Guns N' Roses, the legendary American rock band that has been rocking the world since rocketing out of the mid-1980s LA metal scene to become the biggest and arguably baddest band in the best possible taste of the late 1980s and early 1990s has been announced as headliners for Reading festival's Friday night (August 27th) and Leeds festival's Sunday night (August 29th).
Leeds and Reading Festivals
The south of England's Reading festival dates back to the 1960s, and it was twinned with the north's Leeds festival in 1999. The same bands on each year's bill play at both festivals on different days.
The crowd capacity for Reading is 80,000, while Leeds is 70,000. The festivals usually sell out of tickets quickly.
Guns N' Roses Return to the Leeds Festival
Guns N' Roses headlined the Leeds festival in 2002, and played a great set by all accounts. They didn't play Reading that year, so it will be their debut at that festival in 2010.
Underneath Guns N' Roses on both festival day's bills are Queens of the Stone Age, Biffy Clyro and the Lost Prophets.
Guns N' Roses World Tour Has Been Rocking Canada and Latin America
After starting the Chinese Democracy world tour in East Asia in late 2009, the Guns N' Roses world tour has been rumbling loudly across, down, up and through the Americas during 2010. Sebastian Bach, the vocalist of Skid Row fame and long-time friend of Axl Rose, has been providing the support.
Guns N' Roses played thirteen dates in Canada between January 13th and February 4th, and then played a couple of low-key New York shows for invited guests at the old CBGBs club while hanging out in the city.
Axl Rose then led his band of merry men down over the border and equator to Brazil, where Guns N' Roses played several gigs.
Seven more dates in South America, ending with a return to Rio, are followed by five dates in Central America by mid-April.
Guns N' Roses has announced a couple of festival gigs in Sweden (Norje) and Finland (Helsinki) in June, and then the next confirmed dates at the time of writing are the Reading and Leeds festivals.
Controversy on the South American Tour
A Guns N' Roses tour wouldn't be complete without some controversy, and there has been a catalogue of stories emanating out of the South American tour.
It started with a mini-riot after Guns N' Roses didn't appear for a rumoured private show at a club in Sao Paulo; and the next night, Axl Rose threatened to stop the confirmed gig in the same city after a bottle was thrown at the band.
A stage then collapsed in Rio after heavy rain, before there were more reports of crowd trouble at gigs in Argentina.
Apart from these relatively minor incidents, the Chinese Democracy tour is continuing apace, and heading full steam for the Leeds and Reading festivals.
Marc Latham - Doctor of Philosophy and experienced freelance writer searching for truth and meaning, and reporting it in clear and concise copy.
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