Guns n’ Roses, The Pretenders Play Wild Stadium Concert at MetLife with Special Surprise Guest

16 Aug Guns n’ Roses, The Pretenders Play Wild Stadium Concert at MetLife with Special Surprise Guest

By Marisa Torrieri Bloom

I’m a feminist, but I’m also a rock n’ roller at heart whose favorite childhood record was GNR’s 1987 record Appetite for Destruction. In fact, I was the only kid in elementary school whose dad allowed her to get it (of course, he didn’t see images on the inside sleeve, or he would have taken it back!).

So when my husband surprised me with tickets to Tuesday night’s concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., I was over the moon! Seeing GNR at Madison Square Garden in 2017 was pretty freaking epic — it was their first tour in two decades, and honestly, the BEST concert I’ve ever attended.

But my husband forgot to mention that The Pretenders — THE PRETENDERS!! — were sharing the bill! Chrissie Hynde is not just a rockmommy, but a legend – I could not wait to see her! I’m happy to say that 71, she sounds as good as she ever did. Clad in skinny belted blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and chunky accessories, Hynde looked badass with her baby blue Fender Telecaster. The band’s 90-minute set had me dancing to all the favorites — the catchy “Chain Gang,” the emotive ‘90s rock ballad “I’ll Stand By You” and radio staple “Middle of the Road.”

Minutes after The Pretenders finished their set, surprise guest Andrew Dice Clay came on with his grotesquely hilarious style of live comedy. And while I felt a little bad for the dads who brought their 9-year-old daughters to the show, anything goes in New York!

Around 8:30, the lights dimmed and the amps turned up as GNR took the stage — with legacy band members Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, and Slash out front, along with keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, and keyboard/synth prodigy Melissa Reese, the band’s only woman (and only millennial!).

Like they did in 2017, GNR kicked off its set with “It’s So Easy” — my favorite song, and the second track off Appetite for Destruction — before transitioning to a few songs from Chinese Democracy.

Every song was backed by color-saturated, surrealist video montages which seemed to rotate between apocalyptic skulls to sensual figures dancing to the beat. The most powerful moments came when the band played “Civil War,” which broadcast an image of the tattered Ukraine flag swaying in a desolate landscape, as Slash played the slow, moody guitar-intro riff, and Rose sung the lyrics everyone knew so well.

Other favorite performances included “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” which highlighted the understated vocal prowess of Reese (whose high-energy persona is such a pleasure to watch), “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” and “Welcome to the Jungle.” Slash, of course, didn’t miss a single lick between his rotation of about a dozen different guitars, neither did super-buff Duff McKagan, who is also a killer singer (unbeknownst to me). He really belted it out during a Stooges cover.

And by the time the band ended the night with “Paradise City,” my whole body ached from screaming, singing and dancing.

But I have to admit, I couldn’t stop thinking about sweet Mr. Rose. For 61, he’s in great shape, pacing a stage like a hyped-up 25-year-old. He also nailed everything that leaned on his low register, from “Night Train” to “Patience.” But my heart went out to Rose when he tried to reach those signature high notes that give his voice such a distinct tone in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

I hope the band continues to tour, even if he has to rely more heavily on his lower register. Seeing GNR is always a good time — and last night’s show made me feel truly inspired to work on my own music, and reminded me that age, in and of itself, is never an excuse not to rock out.

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.