Chinese Democracy Tour Europe, Asia and North America consisted of: After the 2002 tour was cancelled the band went into hiatus until they were scheduled to play at Rock in Rio Lisboa 1 in May 2004. However lead guitarist Buckethead left the band in March 2004 and their appearance was cancelled and Axl Rose made the following statement: Buckethead left Guns N' Roses, according to his manager, due to "Guns' inability to complete an album or tour". The Chinese Democracy Tour 2006 was a concert tour by Guns N' Roses promoting their upcoming album "Chinese Democracy". It started in May 2006 when the
Chinese Democracy band had publicly given a release date. In an interview held during the launch party for Korn's 2006 tour, Rose told "Rolling Stone": In a 2006 "Rolling Stone" article, Sebastian Bach described "Chinese Democracy" as "epic" and "mind-blowing": "It's a very cool album—it's badass with killer screams, killer guitar riffs, but it's got a totally modern sound. The word for it is 'grand.' It's fucking epic. [Axl has] reinvented himself yet again." Bach also described the album as having "the rawness and the power of "Appetite for Destruction", but it also has the grandiosity of 'November Rain'." Rose said in