Guns N’ Roses announced that keyboardist Melissa Reese will not join their 2026 world tour due to unforeseen personal reasons. The band shared the news on social media on the eve of the tour's kickoff in Mexico on March 28. No replacement has been named.
Guns N’ Roses revealed late Friday that their longtime keyboardist, Melissa Reese, will sit out the band's upcoming world tour for personal reasons. The announcement came via social media just before the tour's launch on Saturday, March 28, in Mexico, with dates running through a September 9 finale in Atlanta. The band stated, “due to unforeseen personal reasons,” and added, “We hope our fans understand,” alongside a photo of the group on stage. Representatives did not immediately respond to requests for further comment, and no substitute for Reese has been announced. Reese joined Guns N’ Roses in 2016 for their reunion tour, recruited by Chinese Democracy producer Caram Costanzo, who sought someone with a “really unique set of skills.” She has since performed hundreds of shows with the band. Reflecting in 2020, Reese said, “All those experiences gave me this fire in my belly. It made me learn shit and how to do it better than everybody else, so I could be the chick that breaks the glass ceiling.” She also described the band as family: “Guns is definitely still looked at as this dude’s thing... But you could not ask for a better group of dudes... They’re protective of me... We’re like a family, and they’re like my big brothers.”
