Two weeks ago, I saw Guns N’ Roses live in concert for the fifth (and perhaps final time). I had some strong thoughts about the band’s performance immediately after the show, and wanted to give myself a little bit of time to see if my opinion would soften at all.
Of the five times I’ve seen Guns N’ Roses perform live, four have been with our friends Tim and Dawn Novosad. The four of us first saw the band perform live back in 2011 in Norman, OK. In 2012, we all went to Vegas (for the Novosad’s anniversary) and saw the band during their residency at the Hard Rock Cafe. In 2017, a semi-reunited version of the band played in Tulsa. I figured that would be the last time I saw the band live, but last month they circled around and played Oklahoma City for the first time since 1992 (which, incidentally, was the first time I saw the band live).
Back in 1992, Axl Rose — the band’s infamously volatile lead vocalist — was 29 years old. I was 18. Less than six months prior to that show, Rose had jumped off the stage in St. Louis and attacked a fan taking pictures with a camera, which led to a quick end of the show, a three-hour riot, and the Gunners being banned from St. Louis for 25 years. I went to the show in Oklahoma City partially because Guns N’ Roses was at that time the biggest rock band in the world, and partially because of the danger factor. There was literally no telling when one of the band’s performances would begin, or how it would end.
Things change. When I was 18, I was jealous of the people on the floor who were able to join in on the mosh pit. At 46, I spent most of the show in my seat, standing only to see when the people in front of us stood. Back in 1992, the rumor was Axl Rose used cocaine to get through the band’s nightly performances. Today, at 57, it takes dozens of oxygen breaks throughout the evening to get him through a performance.
The biggest disappointment of the night wasn’t the missing original members (that’s never going to happen), but the atrocious sound quality. Each member’s volume level seemed to be negotiated prior to the show, acoustics be damned. The end result was a super loud Slash being backed up by Richard Fortus, who might as well have been playing air guitar.
While it didn’t seem like the band was playing to a backing track, they certainly use a lot of tricks to get through the night, including both Dizzy Reed on keyboards and new(est) addition Melissa Reese on samples and backup vocals. Some of the songs have been rearranged, largely, it seemed, to give Rose oxygen breaks. The end result were a lot of songs that reminded me of Guns N’ Roses, and a couple that were borderline unidentifiable.
Everyone in the crowd seemed to have a great time as they sang and danced along to the band’s greatest hits, and as with every time I’ve seen them, the band brought down the house with their closer, “Paradise City.” At no time did I think Axl would start another riot or leap of the stage and punch somebody. At this point in their careers, the world’s formerly most dangerous band is playing it safe and banking some cash toward retirement in the process. And while the band wasn’t terrible, we all agreed that of the five times we’ve seen them, it was the band’s fifth best performance.
