The Guns N’ Roses event tour, in November next year, is the first stadium tour announcement since COVID-19 and border closures pressed pause on all touring.

Guns N’ Roses will play two stadium concerts in Queensland, starting with Metricon Stadium at the Gold Coast on 6 November 2021, and mid-tour at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 16 November The Gold Coast launch concert event is the only regional city tour venue planned in Australia.

With Queensland already throwing open the gates to capacity crowds at open-air stadiums and seated, ticketed venues such as theatres, live music, cinemas and indoor sports, tour promoter Paul Dainty said he was confident it was time to bring mega music tours back.

The tour dates coincide with indications from the Federal government that international visitors may also be welcomed back to Australia by late 2021, depending on the distribution of an effective COVID-19 vaccine.

“Australia is leading the way in terms of coming out of COVID, with the way the federal and state governments have managed this across the country. We’re the envy of the rest of the world right now and entertainment is a global business,” Dainty said.

“Guns N’ Roses playing stadiums sends a message that live touring on this scale is back, people will see that Australia is open.

“The fans should be happy and the people who make a living off live events should be happy. All the road crews, sound and lighting, hotels, travel agents, catering … they’ve all had no work since the pandemic started.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the event was a mega attraction for the Gold Coast and followed the sell-out success of Queen at Metricon in February that was billed as a new era for Gold Coast concerts.

The announcement was a massive boon for the Gold Coast and a welcome boost to the city’s economy, devastated by the pandemic. “The Gunners not only bring with them a unique and globally appealing act – but they also bring millions of followers via social media,” Tate said.

“Our city offers a magical backdrop for that perfect ‘fan selfie’ so I can see millions in free publicity flowing from this concert.

“The other bonus is that it is the first stop of the band’s national tour, meaning thousands of Gunners will fly or drive to the Coast and stay a few days around concert time.”

Guns N’ Roses last performed in Australia in 2017 with their Not In This Lifetime tour and was the first time that Australian fans witnessed Axl, Slash and Duff reunite since the 1993 Use Your Illusion tour.

The band will play the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Wellington, Dunedin and Perth in the 2021 tour.

Tickets to the 2021 tour go on sale to the general public on Thursday November 26.