Guns N' Roses Didn't Plan on a Lengthy Reunion Tour, Slash Says

Guns N’ Roses Didn’t Plan on a Lengthy Reunion Tour, Slash Says

2021-12-19

Slash performing live at DTE Energy Music Theatre.

Slash – Story by Charles Ken, photo by Anne Erickson

Guns N’ Roses’ Not in This Lifetime reunion tour earned the band millions, but as Slash explains, the tour almost didn’t happen

For years, founding Guns N’ Roses members Axl Rose, Duff McKagan and Slash said they would never perform together ever again. They insisted that their bridges were burned and there was no turning back. Then, of course, they somehow patched things up enough to hit the road on what would be one of the best-selling tours of all time, their Not in This Lifetime tour, and the rest is rock history.

Slash says the members of Guns N’ Roses were hoping their return to the stage would be successful, but they weren’t sure how the reunion would go. Speaking with CNN, Slash says the tour “was just going to be a couple of shows” at first.

The tour, of course, lasted much longer. Guns N’ Roses’ “Not in This Lifetime…” started on April 1, 2016, and ran through a Nov. 2, 2019, date, counting 158 shows with 5,371,891 tickets sold. The band also grossed a groundbreaking $548.2 million.

Even though their reunion tour is over, Guns N’ Roses have continued to play shows. They spent much of last summer on the road for a North American tour, with support from Wolfgang Van Halen’s band, Mammoth WVH.

“When we got back together, that whole chemistry and that thing that makes what Guns N’ Roses is for me and Axl and Duff… it all just sort of came together,” Slash told CNN. “After that long a period of time, we’d sort of forgotten what that was like. Everybody got along great. That’s actually why the tour has kept going, because initially it was just going to be a couple of shows.”

So far, Guns N’ Roses have more than 25 shows on tap for next year. Slash is keeping extra busy, as he’ll release a new album with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, titled “4,” in February 2022. Slash will also tour with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators in early 2022.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.