Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
Guns N ‘ Roses played a three-hour set at Download Festival, including a lot of classics and a few new hits. The show was a huge success, with audiences particularly resonating with their cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Wichita Lineman.
Guns N ’ Roses’ Setlist was a Throwback to the 80s
Guns N ‘ Roses’ setlist was a throwback to their glory days. They played Sweet Child of Mine, Paradise City, and Mr Brownstone. Right now there’s a big resurgence of the 80s in all corners of entertainment. Vinyl records were said to be obsolete when CDs came out, but now they’re one of the fastest-growing physical formats.
Franchises from the 1980s continue to dominate modern cinema. A new remake of Scarface is in development, and Danny Ramirez is set to play Tony Montana. The actor is known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick. 80s games are also making a comeback. Plinko, which first appeared on The Price is Right in 1983, is being reinvented in new formats.
Those who play Plinko at Betfair Casino will notice that the game has been updated, with the option to set the multiplier level and the bet size. Players can then hit play for the chance to win, which is a far cry from the wooden pegs the game once had.
Another trend that’s coming back would be Polaroid or instant photography. Instant cameras were once synonymous with the 1980s, but have since become a much more tangible way to capture memories. As the 80s are undergoing such a resurgence, it made perfect sense for Guns N ‘ Roses to focus on this chunk of their catalog. Later in the set, they finished with a string of songs, including Don’t Cry, November Rain, and even Nighttrain.
Guns N ‘ Roses Go Down in History at Donnington
Guns N ‘ Roses haven’t played Download in quite some time, so fans were eager to see what they had in store. The band played songs including It’s So Easy, You Could Be Mine, and Estranged.
The band also played Live and Let Die from The Wings and Civil War. The setlist picked up by going into Rocket Queen, to which the band followed with a stunning rendition of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Bob Dylan.
They followed this with Black Leather from the Sex Pistols, and a cover of Wichita Lineman from Jimmy Webb.
These dates are also the band’s first few dates after their drummer departed. Frank Ferrer left last year after 20 years, and Melissa Reese, the keyboardist for the band, also announced that she would be sitting out for a while due to her own personal reasons.
On this tour, the band played Atlas and Nothin’ for the very first time, with the tracks released in December. In São Paulo, they also played Bad Apples for the first time since 1991. The band is known for playing very long sets, but their set at Download was something else.
Having so many people at a festival like that, singing along to the classics, helped to make it a Download to remember.
