Latest news with #GunsNRoses
The National
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Review: Guns N' Roses play Human Being live for first time in tribute to Axl Rose's late idol
There are only two acts I can remember who came on stage precisely at the advertised 8pm start time – Selena Gomez and Guns N' Roses. That the latter was once one of the most notoriously tardy bands in the history of rock n' roll is not lost on me. But that's a testament to what Guns N' Roses have become in 2025. Their misbehaviour may be the stuff of legend, and feuds may have kept the core members – Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan – apart for more than two decades, but it's been about 10 years since they made amends. This is not a victory lap or a quick cash grab – this is a band built to last for decades to come. And it makes sense that they would follow in the footsteps of the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Elton John and Paul McCartney and potentially play into their eighties. This has always been a band built on those influences – which made them an anachronism even when they debuted in 1985. At that time, their power as a unit was so mighty that they nearly single-handedly pushed mainstream hard rock back to the 70s – the decade when classic rock came to its own – for better and for worse. And now, with each core member either in or approaching their sixties, they're one of the few bands keeping classic rock alive in 2025. Not all the band's 70s heroes are still on stage, of course. In February, the music world lost David Johansen, the front man of the proto-punk pioneers New York Dolls. Johansen's famed on-stage swagger was one of the key influences on Rose, which he has been vocal about since GNR's early days. Most famously, the band paid tribute to the Dolls on their 1993 album The Spaghetti Incident?, covering their 1974 deep cut, Human Being. But for decades, the band never played their New York Dolls cover live. That made it particularly moving when Guns N' Roses played Human Being live on stage in Abu Dhabi for the first time in their history. Rose noted the debut with a smile, along with a tribute to his late hero. It's rare the band has looked this happy and healthy. Rose no longer sports the long hair and bandana, and looks and sounds noticeably better than he did when the band reformed in 2016, which allows him and his cohorts to breeze through a more than three-hour show at Etihad Arena – hitting all the right notes. Slash, on the other hand, remains ageless – his style has never changed, nor has his immaculate and virtuoso playing style. And most importantly, their camaraderie is palpable, with no signs of discord between them. The band, accompanied by their capable new drummer Isaac Carpenter, who joined the band in March, toured through all their beloved hits, starting with Welcome to the Jungle and ending with Paradise City, as they often do. Sweet Child o' Mine, and their covers of Bob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Wings' Live and Let Die were joyously performed. They even reached for some deep cuts, performing Attitude and Reckless Life for the first time on their current tour, and Used To Love Her for the first time since 2018. While the energy of the crowd may not have matched their 2017 show at Dubai's Autism Rocks Arena, which had 30,000 thrilled fans comes to see the reunited line-up for the first time – that is to be expected. This is the band's fifth time in the UAE, after all – and second time in Etihad Arena so far this decade. But their return is welcome, nonetheless, and marks perhaps their best performance yet. If this is the Guns N' Roses we're going to get for the next few decades, the UAE will welcome them back gladly each time.
Arab News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Guns N' Roses wow Riyadh as part of 2025 global tour
RIYADH: Iconic American rock band Guns N' Roses performed in Riyadh on Friday as part of their 2025 global tour, marking a major stop on the band's Middle East schedule. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ The group, which was formed in Los Angeles in 1985, took the stage to a packed crowd, kicking off the night with 'Welcome to the Jungle.' The high-energy set featured classic hits including 'November Rain,' 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' with fans singing along throughout. The concert was organized by MDLBEAST and, ahead of the event, Rayan Al-Rasheed, its director of operations and artist booking, highlighted the significance of hosting such acts in the Kingdom. He said: 'Saudi Arabia has become a key destination for global music acts. By hosting legendary artists like Guns N' Roses we aim to elevate the Kingdom's presence in the global music scene.' The introduction of rock music to the Saudi musical landscape acknowledged a genre that had long had a strong presence in the country, he said, adding: 'The popularity of bands like Metallica and Linkin Park shows that rock has deep roots here.'
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Timeframe: Guns N' Roses and their 15-year connection with the UAE
Guns N' Roses' Abu Dhabi concert this month is a continuation of their 15-year love affair with the UAE. They are one of the few major rock acts to have performed consistently in the country and across the Gulf during that period. Fans in the UAE have seen the band at various stages of their career: from the time it was essentially a solo vehicle for Axl Rose, backed by hired hands, to the reunion of the classic line-up, including guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan. The band continues to sell out arenas around the world. Their visits to the UAE have mirrored Abu Dhabi's own evolution as a live events destination, from their shows at Etihad Park, the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix and their sold-out concerts at Etihad Arena. Each of these packed shows not only reaffirmed the UAE's place on the band's touring map, but also laid the groundwork for other hard rock acts. These have included everyone from Metallica to upcoming gigs by Limp Bizkit and Smashing Pumpkins, who are making their first visit to the city. Their impact would have been hard to predict when Guns N' Roses first came to Abu Dhabi in 2010. With Rose the only remaining member from the classic line-up, it was difficult to muster much enthusiasm beyond the novelty of the group's first UAE performance. Yet the show turned out to be a triumph of will for Rose, who delivered a two-hour-plus set featuring 23 songs – including hits and defiant cuts from their 2008 album Chinese Democracy. Former keyboardist Dizzy Reed remembered the band's first Abu Dhabi visit as memorable for what happened offstage. 'It was trippy,' he told The National in 2013. 'We saw Emirates Palace and the world's most expensive Christmas tree. We also caught a soccer game and went to this yacht club – it was pretty amazing.' With the novelty of a first appearance gone, Guns N' Roses' return to Etihad Park three years later – with the same line-up – was a no-frills affair in the best way, featuring a set list that stretched to nearly 30 songs. According to The National's review, Rose was on scintillating form. 