It was perhaps the Indian rock scene’s greatest urban legend as blogs and newspapers spent precious space in predicting their Indian debut. But come December, Guns N’ Roses will finally embark on a three-city tour in India, and yes, the itinerary includes Delhi as well. If all goes well, fans of the original Guns N’ Roses are in for a huge surprise — former GN’R guitarist Slash is to perform in Mumbai in February 2013.
In an exclusive chat with The Asian Age, former Parikrama drummer and vice-president, production and marketing, Mooz Entertainment Dilip Ramachandran confirmed this, “It is true that we’re bringing down Guns N’ Roses this December. A lot of iconic bands have played in India way past their prime. We want to bring acts who are incredibly popular and are still working on creating new music.”
A lot has been written over the years about the band coming to India so the fans’ scepticism is understandable. In this case, however, a former reputed Indian rocker’s involvement is certainly one to be considered seriously. The band is to play in Bengaluru on December 7, Mumbai on December 9 and Gurgaon on December 12.
Kickstarting Mumbai’s cultural season this September is American hard rock band Korn with a performance on September 7. “We are living in exciting times where we are able to connect with the world, in a very up close way whenever we want, and Mooz is translating this viability into music too. Starting up with Korn, we hope to be bringing some very edgy international acts through, for the very aware Indian audiences,” said Karamjeet Singh, senior vice-president, Mooz Entertainment.
As someone who has faced the headbanging crowds before, Dilip feels passionately about GN’R’s Indian debut. He says, “The band has God-like status among rock fans in India. Bands like Guns N’ Roses come to the fore very rarely. There is no doubt that the concerts will be crowdpullers.”
Though Mooz Entertainment has not yet issued an official statement regarding Slash, industry insiders say that the paperwork for the former GN’R guitarist’s 2013 tour is in process. Popular international online ticketing website pollstar.com has in fact confirmed the dates: February 14 in Chandigarh (Leisure Valley), February 16 in Mumbai (MMRDA Grounds) and February 17 in Bengaluru (Palace Grounds).
While on the topic of future performances in the city, buzz has it that British pop legend Sir Elton John is set to return to India to play in Mumbai, a decade after his 2002 Bengaluru gig. But we should await for the confirmation.