2023.08.18 - PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Fairly good chance for the band playing Perhaps tonight, then.

Perhaps just had its live debut. It's hard to tell from the stream, but it sounded good as far as I could here. Waiting for videos now!

Pictures by Del James

Perhaps

With this show, TV Eye has been played more than The Garden (22 vs 21 times) and Perhaps has been played more than Don't Damn Me (1 vs 0 times).

Review in by Mike Palm in TRIB Live on August 19, 2023:

Review: Guns N' Roses rocks Pittsburgh despite vocal inconsistencies

After inspiring head-banging for so many years, Guns N’ Roses instead left some in the audience head-scratching on Friday night at PNC Park.

The veteran hard rockers’ world tour hit Pittsburgh, and singer Axl Rose’s voice fluctuated throughout the night, rarely coming close to the dynamic singing captured in their classic hits like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

Rose’s voice started deep and theatrical, sometimes rising higher but softer, dropping to a whisper and disappearing completely at other times. Whether it’s faded by age or damaged vocal cords or a bad mix, the see-sawing vocals proved jarring and the 61-year-old’s signature feral howls never truly materialized.

That’s not to say it wasn’t a good show, as Guns N’ Roses has been solid musically since original members guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan rejoined the band in 2016. (That’s also the last time they played in Pittsburgh, when they visited Heinz Field for the Not in This Lifetime tour.)

Slash, who turned 58 last month, unleashed fiery solo after solo throughout the night, with “Double Talkin’ Jive,” “Chinese Democracy” and “Mr. Brownstone” among the highlights. Decked out in his trademark top hat and sunglasses (even at night), Slash’s guitar theatrics/heroics propelled the band through a three-hour spin through all their hits.

McKagan served as a steadying force, helping to fill in the gaps on vocals. The rest of the band — guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and keyboardist Melissa Reese — kept the music sounding like classic Guns N’ Roses. The stage set-up was fairly straight forward, with two giant video screens flanking the stage, while there was no pyro (or fireworks!) and only limited lighting into the crowd.

Rose, for all of the hit-and-miss vocals, proved an amiable frontman with plenty of smiles, apparently much changed from the volatile days of the 1980s and ‘90s when he would often arrive late for shows. That didn’t happen Friday, as Rose noted at 10:22 p.m.: “I’ve got 38 minutes left to (mess) up your (crap)!”

Seemingly channeling Elton John (at least with his silver dress coat and big sunglasses), Rose showed off his impressive piano ability on “November Rain,” ending their epic rock ballad with a flourish. And Rose’s vocals sounded particularly strong on “Nightrain” near the end of the set.

A new song, “Perhaps,” made its live debut at PNC Park, just one day after being officially released on Thursday. “I didn’t screw the pooch on that too bad,” Rose said afterward.

The piano-driven song is the band’s first new music since “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” came out in August and September of 2021. All three of those songs have origins dating back to the “Chinese Democracy” sessions in the early 2000s.

With only three albums by the classic band lineup, their debut “Appetite for Destruction” appeared prominently Friday, with eight of 12 songs played. Other highlights included “You Could Be Mine,” “Estranged” and “Civil War,” which featured Rose wearing a T-shirt with a Ukrainian flag. (That was just one of at least 10 minor wardrobe changes for Rose.)

Of the band’s 27 songs played Friday night, five were covers. Of those, “Live and Let Die” by Wings and “Slither” by Velvet Revolver — which included Slash and McKagan — were the high points, while Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” seemed like it went on a bit too long. McKagan sang lead vocals on the Stooges’ “T.V. Eye,” and, for the U.K. Subs’ “Down on the Farm,” Rose busted out a faux British accent, much like he did on “The Spaghetti Incident?” album version.

After Rose asked whether the crowd wanted a tearful ballad, disco, salsa or a violin concerta to end the night, the band closed with a celebratory performance of “Paradise City.”

Unlike Pink’s show at PNC Park on Aug. 5, this was not a sell-out. (Luke Combs, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran packed Acrisure Stadium earlier this year, and Morgan Wallen has two nights of sold-out shows coming later this month at PNC Park.)

