Rockers Guns N' Roses [ tickets ] have pushed back the planned launch of their "Chinese Democracy" tour.

The outing was scheduled to get underway Friday (10/20) in Jacksonville, FL, but that show has now been postponed until Oct. 31. The group's planned Oct. 22 gig in Nashville, TN, has also been postponed, but a new date hasn't been announced. No reason was given for the postponements.

Currently, the tour is scheduled to kick off Oct. 24 in Sunrise, FL. Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, a longtime friend of Guns N' Roses principal Axl Rose, will play an opening set on all dates.

GN'R was initially scheduled to launch the tour Sept. 27 in Fresno, CA, but that show and several others were postponed about a month ago.

The most recent major US tour by GN'R took place in 2002. That troubled outing was cut short with more than a dozen shows remaining on its schedule after Rose failed to show up for two gigs. The band recently wrapped up a European trek.

Rose is the only remaining original member of GN'R. The group is currently rounded out by keyboardist Dizzy Reed, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardist Chris Pitman, drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, and guitarists Robin Finck, Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal.

The tour is named for the band's "Chinese Democracy" album, which Rose has been working on for about a decade, and the release of which has been delayed repeatedly over the years. No specific release date has been announced, but Rose has said that it will be issued this year.

In a press release issued last month, GN'R's management said that "the only comment [about 'Chinese Democracy'] at this time is that there are 13 Tuesdays left between now and the end of the year."

New albums are generally released on Tuesdays. There are currently 10 Tuesdays left between now and the end of the year, and no "Chinese Democracy" release date has been announced.