Back in 2020, Guns N' Roses was set to play for the masses until you-know-what put a stop to just about everything. But now that the Northeast US powers that be have deemed it safe to have concerts again, at least for now (!), they were finally able to bring their high-energy "We're F'n Back!" Tour to MetLife Stadium on August 5th.
Having seen the band in various forms going back to the Use Your Illusion tour, I can personally attest that
singer Axl Rose still put on a great show during the era known as Axl N' Roses. The group was dubbed as such because from about 1997-2016, Axl was the only original member holding down the fort with keyboardist Dizzy Reed (who joined forces with the band on the 1991 UYI albums). Rose chose talented replacements for that time that fit the vibe of GN'R, including guitarist DJ Ashba, but the preferred lineup by fans is always going to be the original one that people fell in love with. Though some members of the Appetite For Destruction and UYI era—guitarists Izzy Stradlin' and Gilby Clarke, along with drummers Steven Adler and Matt Sorum—aren't part of the reunion, it seems that Slash and Duff's full time return was enough to take them from the large theater/arena level back to stadiums.
The night started off with opening act Mammoth WVH, who are a brand new band fronted by Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang. Find out the interesting history of the name on the band's official site here. Anyway, they were fantastic! I loved Wolfgang's powerful voice and the songs were very catchy. He even played his touching tribute to his Father, "Distance", which he told the audience was very difficult for him to perform. Understandable, since it hasn't been a full year since his Father passed and surely he was missing him on this landmark day for him and his band.
The days of making fans wait for hours on end into the night are long gone, and the legends from Hollywood, GN'F'N'R, went on just as the sun was setting. There was an animated intro on the big screen, which I have interpreted as the Appetite For Destruction robot in a quarantine mask unleashing the beast from the same illustrated cover back into the wild (watch here to make your own guess). After that, the band (which also featured the aforementioned Reed, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist and backup vocalist Melissa Reese and additional guitarist Richard Fortus) launched into "It's So Easy." This song is one of my favorites because it's so obnoxious and rude. It's the best for when you're just tired of people and need something to lash out to.
The set also included live mainstays like "Mr. Brownstone", "Rocket Queen", "Civil War", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Welcome to the Jungle", along with an alternate version of "You're Crazy", the more recent "Chinese Democracy" and "Better, as well as a brand new song (available for download that night at midnight) "Absurd." A highlight for me is always when Duff takes over on vocals, and that night he chose to cover "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by The Stooges, which Duff's snarly voice fit perfectly. Later in the show, Axl sat down to his piano and paid tribute to Biz Markie by doing a quick chorus of "Just A Friend" by the departed rapper before going into the epic tune "November Rain." The show ended with the classic headbanger "Paradise City."
Here are a couple of photos from the night, taken from my seat:
