Guns N’ Roses Keyboardist Melissa Reese Will Not Be Joining the Band on Tour Due to ‘Unforeseen Personal Reasons’
· Vice
When Guns N’ Roses kicks off their 2026 world tour this weekend, they’ll be down a member.
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The band issued a social media statement saying that keyboardist Melissa Reese will not be joining them on this run “due to unforeseen personal reasons.” They added, “We hope our fans understand.” At this time, Reese has not publicly commented on the matter.
Reese is an accomplished musician who first joined Guns N’ Roses 10 years ago. In addition to playing keyboard, she handles synths and electronics for the bands and provides backup vocals. She has frequently collaborated with Bryan “Brain” Mantia, who previously played drums for Guns N’ Roses in the early 2000s.
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Notably, Reese first joined the band ahead of their Not in This Lifetime … Tour in 2016. The following year, she sat down with L.A. Weekly to discuss the big musical endeavor, confessing that she fully expected to be treated like the “chick in the band” by GNR fans. “I’m one of the only women doing what I do,” she said, “so I use the hate to fuel my composing, or just rip onstage.”
How did she prepare for her debut? “I studied Axl’s phrasing like a hawk,” Reese asserted. She then noted that she sees her role as an “enhancer” of the band’s iconic tunes. “I don’t want to get in the way of these songs,” she said. “I add sonic layers to thicken our sound, without sticking out like a sore thumb.”
Melissa Reese has performed on two Guns N’ Roses studio tracks: ‘Absurd’ and ‘Hard Skool’, both from 2021.
Coming from a film and TV scoring past, the rock star life was a big change, but Reese welcomed it. “Little girls waited in hotel lobbies to tell me that they played piano because of me, which warmed my heart,” she shared. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I’m eternally grateful to Axl and the rest of the band for taking a chance on me.”
While Reese will be sitting out the tour for now, fans will still have an opportunity to see Guns N’ Roses live this year. Scroll down to see the dates and find tickets.
(opens in a new window) Guns N' RosesGuns N Roses 2026 North American Tour (opens in a new window)
Available at StubHub Buy Now (opens in a new window)Guns N’ Roses 2026 North American Tour Dates:
07/23 Raleigh, NC @ Cater-Finley Stadium
07/26 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
07/29 Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
08/01 Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
08/05 Toronto, ON @ Rogers Stadium
08/08 Shakopee, MN @ Mystic Lake Amphitheater
08/12 East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
08/16 St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium
08/19 Kansas City, MO @ Morton Amphitheater
08/22 Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
08/26 Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
08/29 Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
09/02 San Diego, CA @ Snapdragon Stadium
09/05 Pasadena, CA @ Rose Bowl
09/09 Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field
09/12 Ridgedale, MO @ Thunder Ridge Nature Arena
09/16 San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome
09/19 Atlanta, GA @ Truist Park
The post Guns N’ Roses Keyboardist Melissa Reese Will Not Be Joining the Band on Tour Due to ‘Unforeseen Personal Reasons’ appeared first on VICE.