2016.07.12 - Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

By Anthony Mendicino / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As if reuniting Axl Rose’s classic blistering voice, Slash’s cascading guitar anthems and Duff McKagan’s hard-charging melodies weren’t enough, Guns N’ Roses will be accompanied by a large stage show tonight at Heinz Field.

The not-so-holy trinity of hard rock debauchery will be back in Pittsburgh together for the first time since the early 1990s on the “Not in This Lifetime” reunion tour.

The group will be supported by a stage show pieced together by the band’s production manager Dale (Opie) Skjerseth.

They don’t need frills or thrills, it's them,” Mr. Skjerseth said. “That’s what people want to see, Guns N’ Roses.”

Mr. Skjerseth and his crew began working with the band in January to prepare for the tour.

“They’re professional, they know what they want, and we were all on cue with it. And we all stand by it together,” he said.

Mr. Skjerseth also worked with the band on its 1992-93 “Use Your Illusion” tour, which was the last tour to come through Pittsburgh with Rose, Slash and Mr. McKagan in tow. He mentioned that everyone, band included, has grown up since.

“We’ve all grown in time, we know what really needs to be done,” he said. “We’ve all done our things, had our fun, but back then was then, and this is now, and we are hitting it hard.”

Back then, they were the hottest ticket on the planet, living in a party house on top of the music world. But youthful indulgence has given way to practiced maturity.

“They’re professional. They don’t have to be picky because they’ve done it all with me at the beginning, so everything they’ve asked for is there,” Mr. Skjerseth said.

Guns N’ Roses, which formed in LA in 1985, debuted in 1987 with “Appetite for Destruction,” introducing classics such as “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and reviving hard rock in the era of synth-pop. “Appetite” went on to sell 18 million copies in the U.S. (30 million worldwide) and became the biggest-selling debut album of all time. The group first appeared in Pittsburgh as the opening act for Aerosmith in 1988.

Tonight’s show will be the first in Pittsburgh since the band — performing without Slash — played the Civic Arena in 1998.

While the band has matured and evolved during the interim, some things have stayed the same.

Rose can still hit the high notes, Slash still shreds the Les Paul, and Mr. McKagan continues to be the steady subliminal engine of the band. This isn’t the Guns N’ Roses that wreaked havoc on the Sunset Strip in the ’80s, but make no mistake, they’re still ready to welcome you to the jungle.

Concert review: Guns N' Roses takes Heinz Field crowd to 'Paradise City'

By Scott Mervis

Axl Rose warned us a few years ago that the reunion of Guns N’ Roses wouldn’t happen in this lifetime, and we’re still waiting for it, but the GNR that came through Heinz Field Tuesday night gave us 3/5ths of the original and a big appetite, some of it for destruction.

Making the “Not in This Lifetime Tour” stadium-worthy, of course, is that GNR’s longest-running guitarist, Richard Fortus, is now joined by the man who supplied much of the danger when the band was tearing up arenas and stadiums in its late ‘80s/early ‘90s heyday.

That would be Slash, and he is a total beast in a top hat. He is not the guy you want around if you are an attention-seeking narcissist, because he will steal the show right out from under you. There were two big screens on either side of the stage and when they zoomed in on Slash’s fingers working the frets of his Les Paul, it was raw, unfiltered guitar porn. The stone-faced guitiarist took solo after solo after solo, many of them kind of similar but all of them perfection, with power, speed and agility that would frighten any number of players above him on that Rolling Stone list.

This was only the third time we’ve seen Axl, Slash and original bassist Duff McKagan (a force himself) on stage together in Pittsburgh and they did not disappoint the rather tame crowd of 34,000. It was a little slight for a Heinz show, but it was a Tuesday night, and a lot of people seemed to be on the fence about the state of Axl Rose at 54.

He’ll never be what he was, obviously, but he’s looking and sounding much better than he did when he rolled through the Arena in 2002 with Buckethead and his motley crew of GNR replacements, and he’s got the swagger back for the snake dance.

