It had been nearly five years to the day since my first and only time seeing Guns N’ Roses. Quite frankly I am in shock they are still going strong with touring but I guess that eventual retirement is not going to pay for itself. Keith and I long ago realized the fleeting nature of being able to see one of your all-time favorite bands and made the decision to make the trek to L.A. on a “school night.”
Banc of California stadium is a soccer stadium adjacent to USC’s campus that neither of us had ever been to. It only holds 22,000 people, which is a relatively small place for a band that was regularly playing places three times this size in its heyday. I do not know if it was due to the type of crowd GNR attracts or the fact that USC is in a sketchy area but there was a noticeable police presence. By the time we made our way in from our hotel in Koreatown with a faulty air conditioner and fire alarm opener Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie’s son) was finishing up his last song. I was a little bummed that we missed him but I was also a little buzzed by this time. We tried to find our proper seats but nobody that worked there could point us in the right direction. They did not know where our seats were, only that our seats were not wherever they were. The problem was our seats were in “Field Club A” but every section just had a number associated with it. Very confusing to say the least and to this day I still do not know where our actual seats were supposed to be. After a failed attempt at getting onto the floor we just posted up at some empty seats at the end of one of the rows.
Just like the last time I saw GNR they opened with “It’s So Easy” and that was just fine by me. The funny thing is that whenever I play Appetite For Destruction I always skip over “Welcome to the Jungle” and start there too. The 1-2 punch of “Mr. Brownstone” was pure ecstasy but nothing compared to the later 1-2 punch of “You’re Crazy” and “Rocket Queen.” Seeing Axl sing Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” was cool but just was not the same as seeing Scott Weiland do it. Everyone gives Axl shit about becoming “Fat Axl” but at this show another entity was born: “Hat Axl.” Once they were done playing one of my all time favorites, “Double Talkin’ Jive” Axl put on a hat and shifted into another gear. Other highlights for me were the epic “Civil War” and just the way Slash stretched out on the songs in general. The way he played Link Wray’s “Rumble” and an epic 10 minute-ish solo would have been enough to cement his place on the Mt. Rushmore of guitarists. At one point Duff took over lead vocals for a gritty but spot on version of the Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Keyboardist Dizzy Reed from the height of their fame even made an appearance at one point.
All in all this was not a band phoning it in to collect a payday. This was a band that seemed hell bent on reminding the world how great they still are and having a good time doing it. Mission accomplished.
SETLIST: It’s So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Chinese Democracy, Slither, Double Talkin’ Jive, Welcome to the Jungle (with Link Wray’s “Rumble” for intro), Better, Estranged, Live and Let Die, You’re Crazy, Rocket Queen, You Could Be Mine, I Wanna Be Your Dog, Absurd, Civil War, Sweet Child O’Mine, November Rain, Wichita Lineman, Patience, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Nightrain, Madagascar, Don’t Cry, The Seeker, Paradise City
