Guns N’ Roses still has an ‘Appetite’ for performing
Three decades in, rock fans still have an insatiable hunger for Guns N’ Roses.
That was amplified late Thursday night at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater, where the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers reunited to play an invitation-only Sirius XM radio show to celebrate their landmark 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction, which marked its 30th anniversary Friday.
Fueled by top-10 hits Sweet Child O’ Mine, Paradise City and Welcome to the Jungle, the album spent four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, going on to sell an estimated 30 million copies worldwide and rank No. 62 on Rolling Stone’s “greatest albums of all time” list.
Axl Rose — who reunited with Guns N’ Roses last year after more than a decade of strife with lead guitarist Slash — thrived in the 1,500-seat venue, which is a welcome downsizing from the 60,000-capacity stadiums the band has been playing on their Not in This Lifetime tour this year.
The intimate setting was an ideal place to watch the bandana- clad frontman’s spark-plug antics, which included multiple costume changes when he wasn’t snugging his bandmates or jumping in place, frequently bounding onto a raised platform center stage where he towered over the headbanging, beer-swilling crowd.
After a late start, the rollicking set ran for more than two-and-ahalf hours, with only the occasional lull in the audience during power ballads Estranged and Better. Electrifying covers of Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die and AC/DC’s Whole Lotta Rosie earned loud whoops of recognition, as did Slash’s noodling of The Godfather theme Speak Softly, Love during an extended guitar break leading into crowd favorite Sweet Child O’ Mine.
Rose’s vocals — a gravelly grumble that often erupted into a primal scream — shined on the slowed-down This I Love, while Slash and bassist Duff McKagan each got their moments in the spotlight with piercing solos and an epic “duel” in the middle of Welcome to the Jungle.
Spotty acoustics aside, Guns N’ Roses put on an animated show that catered to their longtime fans, with a special nod warranted for opening act The Kills, whose loose, fuzz-funk jams set the tone for the night.