GUNS N' ROSES

GUNS N' ROSES - Behind-The-Scenes Tour Profile Available

The following report is courtesy of Gregory A. DeTogne from MixOnline.com:

Tirelessly flogged in the media for every manner of abuse imagined or otherwise, GUNS N' ROSES is still legitimately regarded by many as one of the biggest American rock 'n' roll bands to emerge from the late-20th-century. And this is despite major changes during the years that have left frontman Axl Rose onstage as the only remaining original member.

Amidst wide speculation last September over the long-awaited release of Chinese Democracy, an album that languished in production for nearly 10 years at a reported cost of $15 million, Guns N' Roses played five warm-up shows prior to setting forth on a North American tour. Held at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, the Warfield in San Francisco and at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore, Calif., these dates led to the tour's official launch in Sunrise, Fla., on October 24.

Winding its way from Florida into Canada, and on through the Midwest to points wast before landing at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif., just before Christmas, the act revealed a bigger and brawnier band than ever in sheer size and sonic horsepower. Weighing in with eight members including Rose, the band showcased a complex fusion of blues, punk, metal and classic rock 'n' roll infused with the talents of Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman on keyboards; former Nine Inch Nails member Robin Finck, Richard Fortus and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal on guitars; Tommy Stinson on bass; and Frank Ferrer on drums.

Behind the scenes, Toby Francis was the point man at the front-of-house mix position, riding herd over a Showco Prism rig comprising 80 boxes flown per side and 16 subs, all fueled with Crown power and featuring Clair iO crossover management. To properly manage monitoring tasks onstage within a notoriously hot-seat environment known for ruining many a strong man, monitor world was subdivided into two areas of responsibility: Andy Ebert taking charge of the band's needs and John “Elmo” Sheldon given sole charge of Rose's personal mix.

Francis had more than a passing acquaintance with Guns N' Roses prior to signing on at FOH for the band. His first contact with the group came in 1988 while he was on tour mixing the house P.A. for AEROSMITH and Guns N' Roses was occupying a support-act slot.

“Appetite For Destruction came out while we were on that tour, and GNR just exploded,” Francis recalls. “I got to know the bandmembers, and it was clear they had something that other bands didn't. I would go out and watch their whole show. What I saw and heard then is hard to describe. The music was transcendent; it drew you in, along with the rest of the audience, and took everyone to a different plane. The members may have changed over the years, but that magic is still there.”

Read more here.

GUNS N' ROSES Rocks Rodeo Drive

GUNS N' ROSES brought down the house at the Rodeo Drive's Walk of Style ceremony on Thursday night (February 8th) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The event was a star-studded gala honoring Donatella and the late Gianni Versace. A wall-to-wall A-List, including Jennifer Lopez, Cindy Crawford, Ashton Kutcher, Sharon Stone, Quincy Jones, Naomi Campbell, Elton John (who also performed), Demi Moore, Prince, Elizabeth Hurley, Ingrid Sischy, Sebastian Bach, Mischa Barton, Franca Sozzani, Paris Hilton and many others attended the event.

Donatella Versace personally asked Axl Rose if GN'R would perform, and Axl obliged with a stripped-down version of GN'R featuring guitarists Richard Fortus and Ron "BumbleFoot" Thal, who played acoustics on 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine' to close out the ceremony.

With full command of the stage, Axl moved and sang like only Axl can. Bassist Tommy Stinson was unable to attend because of a personal family issue so keyboardist Chris Pitman filled in admirably on bass. Lead guitarist Robin Finck, keyboard player Dizzy Reed and drummer Frank Ferrer all tore it up.

GN'R capped off a magical evening with a great performance that left the captivated audience enthralled and satisfied.

Immediately after their all-too-brief set, Axl and the boys went from the stage into the audience, dancing with their wives and girlfriends and mingling with fans as well as society's elite.

GUNS N' ROSES To Hit The Road In April

GUNS N' ROSES have announced that they will be hitting the road starting in April. The first leg of the Chinese Democracy World Tour 2007 will see GN'R performing in Japan, Thailand, South Africa, South America, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

2006 saw GN'R perform over 70 concerts... With the release of Chinese Democracy, 2007 promises to be even busier and more exciting for the band and their loyal fans."

As previously reported, GN'R's long awaited studio album, Chinese Democracy, has a tentative release date of March 6th.

GUNS N' ROSES - Short 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' Live Clip Available

GUNS N' ROSES site Here Today Gone To Hell reports:

"The web site of French news magazine L'Express, has a short clip of GN'R performing 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' at the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Induction Honoring Gianni and Donatella Versace that took place on February 8th."

Check out the clip here.

As previously reported, in the ongoing saga of when the world will finally see the release of GN'R's forever-in-the-making new studio album, Chinese Democracy, BW&BK sources have learned that a representative of Universal Music has CONFIRMED that said album is "no longer on the schedule".

Recently the album has had a tentative release date of March 6th. Stay tuned for updates.

GN'R recently announced that they will be hitting the road starting in April.

The first leg of the Chinese Democracy World Tour 2007 will see the goup performing in Japan, Thailand, South Africa, South America, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.