Guns N’ Roses Reunion Rocks Troubadour In West Hollywood, Sans Adler And Sorum

Guns N’ Roses fans cheered as frontman Axl Rose appeared with guitarist Slash, and bassist Duff McKagan, to represent the original ’80s lineup, at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, on Friday night, April 1, 2016. The post-midnight reunion also included later members, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Despite fan anticipation of Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler appearing at the kickoff show, he was absent, as was Matt Sorum, Adler’s replacement when he left the group. The name of the band’s 20-date summer tour, Not In This Lifetime, which starts on June 23 at Detroit’s Ford Field and ends on August 22 at San Diego’s Qualcomm Park, reportedly reflects Axl Rose’s doubts of a “full lineup.”

According to E! Online, the last-minute Guns N’ Roses show at the Troubadour club was witnessed by some 250 people, including celebrities like Bradley Cooper, best actor nominee for his role in Silver Linings Playbook, and his mother, Gloria Campano who often accompanies him to glitzy events. Other big names noted were David Arquette, Chris Brown, Jim Carrey, Kate Hudson, and Emily Ratajkowski.

Fans can count on six more Guns N’ Roses concerts for April, two at the Coachella Music And Arts Festival, two in Las Vegas, and two in Mexico City, despite a tenuous relationship between Slash and Axl Rose.

Slash had this to say in a radio interview.

“His sort of M.O., as far as the band was concerned, over time got so exaggerated in the rock star sense or whatever and he became such a dictator and this and that and the other, that it was impossible for me to work with him, because I’m not the kind of person that takes orders, you know.”

Rolling Stone noted that the Guns N’ Roses reunion Friday at Troubadour, marked the first time Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan got together to perform since the bizarre July 17, 1993, Buenos Aires gig when a man in a Domino’s Pizza uniform delivered a pie to Rose onstage.

In a spate of nostalgia, Guns N’ Roses filled their West Hollywood venue with hits from their 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction. “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child of Mine,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “It’s So Easy,” and “Rocket Queen,” brought knowledgeable listeners back to the Troubadour in the mid ’80s, where the band often performed and “got discovered.”

Other songs Guns N’ Roses laid out were Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Live and Let Die” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” The band also did an impassioned treatment of its 2008 album Chinese Democracy with renditions of “Chinese Democracy” and “Better.” It was the first time since Slash quit the band halfway through the 1990s, that he performed the classic tracks live.

The Guns N’ Roses set list for the Troubadour went as follows

1. “It’s So Easy”
2. “Mr. Brownstone”
3. “Chinese Democracy”
4. “Welcome to the Jungle”
5. “Double Talkin’ Jive”
6. “Live and Let Die” (Wings cover)
7. “Rocket Queen”
8. “You Could Be Mine”
9. “Speak Softly Love” (Andy Williams cover)
10. “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
11. “New Rose” (The Damned cover)
12. “Better”
13. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”
14. “My Michelle”
15. “Nightrain”
16. “The Seeker” (The Who cover)
17. “Paradise City”

When Guns N’ Roses got together as a Los Angeles band in 1985 and signed with Geffen Records in 1986, the lineup consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. At its present form, the band has Rose, Slash, and McKagan, along with keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, and keyboardist Melissa Reese.

In terms of records sold, the group counts on six studio albums, more than 100 million records distributed worldwide, including 45 million shipped in the United States, qualifying Guns N’ Roses as an international bestseller.

[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]