All three core members of Guns N’ Roses will perform in Incheon. Photo courtesy of 8PM Entertainment

SEOUL — Legendary American rock band Guns N’ Roses is coming to South Korea in a few short months.

Guns N’ Roses will take to the stage on May 1 at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park in Incheon, concert organiser 8PM Entertainment has announced. The upcoming performance is part of the band's 2025 world tour and marks the band's first time back to South Korea in 16 years, following its first here in 2009.

Only vocalist Axl Rose among the band’s core members performed at the band's 2009 show at the KSPO Dome. This time, lead vocalist Axl Rose is back with two other original members – guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan – making the concerts particularly significant.

Formed in 1985, Guns N’ Roses gained massive popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s with hits such as Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child o’ Mine and Knockin' on Heaven’s Door.

Guns N’ Roses’ music presents an intense blend of hard rock, blues and heavy metal, defined by raw energy, soaring guitar solos and Axl Rose’s signature vocals. While the band captures the rebellious rock spirit, among heavy metal bands Guns N' Roses' music is known for its relatively soft, melodic charm.

The band's debut album, Appetite for Destruction released in 1987, sold over 10 million copies and remains the bestselling debut album of all time. The band's tour concert Not in This Lifetime … which ran from 2016 to 2019, ranks as the fourth-highest-grossing concert tour in history.

The band has undergone several lineup changes, with Slash and McKagan leaving in the late 1990s due to internal conflicts. However, they reunited in 2016 and have continued to perform together ever since.

Following the show in South Korea, Guns N’ Roses will perform for the first time in Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Lithuania and Luxembourg as part of the group's world tour. The Korea Herald/ANN