LOS ANGELES (Reuters)
The first U.S. tour in nine years by hell-raising rock band Guns N' Roses officially fell apart on Wednesday, as its promoter tersely announced the cancellation of the remaining shows on the ill-starred jaunt. Clear Channel Entertainment released a two-paragraph statement that gave no reason for pulling the plug. But it followed days of speculation about the status of the group, whose only original member is volatile vocalist Axl Rose (news).
Rose, 40, did not show up to the group's Dec. 7 show in Philadelphia, leading to a crowd disturbance. Then, six shows were scratched, even though the tour remained officially on.
In its statement, the Clear Channel Communications Inc. unit apologized to fans for any inconvenience and said refunds would be available. A spokeswoman for the band's Interscope Records label, a unit of Vivendi Universal SA, did not return a call seeking more details.
Guns N' Roses, famed for such hard rocking hits as "Welcome to the Jungle" and "You Could Be Mine," last played on Dec. 5 to a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The tour began on an ominous note in Vancouver, B.C. last month, when fans rioted after Rose did not show up, apparently waylaid by a flight problem. The road show eventually got on its feet, although many venues were half-empty.
Rose, whose real name is William Bailey, co-founded Guns N' Roses in 1985. Even as the band sold millions of albums, it was often beset by drug-fueled internecine struggles.
Rose's colleagues either quit or were fired, and Rose spent the better part of a decade holed up at his Malibu home working on an oft-delayed opus called "Chinese Democracy" with a revolving cast of musicians.
Former Guns N' Roses members, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bass player Duff McKagan (news) and drummer Matt Sorum, recently pooled their talents to form a new band and are seeking a vocalist.