The PNC Park show was added on May 31, more than three months after a concert at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey — about 3.5 hours from Pittsburgh — was announced. Ticket sales here seemed to lag, with prices as low as $25 last week and in the hours leading up to the show in the 100 level. That led to the entire 300 level of the park going unused Friday night.

Reviews for their recent tour dates have been mixed, including a June show where they were eviscerated after headlining the Glastonbury Festival in England. One critic described Rose as flipping “between a lower register that resembles a clogged lawnmower and a higher one that sounds like Barry Gibb suffering the mother of all wedgies.” Another said Rose, “who now resembles an aging small-town hairdresser, has lost his vocal power.”

The Pretenders, with original singer/rhythm guitarist Chrissy Hynde leading the way, opened the show with a prompt 6 p.m. start. Wearing a black T-shirt with Pittsburgh emblazoned across the front, the Akron native Hynde praised Pittsburgh.

“It’s what Akron should have been if they hadn’t (messed) it up,” she said.

The band rolled through their hits, like “Brass in Pocket,” “Back on the Chain Gang,” “I’ll Stand by You” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” as well as “Hymn to Her,” a ballad Hynde said was requested by Rose.

Source: https://triblive.com/aande/music/review-guns-n-roses-rocks-pittsburgh-despite-vocal-imperfections/

Review in Pittsburth Post-Gazette, Aug. 19:
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Review: Guns N’ Roses blazes and screeches in marathon PNC Park set

By Scott Mervis

It was a good week for Guns N’ Roses fans, especially the Pittsburgh ones.

Not only did they get their first GNR show in seven years, but a legit new song and video on the eve of the concert with “Perhaps,” the third single from the band since “Hard Skool” in 2021.

It made GNR seem a little less like a nostalgia band heading into PNC Park on Friday night on the We're F'N' Back! Tour.

Coming in, there were some mixed reviews: on the plus side, the length of the show, the solid playing. the overall good spirits of the band. On the down side, Axl Rose’s everywhere vocals, bad sound mixes, meh drumming, minimal production and, of course, from that critic across the pond, the part about them being “exhausting viewing and frontrunners for the worst Glastonbury headline set of all time.” (Maybe he’s the reason no review tickets or photo passes are being issued.)

Guns N’ Roses didn’t sound like the worst of anything at PNC, which was packed — except for the completely empty, unsold upper deck.

They hit the stage with a mushroom cloud on screen and sounding properly nuclear on their standard opener, “It’s So Easy.”

Rose, sporting a black T, silver pants and short hair, went through his full range on the song, from the menacing lower register to feral screech while he did that sideways slide across the stage.

Within a few songs, it was clear you’d never know what sound was gonna come out of him next. Some of the notes he flat-out nailed; others, in that falsetto range, nailed him. I dare say there were times when he wouldn’t have passed the audition for a Guns N’ Roses tribute band, but, all in all, he was an impressive frontman for this sort of thing at 61.

The guitar power was high voltage between Slash, the shredding mad hatter, and Richard Fortus, who delivered one of the best solos of the night on “Rocket Queen,” at least until Slash absolutely unloaded on the endless jam coming out of “Civil War.”

The guitarist also had a moment, with keyboardist Dizzy Reed, in the extended jam on “Estranged.”

Bassist Duff McKagan remains a badass in every way, and his lead vocal on The Stooges’ “TV Eye” suggested he should do more of the vocals. Rose immediately matched the punk intensity, capturing the spirit of ’77 on the UK Subs’ “Down on the Farm.”

McKagan’s rhythm section partner, Ferrer, is indeed more of a plodder than most drummers in that lofty position.

“Forgive me if I don’t run around a lot on this next song,” Rose said about an hour in, adding that he needed to concentrate on “how to sing it live.”

With that, they unveiled a solid version of “Perhaps,” on its live debut.

“Now that was an experience,” Rose said.

