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Fans lined up for tickets earlier this week. (Getty)
Guns N' Roses, almost true to their original lineup with three original members, returned to the Troubadour in West Hollywood on Friday night—a venue they played their first show at in the 1980s (and where a David Geffen A&R rep discovered them). Fans lined up starting Thursday for the "secret" warm-up show, which reportedly had a capacity of around 250. The band also announced dates and venues for their upcoming 20-city stadium tour this week, which will have them on the road now through August.
The current band is fronted by Axl Rose, and features Slash and Duff McKagan on lead guitar and bass, respectively—this was their first time sharing a stage since 1993. Joining them last night (and presumably for the rest of the tour) were Richard Fortus on guitar, Frank Ferrer on drums, and Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese on keys. (All those keys and no "November Rain"!) Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler did not join their old bandmates.
The venue prohibited cell phones but some video has been uploaded to YouTube—here's a compilation of most of the footage that has surfaced so far.
For more, check that #troubadour tag on Instagram.
The setlist (h/t Guitar World) consisted mostly of songs from Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion, aside from "Chinese Democracy" and "Better" (which were from the 2008 Chinese Democracy album that featured neither Slash or McKagan).
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Chinese Democracy
Welcome to the Jungle
Double Talking Jive
Live and Let Die
Rocket Queen
You Could Be Mine
The Godfather Theme
Sweet Child O' Mine
New Rose
Better
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
My Michelle
Nightrain
The Seeker
Paradise City
Here they are playing the venue in the mid-'80s:
