If you believed Axl Rose's Twitter account last night, the Guns N' Roses frontman had unilaterally canceled the band's upcoming European tour.
The message posted on Sunday evening (Aug. 15) stated: "All upcoming Guns N' Roses dates are officially cancelled. Please contact your place of purchase for any refunds."
It always seemed likely to be a hoax: Rose is not active on Twitter and this is the first post in three months. Rose's other messages were posted via iPhone and this latest tweet was via mobile web. It was also curious that it had the British spelling of "cancelled."
Nevertheless, it proved disruptive as GNR's tour partners in the U.K. and Europe had to investigate the announcement. Ticket holders who saw early media reports of the supposed cancellation will doubtless be seeking refunds.
The band is due to headline Reading and Leeds Festivals, organized by Live Nation's Festival Republic operation, on Aug. 27 and Aug. 29 respectively.
"Festival Republic are informed by GN'R management that Guns N' Roses have NOT canceled their performances at Reading & Leeds and that Axl Rose's twitter account was hacked into and all claims of dates being cancelled are unfounded," said a Festival Republic statement today (Aug. 16).
There are a further 24 European dates including a London O2 Arena show on Oct. 13, for which AEG Live is the promoter.
From Billboard.com