Former Guns N’ Roses manager Doug Goldstein discussed Donald Trump’s admiration of Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose last week on the Talking Metal podcast. Alternative Nation has transcribed the quote:
“We’re playing 5 shows at Madison Square Garden in 1992. I hear, ‘Is Doug Goldstein around?’ I look, and it’s Donald Trump. I said, ‘Yeah, this is Doug Goldstein.’ He said, ‘Can you make a pass for me?’ I said, ‘Yeah sure.’ So, being quizzical, I said, ‘Why are you here?’ He said, ‘I want to meet the Donald Trump of rock and roll.’ I said, ‘I give up.’ He said, ‘You know Doug, when you’re an underdog, everybody puts you to the top. Press, your fans, and once you get to the top, they jerk your ass back to the ground. That’s what Axl Rose is.’ So I introduced Axl to him after the show.”
The reunited Guns N’ Roses recently announced their first two reunion concerts that will take place ahead of the Coachella festival. The band will perform in Las Vegas at the new T-Mobile Arena on April 8th and 9th.
The venue announced, “History will be made in April when Guns N’ Roses – featuring the iconic lineup of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan – regroup for the first time in 23 years on the T-Mobile Arena stage. After announcing that they will headline Coachella, the band has now confirmed the very first place the world can see their historical return will be on the Las Vegas Strip, where they will perform a two-night rock spectacular at the brand new T-Mobile Arena. Guns N’ Roses will perform Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9.”
Steven Adler’s band ‘Adler’ will be performing at at Whiskey A-Go-Go on April 1st in Los Angeles. Adler is also booked for the M3 Rock Festival on April 30th. Neither date conflicts with Coachella, but Adler is clearly not committing the entire month of April to Guns N’ Roses, even if he makes rumored guest appearances.
Eddie Trunk also reported on his podcast last week that Matt Sorum was never part of Guns N’ Roses reunion discussions. “I’ve heard from day one, when I first heard rumors of this reunion a year ago, that Matt would not be involved.” He added, “Apparently there’s heat with somebody, I don’t know.”
Billboard is reporting Guns N’ Roses will likely be paid $3 million dollars per U.S. stadium concert that they are expected to play this summer. With the reported total of 25 shows, that would be $89 million total with $75 million for the stadium shows along with the rumored $14 million pay day for Coachella. Tickets will top out at $250 to $275. This total number doesn’t even factor in rumored shows in Europe and South America, which will easily push the band into grossing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Police’s 2007/2008 tour is the reunion to beat, taking in $362 million from 151 concerts around the world.
“It might very well be a home run,” Washington, D.C.-based indie promoter Seth Hurwitz told Billboard. “It might very well be that it’s not. I prefer not to take part in these kind of all-or-nothing bets myself.”
Former GNR manager Doc McGhee (2010-2012), maintains, “If it’s done right, it should do amazing [business]. If they have their shit together and go out there to kill, I think everybody comes to see them. If not, they’ll have a tough time selling it.”
