Guns N’ Roses bring a ray of sunshine to S lane
DESPITE beautiful weather all week which saw temperatures sore into the mid-20s, the weather gods didn’t smile on rock gods Guns N’ Roses last week and fans woke to torrential rain on Saturday morning.
But with plastic ponchos at the ready, ticketholders soldiered on determined to make the most of the opportunity to see one of the 90s most iconic supergroups take to the stage.
The band took to the stage for the latest leg of their Not In This Lifetime tour which kicked off at the famous Slane venue at around 8pm.
For younger generations, it was their first opportunity to see the group perform hits like Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City while many of the more mature audience members came to relive the glory days of the 90s when they had first stood in the shadow of the imposing Slane Castle drinking beer in a field as Guns N’Roses first took to the stage back in 1992.
Tickets for the 80,000 capacity show sold out within a matter of hours and the venue was abuzz with excited fans and their enthusiasm was infectious.
Otherkin rose to the challenge as the opening act admirably and this followed by sets from Mark Lanegan and Royal Blood before the main event.
Famed for the excesses in the 90s - Slash recently said he remembered the venue at Slane but nothing of their 1992 show - the group showed no signs of their youthful excesses and were clear eyed and well honed as they held the audience in the palm of their hands. They also paid tribute to Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell, who died unexpectedly on May 18th following a Soundgarden show in Detroit.
Guns N’ Roses played a cover of one of Soundgarden’s best known songs, Black Hole Sun, during their concert on Saturday night in rememberance of the star. ‘ This one’s to you Chris, Black Hole Sun live from Slane Castle,’ the band’s Twitter account read shortly after the performance of the Superunknown classic.