Guns N’ Roses put on a spectacular show on Friday night at the soldout Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Their nearly three-hour set was filled with powerful riffs, bombast, and the attitude that has made them one of the most influential bands of the past four decades.
Unlike their chaotic early years marked by drug use and violence, the current version of Guns N’ Roses is still a force to be reckoned with in the rock ‘n’ roll world. This is not a mere cash grab by aging rockers, but a vibrant and unique musical powerhouse.
Guns N’ Roses
with Dirty Honey
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Route 50, Saratoga Springs
Length: Guns N’ Roses – 2 hours 48 minutes; Dirty Honey – 45 minutes
Highlights: Guns N’ Roses’ “Bad Obsession,” “Absurd,” “Reckless Life,” “Civil War”; Dirty Honey’s “The Wire” and “Won’t Take Me Alive”
The crowd: Sold out with approximately 25,000 attendees, and lively throughout the night
It was a surreal experience to witness frontman Axl Rose, notorious for his punctuality issues, leading the band on stage at 7:25 p.m. to kick off the night with their electrifying opener, “It’s So Easy.” The presence of original members Slash on lead guitar and Duff McKagan on bass, putting their own stylistic stamp on the Guns N’ Roses track “Chinese Democracy” – a song released during the band’s 21-year hiatus – added to the strange yet captivating atmosphere. This was followed by Rose’s soulful rendition of “Slither,” a hit single from Slash and McKagan’s band Velvet Revolver in the mid-2000s. These back-to-back performances demonstrated the seamless fusion of their individual work throughout the tumultuous decades.
About ten songs into the set, after delivering a solid performance of the piano-driven ballad “Estranged,” Rose candidly mentioned his vocal difficulties due to vomiting leading up to the show. Despite this setback, his voice remained strong for the majority of the evening. He showcased his remarkable vocal strength in the aggressive punk rocker “Reckless Life” with an awe-inspiring amount of force. Throughout the night, the 61-year-old Rose was a constant physical presence on stage, running, dancing, and captivating the audience. While the band has reconciled and exhibits great chemistry, elements of Rose’s unpredictable nature still shine through.
There was a wild energy in Rose’s eyes as the band passionately performed “Bad Obsession” and “Pretty Tied Up,” rockers from the “Use Your Illusion” era. This intensity carried into their astounding rendition of “Absurd,” a 2022 single featuring venomous lyrics delivered with sincerity and a crushing industrial-rock riff.
While the audience was energized by the up-tempo tracks, it was Slash’s mesmerizing solos on the ballads that stole the show. His performances on “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Civil War,” and “November Rain” drew ecstatic responses from the crowd. The sight of him and second guitarist Richard Fortus trading lead turns on “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was a true delight.
The night concluded with a two-song encore. They delivered a solid version of “Patience” before closing out the show with “Paradise City.” The image of Slash lying across the monitors, skillfully soloing, and a triumphant Rose standing behind him with one fist in the air, passionately declaring, “Good (expletive) night!” left the audience in awe. It truly was a fantastic evening.
Rising hard-rock band Dirty Honey opened for GN’R. Led by Niskayuna native Marc LaBelle, they delivered a lively and tight 45-minute set that evoked the sound of the album Aerosmith should have created after “Draw the Line.” LaBelle’s enthusiastic performance resonated with the hometown audience as they rocked out to tracks like “California Dreamin'” and “The Wire,” along with a powerful cover of Aerosmith’s “Last Child.” Dirty Honey also showcased a few tracks from their upcoming album, and if their scorching rendition of “Won’t Take Me Alive” is any indication, it’s an album worth anticipating.
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