Not in This Lifetime... Tour

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Not in This Lifetime... Tour
Tour by Guns N' Roses
Location North America
Start date April 1, 2016
End date TBD
Legs 2
Number of shows 32 total
  • 32 in North America
Box office TBD
Guns N' Roses concert chronology

The Not in This Lifetime... tour is an ongoing series of concerts by hard rock band Guns N' Roses, featuring classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, marking the first time since the Use Your Illusion Tour in 1993 that the three performed together.

Overview

Background

After their last tour ended in 2014, there was some uncertainty surrounding the band, especially the guitarist situation. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal had hinted during the last part of the tour that this would be his last shows with Guns N’ Roses.[1] However, after the tour ended, no official word on the situation was given, neither from Guns N’ Roses nor Thal himself. During several South American shows on the tour, Duff McKagan filled in for bassist Tommy Stinson, who had previous commitments to his other band The Replacements.[2]

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A lot of the tension [with Axl] that you were talking about has dissipated. We don't have all those issues anymore.

Slash, on his relationship with Axl Rose, CBS This Morning, May 7, 2015

On May 7, 2015 Slash revealed in an interview on CBS This Morning that much of the tension that had existed between Axl and himself was gone, saying: "Well, we haven't really talked in a long time. But a lot of the tension that you were talking about has dissipated. We don't have all those issues anymore."

When asked specifically about the chances of Guns N' Roses reuniting, he said: "I gotta be careful what I say there. I mean, if everybody wanted to do it and do it for the right reasons, you know, I think the fans would love it. I think it might be fun at some point to try and do that, but…it just starts to get into a whole complex thing. But anyway, it's really between the guys in the band."[3] This sparked the start of what would prove to be a long period of speculation on the reunion subject by both the fans and the media.[4]

Suddenly, on July 27, 2015 the news broke that Guns N’ Roses’ second lead guitarist, DJ Ashba, was leaving the band.[5] He wrote a letter explaining that he was going to focus his work on his other group, Sixx:A.M., which he had formed with bassist Nikki Sixx and vocalist James Michael in 2007. At the same time he thanked Rose for the opportunity he was given by playing with Guns N’ Roses and it seemed like they had left things on good terms. While this news story was picking up, it was at the same time confirmed by a representative of Guns N' Roses that Thal was officially out of the band.[6][7] The leaving of both Ashba and Thal, combined with Slash’s comments on a reunion only a couple months before, further fueled both the media’s and the fans’ speculation about a reunion being in the works.

On August 22, 2015, Slash stated to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, that Axl and he had spoken recently. This was considered a big news story because it was almost common knowledge that the two of them had not spoken together ever since he left the band in 1996. When asked about the re-connection with Rose, Slash commented "It was probably way overdue".[8]

Rumors of a reunited Guns N’ Roses started to pick up more and more during the fall of 2015.[9][10] More reports came in claiming to have a confirmation that a reunion would happen, but no official statement was made during this period. One of the questions on people’s minds was if this was going to be a full reunion of the "classic line-up" or if it would be just one or two people from that line-up returning to the band. Steven Adler (the drummer from Guns N’ Roses’ "classic line-up") admitted during a radio interview with Eddie Trunk that he had not heard anything from Guns N’ Roses about a reunion.[11] Classic-era member Izzy Stradlin later confirmed to Rolling Stone that he will have no involvement with the new lineup.[12] Former drummer Matt Sorum stated he was not asked to be part of the reunion,[13] while departed guitarist Ashba claimed he was asked by Rose to be a part of the lineup but had turned it down, citing his commitment to Sixx:A.M.[14]

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Guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and vocalist Axl Rose performed together for the first time in 23 years as part of the tour.

Announcement

In late December 2015, the Guns N' Roses website was updated, scrapping much of the content and displaying the classic Guns N' Roses bullet-logo.[15] The logo had not been used in official promotion since the Use Your Illusion days.[16] Then, on Christmas Day, a teaser trailer debuted before the new Star Wars movie.[17] The 15 second long video showed black and white shots of a concert audience with the opening words of "Welcome To The Jungle" played.[18] No additional narration or text accompanied the trailer.[18]

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Not in this lifetime.

