The Who and Guns N’ Roses conquered Rock In Rio on Saturday (September 23) on a historic night in the City of God.
It was Roger Daltrey and co’s first ever show in Latin America – and it was GNR’s first gig at this iconic festival with Slash since 1991. A special sense of occasion all around, then, with it also being the first time the two bands have ever shared a stage.
The Who, who came on at 10.30pm, were followed by GNR who started at 12.30am, and then stayed rocking until 4am, making it a staggering three-and-a-half hour set - and 30 minutes more than the organisers were expecting!
To recap on one of the greatest rock shows this year by a country mile, here are 12 things observed from the ground at the brilliant Rock In Rio, a festival that raises the bar of what ought to be achieved for a city festival.
4am, 21 degrees + 3-and-a-half hours of GNR
The band asked for a three hour set, but they went well over, meaning they closed their epic set with 'Paradise City' and spectacular fireworks at around 4am. Watching them live at that time on a balmy 21 degrees centigrade night with the most passionate crowd in the world is just an unbelievable sight. Indeed, watching GNR is better late on because everyone’s in their best form at this time of nihgt. If only we could have gigs of this calibre this late in the UK. It feels too good not to make a case for it.
Slash's solos built up anticipation for the hits
Slash - sporting a sewn-on U.K. Subs logo patch on his denim jacket, and his classic top hat and shades - doesn’t rush you into a track as if he’s going through the motions: he loosens you up gently with solos and lead parts of insane, superhuman virtuosity. Of these sophisticated intros, hearing a clean, quieteish blues passage cranked into ‘Johnny B Goode’ then slinked into ‘Speak Softly Love (Love Them From The Godfather)’ which gives way to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ is a slick move.
Another incredible feat is hearing him and second guitarist Richard Fortus duet on a reading of Pink Floyd's ‘Wish You Were Here'. Not content to do anything by halves, the crew have wheeled out the grand piano. This allows for Axl Rose to perform the instrumental coda to Derek and the Dominos' classic ‘Layla’ and then smoothly maintain his position in front of the keys for fan favourite ‘November Rain’ – it’s a seamless mix.
Axl Rose is a great sprinter
The stage itself is one of the biggest in the world. An impressive hunk of material, it's made up of a series of curved, huge white blocks that dwarve everything around it. Stylistically, it's redolent of the collage effect that Shangri Hell in Glastonbury went for. The light blocks act as a canvas for psychedelic light projections to move in time with the music. One of its best features is the long platform that stretches out nearly as wide as the whole front barrier. Axl and co – especially Axl – love sprinting along during most of the songs. It shows that time spent with AC/DC's Angus Young has definitely made him push the physicality of his performance to the next level and igniting a more invigorated, loving crowd.
'Welcome To The Jungle' got a stratospheric reaction
The atmosphere is encouragingly high for the opening three tracks: ‘It’s So Easy’, ‘Mr Brownstone’ and ‘Chinese Democracy’. Yet the surge that happens when ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ hits is like a rocket launching. Everyone roars back the iconic words, punches the air, and involves themselves in general loose-limbed flailing about as opposed to any aggressive moshing… which brings me to my next point:
The crowd were respectful and passionate
Thanks to the festival selling day tickets and fans being able to pick their favourite day, there were no passive spectators going for a jolly. These are serious fans, and most are clad in GNR uniform – a red paisley bandana or t-shirt. The sense of occasion is emphasised in seeing how much demand beyind the 100,000 tickets sold there was. Inside the festival, the respect for fellow punters was superior to British festivals. There weren’t any arrogant surges to the front bashing people out of the way. It’s as if there’s acknowledgment of just how much this show means to people, and respect of personal space was given for everyone to express themselves as they played.
Indoor fireworks
Towards the end of the show, the band set off fireworks on the stage that go off under the roof, right where the band are standing. As they fizzle out a whole cloud of smoke starts drifting from out of the stage, making it look like they set it ablaze. Other rockets start erupting around the frame of the stage and combine with the cloud and it’s the most impressive, chaotic visual we’ve seen for a festival headliner. There have been fireworks after every headliner this week at Rock In Rio, but indoor ones are solely GNR’s offering. The move compliments the Duff McKagan’s ‘No Fucks Given’ vest incredibly.
The Who felt like a portal into groovier times
The Who are on their last-ever tour, thus making this Rio appearance their first ever and also the last. The band have ensured there's a good spread of hits from across their golden 60s and 70s era with a strong emphasis on the rock opera, Tommy, and the Who’s Next album. Fan favourites ‘My Generation’, ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘Baba O’Reily’ all sound phenomenal. The way their vocals interlock make you think they’ve got a choir hidden underneath the stage somewhere since they sound so fat. The energy and vigour that the band put behind their show is truly staggering. Perhaps they’re spurred on by having to play alongside Guns N’ Roses? Well, whatever the reason or emotion driving this feels meaningful – this is not a band going through the motions.
Roger Daltrey mustered up the energy to sound at least 20 years younger
At 73-years-old it’s incredible to see Daltrey look as electrified as he is. Perhaps it’s that it’s his first-ever Latin American gig, but he has a glint in his eye and after about six or so songs is indicative of a man glowing in joy. His voice finds this space where it elevates to such quality you’d be forgive for thinking we’re at a gig much earlier in their career than their final ever tour.
Former Oasis drummer Zak Starkey is a powerhouse
“They’re a very good rock band,” says Roger Daltrey as he’s leaving the stage. What he’s referring to is his genuine appreciation of his backing musicians, who are at the very top of their game, and are the gold standard any aspiring rock n’ roll star should look towards. Former Oasis powerhouse Zak Starkey is a particularly impressive force. The impact of Townsend's guitar wouldn’t be nearly as mindblowing if it wasn’t for Starkey who plays with brutality and melody, and soul. To keep it up without wavering is impressive stuff.
The 'Black Hole Sun' cover gave us goosebumps.
It’s impossible to think of a cooler way for Guns N'Roses to pay tribute to the late, great musician and friend Chris Cornell than the poignant cover of this Soundgarden classic. Axl Rose’s lyrical delivery was an emotional outpouring of the highest order, and he helped convey the intensity of Cornell’s troubled mind more than anyone we’ve seen cover the song. It’s as if knowing him personally has really informed his their performance. And as a listener, knowing Cornell was suffering mentally, the lyrics about washing away the pain certainly have a new, profound meaning now. Hearing it, too, hammers home what a great loss he is to the music world.
The Ac/Dc cover came as a bright surprise
Even though they’ve played 'Whole Lotta Rosie' on their tour recently, it came as a surprise because it seemed they’d gone well over their time before playing it. It was greeted with the sort of thunderous round of applause you’d expect from fans devoted to classic rock. Rose, humbled his bandmates are playing for it, refered to AC/DC as his side job because “you have to work hard to make ends meet sometimes.” Some of those diamond rings and private jets do add up, I suppose. And if anything it must have made him a better frontman, being drilled into stepping into the shoes of one of the UK’s greatest ever rock singers, Brian Johnson.It’s a choice cover although would be great to see them crack out an inflatable Rosie at the next show.
GNR’s t-shirts are amazing
GNR are the ultimate rockstars who have lived on the edge. Their attire is indicative of the mentality they have that managed to push them to indulge in excess. Their drummer Frank Ferrer had the bold lettering of 'SHIT' on his t-shirt, which is cool. Duff McKagan has his ‘No Fucks Given’ shirt on, and Axl Rose keeps changing his. Starting with a Harley Davidson shirt he switches into a number of shirts with a sexually explicit illustration on, suiting his crude stage persona. No fucks given indeed.
