Chinese Democracy Tour of Europe was announced in December 2000 as a New Year's Day performance at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. It was also rumoured that the long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" would be released in June 2001, for which the scheduled European Tour would be promotional. Guns N' Roses – then composed of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarists Buckethead and Robin Finck, rhythm guitarist Paul Tobias (who joined in 1994 to replace Gilby Clarke), bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Brain and keyboardists Dizzy Reed (still with the band since joining in 1990) and Chris Pitman (who joined between 1998 and 2000) –
The Flowers (Chinese band) in China for awards in categories such as Best Arrangement, Best Lyrics, Best Composer and Best Rock 'n' Roll Band. The nominations were later canceled by the board of judges when plagiarism accusations involving the band came to light. "Hua Tian Xi Shi", the Flowers' fifth album, was released in September 2006. The Flowers would soon release their sixth studio album, "Hua Ling Sheng Hui", or "Flower Age Pageant" in September 2007. The songs were very much different from the band's previous efforts as the group had gone deeper into their Chinese roots incorporating elements of upbeat music, ballads and