This was a line-up for the classic rock fans who like their music a little bit on the heavy and loud side. Long lines at the beer counters and a cross-section of humanity wearing leather, freaky mullets, some headbands, short skirts, and boots were proof that the stereotypes expected at this gig did indeed show up.
With only minutes before ZZ Top were to kick off their set, the floor was nearly empty with everyone at the bar, but the crowd slowly oozed in as ZZ Top launched into their rocking cover of Sam and Dave’s “I Thank You”.
fFor over 40 years Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard have been playing to the world as one of the best little three-piece bands that Texas has ever produced. With their long beards flowing, Gibbons and Hill stepped front and center and took us on a short, tour de force trip through roots, blues, and boogie.
With some faux dust on their guitars and hats, the pair were here to entertain and warm up the crowd for the Gunners. They didn’t disappoint and looked flashy and suave in their rose-festooned Western jackets and groovy headgear. This was a quick sampling of their hits and time flew fast while they grooved.
Frank Beard kept the train rolling as Gibbons frolicked on guitar and Hill laid down those signature bass lines with his funky fingers.
Tres Hombres was represented by a smoking version of “Jesus Just Left Chicago”, accompanied by some freaky footage of a plastic Jesus on a dashboard. The stage set was simple and the music was no-nonsense as the trio continued with a superb and appreciated “Gimme All Your Lovin’”.
Gibbons then started yakking about Mississippi rhyming with Sydney before launching into a dark and smoky “My Head’s In Mississippi”. He may be able to play, but he sure can’t rhyme.
The hits just kept on coming – fuzzy guitars were rolled out for “Legs”, which hyped up the Entertainment Centre for the boogie of “Tube Snake”, a delectable drop of “La Grange” and the killer rock of “Tush”, sung by Hill and ably complemented with the slide of The Reverend Billy G. This was rock and roll the way it was meant to be played, pure and simple.
Axl Rose and Guns ‘N Roses have not been on top of their game for a number of years now, but they do have a faithful following and most of them were down on the tarmac of the purposefully shrunken arena tonight.
The advertisement playing on the video screens prior to the gig blasting off with all the typical fireworks of a Gunners show was for the outfit behind the makeup for the band tonight.
Given the cowboy hat and sunglasses covering most of Rose’s head, you would be hard-pressed knowing what the cosmetics were for. It must be hard work under those lights for the 51 year-old singer, who made every effort to distract the spectators with his performance. His fans may enjoy the memory, but the present day Guns ‘N Roses are simply not made for these times.
With classic songs filling the room, the atmosphere of the venue seemed to improved during “Welcome To The Jungle” and “It’s So Easy”. “Mr. Brownstone”, on the other hand, seemed to plod along and made it obvious that Rose’s ability to fully deliver his trademark sound was not there. Nonetheless, Rose ran and skipped around the stage and not once did he fall or lose his footing, which is always a positive sign during one of his shows.
Agility aside, what about that weird habitual movement? Rose was like a moth to a flame on the right side of the stage for large parts of the show, constantly disappearing for brief moments to minutes. Occasionally it seemed like he was going to dance to that side of the stage and continue performing, but something was calling him there like a siren.
Was it for constant intake of Peruvian marching powder being served by nubile groupies? Was he taking in oxygen so he could continue his prancing? Or was it some sort of magic elixir being sprayed on his throat to increase his vocal range?
The elixir option is doubtful because his voice improved only marginally throughout the evening. Maybe they were just tightening his jacket or applying some of that makeup? It was very hard to tell, but terribly distracting and odd. With Rose’s voice not at the peak of perfection, he might want to consider adding a backing vocalist of some caliber to get the songs across. Just a thought.
Vocally, the current iteration of Guns ‘N Roses are not the greatest at backing Rose, but they are a sturdy, heavy rock n’ roll band who can pull out the solos. Richard Fortus had an excellent guitar solo before “Live and Let Die” that at times, believe it or not, had him picking like Chet Atkins.
“Rocket Queen”, from Appetite For Destruction, started off well, but the interference of air-brushed females on the video screens took your attention away. Add to the appalling visuals some dolphins swimming during “Estranged” and it was hard not to laugh.
The big moments were going to come later, meaning quite a few pompous rock n’ roll moments needed to be dealt with first. “Better” from Chinese Democracy was surprisingly quite good. The next grouping of songs, from a number of different albums and leading up to DJ Ashba’s unmemorable guitar solo, resulted in a number of people heading off for beers and a break from the volume.
With the set long-winded and lacking a wallop thus far, the huge numbers were about to be rolled out. Although the apostles on the floor seemed to be moving, it was not a throbbing group of humanity except right near the stage.
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” amped the crowd up quite a bit and finally brought the show to the home stretch. “November Rain” was met with screams and the sing-along that is Dylan’s classic, “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”, had the crowd joining in with Rose and the band.
There was still some fuel left in the tank and some jamming led into “Patience” from 1988’s Lies, but once again the tired vocals of the middle-aged Rose were simply not what they should be. “Paradise City” rocked the crowd home, giving the guitars got one more workout while Rose got some more of whatever he was having on the side of the stage.
Guns N’ Roses as we know them today are a nostalgia act. They can play a loud rock show with fireworks and makeup, but overall they’re a bit tired and fronted by a man who seems to have lost his rock n’ roll shoes. Axl Rose is now a mere shadow of the star that he once was.
His fans may enjoy the memory, but the present day Guns ‘N Roses are simply not made for these times.
