2017.10.15 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

Axl Rose Soars and Slash Shines as Guns N’ Roses Turn Madison Square Garden Into a Rock ‘Paradise’ [Photos + Recap]

By Spencer Kaufman

Guns N’ Roses played their second of three Madison Square Garden shows on their "Not in This Lifetime" tour last night (Oct. 15) in New York City, and the crowd was treated to a marathon three-plus-hour concert.

The fact that singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan are all playing together on one stage again is likely enough to fill up any arena, but GN’R are not resting on their laurels. Instead, they’re pouring their sweat and blood (yes, blood! — more on that later) on the stage as they deliver song after memorable song throughout the night.

How seriously are Guns N’ Roses taking this reunion? First off, they took the stage just before 8PM, so cast all your “What time is Axl gonna show up?” jokes aside for this tour. The band came roaring onto the stage with the one-two punch of “It’s So Easy” and "Mr. Brownstone," two songs that exemplify the raw and gritty side of their masterpiece Appetite for Destruction. Fans immediately rose to their feet and stayed there for the entire night. "Welcome to the Jungle" would come shortly thereafter, with Slash playing that familiar riff and Axl letting out his trademark wail.

Let’s just pause here to say that Axl Rose hasn’t sounded this good in years. Prior to this classic reunion, Axl was hit and miss, often straining and struggling to hit those high notes that made him one of rock’s most dynamic vocalists. This time around, Axl is on point, none more evident during his soaring performance of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” a tune that has seen Guns N’ Roses’ version become as much of a classic as the Bob Dylan original.

As great as Axl was, Slash deserves equal praise, as the spotlight shone on him throughout the night. Incredibly gifted guitarists played in Guns N’ Roses during Slash’s absence from the band -- including Buckethead, DJ Ashba and Bumblefoot -- but there’s nothing like seeing Slash play the riffs and solos that helped propel GN’R to superstardom. In a show filled with highlights, one of the biggest was an extended Slash solo in which he incorporated the theme from The Godfather and eventually led into a rousing rendition of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

We told you earlier there’d be blood. During an instrumental cover of Pink Floyd’s "Wish You Were," guitarist Richard Fortus’ hand was bleeding profusely as he traded licks with Slash. Fortus soldiered on, never missing a note on his blood-stained guitar. That performance led into the outro to the Derek and the Dominos classic “Layla” followed by “November Rain,” a show stopping moment in more ways than one. With Axl behind the piano and Slash on a raised platform high above the stage, the song was a spotlight moment for both musicians despite a timing hiccup that caused Axl to stop the band for a moment before picking it back up again.

As for the length of the show, a good 45 minutes could've been shaved off and fans would've still left more than happy. A few solos and instrumental passages ran a bit too long, and perhaps four songs off Chinese Democracy were a bit much, considering Slash and Duff weren't part of that album. A cover of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" seemed extraneous, too.

However, those moments weren't enough to slow down the juggernaut that is Guns N' Roses. Among the other standout moments was a stirring rendition of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," which GN'R has polished nicely since first performing the song in the wake of Chris Cornell's passing. The encore, meanwhile, was highlighted by the sing-along classic "Patience" and set-closing anthem "Paradise City."

Guns N' Roses' fall North American tour runs through the end of November. If you wanna see Axl, Slash, Duff and the rest of the band in fine form, catch GN'R at one of their upcoming dates. And check out our exclusive photos from the band's Madison Square Garden gig above and below.

Guns N’ Roses rocked MSG again (night 2 review & setlist)

By Jeff Bergstrom

Since Axl, Slash, and Duff got together for the current iteration of Guns N' Roses, they've been tearing a flaming swath of destruction across the planet and delivering audiences some of the most riveting, satisfying, and critically lauded rock n' roll reunion onslaughts ever. Last night (10/15) at Madison Square Garden was their second of three shows at the venue, and their fourth area show since 10/11. Joined by Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, and Melissa Reese, GNR's prodigiously executed mix of classics, semi-deep cuts, and covers had all in attendance at MSG on their feet and scream-singing along to an extent that I don't think I've ever seen before. Based on the reviews that have been left in their wake across this Not in This Lifetime Tour, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. What I didn't expect was a show that will have your man Klaus reeling for days to come.

