Izzy Stradlin, the former rhythm guitarist and co-founding member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses, has spoken out to dispel rumors about his involvement in the group's upcoming reunion tour dates that were announced in January.
The 53-year-old rocker took to social media to release his own official statement regarding the band's upcoming tour, as fans wondered if Stradlin would join co-founding members including lead singer Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan. But since Stradlin's Twitter handle, @IzzyStradlin999, is not verified, he released an official e-mail statement.
"At this point in time, I will not be playing at any of the April 2016 GNR shows," said Stradlin in his statement to Rolling Stone. "I've also not been in the studio recording or writing with any of the others recently. There is so much speculation, but so very little info, [that] I thought I should reach out."
Guns N' Roses announced a slew of North American tour dates in January, including a performance at the 2016 Coachella Music Festival this spring. But in its announcement, it was unclear if Stradlin and former drummer Steven Adler would also return. Stradlin is the first GN'R member to release an official statement on the upcoming reunion.
"I know there's a lot of questions regarding my Twitter account," Stradlin said in a voice mail statement to Rolling Stone. "But it's me. I opened the Twitter account. There was just so much speculation going on regarding my involvement and studio recording. There's so much misinformation, so I wanted to clarify that I'm not in the studio recording with any of the Guns N' Roses guys. At this point in time, I'm not involved in the actual shows... A lot of stuff [fans] are reading isn't true."
The band has six dates set in April. Rock band Alice in Chains confirmed via Facebook that it would join Guns N' Roses for the sold out April 8 and 9 concerts at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Guns N' Roses will then headline the first weekend of Coachella in Indio, Calif., April 16, then perform in Mexico City April 19 and 20, returning to Indio April 23 for a second Coachella performance. These gigs will mark the first time since 1993 that Rose and Slash will perform together.
