I basically went to Hong Kong to see Guns N’ Roses, a band I’ve followed since I was a teenager. When I’d heard that they were doing an international leg of their “Not in this Lifetime” tour (which started waaay back in early 2017, I was wondering if they were going to make their way to Asia again, as they did back in 2008.
Well, they did, kinda.
I mean, I they went to Hong Kong and Taiwan, but not to Shanghai or Beijing (unlike other touring bands that often make their way northward). Seeing that they were going to be making eight stops total, I seriously debated whether or no I should go to all of them or even just the closer ones, such as Taipei, Hong Kong (two nights), Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila or, even Abu Dhabi. I mean, why not? Flights weren’t overly expensive and concert tickets, well, it was once a lifetime chance (for now) to do such a thing. Plus, I’d never done it before so it was an idea that floated through my mind.
As luck would have it, however, my uncle and his family were visiting that same week so I decided against country hopping to follow the band but decided to go to Hong Kong instead… for both nights.
Technically we landed just in time to catch them but, since I’m a hesitant fellow sometimes, I hadn’t bought tickets just yet and, to make matters worse, we had no idea where to go. Luckily, the concert was simply at the Asia World Expo which is located right at the Hong Kong International Airport. Visa entry took a while and then the usual trying to find our way around ensued.
When we had finally located the ticket area we heard the concert start.
“I recognize that song!”
How much are tickets? Some $300 a piece. There were seats available but I knew better than to even think about sitting down. Besides, it’d be a good experience for my friend who’d never ever been to a rock concert before.
Then I heard the song I was wondering if they were actually going to play. You know the one. “Chinese Democracy”. Sure enough it, there was the intro, then the opening lines, and so on. Damnit! Now I’ll definitely have to come back for the next show!
I wanted to bring my GoPro into the concert but security turned me away saying it wasn’t allowed. Typical, I thought. But what about people’s cell phones? Those are okay.
So I go check another bag (along with all of the luggage we brought from Beijing) and pretend to put away my GoPro.
Returning, security was satisfied and in we went five songs late. Grrr, like movies, I like being there before the lights go down. To be fair, I did have a work conference in the morning and had flown down from Beijing that same day so the fact that we made the concert was good enough.
We find our seats and the whole crowd is on their feet. It’s not a sell out but pretty close. Lots of cell phones in the air and… GoPros on sticks. Go figure. I’d get beer later, I needed to breathe in the atmosphere first.
I turned to my friend and shouted into her ear: “This is what we do: stand for three hours, drink overpriced watery beer, and shout at a bunch of grown men on the stage. Sometimes we sing along and give them the devil horns.”
I’ve seen GNR five times in my adult life, but never with the “original” lineup: Winnipeg in 2012; Seoul, South Korea in 2009; Winnipeg again in the summer of 2017; and now Hong Kong twice in 2018.
Unlike their previous excursions during which Axl and other band members were still fighting and not talking to each other, it seems the economics came together with the friendships and they finally reformed, in a manner of speaking, hence the “Not in this lifetime” title for the tour, because it was said at one point, the band would never be together again in this lifetime. And yet here they were.
And unlike in Winnipeg or Seoul six or seven years ago, the band was spot on. Axl’s voice was right on with what we’d heard on the albums and in the “glory days”. It may have helped that he’d been touring with AC/DC for a while beforehand but this time, it was all GNR.
And the concert went on and on and on… and on. It actually got to the point where you’re like, “Is it almost over?” Yet never did I want them to actually stop playing. I was wondering how much more they could do. For the price of the concert ticket you kinda expect a decent show, but clocking in at over three hours? Wow. $100 per hour? I guess that’s not bad, I mean, given all the lights and speakers and stuff, right?
The setlists were the same for both nights, which is a little bit disappointing. But, to be fair, the people who come to see GNR want to see “the famous” songs (such as “Welcome to the Jungle”) so, in that case, they had little leeway to swap out anything. Sadly, they dropped “Used to Love Her” from their Hong Kong set and eventually played another new tune, “Madagascar” in Hawaii a few stops later, but not in Hong Kong.
Anyway, they played the classics “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Night train”, “November Rain”, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (complete with audience sing-a-long) and, of course, “Paradise City” and some newer songs, such as Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” (which was the band formed without Axl after GNR broke up back in the day), a few guitar solos from Slash’s (and sometimes with Richard Fortus, the other guitarist in the band but not from the original lineup), a couple from the the “latest” album (2008) such as “Chinese Democracy”, “Better”, and a slew of cover songs, such as “Attitude” (by the Misfits), “Wish You Were Here” (Pink Floyd), and even “Black Hole Sun” (by Soundgarden, a tribute to Chris Cornell who had recently passed away).
Introduction Presentation
- It’s So Easy
- Mr. Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover) (with “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” intro)
- Civil War (with “Voodoo Child” intro and outro)
- Coma (followed by band introductions)
- Slash Guitar Solo
- Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather) (Nino Rota cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover) (Slash and Richard Fortus guitar duet)
- November Rain (with “Layla” intro, Axl on grand piano)
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover) (with “Only Women Bleed” intro)
- Nightrain Encore:
- Patience (with “Melissa” intro)
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
In any event, both nights were absolutely fantastic to see and well worth the trip. My friend ended up taking home a T-Shirt (a must, I told her) while I got a poster since there were no shirts left in my size. Stupid me, since I like collecting those shirts anyway. I’ll guess I’ll have to do some hunting around for one.
And in like fashion, for the record and for posterity and because I’ve always loved those audience-made videos, I recorded a few songs from both nights, which you can find on below hosted on YouTube:
So now I wonder, where will I be able to see them next time?