Axl Rose, on the chances of a reunion tour with the old line-up of Guns N' Roses, TMZ, 2012

On December 29, 2015, Billboard reported that Slash was set to rejoin the band and a "reunited" lineup would headline Coachella 2016.[19][20] Rose was set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the following week to talk about the future of the band, but his appearance was cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".[21][22] Guns N' Roses were officially announced as the headliner of Coachella on January 4, 2016, with KROQ reporting Slash and Duff McKagan were rejoining the band.[23][24][25] The Coachella festival then confirmed via press release that McKagan and Slash were rejoining.[26] April concerts in Las Vegas and Mexico City were announced subsequently.[27][28]

On April 1, 2016, the band announce 20 cities as part of a North American tour, dubbed "Not in This Lifetime...".[29] The tour's name is a reference to a 2012 interview in which Rose, when asked about when a potential reunion would happen, responded "not in this lifetime."[29] The reunion was billed as a 'regrouping' by the band instead of a full reunion, since Slash and McKagan were filling empty spots in the existing band lineup.[30] Additional dates in Chicago, New England, New York, and Los Angeles were announced on April 25 due to shows selling out.[31] On May 18, Alice In Chains and Lenny Kravitz were announced as openers for select shows of the tour.[32][33][34]

Notable events

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AC/DC guitarist Angus Young jammed with Guns N' Roses during their show at Coachella, while former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach joined the band on April 9 in Las Vegas.

While originally slated to commence in Las Vegas on April 8, 2016, a previously unannounced warmup gig at the Troubadour in Los Angeles took place on April 1, 2016.[35] Rumors of the secret show had started the night before,[36] and fans were starting to gather outside the old Tower Records building at Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Rumblings that a ticket sale for the show would take place there started a line of people that grew during the night and into the early morning of April 1.[37] Then, during the morning, the announcement came that the rumors were true and tickets for the club show would go on sale at 12 pm at the Tower Records building. They charged a $10 "retro" ticket price for the show.[38] Later in the evening, as the band took the stage at the Troubadour, it was revealed that Melissa Reese, who has previously worked with former drummer Bryan Mantia on several projects, had replaced longtime second keyboardist Chris Pitman for the tour.[39] During the show at the Troubadour, Rose fell and broke his foot.[40] For the following concerts, Rose was given Dave Grohl's customized throne that Grohl used to perform when he broke his leg at a concert.[41]

The band's first scheduled concerts with Slash and McKagan took place at the newly opened T-Mobile Arena on April 8 and 9, 2016.[42][43] Alice in Chains were the opening act for the Las Vegas shows,[44] while The Cult opened the first two shows outside the United States in Mexico City on April 19 and 20.[45]

Former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach joined the band on stage during the second of the two Las Vegas shows in April 2016, sharing the lead vocals with Rose on the song "My Michelle". Bach has guested on the same song in a similar fashion on many previous Guns N' Roses tours, but this was the first time performing it alongside the returned Slash and McKagan.[46]

On April 16, 2016, just hours before their performance at the Coachella Festival's first weekend was scheduled to start, the news broke that Rose would be joining AC/DC to fill in as the lead vocalist for the remaining dates of their Rock or Bust tour.[47] Brian Johnson had to leave the group previously due to risk of hearing loss. During Guns N' Roses' show that night, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young guested with the band for performances of the AC/DC classics "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Riff Raff", giving the audience an early preview of how the guitarist's sound and Rose's voice sounded together.[48]

During the April 23 Coachella concert, McKagan had Prince's symbol featured on his bass guitar as a tribute, due to his death just days prior. Rose talked about them being fans of Prince, but did not have enough time to get together a song of his to perform in honor of him. Instead, they dedicated the whole concert to his memory.[49]

Personnel

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Keyboardist Dizzy Reed, drummer Frank Ferrer and guitarist Richard Fortus remain from the 2014 lineup, while keyboardist Melissa Reese joined the band in 2016, replacing Chris Pitman

Guns N' Roses

Guest appearances

Concert broadcast and recordings

On April 8, 2016, before the first show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Guns N' Roses posted a video in social media showing a recap of the event at the former Tower Records building and concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood that took place a week earlier, on April 1. The three-minute video showed cuts from different songs played at the concert, as well as a time-lapse of the set-up of the Guns N' Roses museum that was temporarily placed inside the Tower Records building. Small snippets of interviews with the fans outside the museum can also be seen in the clip.[50]

