August 8, 2017, a date to go down in history (warning, text contains spoilers)
by Nando Machado
Marlins Park in Miami, a fantastic and modern baseball stadium, would be the stage for another show on the “Not in this Lifetime World Tour”. The tour's name is suggestive: nobody imagined that Axl would play with Slash and Duff McKagan again in this life, and thankfully, what was a dream for any true Rock 'n' Roll fan happened, and continues to happen, night after night. And best of all, it will happen again very soon in Brazil! The tour already passed through Brazil in 2016, but now it seems that the guys are even better, playing more, in better shape, the band seems more cohesive on stage, and the "new" musicians really seem to be part of Guns N' Roses.
It was 8:30 PM, after a perfect warm-up to the sound of several Ramones songs, the greatest show on Earth begins, with the perfect song to open any show, the perfectly loud sound comes from the speakers and announces: Guns N' Roses!!!!! And it begins, “It's So Easy” – I see your sister in her Sunday dress … And then this writer goes crazy. Following that, one of the most perfect riffs of the last 30 years, “Mr. Brownstone”. Slash is a genius, a guitar god (yes, he's already in the guitar god category). After “Chinese Democracy”, comes “Welcome To The Jungle”, the opening track from the most AWESOME debut album in Rock, Appetite for Destruction, from exactly 30 years ago.
You absolutely have to go to this show in Brazil in September, even if you already saw Guns N' Roses last year
The band's younger members participate in the show in a more relaxed manner; pianist/keyboardist Dizzy Reed is already a familiar face, and Richard Fortus, the only member who has participated in practically every phase of Guns N' Roses since 1990, is a monster, formerly of The Dead Daisies, a guitarist who plays everything and then some, combining technique and feeling. Frank Ferrer is also precise and fits perfectly into the band, and Melissa Reese does her job well with her backing vocals and competently playing keyboards.
Here comes a collection of hits: “Double Talking Jive”, “Better”, the wonderful “Estranged”, “Live and Let Die” (a cover of Paul McCartney & Wings), the sensational “Rocket Queen”, and the killer “You Could Be Mine”. Duff McKagan takes over the vocals on the Misfits cover, “Attitude”, always paying homage to Lemmy with his beautiful t-shirt and Prince with “the symbol” stuck on his bass. “This I Love” is the first of the ballads, and the last on Chinese Democracy . Next comes “Civil War”, one of my favorites, “Yesterdays”, “Coma”, and the great Slash follows with his traditional guitar solo with the Godfather theme composed by Nino Rota. “Sweet Child O' Mine”, which has one of the best solos of all time, and a chorus of 50,000 people who go wild during the “Where do We Go, Where do We Go Now?” . Next comes “I Used to Love Her”, “My Michelle”, and the duet between the two guitar masters who follow it up with a wonderful version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. Immediately following is another ballad, the epic “November Rain”.
"The encore is killer"
Next comes a moving tribute to the great Chris Cornell; an impeccable version of "Black Hole Sun," respectfully maintaining Soundgarden's original arrangement. It's time for another cover, the Bob Dylan classic, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and they close the first part of the show with my favorite Guns N' Roses song, "Nightrain"—it couldn't be better.
Yes, it could, the encore is killer. “Don’t Cry”, an impeccable cover of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie”, the show’s last ballad, “Patience”, another cover, the classic “The Seeker” by The Who and the breathtaking “Paradise City”.
I apologize for spoiling so many surprises, but I swear it's for a good cause. I want to tell you that you absolutely have to go to this show in Brazil in September, even if you already saw Guns N' Roses last year. I'm sure you'll agree with me after watching the show. It's 30 songs, a 3-hour show, and to top it all off, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown will be opening, and none other than Alice Cooper will be at Allianz Park in São Paulo!
Long live Guns N' Roses and see you in September!