Within my personal musical context, Guns N' Roses played a very important role in the formation of my musical identity, which really started taking shape in the 5th grade in 1986/1987. Having grown up on a strict diet of the Rolling Stones specifically and classic rock in general, I was a pre-pubescent rocker obsessed with guitar based and drug addled rock music (much to my parents' chagrin and vexation). With the purchase of my first cassette, Look What the Cat Dragged In by Poison, I began to dabble in glam metal's prolific second wave; a genre that wore its lust for drugs, guitars, and women on its ironically androgynous sleeve. Cassettes by Poison, Bon Jovi, Enuff Z'Nuff, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Cinderella, Extreme, and more were in constant rotation in my room. It was an amazing, heady time, even if drugs terrified me and I didn't know what penises were for.

Then one day GNR's "Welcome to the Jungle" flashed across my TV screen and it literally changed everything. Although Axl attempted a sort of glam metal bouffant in that video, it was obvious that the music was greasier, sleazier, darker, druggier, drunkier, STDier and heavier than the shit I was currently subjecting myself to. I was hooked. To this day, Appetite for Destruction and Lies are part of my library and get frequent play. Unfortunately, after Lies, my musical tastes became hungrier for heavier, more brutal stuff which led me down the paths of death metal, grindcore, punk and hardcore. Consequently, I never really got into subsequent GNR releases. Throughout high school I always found their anthemic and operatic songs and music videos insufferably pretentious. I also never got to see them live.

Flash forward a few decades to last night (10/15), and there I was witnessing GNR decimate MSG with a whopping 30 song setlist. If I am being honest, I wanted nothing more from this show than to hear the hits. And on that front, they not only didn't disappoint, but they blew my mind into micro bits. Classics like "It's So Easy", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Mr. Brownstone", "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O Mine", "Nightrain", and "Paradise City" were absolutely shattering. Slash's (and Duff's) riffs in these tunes are utterly timeless, and to finally see and hear them in an arena setting was a true thrill. Even songs that used to bore me to tears like their cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" achieved a new level of dynamism to my ears, as did "You Could Be Mine," a song that historically annoyed the crap out of me, but which in this instance rocked harder than I ever could have imagined. Their ballad "Civil War" not only sounded fresh and gorgeous, but it also found itself being unbearably relevant to our current life and times. They also unleashed some incredible covers including "New Rose" by The Damned, "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden (which they've been doing to pay tribute to Chris Cornell), and a blazing rendition of "The Seeker" by the Who. They also dared to tread on Holy Klaus ground by covering Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," which I will let slide. Check out (what I think is) the complete set list below

It goes without saying that Slash is one of the greatest guitar players of our times. No, he's not a fretboard gymnast like Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, but his chops, his style, his feel, and his grooves are all his own and truly peerless. His solos are mesmerizing to see and hear in person. And you can't miss with bassist Duff McKagan's swagger. He's a little bit Sid Vicious and a little bit Paul Simonon, and seeing him live made me realize that he too is responsible for some unbelievably signature and crucial rock licks.

What probably surprised me most about the show was frontman Axl Rose. At 55, he not only showed a surprising amount of athleticism, but his pipes were unbelievable. Song after song, he seemed to be having a genuinely raucous good time; lots of smiles, boundless enthusiasm, and an energy that defied what I've seen as decades of angsty curmudgeonliness. He seemed ecstatic to be alive and utterly appreciative of every single person who showed up to watch the gig.

GNR's gig last night was a triumph. It looked and sounded as though decades of bitterness, infighting, and rockstar BS is simmering on a back-burner somewhere and that bygones are, for now at least, bygones. I urge anyone with a Rock n' Roll bucket list to make an effort to witness GNR at this very moment in their career. They were incendiary.

GNR's NYC-area run began on 10/11 at MSG (surprise Pink appearance included), and also hit Prudential Center on 10/12. It wraps up at MSG tonight (10/16).