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amongthegraham · 7 years

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Estranged No More

Axl Rose epitomizes a love/hate relationship.

Fans adore the music, but despise the childish antics that come with being a fan of Rose.

As the site of the infamous Riverport Riot (July 2, 1991), St. Louis especially feels this emotional tug-of-war more so than any other city.

However, Guns N’ Roses totally redeemed themselves on July 27, 2017 with a 3 hour and 15-minute epic concert at The Dome that left everyone in attendance feeling ecstatic and resentments resolved.

It’s been 26 years since GNR last played St. Louis, and though Rose never actually apologized for his behavior that night, or for berating the city long after the riot, he did address the incident, saying “feels like we were just here” and “good to be back.” There was even a special event shirt made for the concert that said “Take That, St. Louis,” a nod to what Rose said back in 1991 before leaping into the crowd.

Despite not actually saying sorry, the staggering 31-song set acted as a metaphorical apology that 37,000 fans peacefully accepted with unanimous praise.

(photo by Brian Bowles)

Instead of starting the performance at 11:00 p.m. as Rose habitually used to do, an older, wiser Axl burst onstage with “It’s So Easy” at 7:45 p.m. Though the band immediately sounded amazing, Rose was a bit drowned out by the music and struggled to sing over his bandmates. However, by the second song, the crushing “Mr. Brownstone,” all the levels were balanced and Rose was superlative vocally the rest of the evening. In addition to his strong voice, Rose performed with true rock star bravado, strutting, running, and jumping all over the stage, and he even broke out his signature serpentine dance.

(photo by Brian Bowles)

Dubbed the “Not in this Lifetime” tour, a reference to the fact the reunion was never supposed to happen, the current trek is a continuation of the tour Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, and guitarist Slash started in April of 2016. Although Izzy Stradlin (guitar) and Steven Adler (drums) were missed, St. Louis’ own Richard Fortus, and Frank Ferrer acted as powerful replacements who meshed perfectly with the legendary originals.

Interestingly, Rose did not shy away from playing songs off 2008’s “Chinese Democracy,” essentially a solo album for the front man still under the GNR moniker, and threw in the title track for song number three. “Better,” “This I Love,” and “Sorry” were sprinkled in throughout the evening, and though they were still greeted with applause, fans around me would repeatedly shout to play real Guns N’ Roses.

Aside from the four tracks off “Chinese Democracy,” which personally didn’t bother me, the majority of the concert was a relentless barrage of timeless GNR classics, proving that “Appetite for Destruction” and “Use Your Illusion” are still every bit as monumental as when they first debuted. When Slash started the intro to “Welcome to the Jungle” for the fourth song of the evening, the crowd lost their minds, which is completely understandable. Days later, I’m still trying to settle down from seeing one of the greatest bands of all time. The whole concert felt like a dream and I keep expecting to wake up any moment.

Guns N’ Roses’ warpath towards redemption continued with “Double Talkin' Jive,” a stellar version of “Estranged,” “Live and Let Die,” and my personal favorite, the preeminent “Rocket Queen” (the song they were playing when the riot broke out in 91).

Next, “You Could Be Mine” was delivered so forcefully it felt like T-1000 himself punched you in the face, and then Duff took over lead vocals for a cover of Misfits’ “Attitude.” GNR then delivered a spine-tingling performance of “Civil War,” followed by “Yesterdays” and “Coma.” Slash took over with two solos that incorporated “Johnny B. Goode” and “Speak Softly Love” from “The Godfather.” The latter solo slyly segued into the tantalizing riff of “Sweet Child O' Mine,” which of course again sent the attendance into overdrive.

(photo by Brian Bowles)

Fans were treated to “Used to Love Her” and “My Michelle” back-to-back, and then a grand piano was rolled out to the front of the stage while Slash and Fortus had a guitar duel to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Rose sat at the piano and went into “Layla” before shifting into what we all new was imminent; “November Rain!!” The lavish song I fondly remember watching countless times on MTV as a child was passionately performed, leaving us all awestruck by its brilliance.

GNR rounded out the set with covers of “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden) and “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” (dedicated to Duff’s dog, Buckley, that had passed away that day), and finished with a vicious rendition of “Nightrain.” However, the show was far from over and the encore included six more songs: “Sorry,” “Patience,” “Whole Lotta Rosie” (AC/DC), “Don't Cry,” “The Seeker” (The Who), and final celebration, “Paradise City.”

The pyro-crammed concert-of-the-year elevates Guns N’ Roses to the elite group of artists (Rush, The Cure, and Bruce Springsteen) I’ve seen live that outdo themselves for fans by playing three hour concerts. Considering how phenomenal GNR were live, it actually makes sense why people used to angrily wait two hours for Rose to grace the stage.

#guns n roses #gnr #not in this lifetime #welcome to the jungle #appetite for destruction #use your illusion #axl rose #slash #duff mckagan #the dome #st. louis #riverport riot #rocket queen #sweet child o' mine #paradise city #chinese democracy #november rain

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