For most of the crowd, the best experiences were the big Guns: early on, the grinding “Welcome to the Jungle” and explosive “Live and Let Die” (though pyro-less), and then later a run of hits with a rousing “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” piano power ballad “November Rain,” the Dylan doorbuster “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” a thunderous “Nightrain” and, like three hours in, a showstopping “Paradise City.”

Here’s the thing: Just because you CAN play till 11 in Downtown Pittsburgh doesn’t mean you HAVE to. Marathon sets are superb for jam bands, less so for high-energy hard rockers. Ideally, Guns N’ Roses would add a third band, come out and slay for 100 minutes and bolt.

Rather than stack the bill with pop-metal bands — thus making ticket sales easier — GNR has some oddfellows on the tour, including Carrie Underwood and, for Pittsburgh, The Pretenders, a punk/New Wave band that never would have crossed paths with GNR in its heyday,

They went on at the early hour of 6 p.m., before a lot of people got there, and lived up to their reputation as one of the elite bands of the post-punk/New Wave we era.

This set, however, was more in the midtempo gear than the punk one, with radio songs like “Talk of the Town,” “Kid” and “Brass in Pocket.”

The one original member, Chrissie Hynde, at 71, looks great and somehow doesn’t sound any different than she did at 31.

Even paring down the punk, The Pretenders still mustered a rowdy clatter, with “Boots of Chinese Plastic” being one of those standouts.

Hynde, one of Rose’s favorite female singers, displayed her stunning vibrato on a pair of ballads — “I’ll Stand By You” and “Hymn to Her,” by Rose’s request — and finished loud and heavy with “Middle of the Road” (with shrieking harp) and “Mystery Achievement.”

Wearing a black “Steel City”’ T-shirt and dark glasses, the Ohio native told the crowd, “I feel so close to home. Akron is only a hundred miles away. Pittsburgh is what Athens should have been, but they f—ed it up!”

She also said, “I got on the 71C today, rode it all the way to the end. It’s really lovely.”

I can only hope some old East End scenester got to enjoy the thrill of seeing Chrissie Hynde on the 71C.

https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2023/08/18/guns-n-roses-pnc-park-concert-pittsburgh/stories/202308180120

Pre-show report from WTAE-TV Pittsburgh

Article/review in Canton Repository, Aug. 24:
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Too old to rock? Should Guns N' Roses and other aging bands hang it up?

Ed Balint
Canton Repository

Emotions swirled as I reflected on the current state of Guns N' Roses in the wake of the legendary rock band's recent Pittsburgh concert.

One moment I felt an exhilarating afterglow of having watched the rock and roll gods of my high school and college glory days. Moments later, guilt pervaded my consciousness. There was even sadness and melancholy over the decline of what was widely considered the most menacing and popular rock band in the world in the late '80s and early '90s.

Then, while listening to the G N' R tune "It's So Easy" and doing yardwork in the late August sun, euphoria returned when I embarrassingly impersonated lead singer Axl Rose and his famous snake dance, hopefully out of the view of neighbors who were hosting a backyard pool party a couple of houses away.

To rock or not to rock, that is the question

Back and forth my mood swung, between high and low, from song to song, concert memories fresh in my thoughts. My turmoil and conflict boiling down to this − should Guns N' Roses and other big rock bands past their prime keep rocking or retire?

And should I be saddled with guilt over shelling out a few hundred dollars to watch a band decades removed from their former Billboard chart dominance? Or should I apologize for being more pumped up for the G N' R concert than when I took my 17-year-old daughter to see pop music sensation Taylor Swift in Pittsburgh earlier this summer?

Triggering these ponderings was a stinging TikTok comment posted in response to a video reel I had created of highlights from the Guns N' Roses concert on Aug. 18 at PNC Park. Written in all capital letters for bullhorn effect:

"WAY PAST TIME TO HANG IT UP ... SOUNDS LIKE (EXPLECTIVE) .. MONEY BACK." Tagged to the end of the barb was a series of clown emojis.

Ouch. What a gut punch. I recoiled. A touch of nausea gripped my stomach. Thought bubble: "Am I a loser for having enjoyed the Guns N' Roses concert so much?"

