2017.02.04 - Western Springs Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand

Guns N’ Roses live review: Paula Bennett, our Deputy PM, reports from bogan heaven

Politician and proud Westie Paula Bennett was at Saturday night’s Guns N’ Roses concert at Western Springs in Auckland. So we invited her to file a review.

By Paula Bennett

If my inner bogan had an outing on Saturday night at the Guns N’ Roses concert then my bloke’s outer bogan was in heaven. As we joined half of West Auckland and other fans from around the country, the sun shone, the sound blasted and the bogan head nod was 50,000 strong.

I’m not a reviewer so you won’t get a song-by-song analysis, but my favourite of the night was ‘Live and Let Die’. It’s when Axl truly came into his own. Yes, Axl and the band had aged, but so had the crowd. I reckon once he put on his hat he got his mojo. For a bunch of old fellas they rocked and rolled for over two-and-a-half hours and the crowd loved it.

Wolfmother were a perfect opening act, I enjoyed them a lot more than I thought I would. I did have a moment as they were playing hard when I realised that in just 24 hours I would be replacing the jeans, black top and hard rock for a frock and a brass band at the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Beat Retreat in Waitangi, but for now fists were pumping and they sounded great.

I’m so pleased I went, I had a house full of friends from Taupo who had come up especially for the concert and over a few bourbons later in the evening the consensus was that GNR still had it. Slash still deserves the title ‘greatest guitar player in the world’ and when Axl warms up he can belt it out like no one else can.

Review: Guns N' Roses blazes the nostalgic trail at Western Springs

By Amy Maas

REVIEW: Where did we go on a Saturday night? A mammoth crowd of Aucklanders teemed the closed-off streets of an inner-city suburb to settle in for a night of nostalgic hard rock.

They abandoned their cars, left the footpaths and lines and lines of people pushed their way into the gates at Western Springs (others leaned against their nearby garden walls). There were so many they continued to stream in as Guns N' Roses opened the last of their two New Zealand concerts with It's So Easy and Mr Brownstone.

A crowd this big could only be filled with high hopes and high expectations from a band that would surely take them on a trip back in time. And that they did, but it was also a reminder that the rockers have aged.

The effort of belting out the 1987 classics appeared to exert Axl Rose to the point of breathlessness.

But he had enough left in him to tell the crowd: "There's a lot of you motherf......, ain't there."

Yes, there were. More than 50,000 people had gathered in the City of Sails for the Not In This Lifetime tour - the result of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan reuniting in 2015.

And while yes, time ages people, these are rockers that didn't disappoint. Four songs in, Axl Rose welcomed the moving mass of people to the jungle as Slash took centre stage (as he would do again, and again and again) during the crowd favourite.

The behemoth of people moved as one as Axl Rose rasped out more classics, Live and Let Die and You Could Be Mine before McKagan took centre stage for his melodic solo, You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory.

But the Slash show soon took over again as he pulled out his doubleneck for Coma - and more crowd pleasers during the night - before his own solo.

They put an end to the hushed "is this it?" expectation the crowd felt before they launched into each of their songs by saving the best for (nearly) last as Axl Rose sat behind the baby grand and belted out November Rain.

The old favourites hadn't gone out of style, and as Knocking on Heavens door hit its chorus, they belted it out.

And it wasn't long till we were all on the Night Train, and an encore which played out over four more songs.

But, I didn't have to write this at all. It could be summed up simply by the crowd's verdict: "It was f...... awesome." And if you missed out on Western Springs, you missed out on a night where the rest of the town went to bed still humming to the tune of Paradise City.

And, as they say goodbye to New Zealand, they've got their arsenal of hits ready for Australian fans.

In Review: Guns N’ Roses live at Western Springs!

Guns N’ Roses: Not in This Lifetime tour
Western Springs Stadium, Auckland, NZ
February 4th, 2017
5/5 stars
Reviewed by MADDIE PAYNE

Guns N’ Roses blew away the crowd of 50,000 fans on Saturday night at Western Springs Stadium for their last New Zealand show of the Not in This Lifetime tour. Duff McKagan, Axl Rose and Slash, the three from the original Guns N’ Roses, haven’t performed together since the 1993 Use Your Illusion tour. They were joined by three others; Melissa Reese, Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer, who meshed into the band like they were originals and performed exceptionally well.

Before the band even came out the opening act, WolfMother, warmed up the crowd with their 70s rock vibes and got us all pumped for Guns N’ Roses. Two particular songs played by WolfMother, Woman and Joker & the Thief were definite crowd pleasers, with most of the crowd either jumping or singing along. They were a great band to open for GNR.

After all the waiting and anticipating, the legendary rock n’ roll band walked out on stage. They were welcomed with loud cheering, whistling and plenty of hand gestures. They opened with It’s so Easy, Mr. Brownstone and Chinese Democracy which got the crowd going before the sun even went down.

