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So when Axl, Duff, and Slash buried the hatchet earlier this year, many of us started putting our hands to the ground and gauging the temperature. Had Hell indeed frozen over? Were we actually going to get a tour<\/em> from this newfound civility?<\/p>\n And furthermore\u2026would it be any good, could it live up to the grandiosity of the glory days? The risk of becoming a larger-than-life band that also, somehow, continues to exist down the decades is the risk of legacy outweighing reality. It\u2019s inevitable, maybe, that every big band who sticks around, at some point, finds it increasingly difficult to exist in their own shadow.<\/p>\n Somehow, against all odds, Guns N\u2019 Roses have defied that, as the Not In This Lifetime tour arrived at Soldier Field for a nearly-three hour holiday weekend extravaganza on Sunday.<\/p>\n Opening with the classic \u201cIt\u2019s So Easy,\u201d GNR took the stage for a nearly three-hour show that brought into sharp focus why they should unquestionably be counted among the greatest rock n\u2019 roll bands of all time, with more beloved singles that most bands have songs, and an element of showmanship that is, at this point, bone-deep.<\/p>\n The set leaned, understandably, toward Appetite for Destruction<\/em>, with a liberal dose of cuts from both Illusion<\/em> albums, a few covers, and even three tunes from the aforementioned Democracy<\/em> (the title track of which is one of GNR\u2019s most underrated thrash-rock tunes). Axl\u2019s voice has aged in a predictable way, but McKagan always took up a criminally-overlooked slot in GNR\u2019s arsenal, providing consistently strong backup vocals and offering a quick-and-dirty asskick of Iggy and the Stooges\u2019 \u201cRaw Power\u201d with a little Johnny Thunders thrown in for flavor. McKagan was always the punk-rock voice in GNR\u2019s lineup, with Slash finding a unique balance between blues and thrash.<\/p>\n Which brings us to the night’s MVP. There’s no question that this lineup (which also consisted of guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrera, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese, all excellent players in their own right) is a tight, nuanced rock band, as the numerous opportunities for interplay in tunes like Illusion<\/em> deep-cut \u201cComa,\u201d an audience-participation version of \u201cKnockin\u2019 On Heaven\u2019s Door,\u201d and an extended version of \u201cRocket Queen\u201d proved. But make no mistake with regard to the biggest selling point in this partial reunion: Slash.<\/p>\n From a fan standpoint, I will never forget the first time I saw Slash back in 1988. He is, as he was then, the embodiment of rock n\u2019 roll: a great look, enough effortless on-stage swagger for a dozen bands, and a unique style that has helped define rock music post-1990s.\u00a0\u00a0 And indeed, in spite of the band\u2019s overall prowess, he carried the night, offering solo after solo, a solid rendition of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner,\u201d an instrumental interlude with Fortus on Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cWish You Were Here\u201d\u2026you name it, Slash played it, and it was clear from the get just how integral his musical voice was to the original Guns N\u2019 Roses sound.<\/p>\n (Sidelight: it should also be noted that founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin was indeed missed. The yin to Slash\u2019s yang, Stradlin was responsible for some of GNR\u2019s most beloved tunes; his laid-back, Keith Richards\u2019 style of playing and singing was a perfect compliment to Slash\u2019s flash, and his inclusion in this reunion would have taken things to a whole new level. Listen, we can\u2019t have it all, folks.)<\/p>\n If anything, Rose proved to be the night\u2019s biggest surprise, as he seemed genuinely willing to step back and let the band do the talking, something that couldn\u2019t always be said of 1990s Axl, who simultaneously ate up the spotlight as he seemed to revile it. Basking in the crowd\u2019s adulation and frequently smiling, Rose offered numerous thanks and shone on tracks like ubiquitous ballad \u201cNovember Rain,\u201d the contemplative, crushing \u201cCivil War,\u201d and classic Appetite<\/em> blaster \u201cOut Ta Get Me.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 A full-on fireworks display accompanied show closer \u201cParadise City,\u201d which turned, predictably and wonderfully, into a stadium-wide singalong.<\/p>\n Neil Young once sang \u2018it\u2019s better to burn out than fade away.\u2019 Those words have hung like a doomsday clock over rock n\u2019 roll since its inception and have reappeared time and again as we look at the ever-evolving genre in the big picture of musical history. Of all the American rock bands, the GNR of old looked\u2014at best\u2014poised to gloriously crash-and-burn in a blaze of glory. It could be argued that real, dangerous rock n\u2019 roll is the domain of youth, and that may be true. But it was a pleasure to see a mending of fences and a renewed meeting of talent in the 2016 version of Guns N\u2019 Roses. They dodged burning out – and if this tour is any indication, they\u2019re not fading away any time soon, either.<\/p>\n![\"Guns](\"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Guns-N-Roses-at-Soldier-Field-Chicago-July-3-2016-1-1024x846.jpg\")
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