2023.07.13 - La Défense Arena, Paris, France

Guns N' Roses: we were at the sultry rock legends' concert at Paris La Défense Arena

By Violaine Schütz

On Thursday July 13, California rock legends Guns N' Roses performed live at Europe's largest indoor concert venue: Paris La Défense Arena. Numéro was there, and tells you all about an evening of emotion and energy. [...]

Guns N' Roses were back on stage in France on Thursday, July 13, following their performance at Hellfest in Clisson last year. The show took place at the Paris La Défense Arena, Europe's largest indoor concert venue, in front of 35,000 overheated souls. After an insane opening set (despite a sound problem on several tracks) by rock legend Billy Idol and his band Generation Sex (featuring two ex-members of the Sex Pistols), Guns N' Roses took to the stage to thunderous applause. Today, the band, which has gone through a period of turmoil due to tensions between band members and excesses of all kinds, is made up of original figures such as Axl Rose and Slash, as well as newcomers such as keyboardist Melissa Reese, who has a manga look and looks like Lady Gaga.

Although the two stars of the band - Axl Rose and Slash - are 61 and 57 years old, they still put on a great show, and do so for over 3 hours. The bad boys of rock, known for their tardiness and, in recent years, a vocal decline on the part of the leader, prove that they have nothing to envy the younger members of the band. The band's greatest asset remains the genius of guitarist Slash, who plays a track from the Barbie soundtrack, I'm Just Ken. Considered one of the world's finest guitarists by all the major charts, he has collaborated with Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, the Black Eyed Peas and Lenny Kravitz. His electrifying guitar solos and iconic look (top hat, low-cut shirt, wild mane) have fans of the band on the edge of their seats. So does Axl Rose's stage attitude, as he continues to run around the stage and wiggle his hips, even if his once fabulous, animalistic voice isn't always as powerful, depending on the song.

Despite this drawback, and the kitschiness of the videos projected on stage - showing skulls and cars in a video-game aesthetic - Guns N' Roses remain beasts of the stage and outstanding performers. Their stage repertoire is packed with hits, whether pure energy or emotion, awakening the rebellious, furious and romantic teenager in all of us. In the huge Paris la Défense Arena, they deliver thunderous versions of Welcome to the Jungle, Double Talkin' Jive, Sweet Child O' Mine, Rocket Queen, Civil War (with a Ukrainian flag displayed in the background on one of the giant screens), Night Train and You Could Be Mine. They also brought the audience to tears with superb, soulful renditions of November Rain (on piano, influenced by Elton John), Knockin' on Heaven's Door (a Bob Dylan cover that has become as legendary as the original), Patience and Don't Cry. Guns N' Roses may no longer be in their prime, and they may seem far less dangerous than in their early days, but they're still rockin' with all their guns blazing. And we still feel like throwing flowers at them...

Guns N' Roses has lost its thorns

YESTERDAY IN PARIS - At the La Defense Arena, Axl Rose's band gave a Dantean concert lasting over 3 hours, plagued by the singer's vocal problems.

Exactly 30 years ago, Guns N' Roses created their legend: on July 13, 1993, in front of a packed Bercy stadium, the band played one of the last concerts of their "Use your illusion tour", one of the longest tours in rock history, with 194 concerts in 27 countries! Depleted and exhausted, Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Slash and their three accomplices arrived on stage very late, played like nitwits, but carried within them an impressive ardor and a mad rage stemming from the deterioration of their relationships and their abuse of illicit substances. Then that Guns N' Roses crashed: Slash quit in 1996, Duff the following year, leaving Axl Rose alone aboard a ghost ship.

For 20 years, Rose kept his ship afloat, between erratic performances and endless studio sessions that culminated in the very average "Chinese Democracy" in 2008. But when Rose called Slash and Duff back in 2016, the buzz was beyond belief. Suddenly, Guns N'Roses had become a band emblematic of an era, rock dinosaurs on a par with their elders AC/DC, Deep Purple or Metallica.