As the night went on, I saw what rock n’ roll is all about. Five people had been pulled out of my section by security due to either passing out or being so obnoxiously drunk they had to be removed, and fights were erupting right behind me. By the time the band got around to playing all time smash hit Sweet Child O’ Mine I was fully emerged in the rock atmosphere and loving it. Listening to some songs live, such as Civil War, This I love and Sorry were unbelievable and I had to pinch myself to make sure I was really there.

Surprisingly even the aged members of Guns N’ Roses were amazing to listen to. Going in I was expecting them, Axl especially, to be a bit slow or off key. However Axl ran around the stage all night and sang his heart out, reaching every note and impressing every single person in attendance. Slash’s guitar playing was a show stopper, making the crowd go crazy every time he had a solo. I’ve never seen so many people worship one band this much. Duff sang You can’t put your arms around a memory / Attitude and his voice was beautiful, it really did blow me away.

Looking around at the rest of the crowd sing along to the lyrics and know every single word was refreshing to see and being able to share a passion with 50,000 other people was insane. Being one of the youngest in attendance at this concert (the band was well before my time) didn’t stop me from being able to relate to the oldies. I’d share a smile here and there, receive many questions about my age, (“How could someone so young possibly be a fan?”) and getting surprised looks from others when they noticed I knew all the words and was able to sing along with Axl.

The Guns N’ Roses concert had to be the greatest night of my life and I would 10/10 recommend seeing them live if the slim chance ever arises. It truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity! Axl, Duff and Slash are incredible artists and still have the talent they had back in the day.

Concert Review: Guns N' Roses, Western Springs, Auckland

By Karl Puschmann

he theme from Looney Toons filled Western Springs. It felt apt.

With Guns n' Roses needing to bury so much bad blood to play here the question was, were we about to see the real deal or a cartoon parody?

Opener It's So Easy convinced. Axl sounded as dangerously non-plussed as he did on record all those decades ago.

But those decades soon caught up. After a grooving stomp through what has to be the world's only danceable ode to heroin, Mr Brownstone, Axl was close to done.

Far from encapsulating LA's menacing mean streets Welcome to the Jungle was puffed out and tired. Those old serpentine moves were suffering not slippery.

The screeched warning of You're Gonna Die, making it feel like a heart attack was imminent, not a pissed off pimps knife.

Still the band hit it when it counted. The vocals sometimes lagged at first, but when it was time to bring it, Axl bought the house down.

The power was obviously no longer effortlessly on tap, but was now utilised for maximum effect.

And as the night went on and he warmed up he just got better and better.

When the dude cut loose, which he did often, it truly was something else. The extended screams during Live and Let Die a brutal reminder of just how dangerous this cat once was.

Slash, of course, killed it. His guitar squealing and soloing like the bad mofo he is.

The band was undoubtedly slick. But far from the wild, untamed bad hombres that they once were.

A searing hot extended run through of the stone cold classic Rocket Queen featured dueling solos, a prince funk tribute and a loose jam showed the band had swapped living on the edge for a safer brand of fun.

But in all honesty a stadium show like this, and they get no bigger than the Springs, is about the event more than the act. Nothing proves that more than the fact that 90 minutes into their set the stadium ran out of beer.

There's no doubt that Guns n Roses did their bit. They played the hits, they jammed some epic solos, they surprised ( a cover of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here anyone?), they had costume changes. I stopped counting Axl's cowboy hat changes at six.

But more than that they brought the ruckus.

Early number Civil War boomed, November Rain at almost 15 minutes was totally epic, Sweet Child O Mine was just unfreaking belivably good as Slash confirmed his guitar God status.

Despite the sanitary nature of the stadium, and the elder age of the band, the songs still retained that deadly hedonistic sense of sex, drugs n rock n roll that made these guys reputation back in the day. If you closed your eyes the power riffing stomp through My Michelle almost made you believe you were back on LA's notorious strip back in the 80s.

But there was no escaping the fact we weren't. Every missed vocal, slipped beat and rancid sip of Woodstock reminded you of that.

'Are you still with us?' Axl asked right before the band lurched into the mind melting power riff of You Could Be Mine.

It may have been rhetorical but the stadium erupted. As they, and I, did throughout the night.

Because no one here ever thought they'd see these guys together again.
As the official tour t-shirt ($55) stated, it was G N' f'n R.

It was Axl Rose mostly on fire, and it was Slash entirely apocalyptic.

And even in those moments when it wasn't good, when it was abundantly clear that these guys weren't 21 and completely, uncompromisingly rock n roll anymore, it was still awesome.

Guns N’ Roses
4th February 2017
Western Springs Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand

Review by Sarah Kidd, Photography by Doug Peters.

