As part of the 2016 hennemusic Rock News Awards, the site is counting down the Top 10 Rock News Artists of the year.
Finalists for the 7th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: winners are determined by the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2016 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Thursday, December 22.
2016 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – SAMMY HAGAR
09 – DAVID LEE ROTH
08 – THE EAGLES
07 – RAINBOW
06 – LED ZEPPELIN
05 – THE ROLLING STONES
04 – BLACK SABBATH
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 3 – GUNS N’ ROSES
Following months of rumors, on January 4 a partially-reunited Guns N’ Roses were officially announced among the headliners for the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, CA; the appearances at the two-weekend event would mark the return of the trio of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan under the GNR brand for the first time since 1993.
Rose was spotted in Atlanta in March as rumors started to swirl that the rocker may hook up to front AC/DC following news that Brian Johnson had been advised by doctors to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss.
On April 1, Guns N’ Roses performed a rare intimate show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, introducing the group’s 2016 lineup that included guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese, and drummer Frank Ferrer; the gig was in sync with the announcement of a summer tour of stadiums across North America.
Rose broke his foot during the L.A. club show, which put him in a walking boot for the next several months, including the reunion tour launch in Las Vegas on April 8 that saw the rocker perform while sitting atop a throne on loan from head Foo Fighter Dave Grohl after his own leg injury from a summer 2015 tour.
On April 16, AC/DC officially announced that Rose would join them for the remaining dates on the Rock Or Bust world tour, including a spring European run and, later, a series of rescheduled US concerts in the fall.
Rose celebrated the news by having AC/DC guitarist Angus Young join GNR for a rare guest appearance during a headlining set at Coachella on April 16.
McKagan premiered his documentary, “It's So Easy And Other Lies: Live At The Moore”, in late May; the project captures the rocker telling his life story in a live performance setting at the famed Seattle venue in 2013 in support of his 2012 memoir of the same name.
Slash and McKagan were on hand to watch Rose perform with AC/DC at The Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, UK on June 4, with the bassist later calling the pairing “magical.”
Following his spring stint with AC/DC, Rose and GNR opened the “Not In This Lifetime” North American tour at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on June 23.
Drummer Steven Adler made headlines when he reunited with his former bandmates for a pair of songs in Cincinnati, OH on July 6 and July 7; Adler would reappear again in Nashville on July 9 and at Dodger Stadium on August 19.
GNR wrapped up the North American dates at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA on August 22 with news that they sold more than 1 million tickets to the summer shows while grossing almost $117 million dollars.
Former GNR keyboardist Chris Pittman sued Rose in September over unpaid wages dating back several years, with the pair eventually settling the case in November.
Rose and AC/DC opened their fall US dates in Greensboro, NC on August 27; the 10-date run wrapped up in Philadelphia on September 20 with news that bassist Cliff Williams had officially retired from the group after 40 years.
Following a two-week break, Rose rejoined GNR for a South American tour where Adler returned as a guest in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 4 and November 5.
Slash’s pending divorce from Perla Ferrar landed in the news in October when the guitarist claimed the marriage was not legal because she was still technically wed to another man when a previous divorce was not finalized properly.
GNR closed out their 2016 live schedule with a pair of shows in Mexico City late last month, while making headlines a week later when they sold more than 1 million tickets in 24 hours to a series of 2017 stadium dates in Europe and Canada – before summer US concerts even went on sale.
Rose, Slash and McKagan will kick off 2017 with dates in Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
See also:
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