i think an axl rose solo album with him and his piano would do about as well as anything esle at this point IMO

but a three piece - axl and his piano, dizzy, and a certain guitar player...:mosh:

if they played only sorry, catcher, madagascar, irs, if the world, and prefect crime i could go home happy as hell and at a decent hour

I think it depends on the success of this tour is and whatever he does next in the form of an album release. let's say this tour does less than '06 and cd 2 does significantly worse than cd 1. depending on how drastic the fall is ,  'Reunion or Nothing may be a reality he'll have to face. i don't think it will get to the point myself but i wouldn't say it's impossible either and if it does get that point he's made it clear he will retire before he reunites with slash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quU6Yb9k0qo&NR=1

I disagree that gnr was a punching bag for the alternative movement and that's just my opinion but to say a couple of b sides on a double album contributed to the notion i will argue objectively against with my last breathe.

the grunge movement happened regardless of what gnr was doing and, besides, there was room for both. At one point GNR and grunge were both still very popular.

it is a natural process for new bands and sounds to creep their way in to relevance and it is a natural progression for bands like to gnr to open doors for those bands. no aerosmith, no gnr. no gnr, no nirvana. - for loose example.

Good bands like u2 endure those shifts and, based on the way gnr's catalogue has endured through continued record sales and air play, it's safe to say they would have endured as well had they not imploded.