You hear that? It's a steady drip, drip, drip. That's the sound of a gigantic block of ice positioned directly between the original members of Guns N' Roses and a reunion. After 20 years, however, it seems that block of ice is melting away and a red-hot reunion is ready to emerge like a blow-torch destroying all other reunions in it's path.

Following Slash's "Never say never" to a GNR reunion quote back in May comes this week's shocker from the legendary guitarist when he said he and Axl Rose are friends again. Yes, you heard right. Slash and Axl Rose are friends again. Here are two guys who had such a falling out that they hadn't spoken to each other since they parted ways back in 1996.

Is this the final piece of the puzzle that will lead to a reunion? There's an interesting time line that leads up to Slash's comments this week that makes me think it is. Let's look back at some of the notable happenings involving the original members that date as far back as 2010:

OCTOBER 14, 2010: Original bassist Duff McKagan appears on stage with Guns N' Roses for the first time since 1993 at The O2 Arena in London. He plays bass on "You Could Be Mine", electric guitar on "Nice Boys" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", and acoustic guitar and tambourine on "Patience". The appearance is said to be a spur-of-the-moment thing as he and Rose happened to be staying in the same hotel.

MAY 31, 2012: Original Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin steps out on stage with Axl's current GNR lineup for six songs in London: ‘You Could Be Mine,’ Dead Flowers,’ ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,’ ‘Nightrain,’ ‘Paradise City,’ and ’14 Days.’

APRIL 1, 2014: It is officially announced to the press that McKagan is filling in on bass for current GNR bassist Tommy Stinson for five shows in South America while Stinson tours with The Replacements.

MAY 7, 2015: Slash talks about the possibility of Guns N’ Roses reunion saying, "Never say never".

MAY 22, 2015: McKagan goes on record regarding a possible reunion of the original Guns N' Roses lineup telling Florida's WIND-FM “It could happen. I mean, this thing could happen, and it could not. And I think it would be wonderful, one day, if we reconciled, first and foremost. That alone would be cool.”

JULY 27, 2015: Current Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba leaves the band, citing his commitment to his family and his other band Sixx:A.M.

JULY 31, 2015: Fellow Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal leaves the band less than a week after Ashba is out. Guns N' Roses is now apparently without a guitarist.

AUGUST 22, 2015: In an interview with Aftonbladet TV in Sweden, Slash acknowledges that he and Axl Rose have put their long-standing differences behind them and are friends again.

That's an interesting timeline and one that definitely gives Guns N' Roses fans a feeling that this reunion may very well happen. I think we will see Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagen, Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin perform on stage again. When will happen? I'm gonna lay down my bets on a full tour coming, say, summer of 2016.

There are already rumors of the original lineup performing at the Soundwave Festival in Australia in January of 2016. If that is true and if all goes well I'm thinking the band and the promoters start preparing for a full-out, head first, no-holds-barred, massive stadium tour in the summer of 2016. Maybe even an album of all-new material?

Think about how great this reunion could be. These guys are in the early 50s so they still have it in them to give the fans everything they'd hope for. Hey, if The Rolling Stones can still kick ass in their 70s than GNR can most definitely get it done in their early 50s. And don't forget that the band members are in a much better place health-wise than they were when the band splintered apart between 1994 and 1996. They're all clean, sober and probably a lot more level-headed than they were in their late 20s, early 30s.

So, yeah, if you ask me - this is gonna happen. Just remember what Axl sings: "All it takes is patience, just a little patience is all you need."

You can listen to Eric Senich live on Saturdays from 10am to 3pm on 95.1 FM. You can also listen online by clicking here or by downloading the radioPup app for your mobile device.

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