This weekend saw the return of Guns N Roses to the UK, performing at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium, which also marks the first time that the venue has hosted a live music event.

The stadium itself is an impressive sight with state of the art facilities and a good feel to it. I was watching the second night of GnR at the venue and as we took our seats there were discussions taking place around us about some of the disappointment of the night before. On the Friday performance, the crowd were not able to get in at the scheduled opening time, with rumours circulating about a sound issue that could not be resolved, but I also heard someone comment that Axl Rose was so nervous that he has refused to come out and demanded that he sleep at the venue! Whatever the truth, there was still a feeling of excitement in the slowly growing crowd who had faithfully come to see the band, as the show had already been rearranged twice because of the pandemic.

Opening for Guns N Roses was veteran rocker, Michael Monroe. Famed as the front man of Finland’s own answer to Guns N Roses, Hanoi Rocks, the 60 year old graced a now quite empty stadium with some high energy tracks, some from his solo work and some of his better known Hanoi days! He is working with a great band, who are great rockers that are pretty talented at getting an audience going. They played 8 tracks altogether, with Malibu Beach Nightmare probably being one of the highlights.

Michael Monroe’s voice is holding together, with the lyrics still cutting through and the tone similar to when the tracks were originally released. Some are nearly 40 years old! But the thing you’ll take away from his show isn't the quality of musicianship, even though it's good, it is the wonder of this outrageously energised 60 year old. I counted 3 times he jumped into the splits, numerous times I was sure he was about to jump on the crowd and surf his way over to me, but the most astonishing thing was watching him cling on the the scaffolding of the stage and escalate about 30 feet up, shouting he could see his hotel from up there! 

Michael Monroe’s performance was fun and set the growing crowd up for more.

Around 30 minutes later, we are treated to Gary Clark Jr, a blues man from Texas. As he walks on stage the crowd wakes up and many clearly know a bit about his reputation. He starts with an upbeat rock song, in keeping with what you would assume a Guns N Roses crowd would be keen for. As he goes through his set though he dabbles across different genres, giving us some stripped back blues and some upbeat funk. He is clearly aware that this might not be to everyone’s taste and he tells us so! 

Whilst the song choices of Gary Clark Jr might not be to the choice of some of the crowd the vast majority loved every second. With incredible virtuoso licks from both GC himself but also from King Zapata, the equally cool second guitarist on the bill. With an eclectic mix of tracks and fantastic musicianship Gary Clark Jr and his band exude coolness and built the crowd up in anticipation for the main act.

The notification prior to the show said that Guns N Roses were due to come on to the stage at 18:45, which would have been 30 minutes after Gary Clarke Jr. That time came and went, then it became half an hour later, then an hour later and rumours were starting to spread. The camera men and women had left their posts, two people next to me left the stadium, fed up of waiting! The celebrity spotting into the crowd became a big distraction with Jason Momoa causing quite a stir. The standing parts of the crowd started a Mexican wave that managed five successful circuits of the stadium whilst we waited, with many false starts to the band’s entrance. Then at 20:20 the intro video started and things became real!

With the opening notes of ‘It's so Easy’ ringing out across the stadium, it was finally happening, the two year postponed Stadium show had kicked off. Axl Rose still runs from side to side, with his trademark hip shake and mic stand choreography. His voice is strong in the lower ranges, but he has to apologise for the lack of the trademark high pitch melodies half way through the set as he is clearly battling with a throat related issue. My thoughts were that that may have been the reason for the delay to the start of the show, but he promises the crowd that he is going to get through it, which he does,but with some of the melodies in a different octave.

Slash, as we expect, wears his trademark hat and shades and appears timeless in his appearance. His guitar cuts above everything and we are treated to some pretty exceptional stuff. Duff McKagan and Dizzy Reed are also in the tour lineup, which for the ardent fans gives some of the main members of the 80s and 90s GnR originality. On rhythm guitar Richard Fortus, who provides some exceptional cover and variation for Slash. 

The show as a whole was a triumph. As you would expect there were some issues, the blend of instruments sometimes went out, with Slash’s guitar being too overpowering, especially when compared to Fortus’s. The panic of wondering if Axl would walk off with his voice struggling to reach the notes was relieved after he promised us he wouldn’t! Not only that, the rumour was true and he did apparently sleep at the stadium the night before to make sure the show could go ahead, which clearly shows a new side to him. 

At the end of the night the rockers brought on Carrie Underwood to sing Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City, which considering Axl’s now limited vocal range was a smart move. I don’t know how the connection between Underwood and the band was formed but the sound when she came on stage was incredible, with her voice working well with Axl Rose, who was now singing an octave or two below his normal! 

It’s great that this line up is still going, they are growing into their music, their fans are some of the most loyal and their legacy will live on for a long long time. I just hope they can work on their timekeeping!<

Author: Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is a musician, producer and music reviewer from Devon, in the South West of England. Whilst not writing music reviews, Phil also writes and records under the name of Ugbrooke.