Well there was no one more skeptical than me on how long the Guns N’ Roses “Not In This Lifetime” Tour would last. But that skepticism and the anxiousness of finally seeing one of the bands responsible for making me love rock and metal music has finally been quelled.
The moment the lights went out I became both excited and worried. Would they truly kick ass or was it all internet hype. But as GnR hit the stage opening with “It’s So Easy” and sounding as I dreamed since I was 11-years old sound live blew my mind. Instantly the skepticism in me was shot down as Axl sang the first lines. Did he sound like the albums? No, because no one sounds like they do when they’re younger. But he sounded great. But would he hold it? After all we all know Vince Neil sounded great for two songs on Motley Crüe‘s farewell tour.
He most assuredly held it. And if Axl wanted to slack he had the heat as an excuse. But he didn’t. Belting out the obvious radio hits everyone expected “Mr. Brownstone”, “Welcome To The Jungle”, & “You Could Be Mine” solidly.
Of course finally hearing Slash shred through the opening of “Welcome To The Jungle” instantly gave me the energy of my 11-year old self. Sure I’ve heard it countless times on my iPod and CDs, but finally seeing him actually playing it made time feel irrelevant. Add in the energy they all brought during their version of Paul McCartney‘s “Live And Let Die” had the entire stadium hopping…literally!
Of course you can’t ignore Duff McKagan running around like a madman with his bass during “Double Talkin’ Jive”, a deeper cut for those who only know the hits, reminded everyone that Guns N’ Roses was delivering a full show for all to remember.
Hell I was beyond shocked to hear “Chinese Democracy” and “Better” from Chinese Democracy. I was not expecting that at all. Sure I wanted and hoped to hear at least one song from that album but two meant the band knew they should bring everything they had to the party.
By the end of their encore, which resulted in a set time of approximately 2-hours and 45 minutes, it felt more like a group having a party with their favorite Guns N’ Roses songs being played. “Civil War”, “Out To Get Me”, “November Rain”, all the songs I mentioned above, and more live were more than you could’ve asked for. Sure when “Paradise City” began we knew it was ending but we didn’t care because this was a show many of us waited for years to see and will remember it for years to come.
Will we ever see this tour again? A FULL reunion tour? Or an album of this line up? I’d lean towards no because last night didn’t feel like a rebirth, it felt more like a thank you. A Guns N’ Roses thank you for supporting them all throughout the years and for constantly wanting at least one reunion run. Regardless of what the future holds I’m thankful to say I finally saw something deemed impossible by many.
