Indeed. And I still believe he has the skills and the ability.

God there's marvels he could do. Even the CD songs remixed with Slash and Duff would be interesting to me....which seems absurd save for that they were already doing remixes with DJ and brain and so on so it's not like those songs are necessarily untouchable.

Moreover...while I know CD was a controversial album...to me melody wise and lyrics wise...I loved Axl's parts a lot.

I believe as an artist he would still have gas in the tank.

I just don't understand why they don't pull the trigger.

I mean I'd bet the vault is full of interesting stuff, and if not, it's not like that Ac/Dc fronting Axl and modern shredgod Slash couldn't make something amazing if they wanted to.

I take Axl at his word that he said he does want to release music one day. I just hope that day comes soon...before my health or theirs gives out.

I agree in a sense...I mean obviously this tour will sell on it's own merits, but I also can't help but look to the examples of others that packaged a reunion album that went gangbusters with the tour. Ac/Dc's "Black Ice" era for example.

GNR don't HAVE to do this, like they don't HAVE to vary the setlist live and they don't HAVE to shell out to have Matt or Izzy or anyone.

It just seems they always do the minimum needed these days, which isn't what the band used to be like. Once they did crazy stuff like release UYI 1 and 2 together on the same day. These days it seems if we can get away with having less we always do. It just doesn't feel vital to me anymore. I love the music, and I know money has always been part of the equation with these things, but there's something not quite right about all this at the moment too. Something about the way it is being handled is bothering me. Can't quite put my finger on it.

Because the recordings are already 90% paid for.

The best buy deal recouped all the costs associated with the Chinese Democracy recording sessions - which not only included the album we got but the mythical second and third album tracks that sit in a vault.

Any further recording would be minor - Slash could over dub some new solos in a matter of days. 

This means to put out that album the label is not up for any more recording costs, only mixing and mastering which is pocket change to them - so with the album already paid for - the sales it does are basically gravy for them.

What they might be nervous about is shelling out for a full scale marketing campaign, and I would wager that was the hold up for the previous incarnation of the band - Axl probably wanted a full scale commitment worthy of the GNR brand but the label was thinking it was more of a boutique project.

Now with a reunion tour doing crazy money, and Slash back in the fold, the demand is there for new product, the label would be much more willing to talk about proper marketing. Especially if the product also involved a AFD remaster or a hits disc as part of it or something that would be guaranteed to move some units.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as happy as anyone that Axl and Slash are back together.

I don't even know how to put what I think about all this without setting off the GNR camp's "entitled fans" feelings....but as a person who thinks genuinely that Axl and Slash are amongst the most talented people on the entire planet...I'm about wanting as much of that art to come about before life takes one of them as possible.

It's not that they owe me, or that we deserve it, or that they have to, or that they work for me, or any of that, and yes I should live my own life - it's just statistically we're probably in the last 10 to 15 years of the GNR story now, and it would be a god-aweul shame if it ended without anything else when they are so capable of so much more.

If we can be honest, we endured 30 years of nonsense and a war between half the band that was entirely unnecessary.

It resulted in the limited GNR work we got to not be either quite like what it would have with the old band, and, thanks to whatever industry nonsense, we never really heard quite what Axl wanted to do either.

Likewise many of Slash's works as much as I think they are wonderful could have been elevated without the nonsense we've all become used to over 30 years.

So yes, GNR is back, but they're 30 years behind schedule, there's a lost Axl/Slash album from the 90s, there's 2 more Chinese Era axl albums, there's what he recorded with DJ in 2012, there's what Slash recorded at the start of the year.

There is an absolute shit ton of stuff, but if you're like me you know the hourglass of fate is ticking on us all, it's beyond time for some progress. I love the shows and I'm looking forward to going to this tour, and I'm sure everyone is in their home town, and it's nice the reunion actually happened.

I love all that stuff. But at the same time it doesn't satisfy  the burning desire for more art I have. The more they recreate the glory days of 1991 the more than I realise how lacking the earth is of what actually made those days wonderful - not the tours - but that GNR was an artistically active entity.