Reunited Guns N’ Roses to Play Coachella in 2016
After months of rumors that some version of the band’s classic line-up was reuniting, Billboard reports that “multiple sources” have told them Guns N’ Roses will headline next year’s Coachella Festival. The event is set to take place in Indio, California, from April 15-17 and April 22-24. But even if you wanna see the band and can’t make it Coachella, you need not worry, ’cause the trade mag also says that…
“The reunited band is also negotiating with promoters to play as many as 25 football stadiums in North America in the summer of 2016, and is scheduled to be one of the first acts to play the new Las Vegas Arena, set to open April 6. Guns N’ Roses is said to be asking as much as $3 million per show, with tickets topping out in the $250-$275 range.”
Earlier today, The PRP reported a rumor that the reunited GN’R were seeking as much as $8 million to play the 2016 edition of Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, QC. Whether they’re getting $3 mil a show or $8 mil a show or somewhere in between, the point stands: these guys are gonna need an armada of trucks to rake in all their cash.
The question now, of course, is: who will actually be in the band? Nobody’s paying nuthin’ for a version of GN’R that doesn’t feature Axl Rose and Slash, so they’re a lock, and, presumably, Duff McKagan is in, too. Ditto keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who is a longtime Axl loyalist.
Reports have suggested, however, that other members of the band’s classic line-up — specifically, rhythm guitarist/unsung hero Izzy Stradlin and drummers Steven Adler and Matt Sorum — will not be involved, with Chinese Democracy-era members Richard Fortus (guitars) and Frank Ferrer (drums) taking their places.
Which, personally, I think would be serious letdown — like I said, Stradlin is the band’s unsung hero! — but not enough of a letdown to make me skip this. GN’R is the one band I truly thought would never reunite, so this is definitely a “take my money now!” situation (even if Axl Rose got fat and Slash has a pacemaker).
More details as they become available.
