Exit 111: A little cold didn’t slow Guns N’ Roses from a fiery festival close – Tennessean


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Manchester, Tenn. — Not in this lifetime, eh?

How about not once or twice, but three times — in four years? 

Guns N’ Roses returned Sunday to Middle Tennessee to headline the final night of Exit 111, a carnival of headbanging hard rock held at Great Stage Park in Manchester (aka the beloved Bonnaroo ‘Farm’). 

It marked the band’s third Volunteer State appearance on the marathon “Not In This Lifetime” tour, which reunited estranged members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagen in 2016.

And — considering the band played at Nissan Stadium in July 2016 and an indoor Bridgestone Arena in November 2017 — it was probably the chilliest Tennessee show for the riff-tossing rock staple in recent memory. 

Don’t fret, though. A 45-degree bite didn’t slow Slash and company from nearly three hours of rock ‘n’ roll excess. After all, who needs a jacket when “Mr. Brownstone” can keep you warm? 

More: Exit 111: 4 highlights from a new music festival on the Bonnaroo Farm

“You buncha frost bitten (expletives),” Rose jested as the band churned through an extended take of its “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” cover. 

With Rose howling and Slash shredding, GNR played mostly to what the weather-worn audience needed as three nights of fist-raising exuberance came to a close on The Farm. The set showcased all of GNR’s roller coaster history, from the murky to the revered to the side projects in-between.  

Sure, the polarizing “Chinese Democracy” made an appearance. But, so did seven cuts off “Appetite for Destruction,” the band’s time-tested debut album that remains lauded as a must-hear concoction of blues guitar guitar, punk aggression and rock melody. 

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With a familiar howl, Rose and the band opened with the blistering “It’s So Easy” before soon riding into the aforementioned “Brownstone” and modern sports anthem “Welcome To The Jungle.” 

“OK, we’re gonna calm things down a little,” Rose joked as he introduced the not-so-calm “You Could Be Mine.” “We’re gonna live you the smooth, love sounds of WGNR.”  

Second only “Appetite” was the band’s taste for cover songs. They knocked out the expected cuts (“Live and Let Die,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”), offered something a little off the beaten path (“Black Hole Sun,” “The Seeker”) and hit a few nice surprises (“Slither,” an acoustic rendition of “Wichita Lineman). 

Rose danced and dodged his bandmates as he switched between snarl and shriek, leading rose-nosed onlookers through “November Rain” and “Nightrain.” Slash — with guitar playing that’s arguably worth the price of a day’s admission alone — entertained with poise through the extended 1991 epic “Civil War” and boisterous cornerstone “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” 

Fans who didn’t let a toe-nibbling cold end their show early were treated to a twangy “Paradise City” and blaze of fireworks to close Exit 111 — a final shot of musical warmth against the chill that waited to take over. 

  • It’s So Easy
  • Mr. Brownstone
  • Chinese Democracy
  • Welcome To The Jungle
  • Double Talkin’ Jive
  • Better
  • Estranged
  • Live And Let Die
  • Slither
  • Rocket Queen
  • You Could Be Mine
  • Shadow of Your Love
  • Attitude
  • Civil War
  • Locomotive
  • Slash solo
  • Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Wichita Lineman
  • November Rain
  • Black Hole Sun
  • Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
  • Nightrain
  • Encore:
  • Don’t Cry
  • The Seeker
  • Paradise City

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