With so many bands reforming and touring for a quick cash grab these days, it can be impossible to tell which bands can still bring it, and which ones are going through the motions, checking their phones and waiting to be in bed. As you can guess from the title, Guns N’ Roses are still one of the greatest live rock bands in the world – and here are 10 reasons you should see them in 2017. Don’t forget the mighty Rose Tattoo are in support too, in Sydney and Brisbane – worth the ticket price alone.
10. It’s the classic lineup
Well, as close as you’re gonna get in 2016. Original members Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan have reunited, with Dizzy Reed on the ivories. Izzy Stradlin is the only true holdout these days, with even original drummer Steven Adler joining them at a few US shows – although he won’t be playing with them on the Aussie tour. In Adler’s case though, it’s probably because he still hasn’t forgiven the band for firing him back in his heroin days. Fair enough.
9. Axl has stopped trying to be an electro-rock wizard
In the band’s latter years, Axl showed an un-nerving love of terrible electro music, which he awkwardly attempted to insert into the Gunners sound. These ranged from the awful (‘Shackler’s Revenge’ from Chinese Democracy which sounds like Axl doing his best Trent Reznor) to the truly awful (the final song from Use Your Illusion II, ‘My World’, which is so bad it almost undoes the previous 150 minutes’ work). Anyway, he’s over that now, so it’s classic rock all the way from now.
8. They’ve still got it as a live band
Check out this video of the band ripping through ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ in Japan last week and tell us this isn’t something you wanna see.
7. Slash is still Slash
See the above video for ample evidence. He still wears the hat, he still keeps pet snakes, and he chose to give his first ever interview since the reformation to Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer, telling his old buddy: “The shows have been awesome. We all were pretty positive that that would never happen, so it’s still sort of blowing our minds. It seems so surreal to me, you know. But everybody’s really getting along great and I think everybody’s come a long way, and it’s all cool.”
6. The end of November Rain
‘November Rain’ is, quite simply, one of the greatest rock epics ever written, performed, or belted out drunkenly at your uncle’s regular RSL. But despite being an emotional rollercoaster up until that point, the song doesn’t even really begin until 6:50 in, when the dying strains of Axl’s immaculately-scored strings swoop and die, and are replaced by a menacing chug – and then Slash hops on top of the grand piano and starts wailing…
Now, imagine being surrounded by thousands of people and thousands of watts of electricity when this moment occurs. Your goosebumps will have goosebumps.
5. These lyrics from ‘Locomotive’
If anyone needed proof that Axl was already over being a part of the music business in 1991, these lyrics will do the job.
I bought me an illusion and I put it on the wall
I let it fill my head with dreams, and I had to have them all
But oh the taste is never so sweet as what you’d believe it is-
Well I guess it never is
It’s these prejudiced illusions
That pump the blood to the heart of the biz
It’s also a great song, and one that could pop up on set lists. Give it a listen, below.
4. They might never tour again
The Guns N’ Roses took a cue from the Eagles’ ‘Hell Freezes Over’ reunion tour when naming their own ‘Not In This Lifetime’ shows after an old quote of Axl’s regarding the chance of such a reformation taking place. And although the three originals are playing nice at the moment, who knows how long it will last? Axl has a reputation for coming on stage hours late, and Slash has a reputation for letting this piss him off.
They are and always have been a powderkeg set to explode, so if you think you might be able to skip these shows and just catch them on their next whip around the world, guess again!
3. Do it for Duff McKagan’s pancreas
Duff lived the Gunners lifestyle so hard that in 1994, when he was a mere 30 years old, his pancreas exploded, causing him third-degree burns. He was rushed to hospital and given a month to live if he didn’t curb his hard-living ways.
Yet, here we are 23 years later, and he is still rockin’ on stage every night with the Guns ‘N Roses. So don’t let us hear you using parking or an early start the next morning as an excuse not to turn up. Think of Duff’s pancreas, and its service to rock. You’re in the jungle.
2. Axl is match fit (Read: Axl Isn’t Fat Anymore)
Here’s a photo he took with a fan last May, which shows that he has been working those guns (pun intended). Fat Axl couldn’t have handled all the physical exercise that goes into being Axl, frontman of the Guns N’ Roses – he basically runs the equivalent of a marathon across the stage while belting out notes that an opera singer would have to build up to. The hat will have to go, though…
1. They’ve got Rose Tattoo supporting a few shows, too!
The Gunners are long time fans of Angry Anderson’s legendary rock group: the band even covered Rose Tattoo’s ‘Nice Boys’ back in 1986 on their very first release – a live EP (which was actually recorded in a studio and overdubbed with live noise from a ’70s outdoor festival named Texxas Jam).
It’s no surprise they have asked the bad boys to support them in Sydney and Brisbane – plus Wolfmother (also Rose Tattoo fans) will be joining the lineup for some of the shows too.
TOUR DATES w/ Rose Tattoo
BRISBANE w/ Rose Tattoo – Tuesday 7 February at QSAC Stadium
SYDNEY w/ Rose Tattoo – Friday 10 February at ANZ Stadium
SYDNEY w/ Rose Tattoo & Wolfmother – Saturday 11 February at ANZ Stadium
Tickets available here.
