Wailing vocals, blistering guitar solos, power ballads and in-your-face rock 'n' roll, Guns N' Roses brought it all Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Powering through a set that lasted over three hours, the band — including core members Axl Rose (vocals), Slash (guitar) and Duff McKagan (bass) — hit all of the highlights from its 30-year-career for a crowd of 23,973 on an atypically comfortable August evening.
Opening with the McKagan-penned "It's So Easy," the group wasted no time in getting down to the business of hard rock. Rose's voice, which can shift from a banshee's shriek to a baritone croon, was mostly strong and assured. He had no problem hitting most of his notes even as he was tearing across the stage in a sprint, skipping around with a microphone stand or sliding about in his patented snake-hipped shuffle. Sure, he's not a skinny 27-year-old anymore, but neither was most of the audience, who screamed along with his every move.
Slash, in his top hat, his face obscured by his curly hair and his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, gave a master class in guitar hero style. With his six-string resting on his thigh, its neck pointed skyward, he unfurled solo after solo. He duckwalked, ran and jumped all over the stage while churning out classic riffs. He even worked his way through the love theme from The Godfather.
The band, bolstered by guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Melissa Reese, was on point all night. Slash teased out the unmistakable opening notes of "Welcome to the Jungle" and Rose belted the song with ferocity early in the set. "Rocket Queen" was blistering as was "Nighttrain" and "Mr. Brownstone."
"Civil War" was perfectly epic and the Bob Dylan cover "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was transformed into a singalong power ballad.
And speaking of ballads, Rose took a seat behind a grand piano for "November Rain," with Slash peeling off his solo on a walkway above Ferrer's drums. Later, Rose whistled his way into the acoustic "Patience."
Besides the Dylan song, other covers were sprinkled throughout, including Wings' "Live and Let Die," AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie," Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and The Who's "The Seeker." Slash and Fortus also worked their way through an instrumental version of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."
"Paradise City" was the absolute perfect song to close the night, though Rose apparently missed the much-anticipated police whistle cue at the beginning. Sigh.
Country singer Sturgill Simpson, an inspired choice for an opening act, started his 45-minute spot by telling the crowd he was dedicating his set to Maxine's, the club in Hot Springs where he played in his early days of touring.
Anyone scratching their heads at Simpson as an opener would have become believers early on. His performance, which included tracks from his most recent album, A Sailor's Guide to Earth, among others, was a deft mix of country, rock, blues and soul.