UPDATE: We removed “classic lineup” from the headline until we know exactly who will be taking part in this re-booted Guns N’ Roses. The Billboard report only specifies roles from Axl Rose and Slash, and previous reports/rumors included the duo and bassist Duff McKagan. Stay tuned, etc. — original post is below…
Do you know where you are? You’re in the desert, baby, you’re gonna… pay?
Billboard is reporting that after months of speculation, Guns N’ Roses‘ classic lineup will reunite and headline the 2016 Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California. Next year’s edition of Coachella goes down April 15 to 17 and April 22 to 24.
The report, citing multiple sources, only specifies that Slash and Axl Rose are involved, calling into question the roles of former classic-lineup members like Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan as well as the current edition of Guns N’ Roses. Previous rumors linked Slash, Rose, and McKagan to be leading the reboot.
Billboard goes on to state that the reunion won’t stop at Coachella, as Guns N’ Roses will be taking their show on the road across North America. Here’s word:
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.
Representatives for the band, as well as Coachella producer Paul Tollett and agent Ken Fermaglich at United Talent Agency, could not be reached for comment. Executives at AEG, which will operate the new Vegas arena, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The last show Rose and Slash played together was back in 1993 at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. As Billboard notes, Coachella has been a breeding ground for big-ticket reunions in recent years, hosting Rage Against The Machine in 2007, My Bloody Valentine in 2009, Pulp in 2012, and Outkast in 2014.
Fueling recent reunion speculation was an apparent teaser trailer shown during showings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the Guns N’ Roses homepage redesigning to show the band’s classic, ’80s-era logo.
