All we needed was just a little patience: Guns N' Roses comes to Singapore on Feb 25

SINGAPORE — Singapore, are you ready to be brought to your sha-na-na-na-na-na-knees?! On Feb 25, legendary American hard rock band Guns N' Roses will be performing their first ever show here — at the Changi Exhibition Centre.

The band, led by frontman Axl Rose (aka William Bruce Bailey), last came to the region in 2012 when they performed in Jakarta. However, this time around, Axl will be joined by founding band members Slash (aka Saul Hudson) and Duff McKagan.

Tickets will go on sale for OCBC bank customers on the Sistic website from Oct 14, announced concert promoter LAMC on Tuesday morning (Oct 11). General public sales start from Oct 17. Ticket prices start from S$199 to S$568 for general admission, while VIP packages start from S$1,038 to S$2,063.

At their peak, Guns N' Roses were labelled by the media as the "most dangerous band in the world" — not just for their hard rocking hits, but also the fact that several riots had taken place at some of their concerts.

Furthermore, Axl was known to be notoriously late to show up for concerts, with some shows starting more than three hours behind schedule. His performances, especially at the height of the band's fame, were unpredictable to say the least. In 1991, in what is now known as the Riverport Riot, dozens were injured during a Guns N' Roses show when Axl suddenly leapt into the crowd after spotting a fan filming the show with a camera. After attacking the said fan, Axl then walked off stage, refusing to perform again, leading to a riot among the crowd.

In another infamous incident in 1992, Guns N' Roses were due to perform in Montreal in a double-bill with heavy metal legends Metallica. However Metallica had to cut their set short after frontman James Hetfield suffered third-degree burns from pyrotechnics at the show, and though Axl and Co took the stage nearly three hours later, the band, which was suffering from drug and alcohol issues at the time, performed for just 55 minutes.

The crowd then began to riot, overturning concession stands inside the stadium venue and setting cars ablaze outside. US$400,000 (S$550,162) in damages were caused to Montreal's Olympic Stadium, earning Guns N' Roses a lifetime ban from the venue.

Nevertheless, the band members' are said to have largely cleaned up their act over the last few years. By 2009, Slash gave interviews where he said he had given up drugs and smoking, while Duff has been reportedly sober for more than a decade, even going to business school.

Meanwhile, reviews of the band's recent concerts have mostly been positive, noting Axl's commitment to starting on time. The frontman also began touring with another legendary rock group AC/DC after their lead singer Brian Johnson left the band due to "hearing concerns".

Guns N' Roses' gig in Singapore will be the only one in South-east Asia, besides a Bangkok show. The current line-up also includes keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who has been the band since 1990 and performed on the Use Your Illusion albums. Currently, the band is scheduled to perform in Japan and Australia before heading to Singapore. 

RISE TO STARDOM

Guns N' Roses first formed in 1985 with the original lineup of Axl (on lead vocals), Slash (lead guitarist), Duff (on bass), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitarist) and Steven Adler (on drums). Their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, was released on July 21, 1987 — propelling the band to instant stardom with tracks such as Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child O'Mine.

According to a 2008 article by Billboard, Appetite For Destruction was  the best-selling debut album of all time in the US. The album sold 30 million copies worldwide by 2013, reported the New Yorker; and has also received critical acclaim — being named as one of the best albums of all time by publications like Rolling Stone, Q, Pitchfork and Kerrang!.

The band followed Appetite with their sophomore album G N' R Lies, released in 1988. It was their third album though — an ambitious double release entitled Use Your Illusion I and II — which showcased the band's complexity and musical abilities with original ballads like November Rain, Estranged and Don't Cry alongside fresh reintepretations of classic rock tracks like Bob Dylan's Knocking On Heaven's Door and Paul McCartney and Wings' Live And Let Die.

By then, original drummer Steven Adler had been fired by the band for heroin addiction, and was eventually replaced by Matt Sorum. After recording the Use Your Illusion double release, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin also left, citing dissatisfaction with the band, particularly with frontman Axl Rose.

In October 1996, personal animosity between Axl and Slash prompted the lead guitarist to quit before Duff left the band the following year. For several years, Axl, the last remaining founding member, continued to tour as part of Guns N' Roses with a motley crew of musicians. Eventually he released an album, Chinese Democracy, in 2008 — Guns N' Roses first album since the Spaghetti Incident in 1993.

Although rumours have been swirling for years that Axl and Slash had set aside their differences, it was only last year that they officially announced a reunion. On April 1, the band held a surprise concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, a small Los Angeles club where the rock legends first started their careers.