2010.12.07. - Adelaide, Australia

Guns N' Roses hit the target - just

Sam Kelton, Music Reporter

RENOWNED for his inability to own a watch, Axl Rose actually managed to take to the stage at a decent time for a mammoth rock show at The Entertainment Centre last night.

The show was big in every regard; Axl's voice sounded as good as it ever did, the stage production was exhilarating, the crowd was buzzing and the band's huge songs stole the show.

But after the sheen of the opening pyrotechnics wore off and the back to back hits of Welcome to the Jungle, It's So Easy and Mr Brownstone were welcomed, the gig seemed to plateau for the rest of the evening.

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A more apt name for Guns N' Roses would be Rose and (hired) Guns.

Since the departure of his band the singer has surrounded himself with some of the best players in the business, and their performances were almost carbon copies of the original tracks. In essence they were faultless.

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But among the blistering solos and flames bursting off the stage guitarist DJ Ashba (complete with hat, cigarette and classic Gibson guitar) gave an uncanny performance as Slash, which at times seemed uncomfortable for classic Gunners' fans.

The show was very similar to the performance GNR delivered almost three years ago at the same venue but having since released Chinese Democracy, fans could truly connect with the new material.

Songs such as Better and Street of Dreams were among the night's best in a set that was littered with hits from various albums.

Rocket Queen and the anthemic November Rain had the crowd in awe as did Knockin' on Heaven's Door. But where the night went wrong was the ridiculous amounts of outfit changes Axl Rose went through as he let members of his band exchange solos amongst themselves.

It was clear that it was not all about the outfits for Axl.

An educated guess was that the singer was using the time to grab a quick burst of oxygen backstage - as upon his return - his voice had improved 10 fold, belting out notes that would rival his studio performances.

The show was everything fans could have hoped for but the excitement factor that was present last time the band performed here was absent.

If they did away with the obligatory solos and irrelevant jam, Guns N' Roses' return to Adelaide would have been much tighter and ultimately triumphant.