2016.07.19 - Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA, USA

Foxboro gets tough on Guns N' Roses

t looks like Guns N' Roses will have to rethink any plans it might have for extended encores when it plays in Foxboro next month.

Selectmen approved an application for concerts by the iconic hard rock band July 19 and 20 at Gillette Stadium, but turned down the band's request to perform after the 11:15 p.m. town curfew.

Jess Enos, the director of external affairs and business development for Gillette Stadium, noted that there hadn't been any significant behavioral or public safety issues with the tour in its previous stops so far. She also noted that an older crowd is expected.

However, Selectwoman Ginny Coppola objected to the concerts' ending times of 11:40 p.m., a full 25 minutes past the curfew.

"This is on a Tuesday and a Wednesday," Coppola said. "If this was a weekend, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But it's a work night."

"This isn't going to be an acoustic evening. It's going to be loud."

Selectman Chris Mitchell requested that the band could be asked to finish earlier, and Enos indicated that her organization would work toward that, but that they still felt they should ask for the 11:40 time.

Resident Tracy Vasile noted the loudness of a Guns N' Roses concert, speaking after Coppola asked for comments from the audience.

"A curfew should mean something," said Vasile, who also noted the issue of having the shows on weekdays. (July 19-20 are Tuesday and Wednesday).

It was noted that Taylor Swift was granted an 11:40 p.m. end time for her concerts at Gillette Stadium last year, although those were on weekend nights.

George Bell, of the stadium advisory committee, said that it had recommended approval of 11:40 p.m. end times. He also said that the venue can turn down the volume of a concert if there is a noise complaint, which has been done in the past.

Mitchell threw out the idea of an 11:30 p.m. ending time.

However, both Selectman Jim DeVellis and selectmen Chairman David Feldman expressed concern about the concerts being held on weeknights, just as Coppola had.

In the end, the board voted unanimously to license the shows to have an 11:15 p.m. end time.

Rocker Lenny Kravitz will open for Guns N' Roses both nights

Reunited Guns N’ Roses provide classic thrills at Gillette Stadium

By Steve Smith Globe Staff

FOXBOROUGH — It was only four years ago that Axl Rose, cornered by paparazzi and asked about the possibility of a reunion tour by the original Guns N’ Roses lineup, gave an answer seemingly meant to stick:

“Not in this lifetime.”

Elastic word, lifetime: it doesn’t mean forever, not even a mighty long time. Rose, guitarist Slash, and bassist Duff McKagan are on tour now, with shows at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday. Technically, Rose’s claim remains true: Neither guitarist Izzy Stradlin nor drummer Steven Adler is involved in the band’s “Not in This Lifetime…” tour, though Adler’s made a pair of guest appearances.

Good as Guns N’ Roses shows could be in the years after the classic lineup splintered in 1996 — and they could be very good, given the quality of Rose’s hires — the group’s sinuous menace was diluted. Slash and McKagan had that quality in Velvet Revolver, but lacked Rose’s oversize charisma.

If you came to Gillette on Tuesday anticipating easygoing banter, hugs, and high fives, you left disappointed; what you saw pretty much looked like professional decorum and mutual regard, punctuated with slightly muted hops, spins, and snake dances.

What you heard, though, was another matter. From the moment Guns N’ Roses hit the stage (punctually!) with “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone,” it was clear all the parts still fit. Slash and McKagan integrated resoundingly with later arrivals: not just keyboardist Dizzy Reed, on hand since 1990 and inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame with the band, but also guitarist Richard Fortus (enlisted in 2001), drummer Frank Ferrer (2006), and keyboardist Melissa Reese, this year’s newbie.

Backed by solid, unselfish players – count McKagan among that number, certainly – it was no surprise Rose and Slash could approach vintage glories. Rose’s voice lacks its youthful elasticity and highest reaches, but conveyed ample menace and desire in classic fare like “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” and “November Rain.” The singer put his customary stamp on “Live and Let Die” (less explosive, literally and figuratively, than Paul McCartney’s rendition at Fenway on Sunday) and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and made “Chinese Democracy” tracks compelling through sheer force of will.

