American dates are beginning to slowly come in for a Guns N' Roses tour this fall. So far, they are only slated to play Orlando, Miami and Kansas City - but with a two-week gap between two of the dates, expect many more to come. The group has toured extensively overseas in recent years, but they haven't done a proper U.S. tour since 2006. The band - which features Axl Rose as its sole original member - hasn't performed since a show in Dubai last December, but they launch a 10-date tour of South America and Mexico in early October.
After more than a decade of delay, Guns N' Roses released Chinese Democracy in November of 2008. There's been much speculation that another record may one day come from material that didn't make the cut for that LP. "We certainly did record a lot of stuff," says Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson. "We recorded three records worth of material over the course of that 10-year period, but I think that a lot of the unfinished bits were mostly lyrics and mixes and things like that." Might another record be in the works? "I'm not a liberty to talk about that," Stinson says. "I don't get into that aspect. That's Axl's business."
The band is eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year. Assuming they get in on their first ballot, the March 2012 ceremony would be an opportunity for the classic lineup to stand together on the same stage for the first time since drummer Steven Adler left in 1990. Rose has long maintained that any sort of reunion with the classic lineup is impossible - but guitarist Izzy Stradlin did play with Axl on a series of dates in 2006. And last year in England, bassist Duff McKagan played on four songs at the 02 Arena in London.
It's clear, however, that Axl is unwilling to perform with Slash ever again. "In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed," Axl said in 2009. "The less anyone heard of him or his supporters the better."
Here are the upcoming USA dates for Guns N' Roses.
10/28/11 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center
10/29/11 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
11/12/11 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
Photo by Paul Warner/WireImage