Axl breaks his silence on Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses frontman and sole original member W. Axl Rose has broken his silence on the group's lineup, their upcoming four-night stand in New York City -- which reportedly sold out in three minutes -- and their future plans. Axl was a surprise guest on New York City radio station WAXQ-FM on Friday night (May 5th), and he confirmed that the band is basically the same one that did the 2002 tour -- guitarists Robin Finck and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, and drummer Brain -- with the only changes being a new guitarist he declined to name to replace Buckethead, who quit in 2004.

Axl also said that the 2002 tour gave the guys the feeling of being a true band, rather than a group of hired sidemen, and that everyone's excited to play May 12th, 14th, 15th, and 17th at the Hammerstein Ballroom before they head out for European shows, including two opening for the Rolling Stones in Germany in July.

Finally, Axl said that the long-delayed GNR album Chinese Democracy will be a single CD that will come out in the fall, when the band will play more shows in North America. He also revealed that the band has actually been recording "two-and-a-half, three albums worth of material," and that songs are still moving back and forth between Chinese Democracy and the second release.

GNR is currently in New York City rehearsing.

Rose also released a statement regarding the Hammerstein Ballroom shows, in which he said, "New York has always been so great to Guns and myself. The response to our last show at Madison Square Garden was nothing short of amazing. I've spent the last couple of months here in New York. I've had a great time, met a lot of great people, and the band and I are excited that we get to play New York City and play for the friends -- both old and new -- that we've made before we head to Europe."

The Madison Square Garden show that Rose referred to was the band's last live performance to date, back in December 2002. A U.S. tour underway at that time was aborted after just a few dates. Rose was asked if he could explain why the tour was cancelled after that show, and he said, "Uhh, no, not exactly."

The current NY shows -- assuming they take place -- are the band's only North American dates before it heads out on its European jaunt.

The GNR/Rolling Stones shows will be the first time the two acts have shared a stage since 1989.