Guns N'Roses live at the Download Festival, RDS, Dublin

The concert no-shows, the bust-ups, the fables of excess, the women…Guns n’Roses were always a band that were mindful of the exquisite theatrics of rock’n’roll. Not that you’d particularly know it from their almost sold-out Irish headliner; when Axl and his new cohorts take to the RDS stage on time and without bothering to make us wait for hours (as was always their trademark), the crowd doesn’t know whether to be excited or perplexed.
With the opening strains of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, it does seem that, aside from Axl’s growing-old-disgracefully complexion, precious little has changed. Immediately, the 40,000 downloaders are pummelled into joyous reverie with an assault of true crowd-pleasers; ‘It’s So Easy’, ‘Mr. Brownstone’, ‘Live & Let Die’. With Rose still sprinting across the stage with the same zeal he possessed 14 years ago at Slane Castle, it’s a wonderful collision of noise and nostalgia…perfect for this sun-dappled evening.
Alas, it’s precisely at this point where things start to get sticky. As Rose departs the stage for his first of five (count ‘em, five) costume changes it becomes clear that he is still very much preoccupied with showy theatrics (albeit of the Celine-Dion-In-Vegas kind). New guitarist Richard attempts a perfectly nice instrumental version of Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’, but there’s something about such tight-jeaned guitar-wankery and pomp that fails to strike a chord with this anthem-hungry, increasingly restless crowd.
Herein lies the big question…was Guns n’Roses really ever more than the sum of its parts? It soon becomes clear that the volatile combination of Axl, Slash and Duff McKagan and the drama that ensued really was an integral part of the fable. Tonight’s show certainly seems to be suffering from the lack of Slash’s very distinctive guitar style.
But no matter. Despite a heavy break in the momentum, there was much to love. Appetite For Destruction fans in particular were happily satiated after rousing versions of ‘Out Ta Get Me’, ‘Nightrain’ and ‘My Michelle’ (for which the band were joined by flaxen-haired Thor Sebastian Bach). Meanwhile, new material like ‘Madagascar’, piano-led ‘Better’ and ‘The Blues’ sound muscular, although aren’t classics by any standard.
Given the incredibly videogenic qualities of the band circa Use Your Illusion, ‘November Rain’ will always be a song that needs a chandelier or two (and where’s Stephanie Seymour when you need her?). A tedious Ron Thal solo segues into a slightly muted, instrumental version of ‘Don’t Cry’, denying the crowd a true lighters-aloft, arms-around-the-world moment.
While there’s no doubt that Rose is a consummate star, an enigma for whom interest will always be high, his rampant egotism regrettably appears to be on a short leash for now. With that, the G n’ R parable we’ve come to love appears at an end, but we’re still hoping they don’t leave the touring for so long this time.