High doses of rock in the city with two great bands!
San Antonio showed to be ready for a night of rock ‘n’ roll at the Alamodome when the legendary band Guns N’ Roses brought their North American Tour to the Alamo City, bringing along another classic band, Alice in Chains to open up the show.
ALICE IN CHAINS
Taking the stage promptly at 6:00pm, as fans filed into the stadium, they were completely rocked out by the electricity this Seattle-based band brought. Known for its large part in the 1990s’ grunge movement, their style isn’t the type you’d expect to see open for Guns N’ Roses.
However, they were a perfect fit with their raw and heavy energy taking over the stadium right from the start, with songs like “Again” and “Them Bones.”
William DuVall, the band’s frontman, along with drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez, were all excellent performers. Jerry Cantrell, the band’s founder, lead guitarist and co-lead singer was extremely impressive on the guitar, delivering all of the setlist’s rawest riffs that transported the crowd right back to the ‘90s with their pitch-perfect set.
GUNS N' ROSES
At 7:30pm, the night’s big headliner, Guns N’ Roses took the stage for a massive set that incredibly ran just a bit over three hours long. Starting with “It’s So Easy,” all the bandmates demonstrated their expertise as Axl Rose stormed the stage with the type of energy you’d see from him back in the late ‘80s.
Despite Rose’s vocals not being at the peak they once were, his energy and passion on stage for the band’s performance more than made up for it. Sustaining the level of performance they gave for as long as they did was remarkable, especially with the energy of the high-octane show never dying down.
Rose was constantly moving about on stage, with drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese behind him and bassist Duff McKagan giving their absolute all. Richard Fortus contributed his own great guitar work and Slash on the lead guitar being an absolute showstopper.
Every single solo that he played, of which there were many over the show’s lengthy runtime, was played with such impeccable precision and control. He frequently switched to different guitars after every song, going from an ordinary looking black guitar at one point to a guitar that was such a beaming green that fans all the way at the top of the stadium could see. He even brought out an acoustic guitar at one point to throw down a solo, and even insane-looking double-neck guitars to which he would still play with expert skill, of course.
No matter the guitar he wielded, Slash played every song the same way, with his iconic black hat and sunglasses on, tilted back with his bright gold earring swaying, fully engrossed in his guitar playing.
Highlights of the concert included some of the band’s biggest hits, such as “Welcome to the Jungle.” Rose enthusiastically screamed “San Antonio, I wanna hear you scream,” to which the crowd roared along with Slash’s iconic riffs.
Another standout moment was McKagan taking over vocals himself in a performance of “T.V. Eye,” doing so greatly enough to where he easily could have been a frontman in his own right. Rose also took to the piano to slow things down and play “November Rain,” while “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” prompted the loudest singalong of the night with how emotional it felt for the thousands of GnR fans that packed the Dome.
The biggest highlight of the night came unsurprisingly when they played their arguably biggest hit, “Sweet Child O’Mine.” With Rose coming out in a glowing white jacket belting out the lyrics and Slash nailing the track’s famous guitar parts, there was so much joy from the band that was wonderful for the crowd to see and be a part of.
Heading into their encore, they treated the crowd to five more songs, ending with “Paradise City,” a terrific way to finish off the three-hour extravaganza that the L.A.-based band delivered to all the diehard fans in San Antonio.
Guns N’ Roses consistently brings their all every time they make a trip to San Antonio, with this night being no exception. San Antonio continues to be the heart of Texas rock ‘n’ roll and shows like this, packed with thousands of rock ‘n’ roll-loving fans to watch the classic bands do what they do best, illustrate exactly why.
SETLIST
Guns ‘N Roses Setlist San Antonio
- It’s So Easy
- Bad Obsession
- Chinese Democracy
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Mr. Brownstone
- Pretty Tied Up
- Welcome to the Jungle (Link Wray’s “Rumble” intro)
- Perhaps
- You Could Be Mine
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Reckless Life
- Hard Skool
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Estranged
- Absurd
- Rocket Queen
- Down on the Farm (UK Subs cover)
- Anything Goes
- T.V. Eye (The Stooges cover) (Duff McKagan on vocals)
- Civil War (Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” outro)
- Sweet Child o’ Mine
- November Rain
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
ENCORE - Coma
- Madagascar
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- Paradise City
