On April 1, 2016, the legendary hard rock band Guns N’ Roses began their massive Not in This Lifetime tour, which spanned over three years in many different countries. The core lineup of the huge tour included guitarist Slash, singer Axl Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, with guest appearances by Steven Adler, who was the band’s drummer until 1990. Missing, however, was guitarist Izzy Stradlin, for reasons that have not been made very clear. 

Guitarist Slash has recently stated that the band wanted Stradlin to join them, but he didn’t end up appearing for various reasons, the specifics of which he did not want to describe. Blabbermouth quotes Slash as stating that he “There were a lot of different issues that I’m not really going to get into. We wanted it to work out, but we couldn’t seem to meet eye to eye on the whole thing. So it just never happened.” 

According to Blabbermouth, bassist McKagan has previously suggested that Stradlin did not want to be part of any reunion, and explained that “Slash really likes playing with Richard Fortus,” the band’s current rhythm guitarist. Izzy Stradlin himself has blamed his absence in 2018 on negotiation issues, citing the group’s unwillingness to “split the loot equally.”

Guns N’ Roses are scheduled to perform at the 2022 Welcome to Rockville festival, alongside such other rock titans as Foo Fighters, Korn and Kiss. The legendary rock band released a single titled “Hard Skool” late last September.

Photo Credit: Marisa Rose Ficara