Chinese Democracy (song) their Chinese Democracy Tour in 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007. The final line of the song was originally "like if your ass were your head, you can tell", but was ultimately changed to "when their arms reach out for your help". Axl Rose introduced the band's first live performance of the song in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 1, 2001 with the following: "Chinese Democracy" has been played live at most Guns N' Roses shows since the first "Chinese Democracy" Tour in 2001. With each tour, the performances drastically changed, gaining more background structure and guitar parts, along with a
Chinese Democracy Geffen had removed "Chinese Democracy" from its release schedule and withdrawn funding, stating: "Having exceeded all budgeted and approved recording costs by millions of dollars, it is Mr. Rose's obligation to fund and complete the album, not Geffen's." Around that time, manager Merck Mercuriadis said the album was close to complete. According to a March 2005 "New York Times" article, production costs for the album had reached $13 million, making it probably the most expensive recording "never made". Mercuriadis dismissed the article, writing in a letter that the newspaper's sources had not been involved with the project for several years.