Up Close and Personal Tour (Guns N' Roses)
Up Close and Personal Tour was a 2012 North American and European concert tour by hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Background. On January 20, guitarist Bumblefoot talked about a possible theater tour taking place in February. Guns N' Roses later announced shows in United States. The shows themselves varied considerably in comparison to the Chinese Democracy Tour. All of the North American shows took place in smaller-scale clubs, rather than a large arena or stadium. All pyrotechnics were removed from the shows. The European leg of the tour began approximately  one month after the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The circumstance regarding a new album were unknown, however lead guitarist DJ Ashba stated that the band had many demos recorded, and were planning on discussing 'how they are going to create the best album possible.' On June 24, guitarist Richard Fortus gave an interview to the French music site, Rock N' Live, in which he revealed that the band would not tour more that year, but would rather go into the studio to work on the next album by the end of the year . "Right now I'm very focused on Guns N' Roses. We are preparing ourselves to return to the studio, so that is why I want to stay focused. That's all that I think by the end of the year." Line up. The band line-up remained approximately the same since the 2008 release of Chinese Democracy. Co-founder Axl Rose fronted the band, which also included long-term keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman. Newcomer DJ Ashba and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal were lead guitarists, while the rhythm section consisted of Richard Fortus on rhythm guitar, Tommy Stinson on bass  and drummer Frank Ferrer. Setlists. Guns N' Roses' set-list has also shown evidence of some change from those of Chinese Democracy concerts, although remaining fairly consistent. Major hits such as "Sweet Child O' Mine", "November Rain", "Estranged" and "Don't Cry" remain a staple, as well as newer songs such as "Chinese Democracy" itself, "Better" and "This I Love". "Welcome To The Jungle" was played as set-opener for the first time since 2007, although this was just a one-off. Similarly, "You're Crazy" also kicked off one show, which in recent time only has occurred when the  band has played 'surprise' acoustic shows like the Paris, France show at L'Arc. "Used To Love Her" also saw a return to the set.