Slash found productive, even flamboyant ways to engage with that latter-day material, such the elaborate solos he packed into “Sorry.” Throughout the night, his fertile imagination and fluid technique proved consistently arresting; among the evening’s more surprising highlights was an instrumental cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” in which Slash and Fortus traded soaring leads.

Just like old times? Not exactly. But when Slash played his climactic “Paradise City” solo with his guitar behind his head, while confetti flew, fireworks rose, flash pots popped, and Rose raced around the stage, you could just about imagine it was.

Playing in support under a just-setting sun and briefly beset by P.A. failure, Lenny Kravitz packed a short, potent set with hits like “Let Love Rule,” “Fly Away,” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” Yet even in a concise set he gave his excellent band opportunities to stretch, including a long, funky “Always on the Run” that let trumpeter Ludovic Louis run the voodoo down a la Miles Davis.

Review: Guns N' Roses' appetite for destruction unabated at Gillette

Craig S. Semon Worcester
Telegram & Gazette | The Providence Journal

FOXBORO, Mass. — In this world of uncertainly and doubt, there is always one thing that rings true in rock 'n' roll. Certain singers and guitarists — despite their ego clashes, bad blood and backstage drama — are meant to play together and are better together than they are apart.

Axl Rose and Slash are a prime example. While it only took 23 years to get Axl and Slash back on stage together again, in the end, a lot of patience (and frustration) from the fans certainly paid off.

From being "the world's most dangerous band" to becoming the world's most dysfunctional, Guns N' Roses is once again a rock 'n' roll force to reckon with, as evident at Tuesday night's unrelenting and blistering two-hour-and-45-minute set at Gillette Stadium that consisted of nine songs from “Appetite for Destruction,” four songs each from “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II”; four from “Chinese Democracy”; four full-fledged covers (not recorded or associated with the band) and a single shot from “G N’ R Lies.”

Not only was it everything a G N’ R fan could wish for, if the laws of physics held any weight, there should be nothing more than a crater or a parcel of scorched earth where Gillette Stadium once stood.

Fully cocked and loaded, Guns N’ Roses were fierce and ferocious from the get-go with the one-two punch of “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone,” two choice cuts from its 1987 debut, “Appetite for Destruction.”

Although looking a little heavier and puffier, Rose still has his spine-tingling serpentine voice and unabashed swagger intact.

Wearing the first of many black, illustrated T-shirts (My favorite tee of the evening promoted John Carpenter’s “The Thing”), plenty of bling including a pair of silver crucifixes dangling from his neck, plaid shirt strategically tied around his waist, tattered dungarees and black sneakers, the fouled-mouth (but, surprisingly, not fouled-mood) singer made up for lost time and actually showed up on time.

And, in case Slash’s shirt depicting Cenobite leader “Pinhead” wasn’t a dead giveaway, Guns N’ Rose was out to raise some serious hell. Sporting his signature top hat, dark shades and curly long locks, Slash's look is still iconic, but it’s his guitar prowess that makes him a rock legend.

Slash did some serious shredding on the six-string almost immediately and throughout the evening and the audience was in awe of this bonafide Guitar God and the arguably the best rock ‘n’ roll guitarist to emerge out of the '80s. Slash’s scorching riffs were so incendiary, I’m surprised his guitar didn’t burst into flame during the performance.

Wearing a Lemmy Kilmister (of Motorhead fame) shirt and sporting a Prince Hieroglyph symbol on his bass, Guns N' Roses' original bassist Duff McKagan looked like a walking, rock ‘n’ roll “In Memoriam” reel at The Grammys come to life. The only thing that was missing was a David Bowie tattoo on one of his buffed arms.

Rounding out the latest incarnation of Guns N’ Roses are keyboardist Dizzy Reed (who joined G N’ R in 1990), guitarist Richard Fortus (who has been playing with Axl since 2001), drummer Frank Ferrer (who’s been on since 2006) and keyboardist and band newbie Melissa Reed.

The threat of “You’re gonna die” has never sounded so inviting as it did on “Welcome to the Jungle.” Running from one end of the stage to the other and up and down the elaborate set of illuminated stairs, bridges and catwalks, Rose fueled the number with plenty of piercing screams and vintage Sunset Strip sleaze, while Slash and Fortus sonically flattened everything in his path. By the end of this deliciously depraved and decadent opus, the audience forgave Axl for making the original members of Guns N' Roses scatter.