Despite “Welcome to the Jungle” being a natural opener, the band, as it did in ‘92, hit the stage at 8:45 p.m. sharp with “It’s So Easy,” sounding menacing and muscular. It was the first of eight total songs from “Appetite for Destruction,” a multi-platinum debut album and defibrillator for the dying hair-metal scene when it arrived in 1987.

Rose put his craggy voice to heroin ode “Mr. Brownstone” and a thrilling rumble through the “Jungle,” the two “APD” songs sandwiching a “Chinese Democracy” made all the more dynamic in Slash’s hands.

Axl came out with a black skull T-shirt, ripped jeans and the signature red flannel wrapped around his waist like a kilt. Little did we that know it was just the first of seven different black T-shirts to go with a variety of hats, bandanas and leather jackets. He is the Cher of black T-shirts, enabled by Slash, who created many a distraction while sticking with the same black “Live Deliciously” T from “The Witch.”

They could have called this the Bang for the Buck Tour because Guns N’ Roses has positively stuffed with the set with more than 2½ hours of classic hits, deep cuts like “Coma” and “Estranged,” and jams that included Slash’s stunning “Speak Softly, Love” (“The Godfather” theme) into “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” his instrumental duet with Fortus on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and, to pound home the idea that they really love their classic rock, the “Layla” outro going into “November Rain.” Axl was on piano for that, smiling pretty at the camera and flashing his bling like Liberace.

Being quite the prolific cover band, they also added their explosive “Live and Let Die,” a cover of The Who’s “The Seeker” that was nothing special and a “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” that went on so long you could feel yourself aging.

Bang for the Buck, yes. But the young and restless Guns N’ Roses that stormed the Arena in 1988 opening for Aerosmith may have looked at this Guns N’ Roses as a somewhat bloated, self-important, future version of itself — at least, at times. There’s something to say for a more lethal 100 minutes. That voice wasn’t made to listen to for much longer than that. At their best, they gave us the head-spinning jam of “Rocket Queen,” McKagan’s show of “Raw Power” on the Stooges classic, a furious “Nightrain” and the bang-up Fourth of July finish of “Paradise City.”

Unlike the recent shows in Cincinnati and Nashville, there was no surprise appearance by original drummer Steven Adler, which was OK because Frank Ferrer is a powerhouse. And for that woman at the show in Nashville holding the “Where’s Izzy?” sign, there’s still no answer.

Pittsburgh missed out on the Black Sabbath tour but got something resembling it with Wolfmother, which would have been monstrous playing in a full, dark stadium with lights. The hard-driving, Aussie stoner metal trio with the big hair was still up to the task, pounding through a heavy set highlighted by "Dimension," “Woman” and "Joker and the Thief.”

Guns N' Roses upholds its legacy in Pittsburgh

By Scott Tady

PITTSBURGH – Slash shredded his guitar with unworldly skill; Axl Rose kept things real.

And that meant a great Guns N' Roses concert Tuesday that lived up to the band's legacy.

Guns N' Roses didn't come close to selling out Heinz Field, as the two side upper decks were empty, with fans presumably able to upgrade and move lower. A security guard's estimate of 35,000 seemed fair, or maybe even a bit high, judging by the turnouts for other concerts there.

Though every local Guns N' Roses fan who skipped the show will be kicking themselves when they hear or read glowing reports from friends who witnessed the hard-rock band's triumphant return to Pittsburgh after 24 years.

Let's set the scene visually.

Rose, in ripped jeans, various black T-shirts and a red plaid long-sleeved shirt tied at the waist – the cream-colored cowboy hat with red bandana would come later -- did all his quirky stage moves. There was the side-to-side shoulder wiggle, the one-legged repeated foot stomp and the hold the mic stand with arms wide apart while spinning.

Lead guitartist Slash wore his trademark mirrored sunglasses and black top hat with a black tee that said “Live Deliciously." His dark curly locks framed his face as he unleashed spectacular solos, many while crouched a bit, with the neck of his guitar pointed nearly straight up in the air.