On tour for two years

Without a new album, Guns embarked on the "Not in this lifetime tour", a true cash-machine spread over two years. So here we are, on July 13, 2023, in the immense Paris La Défense Arena, in the midst of 35,000 spectators who have clearly understood that the show is starting early. At 7:45 p.m., the lights go down, the screens light up and a very 90's visual intro scrolls past... Flames, skulls, tattoos, roses, hearts, the whole gamut of "hard rock" visuals is on display as the Guns emerge from their lair. Frank Ferrer on drums, Richard Fortus on guitar, Melissa Reese and Dizzy Reed on keyboards settle in before Duff McKagan kicks things off with "It's so easy", the opening track of ALL their concerts since 2016...

While Slash hides behind his microphone, bluish Ray Ban and hat, Axl Rose bursts in. Slimmer than 7 years ago at the Stade de France, and with a weaker voice too. But as energetic as ever. Rose is one of rock's greatest enigmas. He doesn't take part in the band's soundchecks, stays in a separate dressing room or hotel, and seems to live in another world. He hasn't given an interview in ages, signs autographs and takes selfies with fans who track him down, but hasn't written a song in 15 years...

Slash, the pillar of a band that can still play pretty damn well

What's more, at 61, Rose sings according to his whim. Opting for his head voice on the lowest tracks, screaming at times, each track is a surprise, good or bad.

At worst, he takes on the most complex tracks and goes completely off the rails. And sometimes, miraculously, he lands on his feet. The result is a decent "Bad Obsession", but a dreadful "Chinese Democracy", a grandiose "Mr Browstone", but an inaudible "Reckless Life". It's a pity, because Guns have made the effort to renew their setlist a little, going for little-played tracks like "Pretty Tied Up" from volume 2 of "Use Your Illusion", or recent stuff like "Hard Skool" and "Absurd", which were released in 2021 as "new singles".

Fortunately, the longer the concert goes on, the more a leader emerges: Slash. An immense guitarist, with incredible precision and graceful soloing, he's the backbone of a band that can play pretty damn well. On bass, Duff McKagan is a master, wearing a tank top bearing the logo of Generation Sex, the opening band made up of Billy Idol and two former Sex Pistols. Axl Rose changes his T-shirt a dozen times, spins around with his microphone stand and smiles permanently, his face doll-like and charming.

3 h 25 of show

Nothing dangerous or sultry here. Just musicians re-enacting their youth in front of an audience who loved them in the 80s and 90s. Duff enjoys himself with a cover of the Stooges' "T.V. Eye", Axl misses the mark on "You Could Be Mine", but Slash plays the intro to "Sweet Child O' Mine" to the note. What more could you ask for?

In 2023, Guns N' Roses are a fairground phenomenon, buoyed by memories of the years when people used to play scare games with them. The only slippage now comes from Axl Rose's vocal abilities, who has basically succeeded in keeping alive a tale that should have ended for good in July 1993.

After "Civil War", dedicated to Ukraine (with Rose sporting the flag on his shirt) and the rather good rendition of "November Rain", you'd think the end was near, with Guns having already played for 2hrs 25mins... But no. They even slip in "There was a time", another track from "Chinese Democracy" that nobody knows, before concluding with a bellowing "Knockin' on heaven's door" and an upbeat "Nightrain". At the encore, "Coma" gives a few shivers, before "Paradise City" brings the crowd to its feet one last time. It's 11.15pm when Guns N' Roses leave the stage, after 3 hours and 25 minutes of show. Dantean, pitiable and, in the end, legendary.

Mythical hits, disastrous sound... What can we take away from Guns N' Roses' marathon concert at La Défense Arena?

The Americans didn't forget any of their hits this Thursday night in Nanterre. The only drawback was the disastrous sound system, which spoiled the fun for many in attendance.

