18/11/2023 | Guns N'Roses Experience | Review by Kev White |
This writer saw Punk/Rock band Guns N Roses 30 years ago at Milton Keynes National Bowl and the opportunity to see a tribute version was too good to miss. Sadly, these days, Guns N Roses are a shadow of their former selves. The headline show at this year's Glastonbury was forgettable.
The Guns N Roses Experience were all dressed up like GNR in their heyday and the set concentrated on the 'Appetite For Destruction', 'Lies' and 'Use Your Illusion' era thankfully avoiding the patchy at best 'comeback' album 'Chinese Democracy' and captured the essence and power of GNR when they were untouchable.
The performance was so good that it is as a close as you're going to get bar getting into a time machine and going back to the late 80s/early 90s, the band were note perfect. Each member of the group's attention to detail was something else! They have clearly meticulously studied the various members of GNR and were faultless. The singer was spot on as Axl Rose, getting the mannerisms right and his voice, well, Rose could sing, but this guy was just incredible and Slash as a guitarist was better than Slash.
GNR were really good at covers and made 'Live and Let Die', 'Knockin' On Heavens Door' and 'Mamma Kin' their own, treating these songs with great respect as did The Guns N Roses Experience.
Standout tracks from the set included 'It's So Easy', 'Welcome To The Jungle', 'Estranged', 'Civil War' (poignant given current conflicts in the world), the Izzy Stradlin penned Izzy/Axl duet '14 Years', 'You Could Be Mine', 'Theme from The Godfather', 'Sweet Child O'Mine' and set closer 'Paradise City'.
There are many GNR tribute bands but Thez Guns N Roses Experience are by far the best in the business. So good in fact that they are better than GNR themselves!