'No lip-synching from this guy – a physical performer, he ran himself breathless at times – yet Rose hit the right notes all the time, every time, proving he can still snarl, scream and roar,' wrote The National's Ellen Fortini. 'The band was gelled, tight, and put on a memorable show. Every bit of it came across as genuine, even Rose himself, who laughed, smiled, danced, strutted and spun his way through the set with a few well-timed and good-natured microphone stand tosses.' Perhaps as a reward for staying the course, Rose returned to the UAE in 2017 with the reformed classic line-up, delivering a sold-out performance in front of nearly 30,000 people at Dubai's Autism Rocks Arena. The return of Slash and McKagan brought a renewed energy and added potency to what was a thrilling show. 'Do the three reassembled key players like each other? Does it even matter? Bands have been built on money and ego for as long as recorded music has existed. Do they have the same cultural zeitgeist – the same whiff of danger and ability to shock – that they did 25 years ago? Of course not,' read The National's review of the show. 'But Slash and Duff's return has comfortably upgraded the group's legacy from a touring tribute circus outfit to long-reigning rock 'n' roll heroes. And on the basis of this euphoric, knockout juggernaut of a show, there's no rock band of the past three decades who can rival the might of Guns N' Roses.' After cementing the reformation's staying power with a follow-up show at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix a year later, the band went one better by choosing the UAE capital as the opening stop of their 2023 world tour. This time, they dug deep into their catalogue, performing Bad Obsession and Pretty Tied Up for the first time in 30 years, and featuring McKagan on lead vocals for the first time for their cover of T.V. Eye by The Stooges. With no new music reportedly on the horizon, Guns N' Roses' return to the UAE may seem minor, but their enduring relationship with the region reflects a band comfortable to dig deep into their catalogue, and a fan base embracing them in whatever form they take.
Al Arabiya
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Guns N' Roses to rock Saudi Arabia's Riyadh in anticipated performance
Legendary US hard rock band Guns N' Roses will perform in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh for the first time on Friday, an event presented by MDLBEAST. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MDLBEAST (@mdlbeast) The band will take center stage at the Kingdom Arena, with a capacity of 28,000 attendees, performing its hits that have shaped generations to the eager crowd. The stop in Saudi Arabia is part of Guns N' Roses' global tour, which will also bring it to other Middle Eastern countries. With a rich catalogue, the band is known for classic hits such as Sweet Child O' Mine, November Rain and Knockin' On Heaven's Door. The latest performance in Saudi Arabia reflects the effort Saudi-based MDLBEAST entertainment company has been exerting in changing the entertainment and music scene in the Kingdom. MDLBEAST is behind the Soundstorm festival, that has been dubbed 'the loudest music festival in the region,' and that is known for its impressive lineup of celebrities that previously included performances by Post Malone, Bruno Mars, DJ Snake and David Guetta along with local and regional talent.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Organising Diljit Dosanjh, Hanumankind, Travis Scott concerts: ‘Artiste fee between $1-8 million, demands for bright purple colour wafers,' BookMyShow CEO shares details
Concerts in India saw a huge boom last year, as more and more artistes around the world realised the potential of the Indian market. International acts like Guns N Roses, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Green Day have had more than successful outings in India, and BookMyShow is very much in the driving seat of this phenomenon. The ticket vendor website has become so much more than that, and its CEO Ashish Hemrajani told podcaster Raj Shamani recently about pulling off these huge shows and what all goes on behind the scenes. He described how every artiste has a 'rider', which is a list of requirements, and how they can sometimes be the strangest little things. 'Every artiste has riders. We have had artistes in the past who have asked us to put Doritos chips on the right side of the bed, with a certain ketchup. Some of these are just tricks; they are demands which are not at all possible, like asking for bright purple colour wafers. They put these bizarre things in there to check whether you are focusing on the contract and the fine print of it,' he added. ALSO READ: Coldplay's Ahmedabad show boosted the economy by Rs 700 crore; Gujarat being a dry state was a concern, says BookMyShow CEO: 'The show's budget was…' The CEO talked about the growing trends in music and how country and rap are genres that are the ones to watch for, with the former going through a huge resurgence. 'Country is coming back now, with artists like Teddy Swims and Post Malone; even Taylor Swift's music is seeping into country music. Hip-hop is also huge in the country; I mean, look at the way we sold tickets to Travis Scott – the tickets were gone in 20 minutes.' He also talked about how since Covid, independent music has rediscovered its space in India and named artistes like Anuv Jain, Jonita Gandhi, Kayan and Hanumankind. He also explained how the financial side of this business works and admitted that paying artistes to come and perform is something that is not feasible for a business. 'We have a separate artiste budget based on the number of tickets sold and the brand that are coming in. The payment for the bigger bands can range from $1 million all that way to $8 million; it could be anywhere in that space.' Hemrajani talked about the business aspect further and explained how growing artistes like Hanumankind and Jonita Gandhi sometimes end up losing money after performing live, but he still appreciates them. 'I like both of them because they are investing in the live touring side. Both of them put a lot of money into Lollapalooza; they invested almost double the amount of money they got paid. You look at the stage design, the outfits, the props, and there is a lot of effort that goes into these things.' Ashish is right to point out Jonita and Hanumankind, as it is very uncommon for artistes to pour in extra money for their performance at an event like Lollapalooza. Artistes generally invest in their stand-alone performances, when they are the only attraction on stage, because in those cases they have more control of what they can do, and they also have a better idea about the money that is coming in. That information helps them take that decision on how much they can afford to invest in things like stage design, outfits and props. BookMyShow has announced the lineup for next year's Lollapalooza, and their next big event will be the Travis Scott concert in New Delhi, as part of his Circus Maximus tour.
