Guns N' Roses, Great Western Forum, Los Angeles 7/30/91

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I'm probably going to say this quite often as I go back in time and recall these concerts, " I can't believe that this was 20 years ago!"  It seems like yesterday that I was watching Axl Rose run across the stage in a kilt.  This Guns N' Roses show back in 1991 was another one of the concerts I was able to experience thanks to some free comps at work.  I wasn't a huge GNR fan but I did like some of their songs and was happy to take advantage of the free tix.  I'm glad that I did, it was quite an experience.

Back around the time of this show, there was quite a bit of drama surrounding GNR.  New album, new band members, and Axl being Axl.  Earlier in the month that I saw them Axl was charged with inciting a riot in St. Louis.   I remember that the big question was going to be when they would eventually come on-stage....Axl didn't really seem to care how late they were taking the stage back then.

Skid Row was the opening act...nothing memorable about their performance.  Then there was the wait for GNR which became sort of a show itself.  The video crew for the concert started working, scanning the crowd for hot chicks who would hopefully be encouraged by the guys in the crowd to take off their tops.  Several of them did.  I remember someone said that the band was watching the feed backstage and would determine which girls they would have join them by watching the video feed.  

When the show eventually started, it was a great performance.  I really was impressed with Axl.  The amount of energy that guy had, running across this big stage that they had and singing at the same time.  I don't remember his voice sounding bad that night.  I've seen some You Tube clips from the tour where he sounds awful, but he sounded alright the night I saw him.  Of course some people might wonder what my definition of "alright" is.

The setlist featured all of their big hits plus some material from Use Your Illusion.  Civil War is one of my favorite GNR songs and it was cool to hear them play it live.  All in all it was a definitely a unique show that I was glad that I was able to experience.  Coincidentally I could have shared that fact with Slash just this past weekend.  We were at Disneyland getting ready to ride the roller coaster called "California Screamin".  I was talking with my brother when I recognized Slash on the other side of the tracks, he and his family had a personal escort from Disneyland.  I didn't realize until after the ride was over that he was on one of the cars behind him.  I should have done my best Axl voice and screamed out "You're Gonna Die!"