So last night knocked an item off the bucket list for me. In September of 1992 I was within earshot of the GnR/Metallica show at the old Texas Stadium. I could hear the concert, but that was as close as I would get. And with the way Axl has behaved in all those intervening years, I assumed that was as close as I ever would get.
When they announced this tour, I was skeptical, but pounced on tickets anyways. I figured worst case scenario is I have my own story about the time Axl was an ******* and cancelled my show.
Well let me tell you, those fears were unfounded.
Guns n Roses came out last night and absolutely blew the doors off Heinz Field for 2 hours and 45 minutes. I'm still basking in the afterglow, so I don't want to say it was the greatest concert I've ever seen, but I'm pretty sure it was. I kept wondering, "who is this smiling, affable, portly middle aged gentleman, and what has he done with Axl Rose?" He interacted with the crowd, he complimented Pittsburgh, he shared the stage with his bandmates, and he sounded great! He can still hit all the notes, even if a few leave him breathless. The encore set with "Paradise City" and fireworks and confetti was the best, most extravagant send off I've ever seen, bar none.
If you're a fan of GnR, this concert is a must. I hope they get the rest of the band back together and do this again.