The name Guns N’ Roses was beginning to fade into history a little bit until 2016. While GNR actually represents a fairly young group as far as classic rock goes, having risen to prominence toward the end of the genre’s dominant window, it still isn’t a band that we think of as being particularly modern. Then again, the group’s decision to reunite and tour, coupled with a few creative marketing decisions, has catapulted it back into popular attention.
The first such marketing decision was for GNR to make its comeback not by announcing a tour or playing just any old show, but rather by appearing at Coachella in the spring of last year. By most accounts, the show actually didn’t go that well. Noting that Axl Rose played the show sitting down and that some of the band’s actions seemed tired or dated, critics suggested that the band couldn’t quite conjure the glory years at Coachella. It was, for the most part, an underwhelming show. But the catchiest part of the headlines was still the simple fact that Guns N’ Roses had performed again, and that Rose and famous guitarist Slash had actually shared the stage (after years of reported disagreements). Coming back at one of the world’s most famous music festivals was perhaps the best way possible to leap back into the spotlight.
Early 2016 also saw Guns N’ Roses make the highly unusual move of licensing its material to a game developer. Specifically, the group hopped aboard a project by NetEnt, a casino game maker that put together a trilogy of titles using classic rock musicians as inspiration. Meant as a tribute for GNR’s 30th anniversary, the game actually begins with an epic montage of memorable concert performances before settling into a standard slot reel accompanied by GNR music and animations. As with the Coachella performance, it’s not necessarily a flawless experience, but it’s one that put a classic group back on the map for a whole lot of people.
Even more recently, we’ve seen the band getting involved with a new movie release, and one that looks as if it’s going to be generating an almost surprising amount of fanfare. Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black are among those working on a remake of the movie Jumanji in which a board game comes to life. This time around, however, the movie is actually called Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and the early trailer features the iconic song from GNR. This attaches the band’s material not to old concert footage from the ‘80s, or films that came out 20 years ago, but rather to a comedian appreciated by younger generations and one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
There have been other manoeuvres as well, but these are three of the big decisions that have helped to propel GNR back into the international spotlight. And now, as we all probably could have predicted, this classic rock group is talking pretty openly about recording new music. Suggesting that there’s something magical happening with the group, guitarist Richard Fortus has confirmed that the group has recorded new material, and said that he hopes it will translate into a new album. Fortus practically can’t contain his excitement over the direction of the band, and his enthusiasm seems like the best indication yet that we’ll soon be hearing brand new GNR material.
Fortus’s take might not necessarily match those of critics who have continued to view the band’s tour with a mix of disappointment and nostalgic appreciation. But a studio recording can easily go significantly better than a live show, and there’s no denying GNR is having a spike in energy (not to mention entrepreneurial spirit). This will be an interesting possibility to keep an eye on, and it will be pretty wild to see a new album come out if and when it does.
