Story by Michael Payne
Photos by Katarina Benzova
For classic rock fans, few tours have inspired more excitement than the Not In This Lifetime tour from Guns N’ Roses. The reunion jaunt is the first time that Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan have shared a stage since the 1993 Use Your Illusion
tour kicked things off last year with an appearance at Coachella before going through North and South America. It has been an amazing cash cow for the band, much to the surprise of many, and was one of the most financial successful concert series of 2016.
For 2017, they’ve embarked on the second half of the tour, taking them throughout Asia and Europe before returning to the States to wrap things up in September. GNR have more than proven that they still have a devoted following, and the band is doing everything they can to maximize on their recent resurgence in popularity.
As of September 2016, the tour had grossed more than $116 million, making it the most profitable tour of the year by far. Bruce Springsteen was a distant second with $33 million. It’s estimated that by the end of 2016, the Not In This Lifetime tour had brought in a little more than $190 million. What’s even crazier is that these numbers are just from ticket sales themselves and don’t include merch — you know they’ve sold a ton of T-shirts and records, too.
Singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash might have gone on the record saying that the reunion wasn’t motivated by money but they sure got a lot of it. And beyond the band’s status, the overwhelming success of their tour has more than proven there’s still a massive audience for rock bands all over the world. For GNR specifically, that means they’re doing everything to make the most of their worldwide audiences.
These efforts to capitalize on their comeback goes way beyond just live shows. Guns N’ Roses have also looked to video games to cash in on their high profile. The band lent their songs and likenesses to a licensed slot reel in 2016 that was a tribute to the iconic group’s highly anticipated 30th anniversary. The game features the classic lineup in addition to some of its most popular songs. The end result is a hard-rock take on a classic casino game designed to appeal to the band’s massive fanbase. Guns N’ Roses are far from the only band to take this route, with the legendary Motörhead also getting behind their own game. However, they might be the most currently active band to take advantage of the trend.
The band is touring throughout Australia and Asia in February before heading off to Europe in May. GNR will return to the U.S. in July for 16 dates to close things out. Good luck finding seats because the Not In This Lifetime tour is definitely one of the hottest seats of the year. But if you can snag one, enjoy it, because this isn’t a show that you want to miss.
