1985.03.26 - The Troubadour, Los Angeles, USA

by **Soulmonster** Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:15 pm

March 26, 1985 - The Troubadour, Los Angeles, USA

Setlist:
Unknown. But the band already had 'Don't Cry', 'Anything Goes' and 'Think About You'. The rest of the set was likely to feature covers including 'Heartbreak Hotel' and possible songs from Hollywood Rose and La Guns.

Date:
March 26, 1985.

Venue:
The Troubadour.

Location:
Los Angeles, USA.

Line-up:
Axl Rose - Vocals
Izzy Stradlin - Rhythm guitar
Tracii Guns - Lead guitar
Duff McKagan - Bass
Rob Gardner - Drums.

Notes:
The very first Guns N' Roses gig with its short-lived original lineup. Despite the flyer indicating Ole Beich on bass, Duff had already replaced Ole by then.

Flyer:

1985.03.26 - The Troubadour, Los Angeles, USA Utenre10

____________________________________________________________________

1985.03.26 - The Troubadour, Los Angeles, USA Pbucket

Next concert: 1985.04.11

by **Soulmonster** Thu Jun 29, 2017 8:09 am

From LAist.com's article about important places in LA:

The Troubadour

The band has played in every setting imaginable, from a UCLA frat party during their nascent days (which earned them $30 and free beer), to a Coachella headlining spot to kick off their reunion jaunt in 2016. They were familiar faces in Hollywood, too, of course, working gigs at the Whisky and the Roxy. But it's perhaps the Troubadour that's dearest to the band's heart.

The venue was the birthplace of the true GnR, afterall; on June 6, 1985, the venue saw the first performance by the "classic" roster. Guitarist Slash and drummer Steve Adler had just joined, completing the Appetite For Destruction lineup that also included Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, and guitarist Izzy Stradlin (Buckethead would be a far ways off). As the show was still a couple years removed from "Welcome To the Jungle" and "Paradise City," covers of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Heartbreak Hotel" were turned out as crowd pleasers.

As a testament to the venue's importance in GnR lore, the Troubadour was chosen as the site of the band's (partial) rebirth in 2016. On April Fool's Day, Rose, Slash, and McKagan took the stage together for the first time in 23 years (Adler would later join the band for select songs during the reunion tour, while Stradlin sat out completely). The show was a success on most accounts, aside from a scene in which Rose slipped and broke a bone in his foot. "This is what can happen when you do something you haven't done in nearly over 23 years," Rose would later say on Twitter. The Coachella performances, which happened a couple weeks later, saw an injured Rose singing from a motorized throne supplied by Dave Grohl (yes there's a lot to unpack there).

See the whole article here: http://laist.com/2017/06/28/guns_n_roses_los_angeles.php#photo-1

by **Soulmonster** Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:04 am

I have updated the lineup to replace Ole with Duff based on info from the interview in KPFK in March

by **Soulmonster** Sat Apr 07, 2018 2:38 pm

Review in Raz' book:

We all met up at the Troubadour around three in the afternoon for a first-ever Guns N' Roses' sound check, but the marquee said "L.A. Guns." A weeknight meant tables and chairs were set up in the showroom. Robbie and the crew had most of the gear set up by the time the rest of the band began straggling in, but I can't remember if I smoked pot with the crew.

One of the cool things about a band's debut show, whether they never play another gig or blow up hotter than Nagasaki, is that first crowd is loaded with friends there to support their friend(s). Before the show, Izzy, Axl, Duff, Tracii, and Robbie spent varying amounts of time in the showroom, having cocktails while chatting and personally thanking folks for coming. The guys were likely as excited to hit the stage, or possibly even more, than the crowd there was to discover what Guns N' Roses were all about. I for one was super excited, because I knew those folks were in for a treat. About an hour prior to their set, G N' R departed for the dressing room to read scripture while enjoying some tasty milk and cookies. Wait, that's Stryper. I have no idea what they did, because there were stairs between me and the Troub's dressing rooms.

Most weeknights local bands typically played to a few haggard chicks, their crew, and tables. But the show had a decent-sized crowd, not huge, but slightly larger than the L.A. Guns' gig a few months earlier. A hundred fifty fans, give or take. There were several folks who I recognized as L.A. Guns regulars, a bunch of teeny boppers whose two drink tickets were mostly used for soft drinks. But there were also scores of older folks, more punk-looking and often lined up three deep at the showroom bar. Then when their beloved liquor got served, they stuffed tip jars in hopes Ms. Barkeep would keep hooking them up.

Then it all began. The showroom light dimmed. An array of colored lights cut through a nicotine haze to paint the stage in hot hues. From stage left, the guys descended the stairway onto the stage. Robbie got busy fine-tuning his drums' positions as Izzy, Duff, and Tracii plugged in, tuned up, switched their amps off of standby, twisted some knobs, and then gestured to one another. Good to go.

The house music faded away as the voice of God announced the band from on high. Izzy stuck his smoke near the head of his ax and motioned to count it out. Without a hint of hesitation, Robbie raised drum sticks high above his head and "Click-click-click-cklick." One, two, three, four, the band threw a sonic punch into the crowds' face as Axl, decked out in chaps and g-string, bounded down the stairs to burst onto that stage as if shot from a howitzer. Having only been unleashed before a crowd once in the previous five months, Axl set his pent-up dervish free with a spontaneous and fresh kinetic overload that saw him trying his damndest to stomp a hole through the Troubadour's stage straight to China.

The guys' image was more glam than later images, like the 70s glam of Aerosmith, T-Rex, Sweet, or Bowie. And not like their contemporary scene's spandex-clad trannys playing loosely inspired Val Halen or Crüe. Axl didn't offer much commentary between tunes. The band merely delivered a few blistering songs in a row, then, after a short pause to allow folks to wipe the blood from their ears, he'd let the audience know what was next. When G N' R were ready to play "Nice Boys," he dedicated it to Poison with the same mocking disdain as during L.A. Guns gigs. Although Poison was pulling huge crowds into the clubs, Axl routinely made it crystal clear he didn't like Poison or consider what they played rock 'n' roll.

Over the next five years, I saw G N' R perform or rehearse at least a hundred times, and probably far more than that. Combine all those gigs with my love for booze, pot, and various other mind-altering cash killers, and I would be guessing about what else was on that night's set list. It's safe to say, "Jumpin' Jack Flash," Heartbreak Hotel," "Shadow of Your Love," and for sure "Think About You," "Move to the City," "Don't Cry" and "Anything Goes."

The last time I had seen Izzy and Axl together on stage was in Rose, a super frenetic band that constantly hopped and bopped while bouncing off of one another. Axl was still the incredibly dynamic bundle of energy, drawing lots of attention up front, but Izzy settled into a far more laid-back groove, absorbed in song while seemingly as one with the timbre, rhythm, and melody. It was my first time watching Duff on stage, but I really dug his bass tone, smooth chops, and in-your-face energy. Tracii was Tracii, a very entertaining showman and talented shredder with a great guitar sound. Robbie remained solid and right on time, neither boring nor flashy [Raz Cue, "The Days of Guns, & Raz's", 2015, p. 200-202].

by **Blackstar** Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:50 am

The show was announced in L.A. Weekly, March 22, 1985:

1985.03.26 - The Troubadour, Los Angeles, USA 1985_013

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