Local grunge heroes Sponge opened the show with a quick four-song set leaving the audience anxiously awaiting the headliners. I was curious to see what G N R would bring to the table in such an intimate environment and they did not disappoint.
Hitting stage at 11:30pm, the band ripped through a grueling 3 hour set of classic Guns material and select cuts from Chinese Democracy. It was truly thrilling to see a legendary Arena-Rock juggernaut in such an intimate environment. The most epic moments came during the blistering Appetite tracks like Nighttrain, It's So Easy and the finale Paradise City. There were several bathroom breaks built into the set including several solos and interludes, but seeing gems like Estranged and Civil War up close made the set well worth the wait.
Although Axl is pushing 50 and was battling an illness during the show (his voice gave out a few times), he and his band rocked with an energy rarely seen in bands half their age. As the confetti settled around 2:30am and the band took a final bow, the audience was exhausted and G N R was back on top of the rock universe, almost as if they never left.
