It took a ton of band member side projects and a “this is it?” response to 2008’s mythically-long-awaited Chinese Democracy album for Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan to realize they’re best together.
That famous/infamous Guns N’ Roses core reunited for the Not In This Lifetime tour in 2016, and it turned out their die-hard fans were willing to pony up to see them together again. According to a press release from Live Nation, the tour was the third highest grossing tour of all time.
So they’re getting back in their jet for a new global stadium tour. That will bring them back to Toronto in the same biggest venue in town as last time: the Rogers Centre. They’ll be there on July 13.
Expect all the hits from the band, whose touring lineup is rounded out by Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer and Melissa Reese. And it’s an arena rock tour, so expect some very stretched-out Slash solos, a few dozen extra “na-na-na-na-na-nas” before “knees” and more brilliant bombast. And, if you’ve never seen a Guns N’ Roses concert before, take the posted set time and add an hour or two.
If that’s not enough incentive, the Smashing Pumpkins have been added as openers. They’re a big enough band to headline arenas themselves. It’s a double bill that might have seemed impossible in the 90s, but now that the “alternative” distinction has eroded with time you can enjoy two bands that made their heydays in the 80s and 90s (respectively) at the same time.
Tickets go on sale this Friday (February 7) at noon at ticketmaster.ca and livenation.com. There are also a variety of pre-sales limited to which credit card you have – find all the details for those here.
Guns N’ Roses playing at Super Bowl Music Fest in Miami this past weekend
@nowtoronto