Then I rebounded.

In response to another one of my TikTok posts, Guns N' Roses debuting a live performance of their just released song, "Perhaps," a fan signaled their delight with a string of six heart-shaped emojis.

A kinder, gentler Guns N' Roses

Casting aside the mixed online reviews, I thought back to just two days earlier, when I stood on the stadium field, less than 50 yards from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. Finally, I got to experience a reunited Guns N' Roses after having missed out on their 2016 tour. And wow, it was a blast. G N' R was an all-time great concert. A few times I even felt tears dampening my eyes. I was that happy.

Admittedly, however, I feel compelled to put the 2023 version of Guns N' Roses into proper context. This wasn't close to the 1987 version when the band exploded onto the music scene with fury and attitude and songs that somehow managed to be both wickedly heavy and radio friendly. Or the 1991 tour, when G N' R became the first band ever to simultaneously hold Billboard's No. 1 and No. 2 album spots with "Use Your Illusion I and II."

Rose is 61. Guitarist Slash is 58. And bassist Duff McKagan is 59.

To quote the late President George H.W. Bush, who was in office when the band's seminal album "Appetite for Destruction" spent a full year in the Billboard top 10, this was a kinder, gentler version of Guns N' Roses.

Axl was jovial, appreciative, playfully humorous ... and yes, punctual! Musically, the band sounded terrific. Slash was a virtuoso on the guitar. Mesmerizing. Soulful, emotive, blues-rock inspired strumming. And piledriving, string-hammering metal.

This all led me to uncharacteristically start belting out salacious lyrics and singing along to songs like, "Anything Goes":

"I been thinking 'bout sex ... Always hungry for something that I haven't had yet ... Tied up, tied down, up against the wall. Be my rubber made baby, and we can do it all."

Yikes! Call it the power of Axl. Almost ventriloquist-like, as if I couldn't control the words leaving my lips, I was endorsing debaucherous sex.

So how good ... or bad ... was Axl's singing?

So what about Axl's vocals? Yeah, yeah, I was getting there. This is more nuanced. And subjective.

He wasn't awful. But he wasn't turn-back-the-clock spectacular. Vintage Axl is considered to be among the finest rock vocalists of all time. Incredible range with an ability to morph his voice with chameleon effect, almost as if it's two singers in one. A signature gravelly screech with air raid-siren power.

Three words sum up the quality of his current singing the best − inconsistent, uneven and exploratory. At times he channeled his past greatness, howling as if he's half man, half werewolf. Awesome. Other times he sang in his trademark lower register, uniquely baritone. Very cool.

But there were moments when he clearly struggled, frequently relying on a falsetto that was foreign to the studio versions of the songs.

Occasionally his voice appeared to drop out entirely, as if he had summoned words that refused to come out. Unfortunate. Time has taken its toll. And maybe the severe strain of his singing style has damaged his vocal cords.

None of this honest critique is meant to disparage Axl. I'm a huge fan. Vocal slippage is merely a reality. To his credit, he gave maximum effort. Squeezing every octave from his larynx, he sang with passion and undeniable conviction.

What resulted was a terrific concert, affirmed by the showering of applause and adoration from thousands of fans.

'Maybe we'd be better off without you...'

And as if to make up for past chronic tardiness, the band played for a whopping three hours without pause. A total of 26 songs, including opuses like "Estranged" and "November Rain."

Another one was the 10-minute rock opera, "Coma." Lyrics seemed to echo the current state of Axl and the band in the minds of social media snipers.

Telling a story about a man, presumably Axl, who falls into a coma, unsure if he wants to live or not, the song includes the line:

Maybe we'd be better off without you, anyway

Fortunately, the words are thematic, not to be taken literally. Because given the choice of watching a reunited Guns N' Roses in concert or not at all, I'll gladly pick the first option.

https://eu.cantonrep.com/story/entertainment/2023/08/24/should-guns-n-roses-and-other-aging-bands-keep-rocking-or-retire/70639500007/

Official pictures