Guns N’ Roses signs for series of Hard Rock concerts

Las Vegas will soon be welcomed to the jungle again - and again and again - as hard rockers Guns N' Roses have announced a 12-show residency at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Dubbed "Appetite for Democracy," after the band's iconic debut album "Appetite for Destruction" and its most recent disc, 2008's long-simmering "Chinese Democracy," the string of dates will commence Oct. 31 and run through Nov. 24, with shows Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of four consecutive weeks.

The concerts come in the wake of the band being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, though frontman Axl Rose abstained from the ceremonies.

Guns N' Roses last performed in Vegas with a pair of sold-out shows Dec. 30 and 31, also at the Joint, that were epic, sweat-bathed, three-hour marathons of over-the-top hard rock histrionics that ran into the early morning hours.

With plenty of pyro heating up the room and making the crowd like marshmallows roasting on a campfire, the band roared through nearly three-dozen tunes in a well-received set, even though Rose is the lone holdover in the current lineup from Guns N' Roses' "Appetite" glory days.

The group also performed a number of songs from "Chinese Democracy," which infamously took more than 13 years to complete.

"I think the jokes and the criticism have definitely died down quite a bit," Guns N' Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed told the Review-Journal before the band's December gigs, referring to the mixed reception "Chinese Democracy" received upon its release. "I told people when it came out that it's a lot to take in. It's not like 'Led Zeppelin IV,' where you can smoke a joint and drift off into the land of wizards and fairies - nothing against 'Led Zeppelin IV,' it's one of my favorite records."

As for Guns N' Roses mercurial frontman, Reed acknowledged that Rose can be an idiosyncratic presence, albeit a determined one.

"It's just amazing that's he stuck it out," Reed said. "He's always fought for what he thought was right and what he's wanted, and I appreciate that. That's another reason why I stick by him and why I'm still in the band."

Tickets for the shows start at $45 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Joint box office and Ticketmaster outlets.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow on Twitter @JasonBracelin