Once in a blue moon; a truly legendary band touches down in New Zealand. Whether you are a fan or not, what makes them legendary is just how infamous Guns n Roses are. You know who they are. Everyone knows who they are. They have become an integral part of the woven history of music and nothing will ever change that.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, in support tonight was the ever endearing Wolfmother, who are basically our cousins due to the fact that they hail from Sydney, Australia. With a gorgeously dirty Rock n Roll sound, this 3 piece – who officially formed in 2004 – wasted no time in hitting the gathering sea of black with a wall of noise as they kicked off their set with ‘Victorious’. Lead singer Andrew Stockdale’s voice in full flight as he howls into the microphone. While they make look tiny on such a huge stage, their presence is massive. This is in part due to the hugely entertaining bass player/keyboardist Ian Peres who plays with such unabandoned pleasure that it is a sight to behold. On tracks such as ‘White Unicorn’ where Peres plays the keyboards (while on his knees it might be added) – it feels as if the spirit of The Doors themselves are being channelled. “You beautiful people – bless!” Stockdale beams at the audience. Wolfmother run through nine tracks of pure Rock n Roll bliss and prove just why they have shared the stage with some of music’s biggest acts.

The sun which has been blazing down on patrons for the entirety of the day is slowly sinking down behind the main stage when graphics featuring the Guns n Roses logo spring to life on gigantic side screens. The sound of gunshots echo out across the stadium eliciting huge cheers from the crowd as they realise that within minutes the icons that are GnR are about to arrive. It is quite an amazing sight to see thousands (over 50,000 at official count) of people gather in a single place to collectively experience a musical event. And there are few acts currently touring that can boast being able to draw such numbers.

As the lights hit the elaborate stage of platforms and staircases, the opening notes of ‘It’s So Easy’ from the epic album ‘Appetite for Destruction’ ring out, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy. While it may not quite be the original line-up, it’s the best we are going to get and let’s face it seeing the trio of Slash, Duff and the man Axl himself back on stage together again, brings a tear to the eye of any true Gunners fan. Axl, resplendent in leather jacket and jeans, a flannel shirt tied around his waist and wearing enough bling to sink a ship wastes no time in showing us that while he may now be in his mid-fifties he can still tear around a stage of staircases while wailing into the microphone (even if it did leave him a little breathless). Slash, the ultimate icon of cool was there in his trade mark top hat and curly hair, a look that was mimicked by more than a few fans on site. Bass player Duff McKagen always cuts an impressive figure with his height and edgy looks, and tonight is no exception. The current line-up consists of seven members, the band boasting two keyboardists (the well-known Dizzy Reed and relative new comer Melissa Reece) along with Richard Fortus on rhythm guitar and Frank Ferrer on drums.

After second song of the night ‘Mr Brownstone’ Axl, eyeing up the crowd says “How you doin – there’s a lot of you motherfuckers here aren’t there?” and that was about the most audience interaction we received (besides a rather strange little anecdote later in the set where Axl leans on Duff’s shoulder and says “You know, Duff went into a store in Wellington, and they tried to sell him a top hat!”). While the sound was unfortunately rather muddy for the support act, it was thankfully crystal clear for the Gunners. And while Axl’s vocals are at times a little screechy (‘This I Love’ was admittedly a bad choice live and a tad cringe worthy) he proved that he is still up there with the best of them belting out hit after hit, his lower octave range deep enough to rumble the ground.

Duff McKagen also flexed his vocal chords stepping up to the microphone mid set to deliver a face meltingly good version of the Misfits classic ‘Attitude’ a popular cover amongst fans. There was sadly a notable absence of banter between the members of the band; however the guitar work of the night spoke volumes. Slash inspired thousands of air guitar solos as he delivered some stunning finger work on tracks such as the underrated ‘Double Talkin Jive’, and ‘The Godfather’ theme. But it was the duets between Slash and Fortus that really stole the show; their instrumental cover of Pink Floyds ‘Wish you were here’ while standing upon a podium a genuinely moving affair.

So far the audience had been treated to a great mix of tracks from both the Appetite and Illusion albums with a few songs from the less well received Chinese Democracy thrown in for good measure. And when a baby grand piano appeared front of stage, every soul present knew what was coming next. A close up of Axl’s hands revealed not only rings the size of rocks, but beautiful piano work, Rose being a highly accomplished player. The fierce ending to the song was accompanied by showers of sparks from the stage ceiling and visuals of rain moving swiftly across the screens.

Speaking of screens, let’s hear it for the unsung heroes of the show, the people who put together the absolutely, mind blowing onstage visuals! Each and every song was accompanied by outstanding graphics depicting everything from skeletons getting it on to birds taking flight. Not to be forgotten either is the cameramen who followed the moves of the four main members, their astounding camera work projected crystal clear on the aforementioned side screens, ensuring that no matter how far back from the stage you were, it felt like you were within inches of the band. The gunners set finished on the grimy classic ‘Nightrain’, a song about the infamous cheap fortified wine that was popular with the band back in the day when they could afford little else.

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we wouldn’t receive an encore and after a very short break, the band returned to the stage and delivered a further four songs, finishing on the ever popular ‘Paradise City’ complete with pyrotechnics and showers of confetti. The gunners retreated under the cover of smoke, only to return one last time for a final bow, the sight of Axl, Slash and Duff arm in arm with the rest of the members tugging on the heart strings – long may their renewed friendship continue!