Axel Rose hammers out tune after tune as he fronts Guns N' Roses at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Picture: Marc Robertson Source: The Courier-Mail
TALK about a study in contrasts. ZZ Top formed in 1970 and retain the same line-up, playing the same sturdy brand of blues'n'boogie rock they always have.
These days the beards are longer, the suit coats have more sparkles, but you know exactly what you are going to get, down to raunchy rock-outs on their biggest songs like La Grange and Tush.
What that song they play with the fur-coated guitars is all about I have no idea.
Last time they were in Australia ZZ Top played the Byron Bay Bluesfest and it was tough to get within cooee of a jam-packed tent, so it was good to hear them in a venue where you could see them do their thing without lining up early.
With Guns N Roses, such solid reliability is not what you expect, given that founder member Axl Rose is now surrounded by seven hired hands and the cool response to years-in-the-making album Chinese Democracy.
The last time the Gunners played Brisbane they tried the patience of even their most loyal fans by not coming on until hours after scheduled starting time. This doesn't seem to have done anything to scare anyone away though, and the Entertainment Centre looks like it's full to capacity.
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Guns N' Roses at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Picture: Marc Robertson
Since that tour the line-up of the band has bedded down and this time around they turn out to be a tight unit able to deliver solid versions of most of the band's big songs, from Mr Brownstone through to Sweet Child O' Mine.
There are times in a music reviewer's life when you feel like a lost gatecrasher at someone else's party and tonight is one of these, since Rose's piercing high register and the band's bombastic hard rock have a similar effect on me to fingernails down a chalkboard. Just about everyone else, naturally, is roaring their heads off in approval.
For the first part of the show there was difficulty in getting Rose's voice high in the mix, not surprising when he is battling it out with his posse of fleet-fingered guitarists Bumblefoot, DJ Ashba and Richard Fortus.
Rose has never been afraid of a cover version and this set includes Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die, by which time the voice seems to have emerged more clearly.
The set also includes instrumental interludes to show off the chops off the various members, although whether anyone actually needs some more soaring lead guitar solos in this set is another matter.
Guns N' Roses at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Picture: Marc Robertson
Piano man Dizzy Reed's moment in the spotlight was certainly musically impressive, but playing something as strong as Led Zeppelin's No Quarter doesn't do the rest of the set any favours in comparison.
Yep, Axl got up to all those big notes on November Rain, by which time the beating my ears were taking from all that volume, and even louder fireworks explosions, forced a retreat.
From what I saw the sometimes prickly Rose and his band were enjoying themselves, they play competently, even slickly, and all of the soap opera around Guns N Roses doesn't seem to have destroyed their fanbase, even if everyone does hope that one day Rose and his original right-hand man Slash patch up their differences.
Rose Tattoo were first on at the most un-rock'n'roll hour of 6pm so I missed them, but Angry Anderson joined Gunners for a song. Now that's a voice that really does cut through.
But judging by the dozens making an exit at the same time as me, I wasn't the only one who felt that two-hours-plus of Guns N Roses was quite enough for one night. Or, in my case, a lifetime.
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Guns N' Roses at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Picture: Marc Robertson
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