Guns N’ Roses in Vancouver: What to know about the show before you go

Guns N’ Roses has featured a lot of different members over its many decades in the hard rock scene. But the version of the band on tour right now has one of the most enduring lineups of the L.A. band.

Lead singer Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan all are original founding members of the group. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed has been in the group off and on since the Use Your Illusion albums, while guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Isaac Carpenter are relative newcomers. This is the membership that has been on the road since March performing all over the Americas.

The band brings the show to Vancouver this week. Longtime fans can celebrate the 29 song set list featuring most of the band’s legendary debut, Appetite For Destruction, as well as highlights from across other records. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that many songs from the group’s Chinese Democracy album are being performed, even after taking 14 years to make the recording.

What is interesting is the inclusion of songs ranging from spinoff group Velvet Revolver’s one hit single, Slither, to covers of punk rock classics by The Damned, U.K. Subs and Aussie boogie band Rose Tattoo. Classic rock numbers from legends such as Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath have also been turning up in a lot of the sets.

Bassist McKagan has been covering vocal duties on many of these versions and his voice is sounding snarly.