Reunited Guns N’ Roses provide classic thrills at Gillette Stadium

Guns N’ Roses performed Tuesday in front of adoring fans at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

FOXBOROUGH — It was only four years ago that Axl Rose, cornered by paparazzi and asked about the possibility of a reunion tour by the original Guns N’ Roses lineup, gave an answer seemingly meant to stick:


“Not in this lifetime.”
Elastic word, lifetime: it doesn’t mean forever, not even a mighty long time. Rose, guitarist Slash, and bassist Duff McKagan are on tour now, with shows at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday. Technically, Rose’s claim remains true: Neither guitarist Izzy Stradlin nor drummer Steven Adler is involved in the band’s “Not in This Lifetime…” tour, though Adler’s made a pair of guest appearances.
Good as Guns N’ Roses shows could be in the years after the classic lineup splintered in 1996 — and they could be very good, given the quality of Rose’s hires — the group’s sinuous menace was diluted. Slash and McKagan had that quality in Velvet Revolver, but lacked Rose’s oversize charisma.


If you came to Gillette on Tuesday anticipating easygoing banter, hugs, and high fives, you left disappointed; what you saw pretty much looked like professional decorum and mutual regard, punctuated with slightly muted hops, spins, and snake dances.


What you heard, though, was another matter. From the moment Guns N’ Roses hit the stage (punctually!) with “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone,” it was clear all the parts still fit. Slash and McKagan integrated resoundingly with later arrivals: not just keyboardist Dizzy Reed, on hand since 1990 and inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame with the band, but also guitarist Richard Fortus (enlisted in 2001), drummer Frank Ferrer (2006), and keyboardist Melissa Reese, this year’s newbie.


Backed by solid, unselfish players – count McKagan among that number, certainly – it was no surprise Rose and Slash could approach vintage glories. Rose’s voice lacks its youthful elasticity and highest reaches, but conveyed ample menace and desire in classic fare like “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” and “November Rain.” The singer put his customary stamp on “Live and Let Die” (less explosive, literally and figuratively, than Paul McCartney’s rendition at Fenway on Sunday) and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and made “Chinese Democracy” tracks compelling through sheer force of will.


Slash found productive, even flamboyant ways to engage with that latter-day material, such the elaborate solos he packed into “Sorry.” Throughout the night, his fertile imagination and fluid technique proved consistently arresting; among the evening’s more surprising highlights was an instrumental cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” in which Slash and Fortus traded soaring leads.


Just like old times? Not exactly. But when Slash played his climactic “Paradise City” solo with his guitar behind his head, while confetti flew, fireworks rose, flash pots popped, and Rose raced around the stage, you could just about imagine it was.


Playing in support under a just-setting sun and briefly beset by P.A. failure, Lenny Kravitz packed a short, potent set with hits like “Let Love Rule,” “Fly Away,” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” Yet even in a concise set he gave his excellent band opportunities to stretch, including a long, funky “Always on the Run” that let trumpeter Ludovic Louis run the voodoo down a la Miles Davis.