UPDATED: Guns N’ Roses to Play Warm-Up Gig Tonight in Los Angeles
The reunited Guns N' Roses will be play an intimate, long-rumored pre-tour gig tonight (April 1) at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, a band rep confirms to Ultimate Classic Rock.
Update - it happened! Here's the full report.
Doors will open at 10 p.m. Tickets, which are priced at $10 per person, were to be available beginning at Noon PT at Gibson Brands on Sunset, former site of Tower Records. The passes would be first-come, first-served, with a limit of one per person, the rep said.
This confirmation follows a flurry of activity all day. Fans reportedly lined up hours early today at the old Tower Records site. Crews started decorating the store with Guns N' Roses signage last night, according to Consequence of Sound. TMZ said police began gathering this morning in anticipation of a huge crowd.
The Troubadour show marks singer Axl Rose's first appearance on stage with both guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan since back in 1993. The trio was already set for a series of previously confirmed dates, beginning April 8-9 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Guns N' Roses then head to Coachella for concerts on April 16 and April 23, with dates in Mexico City on April 19-20. Alice in Chains will serve as the opening act for their these early dates.
Band alum Steven Adler was originally set for a solo stop tonight at the Whisky a Go-Go in L.A., but the concert was cancelled in March via a tweet from the venue that included the hashtag #GunsNRoses.
Guns N' Roses later teased an expanded touring slate of 20 cities – but provided no dates, venues or pricing – back on March 25. Otherwise, speculation has been running rampant – on who else would be joining the three core Guns N' Roses members, who would open the rest of the shows, whether they'll mount a much larger tour and even if Rose might be planning on pulling double duty with another legendary classic rock band.
The principal theory on the remaining lineup centered on a group of late-period GNR vets, including guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman. (A signed drum head seemed to back up that idea.) Then the Adler cancellation sparked renewed hopes about his involvement. More recently, guitarist Billy Duffy has said the Cult would support GNR on dates around the world.
Rumors also began circulating that AC/DC might turn to Rose as they search for a replacement singer to finish out a string of U.S. dates they postponed because of long-time frontman Brian Johnson's hearing problems. A rep with AC/DC indicated that there was nothing new to report, but two members of the bands' camp seemed to confirm Rose's surprising move – and then Rose was apparently photographed leaving a studio with AC/DC in Atlanta.
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