2017.11.13 - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, USA

Guns N' Roses Heading Back to Nashville

Not in This Lifetime Tour to hit Music City a second time this fall

Just over a year ago, The Spin caught Guns N' Roses playing an appropriately over-the-top gig, just about the best GNR show one could hope to see, at Nissan Stadium. Though the stands were packed, there's still a chance you missed out on it. There's also a very real possibility you'd want to see it again. If you're in either of those camps, it's your lucky day: The Not in This Lifetime tour is headed back to Nashville this fall, pulling into Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 13 — smack-dab between The Weeknd and Jay-Z.

Tickets will run $59-$250 and go on sale Friday, July 28 at 10 a.m. Central right here.

You may recall that there was evidence that GNR might stage a concert at Great Stage Park, home of Bonnaroo, on Aug. 5, but the band's itinerary indicates they've filled that date with a show in Little Rock. Openers haven't been announced for the fall leg of the tour, but there summer shows feature quite a range of guests, from Sturgill Simpson to ZZ Top to Deftones.

Guns N' Roses started their Nashville concert at exactly 7 p.m.

By Dave Paulson

The show was advertised to start at 7 p.m. No opening act.

So when the clock struck 7 on Monday night, Guns N' Roses hit the stage at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, ripping right into "It's So Easy."

And that's pretty weird, all things considered.

After all, this is the band that famously sang, "The show usually starts around 7/ We go on stage at 9," — and most nights, that was overly optimistic.

This is the band whose late starts and walkouts once led to unrest and riots.

Remember, the last time this band played at Bridgestone Arena (in 2011), they started just shy of 11 p.m. That was a Sunday.

Of course, for the last two years, we've been in a triumphant, sentimental and strangely responsible era of Guns N' Roses.

Last year, frontman Axl Rose patched things up with long-estranged bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, and they then embarked on a massive stadium tour, which included a stop at Nashville's Nissan Stadium.

That tour (the return of most of their "classic lineup") was a huge success, and this year, they've essentially taken a victory lap.

Their setlist at Bridgestone was 80 percent identical to the one used at their last Nashville show. But that didn't seem to matter to people who nearly packed the arena on Monday.

The room stayed full for the next 3 hours and 20 minutes, through a warm and familiar rock marathon that included "Welcome to the Jungle," "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "My Michelle" (the latter of which is quietly among the most beloved GNR tunes, judging by crowd volume.)

Rose was a man of very few words on Monday, but he praised his Music City audience as a "great crowd" and gave credit to his bandmates.

They padded out their epic show with a number of tributes to late musicians. Most surprising was a reverent cover of "Wichita Lineman," written by Jimmy Webb and popularized, of course, by Glen Campbell. A cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" — in honor of late frontman Chis Cornell — was an inspired fit for Rose's signature vocals.

Rose — equally known for his signature screech and raspy baritone — was in fine form on Monday, as a singer and showman. Over the last 30 years, he's mastered the art of sprinting backwards and spinning on an axis with a microphone stand.

Slash wasn't outdone, at times bounding from one end of the stage to other, and at one point planting himself at the edge of the catwalk for an epic guitar solo that included the theme from "The Godfather."

After closing the set with their trademark cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin On Heaven's Door" (which saw Rose donning a cowboy hat, in one of many hat changes) and "Nightrain," the band returned for an extended encore.

That included "Patience," "Don't Cry," and finally "Paradise City." That song might be their closing number everywhere in the world, but its three-chord, southern-styled refrain was a perfect fit for Music City.

After that final tune, Rose and company hopped off stage, but an extended ovation from the crowd coaxed them back out to take a final bow.

At the risk of spoiling the illusion: they pull that move every night. You could set your watch to it. But on a Monday night, is that such a bad thing?

Year in review: My favorite live shows

By JAY POWELL

[...]

2. Guns N’ Roses - Not in This Lifetime Tour, Nov. 13 Bridgestone Arena

Guns N’ Roses was the first band I remember falling in love with as a kid, and fortunately I was able to see them last year at Nissan Stadium for their reunion tour. It was incredible, hot, and I had a twisted ankle at the time. Seeing the band with its original members was something I never thought would happen even once, and I’m still pinching myself that I’ve seen them twice.

When they returned to Nashville in November, they were lean, had hundreds of shows behind them to become a more tight unit. There also wasn’t an opening act this time, so they played for close to four hours, including several songs I didn’t see the first time. Taking home the last tour poster that was hanging at the merch stand was another memorable moment.

[...]

Guns N Roses "Not In This Lifetime" Concert Review - Nashville, TN (November 13, 2017)

By: Karl & Tonya from When It Was Cool

On November 13, 2017, Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool traveled to one of our favorite arenas for concerts, Nashville, Tennessee's Bridgestone arena to experience the famously expensive Guns N Roses "Not In This Lifetime" concert tour. This tour again reunites three members of the classic era Guns N Roses lineup: Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan. Filling out the band for this tour includes Dizzy Reed (who has been with Guns N Roses since 1990), Richard Fortus (who played on the Chinese Democracy album), Frank Derrer (accomplished tour drummer), and new-comer Melissa Reese.

The band has received some criticism for the high ticket prices for this tour compared to other acts which are currently touring. Just compared to the acts we have seen in the last year or two the ticket prices were considerably higher (around $180 per ticket and virtually the same seats at the same arena for Roger Water's, whose show set was extremely more elaborate and Stevie Nicks were both well under $100.) The question then becomes- Was it worth it?

For a band that was infamous for late starts, non-starts, walking off stage, and generally being difficult, Guns N Roses in 2017 seems about as reliable of a work horse of a band as you could possibly imagine. Where did this new maturity come from? The show started exactly at 7 pm. The arena was still almost half empty when Guns N Roses hit the stage but quickly filled up, though shy of a sell-out. Note to future Guns N Roses fans. Mr. Brownstone might say, "The show usually starts around seven, we go on stage at nine." but the new kinder and gentler Guns N Roses get on stage at exactly seven.

There is also no more half ass sets where Axl Rose quits when he gets ready. This show rolled on for well over three hours- non-stop. They took no breaks. Had no intermission. They just rocked out for over three hours with a set that included all their hits and a copious amount of tributes and cover songs. The Guns N Roses set included tributes to or covers of songs by WINGS, The Misfits, Jimi Hendrix, Nino Rota, Glen Campbell, Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Bob Dylan, and The Who.

What you really want to know, I suppose, is "What did Axl Rose sound like?" Well, he did not sound as bad as we had been lead to believe. He was actually just fine. No, he can't carry a tune as well as he did back in 1985 but did anyone actually expect he could? At no point was he cringe worthy, he can still shriek at the top of his lungs, for three hours mind you. There is no cause for concern, Axl Rose was perfectly fine.

Slash, on the other hand, was... amazing. Absolutely beyond words. Slash looks to be in incredible physical condition as he ripped through his flawless solos for three straight hours, without a break, and then did two handstands as he exited the stage just, well, because he's Slash I guess. He doesn't appear to have aged since the 1980s and certainly hasn't slowed down. Slash was worth the price of admission himself and still, as he should, rocks his trademark black top hat, kinky black hair, and just reeks of charisma.

Duff McKagan was a nice surprise. He sang a song where he displayed tremendous vocals. McKagan has always been underappreciated for his singing ability. He looked to be in tremendous condition also and blasted his way through the three hour set in fine form.

We will also review the concert on this Thursday's When It Was Cool Podcast available on iTunes and most podcast apps and directly from the When It Was Cool website.