The Coachella Festival had a live internet broadcast via YouTube of select performances during the first weekend of the festival. The Guns N' Roses concert was not shown in its entirety, but rather two songs from the set, namely "Welcome To The Jungle" and "November Rain".[51] During the second weekend of the festival there was a 360° live feed from the festival, and again two songs from the Guns N' Roses set were selected for broadcast. This time they showed "November Rain" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door".[52]

Stage design and show production

The stage itself is similar to what Guns N' Roses have been using during the latest tours, with a stage riser catering for the positions of the two keyboardists on the sides and the drummer in the middle. Stairs are implemented into the riser, allowing the band members to freely move up amongst the keyboardists and the drummer during the show. The front side of the riser, facing the audience, is covered by a video screen. There is another riser behind the one accommodating for the drummer and keyboardists. This one has a lighting rig, and also functions as a platform for dancers that come out for a selection of songs.

There is one big video screen, framed by lights, at the very back of the center stage area, and this one is synced up to the screen covering the front riser. In the ceiling of the stage there is an extensive lighting rig.

At each side of the stage there is a long wing that works as a walkway, and is used mainly by Rose, Slash, McKagan and Richard Fortus. Above each of these two walkways there is another video screen, primarily used to show close-ups of the band during the concert. At the center of the stage, there is another walkway extending into the audience area, with a circular platform at the end. This is used to come as close to the audience as possible at various points in the show. The center walkway has not been assembled for the first seven shows as a result of Rose’s foot injury and he was subsequently forced to have a seat on stage instead.

Pyrotechnics are used for a selection of the songs: "Welcome To The Jungle", "Live And Let Die", "Better", "November Rain" and "Paradise City" amongst a few more. The pyro is mainly being used at the center aft part of the stage, both from ground level and from the ceiling.

The video production is for the most part brand new for this tour, including familiar elements accociated with many of the songs. Examples are old-school TV-screens with the band members’ skull drawings made famous by the cover of the Appetite For Destruction album. The TV-screens are a throwback to the "Welcome To The Jungle" music video, and this particular video production is used on that song. A cloudy background with rainy weather is used during "November Rain", while a black crow can be seen flying over the screens during "Don't Cry". Slash’s signature skull with a top-hat, smoking a cigarette can be seen during his solo performance of "The Godfather theme". There is also a similar one during Duff’s vocal performance.

The intro to the show features the classic Guns N’ Roses bullet-logo made to look like a neon sign, blinking on the big screen on center stage. The "Merrie Melodies" intro tune is heard, and the whole venue goes dark. Then there is an instrumental song (so far they have been using the theme from The Equalizer) playing for a little while, before the band starts the first song of the set. The show ends with a considerable amount of pyro on stage, and confetti is shot out over the crowd during the song’s ("Paradise City") climax. When they are playing outdoor venues, an extensive fireworks display is added.

Show overview

As this was a semi-reunion of the "classic line-up" of Guns N’ Roses, many were curious about which songs they would play at the concerts. Mainly if more of the songs from the Use Your Illusion albums would be played, and if they would continue to play songs from their latest release, the 2008 album Chinese Democracy – which Slash and McKagan were not a part of creating or recording. McKagan had previously performed songs from Chinese Democracy with Guns N' Roses in 2014, when he stepped in as a substitute for Tommy Stinson while he was busy playing shows with The Replacements.[2]

After the first show – the surprise performance at the Troubadour, some questions were answered. They did bring back "Double Talkin’ Jive" from Use Your Illusion I, while they also played tracks from Chinese Democracy, "Chinese Democracy" and "Better".[53] This development continued at the first arena-sized show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas where they further extended the setlist with songs like "Coma" and "This I Love", where the former had not been performed by the band since 1993.[54]

"The Godfather theme", which used to be a staple Slash solo number during past tours was also brought back into the set. A few shows into the first leg, during the second show in Mexico City, they debuted "There Was a Time", another song from the Chinese Democracy album. It is also notable that Slash had altered some guitar parts of the songs from Guns N' Roses' latest studio release during the performances.[55][56]

Core set

The band continues, as they have done in the previous tours, to keep the core set which includes their most well-known songs. The core set largely consists of songs from their debut album Appetite For Destruction, namely "Welcome To The Jungle", "It’s So Easy", "Nightrain", "Mr. Brownstone", "Paradise City", "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Rocket Queen".[53][56]