“Live and Let Die” was performed twice in three nights in the Bay State — first, Sir Paul McCartney (who wrote it) Sunday night at Fenway, and, now, Guns N’ Roses Tuesday (and most likely Wednesday night) at Gillette. It’s enough to give a rock 'n' roll lover a swelled head and think they’re James Bond. While I prefer Macca’s version, Guns N’ Roses delivered an explosive version in their own right that was certainly a crowd pleaser.

Fortus confidently took over the guitar lead while Slash strummed crunchy guitar riffs that he could play in his sleep on “Rocket Queen,” which also featured Slash using a talk box straight out of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” and Rose wearing a stupid-looking leather cowboy hat that made him look like a gunslinger in a bad spaghetti western.

McKagan momentarily took over the microphone from Axl, while Slash and Fortus sounded like they were auditioning for the Sex Pistols on the punk mash-up of Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” and The Damned’s “New Rose.”

With the disembodied voice of Strother Martin’s sadistic warden from “Cool Hand Luke” permeating into the arena, the audience knew when Axl came back he wasn’t whistling Dixie but setting the stage for another absolute scorcher, “Civil War.”

Slash gave the crowd a musical opus they couldn’t refuse, “Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather).” It was moments like this and the stellar instrumental of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” (with Fortus) that made Slash steal the show, but Axl didn’t seem to care too much. In fact, there was enough positive energy coming from the crowd for all the original and newer members of Guns N’ Roses to bask in the glow.

While Slash’s glorious guitar riffs kicked things off, it was Rose voice that soared out of the stadium on the pristine and pitch-perfect opus, "Sweet Child O' Mine."

Axl showed off his piano prowess while Slash unleashed his inner-Slowhand on the instrumental portion of Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla” that miraculously turned into the nuclear-powered, power ballad, “November Rain.”

Rose belted out Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" with all his might as he led the crowd into a massive sing-along.

For Guns N’ Roses' encore, Slash, McKagan and Fortus transformed the Rolling Stones’ classic “Angie” into a sublime instrumental which seamlessly segued into Rose’s whistling melody line on “Patience.”

Rose delivered a rousing version of the Who’s “The Seeker” before abiding to Foxboro’s silly 11:15 p.m. curfew with the fire-breathing, confetti-raining closer “Paradise City," which was a perfect end to an evening that was truly rock 'n' roll paradise.

Concert review: Guns N’ Roses brings plenty of firepower, and fireworks, to Gillette

BY STEPHEN PETERSON
SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

FOXBORO — Hard rockers and ballads. Fireworks and shooting flames. Dazzling videos. All the ingredients were present and working spectacularly Tuesday night for Guns N’ Roses’ 2 1/2-hour show at Gillette Stadium.

The enduring rockers brought their “Not in This Lifetime” to the home of the Patriots with most of their original lineup intact: lead singer Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, all now in their 50s.

It’s been a while since the group visited these parts, last playing at the old Foxboro Stadium in 1992 during their last arena shows. The Los Angeles-bred band play a second show at Gillette Wednesday night.

Criticized over the years for often not showing up on time, the band took the stage on schedule and only went over the 11:15 p.m. curfew by a few minutes.

“It’s So Easy” off their first album kicked things off.

Slash played a green electric guitar on “Chinese Democracy” from 2008 and the band also included “Welcome to the Jungle” off “Appetite for Destruction” in the set list.

The sound quieted for “Double Talkin’ Jive” and “Estranged” before a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Live and Let Die.”

“Rocket Queen” and “You Could Be Mine” from 1991 and the “Terminator 2” soundtrack led to McKagan singing “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory/New Rose.”

Rose, who is the new frontman for AC/DC, was again singing lead on the ballad “This I Love” that began with longtime keyboardist Dizzy Reed.

Images of military personnel fighting were shown for “Civil War,” with Slash on a doubleneck guitar and playing some chords of Jimi Hendrix “Voodoo Child.”

Also in the song list was the softer “Sorry,” “Out Ta Get Me” and “Coma.”

