I had no idea what to expect, considering Guns N' Roses had their prime 25-30 years ago, they'd broken up and reunited since then, and I am now thinner than Axl Rose. It was incredible, though. I went with a good friend who'd managed to get comped tickets. We were in the lower bowl with a great view. The animations were of a quality I don't think was fathomable in the '80s. (Especially for "Coma" - picture below.)
Axl was on point. Slash had tons of solos. Duff frequently came over to my side of the stage for photo ops, and sang "Attitude" great. Live addition
Melissa Reese was sensational. The band played almost all the songs I hoped they would, which I suppose happens when you have relatively few albums that made it big. "It's So Easy" was a surprising opener, but got the crowd's energy up early. "I Used to Love Her" was a nice break from the intensity that peaked with "Rocket Queen", "Coma" and the closer "Paradise City".
For three hours, I stood, jumped around, and took pictures. In true counterculture fashion, I wore my bright blue Carolina Panthers hoodie, which would have looked more fitting at a Rage Against the Machine concert but also made me stand out among all the black shirts. One inebriated patron even gave me a
foam middle finger, free of charge.
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| The opening animation before the show. |
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| Pictorial proof that I was there. Not my finest picture - I blame the lighting. |
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| Slash at my side of the stage. Still just as plaid as in the Use Your Illusion era. |
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| Axl was singing to me here. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. |
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| Axl and Slash onstage together had been a long time coming. |
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| The light show demanded the use of such a great venue. I... think this one was "Rocket Queen"? One of these pictures was. |
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| Duff took the top of the stage during "Coma", one of the band's most challenging songs, and also an opportunity for a great heart monitor animation. |
I've had their set list stuck in my head ever since.
Fun fact: This was not my first time seeing Slash.
I went to the Air Canada Centre to see AC/DC with my dad and uncle back in 2000, and the opener was Slash's Snakepit. Weird fact: I am now closer in age to Slash at that 2000 show than Slash when
Appetite for Destruction came out. I don't know whether that makes me feel old or not.
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