta on guitar and drums, with the intention of releasing an album in the spring [Press Release, January 21, 2015].

Weiland was quick to comment on Facebook:



Bumblefoot was quick to comment:




The next day, Weiland emphasized that he had never been part of the band:



And:



Talking about the band and the Weiland "controversy":




Being asked if he would take over signing duties:



In April 2015, Weiland would again talk about Art of Anarchy and refer to the whole thing as a "scam" when asked if he was surprised when the band referred to itself as a supergroup with him as a member:



He would also say he never knew who else were in the band and refer to them as an "unsigned band":



Bumblefoot was left in the difficult position of having to reply to these comments without pushing Weiland further away:



Bumblefoot would also argue that legally, Weiland was still the singer of the band:



A few weeks later, Bumblefoot would be asked about the specifics of the communication between him and Weiland:



As for whether they actually had spoken together:



Looking back at the Weiland debacle:







Art of Anarchy released its second album, The Madness, in March 2017.

Talking about the album:












In 2017 Bumblefoot joined the super group Sons of Apollo with drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist Billy Sheehan, keyboardist Derek Sherinian, and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto. The debut album, Psychotic Symphony, was released on October 20, 2017.







Talking about the band in 2018:



Like everyone else, Sons of Apollo would have to cancel their touring during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bumblefoot would then release a new instrumental single, Planetary Lockdown [Blabbermouth, April 14, 2020].





On May 8, 2020, Bumblefoot released a new acoustic EP of cover songs, Barefoot 2.





The track list to Barefoot 2:

01. Wasted Years (Iron Maiden acoustic cover)
02. Vienna (Billy Joel acoustic cover)
03. Every Little Thing (The Police acoustic cover)
04. How Can I Be Sure (The Young Rascals acoustic cover)
05. Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney acoustic cover)

Then in June he released Barefoot 3, another acoustic cover EP [Blabbermouth, June 3, 2020].





Track list of Barefoot 3:

01. Sleepwalking (Bumblefoot acoustic cover)
02. Tiny Dancer (Elton John acoustic cover)
03. The Day I Tried To Live (Soundgarden acoustic cover)
04. Only Time Will Tell (Asia acoustic cover)
05. Come On Eileen (Dexys Midnight Runners acoustic cover)
06. Tell Me Something Good (Rufus & Chaka Khan acoustic cover)

In the summer of 2014, Axl and Slash would sign off on an agreement that would allow each of them to release DVDs featuring music co-written by both of them [Classic Rock, February February 19, 2016]. The absence of such an agreement had previously allowed each of them to block any such releases. At the time, this agreement was kept secret.

As the result of this agreement, Guns N' Roses (Axl) would release the Appetite For Democracy Concert 3D Film, June 2014, and Slash would release Live At The Roxy, June 2015. See later chapters for information about these releases.

Although this agreement was not publicly disclosed, it did indicate that the relationship between Axl and Slash was thawing.

Looking back at the importance of this agreement:

Finally, on June 14, 2014, the concert filmed in 3D at the band's November 21, 2012, show in Las Vegas, was debuted at US cinemas as "Appetite for Democracy 3D' [Press Release, June 2, 2014].



As the described above, the movie would be released on Blu-ray and DVD.









From November 21, 2012.



Tommy reacted with surprise when he heard his solo song Motivation had been included on the DVD:



While Bumblefoot would plug that he had a song on it:

With Duff having played with Guns N' Roses again, people were discussing if this meant a reunion between alumni and current GN'R could happen. Craig Duswalt, Axl's assistant during the Use Your Illusion tour, certainly thought so:



Dizzy would not reject the possibility:



Around the same time, media would report that Axl, according to "a knowledgeable insider" considered reuniting with former band members because the Las Vegas residency had been so profitable:



Duswalt would also claim Slash and Axl had a rift because of something specific that happened towards the end of the UYI tour:



But despite Axl and Slash being very much at odds, Duswalt was convinced that within two years they would be back together in Guns N' Roses:



In August, Slash would explicitly say a reunion wouldn't happen:




And also continue to criticize Axl for what had transpired:



But also praise Axl for his qualities:



Duff, on the other hand, would suggest being open to it:



And in November, Slash would again close the door on a reunion:

As touched upon in previous chapters, after the Las Vegas residency the band intended to take a break from touring for a while. This was confirmed by Dizzy when he was asked about the band's plans in June:



And suggest they wouldn't do any more touring in 2014, but "definitely" in 2015:



This would align with the rumour that the band members had been informed their calendars were open to pursue other projects for a while [see previous chapter].

When asked about the plans:





With the band on a break the band members worked on different projects, Richard and Dizzy toured with the Dead Daises [see previous chapter], Bumblefoot went on tour with the Guitar Gods [see previous chapter], DJ was busy with the release of SIXX:AM's Modern Vintage [see previous chapter], and Tommy opened for the Old 97's and played new songs for his forthcoming solo album [Delmarva Now, July 16, 2014].

Interestingly, at the end of October, Richard would talk about the Dead Daisies and say how nice it was to be in a band where everybody was working towards a common goal, implying that was not the case in Guns N' Roses:



In November, DJ would say they were about to tour again with Guns N' Roses, suggesting that plans had been laid for 2015 [Red Carpet Rumba, November 20, 2014]. And in February 2015, he would still say touring were planned: