Guns N’ Roses former drummer Steven Adler says a reunion of all five original members isn’t happening.
Fans of the ‘Paradise City’ group got excited when a billboard featuring Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven and Izzy Stradlin was erected in North London on Tuesday (01.05.18), but the sticksman insists it was just to tease the reissue of their debut LP, ‘Appetite For Destruction’, which has been announced to mark its 31st anniversary.
Steven will be performing songs from the record on tour with his band in Australia this year, but says he’d pack his bags tomorrow if Axl invited him to reunite with everyone.
Responding to the speculation, sparked by the billboard and website, www.gnr.fm, which was launched with the cryptic message: "Destruction is coming", Steven told Australia’s Heavy magazine: "I think it’s just a billboard [promoting] a box set of CDs of the GN’R collection. I’m not sure, but that’s what I think it is. If it’s for the ‘Appetite Of Destruction’ line-up to be touring together again, which I have been playing for 25 years, nobody’s said anything to me. So I really don’t know.
"But you’re definitely gonna be able to see me play ‘Appetite For Destruction’ with an amazing singer and a great band in Australia. So that we’ve all got going for us."
The expanded version entitled ‘Locked N’ Loaded’ – released on June 29 – contains 49 previously unheard tracks, including ‘Shadow Of Your Love’, which was recorded in December 1986 as a trial, and resulted in Mike Clink getting the producer gig for the seminal album.
The CD contains a total of 73 song released on four CDs and seven 12-inch LPs, plus much more.
Axl, Slash and Duff McKagan reunited with original drummer Steven for the first time since 1990 at their concert in Cincinnati in July 2016.
As for Izzy, he said he didn’t rejoin Guns N’ Roses for their tour because they wouldn’t share the money "equally".
The 56-year-old musician – who left the band in 1991 after six years – refused to come out on the road with them because he claimed the group weren’t willing to pay him the same figure as everyone else.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "Bull****. They didn’t want to split the loot equally. Simple as that. Moving right along…(sic)"
Axl responded admitting he had "no idea" why his old bandmate didn’t join him, Slash and Duff.
He said: "I don’t really know what to say about Izzy. It’s like you could have a conversation and think it’s one way, and the next day it’s another way. And I’m not trying to take any shots at Izzy. It’s just his thing is kind of his thing, whatever that is."
With Izzy absent from the line-up, Richard Fortus has been filling in on guitar.
Frank Ferrer, who has been a member of the band since 2006, is on drums in the absence of Steven.
The ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ hitmakers play Download Festival this June and are also preparing for the next leg of their ‘Not In This Lifetime Tour’, which kicks off on June 3 in Berlin, Germany.
Steven Adler dismisses reunion rumours