The remaining core songs are tracks from the Use Your Illusion albums and Chinese Democracy. This includes some of the aforementioned songs: the newly added "Double Talkin’ Jive", as well as "Chinese Democracy", "Better" and "This I Love". In addition, "Live And Let Die", "November Rain", "Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door", "Estranged", and "You Could Be Mine" have been played at every concert so far (except "November Rain" and "Estranged", which were not played at the shorter club show at the Troubadour).[53]

Opening songs

In all tours from 2001 and on, Guns N’ Roses have (with few exceptions) opened their show with either "Welcome To The Jungle" or "Chinese Democracy". For this tour, they changed things up and are now using the song "It’s So Easy" as the opening song. "Chinese Democracy" and "Welcome To The Jungle" have now taken the number 3 and 4 spots in the set, with "Mr. Brownstone" being the second song played, as was common during their older tours.[53][56]

Solo spots

In previous tours, an extensive number of solo spots was a usual part of the setlist. They seem to have cut this down to a minimum, keeping the set quite tight with the performance of regular songs as the main focus. As mentioned before, Slash does have a solo spot with "The Godfather theme", which is a guitar instrumental piece with the rest of the band backing up, functioning as a lead-in to "Sweet Child o' Mine". As a second new addition, Fortus and Slash are doing a guitar instrumental version of the Pink Floyd song "Wish You Were Here", which has been working as a prelude to "November Rain". McKagan takes the lead vocals during a regular spot he has in the set, singing a song from the Guns N' Roses punk cover album "The Spaghetti Incident?". He has been alternating between "New Rose" – the debut single of the British punk rock group The Damned, and "Attitude"[57] – a Misfits song he also played regularly on the Use Your Illusion tour.[58]

Encore

As usual, the band ends their concerts with the song "Paradise City", but the total length of the encore set varies. The songs included in this set, with the exception of "Paradise City", have been different ones from show to show, and so far they have been playing "The Seeker", "Patience", "Don't Cry", "Yesterdays" and "Used To Love Her" in various combinations.[57][59]

Show setlists

Leg 1

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North America (warm-up) – April 1, 2016 — April 23, 2016

Leg 2

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North America – June 23, 2016 — August 22, 2016

Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening act, tickets sold, amount of available tickets and gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Opening act Attendance Revenue
Leg 1 – North America (warm-up) [60]
April 1, 2016 West Hollywood United States The Troubadour N/A — —
April 8, 2016 Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Alice in Chains 28,849 / 28,849 $6,265,076
April 9, 2016
April 16, 2016 Indio Coachella Festival N/A N/A N/A
April 19, 2016 Mexico City Mexico Foro Sol The Cult — —
April 20, 2016
April 23, 2016 Indio United States Coachella Festival N/A N/A N/A
Leg 2 – North America
June 23, 2016 Detroit United States Ford Field Alice In Chains — —
June 26, 2016 Landover FedExField — —
June 29, 2016 Kansas City Arrowhead Stadium — —
July 1, 2016 Chicago Soldier Field — —
July 3, 2016
July 6, 2016 Cincinnati Paul Brown Stadium N/A — —
July 9, 2016 Nashville Nissan Stadium — —
July 12, 2016 Pittsburgh Heinz Field — —
July 14, 2016 Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field — —
July 16, 2016 Toronto Canada Rogers Centre — —
July 19, 2016 Foxborough United States Gillette Stadium Lenny Kravitz — —
July 20, 2016
July 23, 2016 East Rutherford MetLife Stadium — —
July 24, 2016
July 27, 2016 Atlanta Georgia Dome N/A — —
July 29, 2016 Orlando Camping World Stadium — —
July 31, 2016 New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome — —
August 3, 2016 Arlington AT&T Stadium — —
August 5, 2016 Houston NRG Stadium — —
August 9, 2016 San Francisco AT&T Park — —
August 12, 2016 Seattle CenturyLink Field — —
August 15, 2016 Glendale University of Phoenix Stadium — —
August 18, 2016 Los Angeles Dodger Stadium — —
August 19, 2016
August 22, 2016 San Diego Qualcomm Stadium — —
Total — —

References

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  16. ↑ GNR reuinon speculation fueled
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  22. ↑ Rose's appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel' canceled due to 'unforeseen circumstances'
  23. ↑ Coachella 2016 Lineup Announced: Guns N’ Roses, LCD Soundsystem, Calvin Harris KROQ
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  32. ↑ AIC, Kravitz to open GNR tour
  33. ↑ GNR select AIC, Kravitz to open
  34. ↑ GNR invite Kravitz to tour
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