Guns N’ Roses haven’t played a single show in the United States since November 2023, but that’s about the change. While the legendary, chart-topping rock band has played international shows in 2026, they’re setting their sights on playing the United States in 2026, according to founding guitarist Slash.
Slash is 100 percent sure the band will tour in the States in 2025, saying that they’re “definitely doing a U.S. run next year.” During an interview on the SiriusXM show Trunk Nation, host Eddie Trunk asked him if GN’R were planning to do U.S. shows in the near future, and he responded, “I can say, we’re definitely doing a US run next year.”
“[An announcement will] be coming soon, so I can safely say that that’s happening,” he added. “So we’ve been doing a bunch of international stuff all year so we have to come back to the States, so we planned for next year.”
Guns N’ Roses’ international tour kicked off on May 1, 2025, at Incheon, South Korea, according to Billboard.
New music is on the way, too. Earlier this month, Slash told Guitar World that Guns N’ Roses have “so much material” ready for a new Guns N’ Roses album and that the new set is “coming.”
Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Not in This Lifetime Tour’: Stats and Research
In 2016, Guns N’ Roses pulled off what most fans thought would never happen: Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan back on the same stage, actually getting along long enough to play a full set. Yep, the “Not in This Lifetime…” tour was born, named after the very phrase Axl once used when asked about a reunion. Never say never, right?
The whole thing started modestly, with a surprise Los Angeles club show that instantly broke the internet. Then came the official kickoff in Las Vegas on April 8, 2016, according to the band’s official website, followed by a high-profile stop at Coachella. From there, it snowballed. What was supposed to be a short run turned into a three-and-a-half-year global juggernaut.
By the time the last guitar solo rang out in November 2019, the band had played 175 shows across 41 countries, according to the Grammy Awards’ website. Around 5.37 million fans showed up, an average of about 40,000 people per night, proving that the world’s appetite for GNR was still massive. And the receipts? Even louder than the amps. The tour grossed roughly $584 million, making it one of the highest-earning tours ever.
For a band famous for chaos, this reunion was a well-oiled machine. It took 78 trucks to haul the stage, lights and gear from city to city. Around 125 crew members, plus the same number of local hires, worked each show. That’s roughly 250 people making sure Axl’s mic was hot, Slash’s hat was packed, and the pyrotechnics hit on cue.
And the setlists? A perfect mix of nostalgia and flex. Across the tour, the band rotated through 46 songs, but there were eight essentials that never missed a night: “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Paradise City,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “Rocket Queen,” “It’s So Easy,” “Double Talkin’ Jive,” and even “Chinese Democracy.” (Hey, fair’s fair, Axl worked hard on that one.)
Fans also got some sweet surprises. Former drummer Steven Adler hopped on stage for a few shows, and Angus Young from AC/DC dropped by to rip through “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “Riff Raff.” Basically, if you were anywhere near a GNR show, you were part of a piece of rock history, and probably left with ringing ears and a goofy grin.
By the end, “Not in This Lifetime” wasn’t just a cheeky name, it was the sound of a band proving everyone wrong. Against all odds, Axl, Slash and Duff found their rhythm again and turned a reunion into a record-breaking victory lap.
So yeah, maybe it was in this lifetime after all. And if the numbers, and the screams, mean anything, the world is still more than ready for a little more jungle.
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