Although sitting in the 300 level seats are great for a football game, the distance from the stage can make a concertgoer feel slightly disconnected at a show. However, this was not the case while seeing Guns N' Roses. Even those in the nosebleed seats cheered loudly, as they watched original singer Axl Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, and guitarist Slash play together for the first time in over 20 years.
Dubbed the "Not In This Lifetime Tour," the reunion of even three of the original members caused such a stir that press for this historic stadium tour was barely existent. Later-but-longtime member keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrara, and new additional keyboardist Melissa Reese are also part of the talented lineup, but seeing Axl and Slash make up and come together was enough to get fans to show up. Though the musicians who played with Axl after the mid-'90s bust-up of one of rock's most notorious bands did a great job, there is something special about seeing the people who created the music play it themselves. Especially the people who wrote such memorable lyrics and riffs.
The setlist was comprised of mostly of Appetite For Destruction/Use Your Illusion-era songs with a few covers and Chinese Democracy tunes thrown in, bringing the show length to around 2 1/2 hours. After an animated Guns N' Roses logo on the big screens blasted off a few shots to notify people they better get back to their seats, the lights went down and "It's So Easy" began. With it's ferocious intro and lyrics to match, it's a great song to jumpstart a show. Other songs included "Mr. Brownstone," "Rocket Queen," "You Could Be Mine," "Civil War," and of course "Welcome To The Jungle" and "Sweet Child O'Mine." Epic tunes "Coma," "November Rain," and "Estranged" also made the cut. They also turned their famous cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" into a sort of epic as well, as Axl joked "It just keeps going" while the band kept playing on loop behind him during the Axl-prompted singalong to the chorus, which extends the song's length considerably. Their famous ode to cheap wine, "Nightrain" ended the set.
After a short break, the band came back to play an encore consisting of "Don't Cry," a cover of the Who's "The Seeker," and the grand finale of "Paradise City," complete with crazy smoke effects, flashing strobe lights and a fireworks display to send the fans off on a high. To quote a fellow 300-leveler, "I can't believe what I just witnessed!"
The band is finished up North for now, and will be making their way down South and back home to the West coast before hitting up South America this Fall. To get more info, visit their official website!
