Ed Masley|Arizona Republic
You’re not alone if you recently found yourself wondering if Guns N’ Roses could possibly hope to still have what it takes to deliver the goods on a stadium tour with the 30th anniversary of “Appetite for Destruction” looming just around the bend. Hell, it’s been 20 years since Slash abandoned ship with bassist Duff McKagan following in 1997, leaving Axl Rose to carry on as the last member standing with any connection to that classic first release.
It’s not uncommon to see the word "disastrous" attached to Rose’s first major GNR tour of the post-“Appetite” millennium (as I believe historians should probably start calling it) back in 2002, by which point the thought of him actually finishing “Chinese Democracy,” the long-awaited followup” to the “Use Your Illusion” albums, was well on its way to becoming a punchline.
So where do we go, as Rose so memorably asked on the platinum power ballad that became the ‘90s prom theme with the most tattoos?
Well, finishing “Chinese Democracy” helped. As did the fact that it was so much better than the jokes about how long it took to make it. And the tours got better.
But to generate the level of enthusiasm that's surrounded this year's tour?He needed the man in the top hat.Slash was in glorious guitar-god mode at Monday’s University of Phoenix Stadium performance,from the time he hit the stage until the final notes of “Paradise City” rang out some three hours later, fingers racing up and down the neck of one Les Paul after another in closeup after closeup on the massive screens that flanked the stage.
The man can definitely shred and offered ample evidence of that before the night was throughwhile sweating through a sleevelessSlayer shirt. But one of Slash's not-so-secret weapons is the reverence he shows the source material, offering faithful readings of key instrumental passages, including such iconic parts as the intro and solo to "Sweet Child O' Mine" and those soaring melodies that do so much to make "Estranged" the song it is.
And McKagan’s return only sweetened the deal. The bassist looked a total badass, exuding an effortlessrock-and-roll charisma in his Lemmy T-shirt while rocking a bass with Prince’s logo on it. His harmonies were spot-on and his vocal showcase was among the many highlights of the set – a medley of the soulful Johnny Thunders ballad “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” and a reckless tear through “New Rose” by the Damned.
MORE:Fans in line for Guns N' Roses' return to metro Phoenix have some incredible stories|Guns N' Roses reunion tour with Slash, Duff McKagan, Axl Rose to play University of Phoenix Stadium|Glendale renames itself Paradise City for Guns N' Roses concert|Axl Rose to tour with AC/DC|Guns N' Roses reunion to start in Las Vegas
The Not in This Lifetime Tour isnot a full reunion tour. For that, you’d still need Izzy Stradlin on guitar and Steven Adler laying down the beat. But three out of five, as Meat Loaf may, for all we know, havesung in an earlier draftof that song, ain’t bad.
The three originals were joined by longtime keyboard player Dizzy Reed, who’s been on board since 1990; guitarist Richard Fortus, who joined in 2001 and somehow held his own while trading licks with Slash; a force of nature on the drum kit, Frank Ferrer; and second keyboardist Melissa Reese, who brought great harmonies and blue hair to the mix.
And that left Axl as the wild card. Could he bring it like he brought back in 1987?
No one brings it like they brought it back in 1987. But hedefinitely brought his A-game to the table as a singer and a charismatic front man.
He shimmied, he swaggered, he raced around the stage, he did his little snake dance and sweat through an astonishingvariety of T-shirts, all while grinning like a man who was not only fully invested in this particular performance but also thrilled to be there, rocking the stadium crowd that should have been his for the rocking all along.
He may not be as skinny as he was when Guns N' Roses hit,but who among us looks the way we looked in 1987? Heput in one hell of a cardio workout in his tattered jeans, a flannel tied around his waist as he made his way through a series of hats and bandanas, occasionally throwing on a leather jacket. And he still had energy to burn in the four-song encore that took the concert well past midnight.
MORE MUSIC:Get the Things to Do app|Latest concert announcements|Top concerts this week
As for his vocals, some of those high notes he managed to hit – and hold – at 54 were just amazing, especially after two hours of wailing and screaming and throwing himself into the lines that just demand a little something extra, from “Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby” to“I wanna hear you f—king scream.”
The set list went heavy on “Appetite for Destruction," diving right into the action with the one-two punch of an explosive “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone.” Then, after dusting off “Chinese Democracy,” which Axl introduced by saying “Welcome to the Birdhouse,” they returned to “Appetite” for an incendiary “Welcome to the Jungle.”
By the time they brought the encore to a pyro-laden climax with “Paradise City,” they’d treated the fans to no fewer than eight of the album’s 12 songs, every one a highlight, from a raucous “Rocket Queen” to a triumphant performance of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”
Other highlights included the “Use Your Illusion” tracks “Estranged,” which was suitably epic, “Civil War,” “November Rain,” “Coma” and “Live and Let Die,” their Paul McCartney cover. They also dusted off the other big cover from “Use Your Illusion,” a somewhat meandering somewhat reggae-flavored rendition ofBob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” in the back half of a set that may have gone a bit heavy on covers.
A fewof those covers really added to the set – McKagan’s punk-rock medley, “Live and Let Die” and Slash’s solo showcase on the tremolo-picking transcendence of “Speak Softly, Love” from the “Godfather.” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” just needed to be tightened up a bit.
But the piano coda from “Layla,” performed as a medley with “Wish You Were Here” (as an instrumental), may have been a hair too fast to really tap into the majesty that makes it work. And by the time they followed “Patience” with the Who’s “The Seeker” as the third song in the encore, I couldn’t help making a list of all the Guns N’ Roses songs I’d rather hear them do than that.
And then, of course, I made a list of all the Who songs I would rather hear. These were not tiny lists.
MORE AZCENTRAL ON SOCIAL:Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Pinterest
Still, when Slash and Axl get together after 20 years apart and your biggest complaint is that they may have thrown a few too many covers in the back half of the set? I’d say they did their legend proud and made a strong case for seeing what else they could get up to when this tour is over.
Set List:
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Chinese Democracy
Welcome to the Jungle
Double Talkin' Jive
Better
Estranged
Live and Let Die
Rocket Queen
You Could Be Mine
You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory/New Rose
This I Love
Civil War
Coma
Band intros into Slash solo - Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)
Sweet Child O' Mine
Better
Out Ta Get Me
Jam ("Wish You Were Here/Layla”)
November Rain
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Nightrain
Encore:
Catcher in the Rye
Patience
The Seeker
Paradise City
Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495.Twitter.com/EdMasley.
