Guns N' Roses Tickets

Towards the middle of the 1980s, the hard rock scene in LA had reached a point of self-parody. Into this mix of celebrated excess and shallow preening came Guns N’ Roses, a band that embodied the darkest, dirtiest corners of LA – combining the searing bluesy swagger of the Rolling Stones with an aggression and attitude that was equal parts metal and punk.

GNR’s initial line-up was all MVPs. Axl Rose possessed a glass-shattering, piercing wail, while perpetuating his hedonistic reputation at every opportunity. Duff McKagan, with his low-slung bass and bleached blonde hair, looked as if he’d wandered in from a Germs gig. Drummer Steven Adler brought the bombast, while Izzy Stradlin and Slash wielded guitars like they were offensive weapons, trading solos and riffs like the Stones on nitro.

When their debut album Appetite For Destruction arrived in 1987, it issued a “lock up your children” warning to the world. Everything about Guns N' Roses was controversy, from the far-too-convincing nods to misogyny and substance abuse, to the band’s on- and off-stage antics. This was a band that was exactly as dangerous as they claimed to be. Still, songs like Sweet Child O’ Mine proved that they were much more than that, too. Combined with charging rockers like Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City and Nightrain, by 1988 it had turned GNR into one of the biggest rock bands on the planet.

Eager to capitalise on their success, the band quickly returned with Lies, a combination of an EP released pre-Appetite and four new, mostly acoustic songs. Of the latter, the tender ballad Patience was the biggest hit, but the homophobia and xenophobia showcased on other songs would gain more attention.

The band returned to the studio in 1990 to begin work on their proper follow-up to Appetite For Destruction, albeit without Steven Adler, who had been fired over claims that his drug addiction made his playing unreliable. He was replaced by The Cult’s drummer Matt Sorum. The recording sessions snowballed, eventually becoming the ambitious double album set, Use Your Illusion. The two albums featured mini-epics, piano balladry and soul searching in a manner that seemed wholly out of character for the previously down and dirty rockers. Don’t Cry, November Rain and the band’s covers of Knocking On Heaven's Door and Live And Let Die all became hits.

However, the immediate aftermath saw the rock world changing dramatically, especially with the advent of grunge. Nirvana’s angry, self-loathing Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s earnest Ten made the Use Your Illusion albums look incredibly bloated by comparison. Stradlin left the band, replaced by Gilby Clarke, and Guns N’ Roses abruptly changed tack, recording an album of punk covers called The Spaghetti Incident?. GNR being GNR, they courted controversy by including a Charles Manson cover as a hidden track.

Creative differences ensued and the band went into an unofficial hiatus, while Slash went out on his own with Slash’s Snakepit. Rose remained an elusive presence and Guns N’ Roses’ only release was a cover of Sympathy For The Devil, recorded for the soundtrack to Interview With The Vampire. In 1996, Slash officially left the band, leaving Axl to continue to record in private with an army of session musicians and hired guns from other bands.

Guns N’ Roses first public appearances in almost seven years introduced a completely new line-up. Alongside Axl – the only original member – were Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), Buckethead and Axl’s friend Paul Huge on guitar, Tommy Stinson (The Replacements) on bass, Brian Mantia (Primus) on drums and Dizzy Reed on keys. A tour ensued in 2002. Sorum, Slash and McKagan had meanwhile joined up with Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) to form Velvet Revolver.

Rumours of a new Guns N’ Roses album had circulated for so long that it had transcended to the level of myth. Rose had revealed the name Chinese Democracy, but after nearly 10 years of sessions and millions in production costs, the band had only a few leaked recordings to show for it.

The album was finally released in 2008, 15 years after work first began. The line-up remained in flux, but most of the original members reformed (albeit without Axl) for a Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2012. Bridges were eventually mended, and Slash and McKagan rejoined permanently in 2016 for the knowingly titled Not In This Lifetime… tour.

The band had been set to play the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in May 2020, but the dates were rescheduled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The band later confirmed that their London and Glasgow UK tour dates were being rescheduled to July 2022.

In 2023, the band headlined Glastonbury festival for the first time, and later that summer released the single 'Perhaps'. This was followed in December by the "gritty" and "slow-building" (Rolling Stone) single 'The General'.

In December 2024, Guns N' Roses announced UK dates for June 2025 as part of a world tour called Guns N’ Roses: Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things, with special guests Rival Sons.