By the summer of 2017 the tour had been going for over a year. What started as a surprise show and a festival reunion had turned into a full world tour, and across the pond we were finally getting our turn. For the UK, a lack of shows further north meant a trip to London was on the cards. If a trip to the capital was ever justified, it would be for the Guns N’ Roses reunion tour, and what a gig it was to start it off.
After arriving in London, I caught wind of a pop up store containing Guns N’ Roses memorabilia and merchandise appearing somewhere on London’s high street. Very busy pavements full of business types and expensive suits wouldn’t stop me finding the store, which was weirdly situated in the basement of a John Varvatos designer menswear shop. Once I stepped foot in the decked out floor, with GnR songs blasting over the stereo, it all started to feel real. There was genuine excitement in the air about what this band means to the fans, and how the show was going to be the following night, in a way I’d never experienced in the years prior with Slash and Duff out of the picture. I picked up a shirt at the store, one of my favourite designs of the whole tour.
Friday 16th June 2017, gig day. All the hype over the last two years had built to this. Many of these fans and I had never witnessed the old line up play and were finally getting our chance. It was a scorching day in London and I made my way down to the stadium in the afternoon. As a bit of a merchandise collector (when I can be) I wanted to be there early not only for my space on the floor, but to try and grab one of the extremely limited posters that had become very popular as the tour went on. I queued for a few hours, and as the gates opened I ran to the merchandise stand and got my hands on a Friday London lithograph, which is one of the best of the tour in my opinion. I was in high spirits, and made my way to the next queue for the show floor. The London stadium was huge, and at a capacity of over 70,000, was probably the largest I’d ever been to. The vibe was good, the fans were excited, and we were about to welcome the last of the great Rock bands to our capital city.
The show was nothing short of fantastic. Beginning in the broad sunlight at around 7:30pm, the band kicked off with the fast punky classic, It’s So Easy. Duff’s bassline thundered around the stadium and Axl Rose, decked out in a metric ton of jewellery and some barely functioning jeans came swirling out with his typical swagger. Slash, understated, yet the driving force, provided the riffs and solos to take you right back to Appetite for Destruction. The show moved up a notch around four songs in when the iconic opening riff to Welcome to the Jungle begun, and the energy flowed throughout the rest of the show. Deep cuts like Coma and Estranged were highlights as a hardcore fan, and the 3+ hour performance flew by. As the sun had set and the final notes to Paradise City rung out, all I could hear around me were statements of positivity, surprise and delight. Such a contrast to being a fan pre-reunion, and I was caught up in it all. After watching all the old concerts, replaying the albums over and over, and seeing the members in their own solo projects, this was all I had hoped it would be. 70,000 fans were very happy that night, and for me, Scandinavia was next.
Not in This Lifetime 