Given it was the third time Guns N’ Roses have played in Australia since 2007, the epic anticipation of seeing vocalist Axl Rose in the flesh was slightly dampened.
Nonetheless, it’s safe to say there were still plenty of punters in Perth Arena who had not seen the reinvented band before. The gig came at the end of a big week for the newcomer venue, which in the last seven days housed impressive double headline shows from KISS & Motley Crue and Deep Purple with Journey – all delivering great performances. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for this night’s show.
Punctual Aussie hard rockers Rose Tattoo got the ball rolling as vocalist Angry Anderson came out wearing a sleeveless denim jacket, screaming, “No, no turn the lights off, we want it to be a surprise!” He laughed as his heavily tattooed band was then revealed on stage.
This was an appropriate support choice for the fans, who sang along to classics like “Remedy”, “Death or Glory” and “Bad Boy for Love”. The punters on the floor were barely filling up the arena at such an early stage of the evening, but Rose Tattoo provided a sufficient soundtrack to welcome the crowd.
After each punter grabbed a four-pack of beers for the next tier of entertainment, aged Texan duo ZZ Top rocked up to showcase some of their classics and successfully entertained the growing crowd throughout their hour-long set.
Before they came on stage, the screens read “the following program is rated Z” and incorporated some unsurprising beard references. The bluesy pensioners were well dressed in sparkled rose jackets and elegant top hats (with bandanas underneath, of course), and had the crowd screaming for them before long.
The pair had a bucket-load of stamina and were very engaging with the people of Perth. They played classic “Legs” among others and even had rectangular fluffy guitars brought out during a couple of highly entertaining tracks.
In between songs they announced that it was hard to “rhyme Mississippi with Perth”, but with cowgirls dancing and snakes hissing on their screens, the ‘experienced’ American duo successfully warmed up what had become a very packed arena for headliners Guns N’ Roses.
Many will remember the reinvented Guns N’ Roses visiting a few years ago and may even have enjoyed the karaoke of their back catalogue. Last year we saw Slash conquer the country with an explosive headline tour and only last week ex-bassist of Gunners Duff McKagan showcased his new project, Loaded, to Soundwave. Time then for Axl Rose to step up to the plate.
Despite Rose’s reputation, much to everyone’s surprise the band was essentially on time and ready to rumble. Rose came out wearing torn jeans, a black leather jacket buttoned over his beer-belly and a country-town hat disguising his rich red hair.
Why Guns N’ Roses continue to open sets with “Chinese Democracy” is a mystery, but they managed to save it with “Welcome To The Jungle” immediately after – definitely one of the hits that the crowd came to hear.
Many young and talented musicians were present on stage to join Axl, including lead guitarist Bumblefoot and DJ Ashba. The men of Guns N’ Roses know how to shred and play the songs, but it was the lack of stage presence and repetitive nature of the show that eventually made it unbearable to watch. To drive the point home, a couple of punters screamed at Bumblefoot during a solo, “Quit now mate, you’re not Slash.”
There were too many gaps in between the classics off Appetite For Destruction – the tracks that we all came to hear. Via a string of random cover songs and instrumentals, Rose and his cronies successfully confused the crowd and left them not knowing quite what to expect.
The intro to “Live and Let Die” revitalised the fans with excitement, but the song’s delivery had more than a few onlookers (without exaggeration) booing the band. They overused the deafening bang of firecracker effects and bounced through the setlist like it was a chore.
Rose barely engaged with the crowd, but wasn’t shy about acknowledging his own musical stature (for what it used to be). The fans paid a decent amount to see this show, so inevitably they went wild for “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Nightrain” and encore closer “Paradise City” – which may have rescued some of the crowd’s respect for the eccentric frontman. Good on them for dancing, screaming and enjoying themselves when they could.
While Perth Arena provided excellent services all round and a modern-day feel as a brand new venue, the entertainment of the night did not quite do it justice.
Many disappointed fans were bickering about the performance during and after the show, and it’s a safe bet a few of them won’t be returning to see Guns N’ Roses on their next tour.