The British-born Slash’s guitar play was highlighted again on “Speak Softly Love,” the theme song from 1972’s “The Godfather.”

The chart-topping “Sweet Child O’ Mine” from 1988 followed.

After “My Michelle” and “Better,” Slash and guitarist Richard Fortus jammed for Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.”

Rose was on piano for “November Rain,” a Top 3 song from 1992 that featured an intro of Eric Clapton’s “Layla.”

The group’s 1991 cover of Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” ignited the crowd to sing along, and the riveting “Nightrain” from the first album wrapped up the main song set.

The encore included “Patience” which had an intro of The Rolling Stones’s beauty “Angie,” a cover of The Who’s vintage tune “The Seeker,” and “Paradise City” on which Rose whistles and which involved some acoustic guitar.

A fireworks extravaganza that could rival a small town’s Fourth of July display followed.

Kravitz opens

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Lenny Kravitz opened with his intense retro/psychedelic rock, fused with reggae, jazz, soul and blues.

Kravitz, 52, who is from Brooklyn, sang and played “Bring It On,” “Where Are We Runnin’?” his popular 1999 cover of The Guess Who’s “American Woman,” “Believe,” and “Always on the Run.” Several of the songs were extended and saw Kravitz jamming with his three horn players.

The set closed with a rousing “Let Love Rule” that was prefaced by Kravitz referring to the ongoing strife in America and the world, the Grammy-winning “Fly Away,” and the sweeping “Are You Gonna Go My Way” where he played a wing guitar.

Kravitz, incidentally, was a high school classmate of Slash and has recorded with him.

GUNS N ROSES Gillette Stadium Foxborough, MA 7/19/2016

There were more than 42,000 people in attendance at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, with almost every attendee behind me for this EPIC event.

The open air arena, combined with being down on the field, made this an incredible show before Guns N Roses even took the stage.

Lenny Kravitz warmed up the mostly middle-aged crowd as the fans slowly streamed in and filled the seats. Lenny was great! A cool mo-fo with a mo-town feel. The 20,000 or so that made it in while Lenny was playing were more than pleased with his performance.

The usual pause between bands was a little different on this evening with lots of people wondering…”will they start on time?”; “How will Axl sound?”; “Will they suck?”

These were some of the questions people around me were asking. One of my friends called Gillette Stadium and asked what time Guns was gonna hit the stage.

The Answer: They are “supposed” to go on around 8:30.

Personally, I wasn’t worried. I’ve been following the bands tour and didn’t read anything anywhere that would suggest there would be any B.S., but, lets be honest here, nobody really knew for sure.

As the sun started to set, the GnR logo appeared on the screen above and behind the drums. Within a minute the Guns were blazing as the logo came to life, blasting rounds into the air with a dynamic sound sound that rang throughout the stadium like bombs were going off.

Watching the time with wonder and anticipation, Guns hit the stage right at 8:30 as scheduled and they played right til the 11:30 Gillette-imposed curfew with a non-stop show and very little talking between songs…. just straight up old school 80’s hard rock/metal at its finest.

Everyone keeps asking, “How did they sound?”

The doubters and the haters could not have been more wrong. If you weren’t at Gillette, you may have missed the concert of the summer, or maybe the concert of the year, or decade, or MAYBE you missed the concert of a LIFETIME.

I also want to add that Axl’s voice was on the money. Song after song, each high note or tough vocal part was attacked. He never once let up or took the safe road and he didn’t need to. After each difficult vocal stunt Axl, with his wild eyes looked out into the crowd as if he was saying “See, my voice is fine”, proving all the naysayers wrong.

The same goes for the rest of the band. Slash, Duff, Frank Ferrer and Richard Fortus were spot-on. The solos gave me goosebumps.

The inclusions of cover songs were outstanding. The addition of ‘Voodoo Child’ at the outro of ‘Civil War’ fit like it was written in the song from day one.

The lights, sound, stage and equipment used was all absolute top of the line gear.

From top to bottom and start to finish the entire show was 100% PRO.

I’m still in awe and sooooo glad I was within the first few rows for a show that was highly anticipated, highly controversial and now…highly recommended.

If this tour is coming through your town, go get a ticket.

A show like this comes along… Once in a Lifetime.