Guns N' Roses rocks through memorable Heinz Field show
Amid the fireworks and light shows, the pyro and massive video screen, it might have been easy to lose sight of the highlight of the Guns N' Roses concert Tuesday night at Heinz Field.
The biggest spectacle was the reconciliation of singer Axl Rose with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan — so unlikely after years of acrimony that led to this reunion being dubbed the “Not in This Lifetime” tour.
On stage, there were no signs of animosity. Rose frequently smiled, wrapping his arm around Slash during “Coma.”
Rose's voice strained to hit reach some of the places he's gone before, but he showed he's still capable of going raw, with wicked yells on songs like “Live and Let Die.”
Slash, on the other hand, delivered blistering solos throughout, with “Double Talkin' Jive” and “Paradise City” as highlights.
The setlist leaned heavily on 1987's “Appetite for Destruction,” with the band blasting through eight of the album's 12 songs. The rest of their catalog was covered evenly with four tracks each from “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II,” plus one from “G N' R Lies.”
McKagan handled vocals on “Raw Power,” one of three songs from “The Spaghetti Incident?” that have been rotated through this tour.
Three songs from 2008's much-maligned “Chinese Democracy” — made without Slash or McKagan — also made the cut.
Rose made sure to change wardrobe seven times — all different black shirts, with a variety of leather jackets and hats. There were no spandex and sports coats, mesh shirts or American flag shorts this time around.
Richard Fortus, who's played with Rose since 2001, handled rhythm guitar, trading guitar solos with Slash on several songs including a duet that played off of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” and an extended version of “Knockin' on Heaven's Door.”
Rounding out the lineup were Frank Ferrer on drums, with Dizzy Reed and newcomer Melissa Reese on keyboards.
It's been 24 years since Guns N' Roses last played a stadium show in Pittsburgh, co-headlining with Metallica on July 26, 1992, at Three Rivers Stadium. And Tuesday certainly wasn't like their 2002 show at Mellon Arena, in support of “Chinese Democracy,” with Rose the only original member.
Original drummer Steven Adler had joined the band for two songs, “Out Ta Get Me” and “My Michelle,” at their previous two shows but he didn't play in Pittsburgh.
Australian hard rockers Wolfmother opened the show.
Mike Palm is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at mpalm@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MikePalm_Trib.
