The band – which has played only one show at the giant Rock In Rio Festival since the last Vegas gig – will play The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on December 29 and 31. Tickets go on sale December 8 at noon Pacific time.

“We’ve been cooped up in the studio for so long that we have to release some energy. Since we had so much fun playing Vegas last year, we’ve decided to do it again,” Axl Rose said.

Cooped up is right; a new GNR album has been in the works for five years. Chinese Democracy was rumored to be hitting shelves this past June, but a release date still has not been set.

Last year’s December 31 performance at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas was the first live show for the band’s new lineup – at the time comprising Axl Rose, Paul Tobias, Buckethead, Tommy Stinson, Dizzy Reed, and Brian “Brain” Mantia.

Along with some old favorites, fans at the sold-out House Of Blues show got a sampling of songs expected to appear on Chinese Democracy during the two-hour performance.

It’s not clear if the bandmates remain the same since the last GNR show. Earlier this year, guitarist Buckethead experienced internal hemorrhaging, forcing the band to postpone their summer European tour plans.

Later, Guns N’ Roses axed their rescheduled European tour saying they wanted to focus on completing their long overdue album.