This time, Axl Rose and his band delivered a concert lasting almost three hours, without a hitch, in front of more than 40,000 fans piled up on Île Notre-Dame.
Even if we had wanted to ignore this memorable event that marked the history of the Olympic Stadium, we couldn’t have. And this, for the simple reason that the show on Tuesday evening took place on August 8, 31 years to the day after the events of 1992. And no, it does not invent a synchronicity the same!
And let’s admit that the group’s late appearance on the scene could have revived this painful memory even more when it was about thirty minutes late that we heard the first riffs of It’s So Easy. And that’s it, it was enough to ignite the admirers of the group.
After visiting Europe, North America is on the road for Guns N’Roses as part of their world tour and Montreal was their second Canadian destination, out of a total of four. The musicians will visit Toronto and Vancouver while Moncton on Saturday night was their first stop on Canadian soil.
Slash and Duff McKagan, members of Guns N’Roses. (Mario Boulianne/The Law)
In Montreal, Axl, Slash, Duff and the others were eagerly awaited. We knew the band’s singer was in better shape than he was barely five years ago, and we have to admit that he delivered a solid performance. We are not talking here about a vocal success, but rather about an impeccable stage performance. Axl strode up and down the stage throughout the evening. We felt a little extinguished at the end of the road, but who will blame him. He is no longer the beautiful youth he was.
Slash, lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses (Mario Boulianne/The Law)
To be honest, this show could have been amputated by 30 minutes and we would have been better off. Even the great Slash was hesitant in some of these solos, especially on November Rain. Offered at the end of the evening, the piece which features one of rock’s most iconic guitar solos deserved better.
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan (Mario Boulianne/The Law)
On bass, Duff McKagan was very solid, both in mastering his four strings and in his vocal support. He even took the limelight with the song TV Eyea cover of The Stooges.
As for Axl Rose, let’s get back to it, he appeared to be in great shape and to complete a three-hour marathon on stage, you still have to rely on good cardio.
It is true that the heart was there and we felt very happy on stage. But the voice is no longer there and the front man must assume this fatality. Either way, GNR’s Montreal performance is one of the great rock moments of the summer. They had a lot to be forgiven and it seems that redemption was achieved.
Guns N’Roses has just made peace with Montreal.
The group is completed by Richard Fortus on guitar, Dizzy Reed on keyboards, Melissa Reese on synthesizers and Frank Ferrer on drums.
Richard Fortus, Guns N’ Roses rhythm guitarist (Mario Boulianne/The Law)
Aside from Fortus, who performs on six strings and even allows himself a few solos, a question of letting the good old Slash breathe a little, little has been said about the other three. We must still underline the excellent work of Ferrer behind the drums.
Thirty titles
As we said, GNR opened the evening around 8:30 p.m.
In addition to the pieces already mentioned, the rest of the repertoire included titles like Bad Obsession. Chinese Democracy, Slither (taken from the repertoire of Velvet Revolver), Pretty Tied Up, Mr. Brownstone, Welcome to the Jungle, Double Talkin’ Jive, Hard Skool, Absurb, Live and Let Die, Down on the Farm, Rocket Queen, You Could Be Mine, Anything Goes, Civil War (with a Hendrix-like finale), Sweet Child O’Mine, Reckess Life, Wichita Lineman (a play by Jimmy Webb), the endless Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan, night-train and to finish, Paradise City.
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash (Courtesy)
The staging is relatively simple while the decor is essentially camped by three giant screens where we offer very successful animated projections and images of the musicians during their performance.
We were treated to the grand piano and its motorcycle-shaped seat, on November Rain. Otherwise, nothing too extravagant. We left all the room to the music… and to Axl who constantly paced the stage.
Country star Carrie Underwood showed off her rock side as the opening act for Guns N’ Roses. (Mario Boulianne/The Law)
Carrie the Rocker
Country pop star Carrie Underwood opened for the Montreal leg of the tour. She showed up a little indifferent around 6 p.m. for a one-hour performance.
Axl’s “sobriety godmother” was at the party in Moncton on Saturday night, and Tuesday was her second official appearance in a “fulll set”, ashe launched.
Alongside the LA boys, she wanted to show that she had a frosty side. Far from the lights of Nashville, she unveiled an essence of rock that she firmly assumed throughout her performance as well as at the end of the evening, where she joined GNR on Sweet Child O’Mine and for the grand finale on Paradise City.
Carrie Underwood opened for Guns N’Roses on Tuesday night in Montreal. (Mario Boulianne/The Law)
She interpreted several of her great country hits, but also solid covers of the rock repertoire. She appeared on stage on the chords of Bad Reputation, by Joan Jett. We then heard her sing Hit Me With Your Best Shot, by Pat Benatar Alonefrom Heart, Somethin’ Badby Miranda Lambert, Wild Horses the Rolling Stones, rock and rollLed Zeppelin and Ace of Spades, from Motorhead. This one, we didn’t see it coming.
The winner of american idol frankly wowed the gallery, and even more. And that girl can sing!
