KFC to Sponsor Rock Tour?
 
Herman Fontenot, NY Times
 
Normally a big budget North American Rock Tour would be sponsored by someone the likes of Pepsi, Coke, Budweiser, Miller Light, or a large beer distributor.  No one ever accused Axl Rose of being normal.  It is strange enough that Guns N Roses (who call themselves by that name despite missing almost the entire original lineup) are touring without having released a new album in almost 9 years.  However, this will be the first time in memory that a fast food chain will be supporting a major rock n' roll tour, as Kentucky Fried Chicken has been named the sponsor of the upcoming Guns N Roses "Chinese Democracy" tour.
 
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken?  Why is the tour called "Chinese Democracy?"  This is the rumored title of the always upcoming album that is the subject of much speculation.  Supposedly it will be released in the near future, yet frontman Axl Rose stated recently "don't expect to see it soon."  How does this all relate to Kentucky Fried Chicken you ask?
 
Herschel Bergowitz, the VP of Marketing for the Louisville, Kentucky based fast food chain, explained the relationship.  "Recently one of our executives was in attendance at a Guns N Roses concert at the Leeds festival in London.  He noticed that the lead guitarist, who guys by the name of Buckethead, was wearing a KFC bucket of Chicken as a hat.  Our initial reaction was to pursue legal action, but then we decided that it would be a good promotional opportunity," Burgowitz explained.
 
In addition to sponsoring the band on the North American Tour, KFC will also be promoting in their restaurants.  "We will be releasing a series of collectible 16 ounce cups in October.  You can collect all the members."  Each cup will have a picture and a breif bio of every band memeber, beginning with guitarist "Buckethead" on October 15th and concluding with an Axl Rose cup sometime in late November.
 
There had been speculation that Guns N Roses would have difficulty selling tickets, especially when they have not released an album with any of the new members.  On Saturday however doubts were eliminated when the December 5th show at Madison Square Garden sold out in a near record setting 10 minutes.  
 
"We think that this is going to be the biggest tour of the year," Bergowitz added.  "We see it as a big opportunity to broaden our target market and introduce a whole generation of fans to the music of Guns N Roses and the great tasting food of Kentucky Fried Chicken."
 
 
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