By Michel Valentin

What makes a band legendary? The fact that it mobilizes on its name alone, attracts audiences from all over the country and even beyond, despite the varying reputations of some of its members, and fills a venue the size of La Défense Arena in Paris (40,000 seats in its maximum configuration).

That despite the fact that their last studio album, which was otherwise average, dates back almost 15 years, and that only a handful of new tracks have been released since then... By all these criteria, Guns N' Roses are indeed a mythical band, and their performance on Thursday night will certainly go down in the books, for at least two reasons: an exceptional duration, 3h25 on our stopwatch, and a disastrous sound.

Sound disaster

Let's start with the latter. From where we were, in the stands, the sound system was abysmal: constant echo, bass saturation, often inaudible guitar solos, vocals drowned in the mix. It was atrocious at times, the worst being during the first track, "It's So Easy", when describing the sound as muddy would be an insult to mud.

Not wanting to rule out the possibility of a sudden failure of our hearing aid, we interviewed a few people from the audience at the end of the show. The majority of those in the stands shared our opinion. Those who had watched from the pit were not unanimous, with equal numbers of satisfied and dissatisfied...

A spoonful of covers

It's a shame, because Guns were on top form on Thursday. With a setlist that spanned the whole spectrum, a frontman in top form, and almost no solos that were as useless as they were demonstrative... The night could have been truly magical if it hadn't been for that damned mess of sound! But let's focus on the bright side. First and foremost, the insane repertoire, including all the classics. Just think: no less than 8 of the 12 tracks on "Appetite For Destruction", the seminal 1987 album, were offered! But also two new songs that the Americans have been playing live since last year, and a whole bunch of covers.

And all that delivered with an enthusiasm that's a joy to behold, especially from lead singer Axl Rose, the only one capable of sprinting across the stage as he begins a ballad, "Estranged", of introducing the punk cover of UK Subs' "Down On The Farm" as a tribute to "sustainable agriculture", while, at the same time, blowing up his ecological footprint by changing his T-shirt every two or three songs.

Guitarist Slash is another great man of the night, as solid as ever, this time forgoing his usual "Godfather" guitar solo in favor of something a little more robust and rock'n'roll, accompanied by the other musicians. The bassist, Duff McKagan, also seems to have taken on a more prominent role. He often doubles the vocal parts of Axl Rose - who always tends to try too hard on the high notes, while his natural voice retains all its charm - and takes to the mike himself for a wild cover of the Stooges' "T.V. Eye".

Guitarist Slash is another great man of the night, as solid as ever, this time forgoing his usual "Godfather" guitar solo in favor of something a little more robust and rock'n'roll, accompanied by the other musicians. The bassist, Duff McKagan, also seems to have taken on a more prominent role. He often doubles the vocal parts of Axl Rose - who always tends to push too hard on the high notes, while his natural voice retains all its charm - and takes to the mike himself for a wild cover of the Stooges' "T.V. Eye".

After a 2h45 show, the Guns are back for more

The concert also gave us the opportunity to revisit some of the lesser-known tracks in the Yanks' repertoire, but ones that were bursting with life this evening, such as "Bad Obsession", which came in second in the set, "Pretty Tied Up", the unexpected "Anything Goes", and "Coma", which was part of the encore. Other surprises include a cover of "Wichita Lineman", a country standard immortalized by Glen Campbell in 1968, and "Prostitute", a track that closed 2008's "Chinese Democracy".

Instead of leaving the audience stunned, this abundance of songs prompted them to express their approval loudly and repeatedly. Tens of thousands of cell phones also lit up during the emotionally-charged sequences of "November Rain" and "Don't Cry. You might find these moments on social networks, but not here, as the band's management has unfortunately forbidden all access to press photographers.

The band bowed out after 2 hours 45 minutes. And where other acts would have thought they'd already given it their all, the Guns returned for another half-hour, with their cars already waiting for them. And it's off to a gentle acoustic start with "Patience", before ending in apotheosis at "Paradise City", the magical place where many of the spectators were on Thursday night.