Slash's super-clean, speedy, hard and expressive strokes sounded terrific on early set gems “It's So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone” and later on a cover of the theme from “The Godfather.”

He replicated the epic riffs of “Welcome to The Jungle,” introduced playfully by Rose asking the audience if they knew where they were.

They knew they were in the jungle, and cheered wildly as Rose mustered the requisite sneer to deliver the “you're going to die” line. Ah, nostalgia.

The enigmatic Rose has long been known as a wildcard -- some would say a diva -- but in Pittsburgh, he seemed relatively grounded and in good spirits, flashing several smiles and referring to people from this region as “the backbone” of America.

As a singer, his unique voice and phrasing haven't changed. There's still a ribbon of rasp tying together the emotional thrust of songs like “Civil War” and the band's take on Bob Dylan's “Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Rose reached the right mix of excitement and tenderness on “Sweet Child O' Mine,” a blast from a simpler past.

Bass guitarist Duff McKagan looked great. He probably sounded good, too, though who pays much attention to the bass at a Guns N' Roses show?

New keyboardist Melissa Reese looked art-school cool but got lost in the mix.

At least drummer Frank Ferrer got to shine on the beefy intro to “You Could Be Mine” (from “Terminator 2”). Rose wasn't in the normal rhythmic gear for that vocal part that gets real fast, but he still sang it at a quick clip that was interesting.

“Live and Let Die” brought many pyro booms, though it sorely missed the bursts of fire that toast your eyebrows when Paul McCartney performs it.

GN'R guitarist Richard Fortus handled most of the lead work as he and Slash did a tandem take on an instrumental version of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here." Halfway through, a grand piano emerged on stage for Rose to play the coda of Derek & The Dominoes “Layla” as a segue into “November Rain." Just like on the record/cassette tape/CD, “November Rain” had lots of vocal build-up from Rose, heightening the drama before Slash's herculean fretwork pierced and slayed the night, like some worthy sacrifice to the guitar gods.

Hey, he's one of the absolute best.

The encore began with popular ballad “Patience,” for which Rose did the familiar whistling intro.

A punchy cover of The Who's “The Seeker” then “Paradise City,” with more remarkable guitar from Slash, closed the night around 11:25 p.m.

The sound up front on the floor was crisp and loud, but murkier in the back, which is status quo for the stadium.

Opening act Wolfmother gave it their all, blasting through a set of Black Sabbath/Blue Cheer inspired hard-rock including their decade-old radio hit "Woman," and some decent new songs like "Gypsy Caravan." Frontman Andrew Stockdale squeezes some mighty sounds from his guitar. A lot of the crowd stayed seated though.

Review: Guns N’ Roses in Pittsburgh

Wolfmother opened for Guns N’ Roses with a solid set. They mixed older and newer tunes. The big hit of the night was “Woman”.

After Wolfmother took the stage, the audience was treated to a series of Guns N’ Roses hits. Not a single one went over negatively. They were tight as ever! They even refreshed my memory of Chinese Democracy by playing a few tunes from that album.

Here’s just a few highlights…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzl2jrjjHb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzmH_NDmPe/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzmN1AjA3Y/

Questioning whether or not Axl still has it? Just listen to this…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzl_tzjsCG/

It was awesome to see them to honor their punk roots with some Johnny Thunders and Iggy Pop! Duff McKagan and Slash both had time to shine with separate solo opportunities, as seen above.

When Guns blasted into “November Rain” fans witnessed a melding of that and the piano ending for “Layla” that blew their minds! Not to mention a nice segue from “Civil War” to a “Voodoo Child” solo by Slash.

My eyes began to water when the opening notes of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” echoed through Heinz Field, and saw Slash, Duff and Axl play near each other like brothers.

Not to mention, hearing “Paradise City” amongst the Pittsburgh skyline was enough to bring on more tears from any Pittsburgher.

All in all, this tour is one worth seeing. You could tell that the set list was as much fun for Guns N’ Roses as it was for the fans!

Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother put it best when he called opening for Guns and honor and said, “we all need this, don’t we?”