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Guns N' Roses Australian tour dates 2007
It has been 14 years since the legendary band played at Eastern Creek raceway.
Rose has exhausted his fans' patience during the past decade after falling out with original band members Slash and Duff McKagan and failing to complete the long-awaited Chinese Democracy album.
But Rose assured fans via his website that the album, rumoured to have cost $16 million, is in the final stages of mixing.
Rose Tattoo will support them on tour here.
The band will play four concerts at Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney between June 13 and June 23.
Tickets for their performances are on sale from April 26 via Ticketek.
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WHEN they arrived in Australia in 1993, US group Guns N' Roses were bigger than any stadium.
So they played racetracks, exceeding the noise mere cars could make with their epic head-banging rock.
At Calder Park, 75,000 people turned up on a stinking 38-degree day to see charismatic singer Axl Rose rip through hits from the group's million-selling albums Appetite for Destruction, G N' R Lies and Use Your Illusion.
It was a brilliant disaster, culminating in a State Ombudsman report to Parliament. Now they're back, announcing a June 15 concert at Rod Laver Arena. As they did 14 years ago, rockers Skid Row and local heroes Rose Tattoo will support the controversial LA band who fell apart in spectacular fashion and haven't released a studio album since 1991.
Their world tour, announced yesterday, goes by the name of the album that Rose — the only original member of the line-up coming to Australia — has dabbled with for more than a decade: Chinese Democracy.
Even by the record industry's standards of insanity, ego and excess, the estimated $18 million that has been sunk into Chinese Democracy is a stunning achievement.
Producers and executives despaired as Rose retreated to his Malibu mansion full of snakes, religious paraphernalia and weaponry.
He became a recluse, reportedly sleeping all day, looking up his name on the internet and communicating almost entirely by email.
An internet post from the band's tour manager in February said — not for the first time — that "recording for the album has been completed".
But Rose has been active. This year Guns N' Roses have played 80 shows on the first leg of their world tour. Only two needed to be rescheduled, said local promoter Paul Dainty, who is confident cancelled tours, false starts and no-shows are behind them.
"There's no question as to their reputation (but) that's more in the past," he said. "They've done 80 shows in the northern hemisphere … that's proven they can do it."
Still, Rose has lost none of his mystery. Despite the lengthy negotiations, Dainty has never spoken to the 45-year-old star.
"I've spoken to his PA (personal assistant) … he doesn't really have a manager. Business people do the deal," he said.
Rose could be heard in the background of some calls, Dainty said, and any demands and questions from the star had been "common sense".
The Calder Park gig in February 1993 was pure chaos. Women were forced to urinate on the ground in view of other concert-goers, one teenager became comatose after her medication was confiscated by security guards and there was no shade for volunteer first aid staff treating the 1726 people who became dehydrated — a severe shortage of drinking water forced people to sip from toilet water supplies. Finally, police argued with public transport officials after thousands were stranded and later dumped in the city late at night.
Touring Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney with Rose this year are guitarists Robin Finck, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboard players Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer. Tickets go on sale on April 26.
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GNR are heading down under in June. The band will play the following dates in Australia later this year:
Sunday 10 June ? Perth @ Burswood Dome
Wednesday 13 June ? Adelaide @ Entertainment Centre
Friday 15 June ? Melbourne @ Rod Laver Arena
Wednesday 20 June ? Brisbane @ Entertainment Centre
Saturday 23 June ? Sydney @ Acer Arena
Special guests on the Australian tour will be Sebastian Bach and Australia's rock legends Rose Tattoo.
Tickets for the shows go on sale on Thursday April 26th.
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