Desperate Times
Axl Rose recently took to his Twitter account and posted the following Tweet apologizing for his voice at a recent concert. He wrote:
“My apologies I was a little horse .. Fun night, Great Crowd!! Great Venue!! N’ great to be back!! Again my apologies and thank you!!🙏🏼💙🐴🔥🔥🔥👊💙👊🐴💙”
My apologies I was a little horse .. Fun night, Great Crowd!! Great Venue!! N’ great to be back!! Again my apologies and thank you!!🙏🏼💙🐴🔥🔥🔥👊💙👊🐴💙 pic.twitter.com/34cKRIxNvD
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) September 2, 2023
Guns N’ Roses performed Friday night at a soldout Saratoga Performing Arts Center where they delivered an massive set that went on for nearly three-hour.
The current incarnation of Guns N’ Roses proved itself to still be a vital, idiosyncratic rock ’n’ roll juggernaut, not a perfunctory cash grab by aging rockers. Watching original Gunners the iconic Slash on lead guitarist and bassist Duff McKagan put their own stylistic imprint on the GN’R track “Chinese Democracy,” a song that came out in the middle of their 21-year hiatus from the band, was even odder.
Rose also sang a thumping version “Slither,” the hit 2004 single from Slash and McKagan’s mid-aughts band Velvet Revolver? Stranger still, and the back-to-back selections provided an illuminating glimpse into just how easily all parties’ work during those acrimonious decades can fit together.
Rose performed a rendition of the piano-driven ballad “Estranged” about 10 songs into the set and he lamented having some vocal difficulties due to vomiting regularly in the days leading up to the show. Despite that, his voice was in fine form for the overwhelming majority of the evening, and he belted out the very next song, the aggressive punk rocker “Reckless Life,” with a stunning amount of force.
Overall, the 61-year-old Rose was a physical presence all night, constantly running, dancing and moving across the stage. Although he’s made nice with McKagan and Slash, and the entire seven-member unit seems to have strong positive chemistry, elements of Rose’s mercurial streak remain.
Guns N’ Roses’ set ended with a two-song encore. First was a solid version of “Patience.” “Paradise City” closed out the show, leaving the audience with the image of Slash lying across the monitors, soloing away brilliantly, and a triumphant Rose standing behind him with one fist in the air, screeching, “Good (expletive) night!” Indeed it was.
