Guns and Roses
Brisbane Entertainment Centre 20-3-13
“Guns and Roses” performed at The Brisbane Entertainment Centre and were apparently brought to you by ‘MAC Cosmetic’, as the visual display informed us.
With fireworks and pyrotechnics going off overhead, Axl and his gang burst on to the stage all ‘guns’ blazing. Axl personally thanking the audience for being here, perhaps trying to make up for his previous track record.
Looking around the arena, it was not exactly a full house. There were patches of empty seats and gaps in the general admission floor. Not deterred, the band ripped into their set with an electric vigour.
The current line-up of “Guns and Roses” has been playing together for five years since DJ Ashba took lead guitar duties in 2009 and the chemistry between all eight members on stage was clear. Richard Fortus moved around like a fox in heat, violently stabbing at his guitar and pirouetting through choruses. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Ashba both enticed cheers from the audience mounting the tops of fold back wedges while showing off their ability to shred.
The thought of an all-original line up must have been looming in the back of the crowd’s mind, especially after witnessing ZZ Top, who had just played earlier that night. A band which has been together with the same three hombres for forty years, boasting stage charisma rivalled by few.
Still, this didn’t subtract any energy from the new Gunners performance. There was a lot of running back and forth from the small squadron of guitarist. That “Oh, I’ve left my wallet on the other side of the stage” trot that they seem to do.
Guest appearances were made from the previous two acts. Angry Anderson joined Axl on vocals for ‘Nice Boys’, his gruff voice fitting in like a charm. Anderson contrasted the surroundings, his casual down to earth demeanour and work boots were dwarfed by the all frills parade around him. Billy Gibbons came out too for a long version of ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’.
Asides from ‘Knocking On Heavens Door’ and ‘Live and Let Die’, three other big covers were pulled out. First, a brilliantly executed instrumental version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘No Quarter’ buy pianist Dizzy Reed, accompanied by the rest of the band. It was a stunning rendition and would have done John Paul Jones proud. Several songs later Axl tried his hand at the piano with Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’, arousing greater response from the crowd than some of his own songs. ‘The Seeker’ by The Who was also added to the encore.
Their set stretched out close to two hours. Of which I give full credit to each member on stage, not dropping their game for a second. However, as the evening wore on, the crowd began to disperse and more and more empty seats were noticeable. Opening the encore with the acoustic ballad ‘Patience’ -perhaps unintentionally ironic- I noticed a few glances at watches around me. If this disheartened any of the musicians on stage they didn’t let up, and performed with gusto till the last bar. Axl thanked the crowd once again and even partook in an “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi” chant with the patriotic fans.
Axl Rose, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Chris Pitman, Ritchard Fortus, Ron Thal, Frank Ferrer and DJ Ashba had just performed a stellar two hour show, giving their all into each song, displaying musical ability that not to many in the crowd could claim to possess. Sure, this wasn’t Slash, Duffy, Izzy, Adler and a 10-kilo lighter version of Axl, but lets realise what had just happened. This was a world-class band that had followed two other world-class supporting acts (ZZ Top and Rose Tattoo). If people are looking for a time machine, I suggest buying a copy of “Use Your Illusion I & II (Live)” on DVD.
The gentleman seated next to me summed the night up best, “Oh well, at least we’re getting our value for money, aren’t we?”.
– Words and Photography by Thomas Oliver
