Sunday • October 17, 2010 6:11:55 PM
http://www.gnrdaily.com/news_detail.asp?id=2665
Twenty years ago Guns N’ Roses were the most dangerous, unpredictable band on the planet. Going to see them live was a gamble. You could witness one of the greatest concerts of your life, or Axl Rose, the band’s fiery front man, could storm off stage in a fit of rage. He might even jump into the crowd to tackle a fan, sparking a riot.
Last night at the O2 Arena Rose kept his cool and delivered a blistering mix of old and new material in a set that ran well past midnight and contained over 30 songs.
Unsurprisingly the band was late in getting started, arriving on stage at 10pm, one hour and 20 minutes later than planned.
As they worked through Chinese Democracy, Welcome to the Jungle, It’s So Easy, Sorry and Better, Guns N’ Roses appeared to be settling into a comfort zone, devoid of the volatility and unpredictability that was so often their hallmark.
Just as the show appeared to be passing off without incident – by their standards – the band’s original bassist Duff McKagan came on stage. It was his first appearance with Rose for 17 years, and the shock amongst the crowd was palpable. He is the second original member to play with Rose after rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin in 2006.
McKagan played You Could Be Mine and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – the latter easily the most rousing song of the night, with the crowd belting out the chorus as Rose acted as the conductor.
His appearance brought into focus the spectre that hangs over every Guns N’ Roses concert: the original line up. They lived fast, and produced some brilliant records in the process. Miraculously, they didn’t die young. Since they disintegrated in the mid 1990s, Rose has struggled to pick up the pieces and find a settled group.
Rose and his crew of ‘hired guns’ have struggled to emerge from Guns N’ Roses’ early success. Indeed, the inescapable conclusion you form whilst watching Rose shimmy across the stage is that there is just something missing.
Age has taken its toll. Rose has put on weight and while he was full of energy, making full use of the stage, he appeared to be out of breath at times. Guitar solos and instrumentals were the key for him to nip backstage for a change of costume and a breather.
His voice has not withered with age – the ear piercing screams and growls are still there, as his distinctive dancing.
It is amongst the other members of the band that the yearning for the past arises. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, DJ Ashba and Richard Fortus – the band’s current guitarists – are accomplished in their own right, but the effortless brilliance of Slash is missed.
Seeing a guitarist other than Slash play the opening riff to Sweet Child O’ Mine feels like lyrical sacrilege. The ‘Axl and friends’ tag sticks and many people will have turned up last night solely to see Rose.
McKagan’s appearance will fuel talk of a possible reunion and no matter what he does Rose cannot escape from his past. Classics such as Sweet Child O’ Mine and November Rain got the biggest cheers of the night and had the audience on their feet.
The reception for the newer material was hardly ice cold. However, both Rose and the crowd seemed infinitely happier playing the popular and familiar.
Rose’s performance last night showed that a reunion would make sense musically. He is not haggard and over the hill – he can still put on a good show. Many have turned their back on the band because it is not the Guns N’ Roses they once knew.
First Izzy. Now Duff. Who is next?
The appetite for reunion remains insatiable.
4/5
Source: Alan McGuinness - www.alanmcguinness.com
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