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Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus says that the band has never sounded better than it does right now.
GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour in April 2016 with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.
The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic lineup members Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and Axl Rose backed by Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.
Speaking to Hot Press, Fortus stated about the chemistry between him and Slash: "I've a lot in common with Slash. He feels like a kindred spirit and we relate on many musical levels. I've a lot of respect for him as a musician and have a blast playing with him. The greatest thing about him is that he's constantly stretching out. He's trying new things. Every night, he plays differently and is always reaching for new heights. He's very inspiring to play with."
Fortus also spoke about the similarities between his playing style and those of his bandmates, explaining: "Slash and Duff have the same approach that I do. You play for the song, first and foremost. It's not about it being some type of masturbatory showcase for your abilities; it's about working together as a band. Supporting wherever the focus needs to be, not simply waiting for your turn to wank."
He continued: "I don't think this band has ever sounded better than it does right now. Axl has never sounded better and we're tighter and more focused than ever."
As previously reported, the "Not In This Lifetime" tour has reached a staggering overall gross of $230 million since launching more than a year ago, according to Billboard.
That figure includes a $38 million haul from eight concerts in Australia and New Zealand, but does not yet account for earnings from seven Asian markets that the band visited during the first quarter of 2017.
Last summer's North American leg, which featured 25 stadium shows in 21 cities, grossed a whopping $116.8 million with over one million tickets sold.
GUNS will come back to North America for at least another 15 stadium dates this summer, starting on July 27 in St. Louis and ending on September 8 in San Antonio.
- elevendayempire
- Rep: 96
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
It's not about it being some type of masturbatory showcase for your abilities; it's about working together as a band. Supporting wherever the focus needs to be, not simply waiting for your turn to wank.
Fortus has always been an incredibly humble team player in GN'R, happy to sit back in a rhythm role even when he's arguably been a more talented lead player than the guy in the spotlight. Of course, with Slash back in the band, he's necessarily been sidelined a bit – it would be nice if they gave him a bona fide solo showcase, like Think About You or Madagascar, or gave him a couple more of the Buckethead solos in some Chinese Democracy songs.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
Fortus is a cool guy, but he is a better lead player than a rhythm player. I have no desires to hear Fortus solo. He is technically a better player than Slash but has no signature licks of his own.
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
He gets more solos than any other guitar player that I can remember ever got with Slash. I think that says something about him and how he's respected. Slash doesn't appear to have any issues with it on the surface.
- FlashFlood
- Rep: 55
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
He's this band's Ron Wood.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
He was the best all around player in GNR since 2002. Axl held him back. Now in 2017 he wants to tell us how Fortus has been in the band so Fucking long, longer than Slash etc but he misused him die 16 of those 17 years lol.
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
He was the best all around player in GNR since 2002.
Hogwash. Or hog bitch stomp. 
Bucket could have handled each role in the band had Axl pulled the trigger on it. ONly person ever in the band who could've replaced Slash.
I've warmed up to Fortus surprisingly and have no issues with him being in the band til the end of the line but he isn't the best guitarist since 2002.
Now in 2017 he wants to tell us how Fortus has been in the band so Fucking long, longer than Slash etc but he misused him die 16 of those 17 years lol.
In hindsight either Fortus or Finck should've been ditched. Move Bucket up to the main guitarist slot and Fortus/Finck as rhythm player but let them alternate leads on classic tracks.
He's this band's Ron Wood.
I kinda get the point but that's bordering on an insult to Ron Wood. 
- elevendayempire
- Rep: 96
Re: FORTUS: 'I Don't Think This Band Has Ever Sounded Better...'
In hindsight either Fortus or Finck should've been ditched. Move Bucket up to the main guitarist slot and Fortus/Finck as rhythm player but let them alternate leads on classic tracks.
In hindsight, the "safe" thing to do would've been to get Fortus in as lead guitarist from the outset (which is what they initially approached him for, before they found Buckethead). He's not as technically skilled or visually iconic as Buckethead, but he's the closest fit with the GN'R image and sound – I'm thinking here of a Dave-Navarro-in-the-Chilis situation, where you're looking for someone who won't totally alienate the fanbase.
Alternatively, Axl should've gone all in on Finck or Buckethead, and abandoned the three-guitars idea. The problem was, the three-guitar thing...
1) fuelled the belief that Slash was some sort of god who could only be replaced with three guitarists (never mind that one of them was replacing Izzy/Gilby)
2) led to confusion in the fanbase as to who was doing what – you need pretty deep knowledge and commitment to identify who's playing which guitar part on the Chinese Democracy tracks. Sure, we – the hardcore fans – can pick out a Finck guitar part at a thousand paces, but the casuals can't.
3) diluted the focus during shows – at any given time, one of them is standing around doing nothing. Fans and even professional cameramen often zoomed in on the wrong guy during solos, if you watch the old bootlegs.
4) made the job of promoting the band that much more difficult – Axl had to introduce three guitarists who alternated between lead and rhythm, instead of "Izzy's replacement" and "Slash's replacement". That's a PR nightmare, and even during shows it meant that he ended up giving each one an instrumental solo spot to showcase/introduce them – which slowed down the shows no end.
5) increased tensions within the band – with three "big dog" players all competing for the limelight and the coveted "Slash's replacement" spot.
5) increased the chances of one of more of them leaving, and thus having to do another promo push to promote another new guitarist, which further fuelled the idea that Slash was irreplaceable – and that GN'R was a revolving door.
The fundamental problem is, bands usually have two iconic members – and they're normally the singer and the lead guitarist. Axl and Slash, Mick and Keith, Liam and Noel, Freddie and Brian. Fans (and particularly casuals) can't really be bothered to invest the time and effort to get to know all of the band – so as far as they're concerned, if the two key members are there, it's enough. The Rolling Stones carried on without Bill Wyman and Brian Jones, but when Mick or Keith bows out, they're done. Oasis replaced every single member bar Liam and Noel, but they were still considered to be "Oasis" – and when Noel left, Liam felt obliged to start a "new" band with a new name, even though it was made up of the same people! Queen struggles to gain acceptance with its new frontman Adam Lambert, but you can bet that if Freddie had lived and, say, John Deacon had dropped out, no one would have cared. And public opinion of Axl has done a complete 180 from the Chinese Democracy years... because Slash is back there beside him.
Ultimately, safe choices aside... if Axl was going to replace Slash, he really needed to make a bold statement. To get one single world-beating player, with a similarly iconic look and amazing guitar chops. The bold choice would've been Buckethead – and only Buckethead – as evidenced by the fact that ten years after Buckethead left, people still associated him with Axl's rebooted GN'R.
