Guns N' Roses Planning A Two Years Tour In Support Of "Chinese Democracy"

December 30, 2008 8:19 a.m. EST

Chicago, IL (CNS) - Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus has said that the band's world tour in support of their latest album Chinese Democracy should start late March and will likely last at least two years.

Fortus, who is currently the lead guitarist on Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad tour, made the revelation in an Illinois newspaper The Telegraph. Fortus has played guitar in some capacity for Gn'R since 2002, when Axl Rose's friend Paul Tobias left the job.

Speculation over Guns N' Roses touring future has been rife following disappointing sales of their long-awaited new album Chinese Democracy. The band had hinted at a possible tour on their official website in April, saying the fifth Chinese Democracy tour since 2001 was in negotiations. "When we begin to put tour plans together, we'll see where things are," the band said at the time.

The record, released in November after a fifteen year wait, was met by a mixed response from fans and critics. The album sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its fourth week of release to land at position No. 33 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD has shifted 421,000 units since it was released on November 23 as a Best Buy exclusive after a wait of more than 15 years.