Former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler spoke to LA Weekly about what it was like to finally perform with the band again for the first time in 26 years during the 2016 leg of the "Not In This Lifetime" tour. "I'm thankful I got to do what I got to do," he said. "It was the best time of my life. I got to end my career in a successful band, which is a hard thing to do these days." "My generation is now classic rock, so I'm stoked to be related to bands like QUEEN or RUSH or AEROSMITH," he continued. "That's what every musician dreams of. Like on the way here, me and my mom got in the car, and the first thing we heard [on the radio] was 'Sweet Child O' Mine', and it's so cool to be able to hear yourself thirty years later. I got to live that dream." Adler appeared with GUNS N' ROSES onstage last November in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as on three separate occasions during the U.S. leg of the "Not In This Lifetime" tour last summer. This marked Adler's first appearance with GUNS N' ROSES since 1990, although he performed with members of the band at their 2012 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Speculation about Adler having some sort of involvement in the GUNS N' ROSES reunion has been rampant ever since the band made it official with a surprise April 1, 2016 show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. Adler was reportedly going to appear at that gig until he was sidelined by a back injury. Asked how he felt not being able to perform with GUNS N' ROSES at The Troubadour after rehearsing several times with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, Steven said: "It was hurtful. I was very bummed, but my back was fine at the time; it was just too many rehearsals. But I wanted to do it, and I guess it wasn't meant to be. But I'm thankful. Last year, I got to play in front of at least 400,000 thousand people, so I'm blessed." The regular GUNS N' ROSES drummer for several years has been Frank Ferrer, who is also part of the current lineup that boasts classic-GN'R members Axl Rose, Slash and McKagan. Adler was thrown out of GUNS N' ROSES in 1990 due to his heavy drug use, a problem he struggled with for years after his dismissal.
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