News Segment

GUNS N’ROSES IN SHOCK DOWNLOAD REUNION:

June 12, 2006

Axl and Izzy put their differences behind them at Donington

Guns N’Roses’ singer Axl Rose was reunited with estranged guitarist Izzy Stradlin as Download drew to a close tonight (June 11).

And heavy metal’s legends of Sunset Strip closed the Donington festival in a typically chaotic style.

Midway through the set, Rose introduced original member Stradlin for three songs, ‘Patience’, ‘Night Train’ and ‘I Used To Love Her’.

It was only Stradlin’s second show back with the band in over a decade, following a shock appearance in New York last month.

But that was not the only surprise instore; for ‘My Michelle’, the band were joined by former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach.

Guns N’Roses took the stage half an hour early, but Rose easily made up the time in a series of sensational walk-offs.

After slipping over during ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’, Rose annnounced that the band were experiencing “technical difficulties” and left the stage for five minutes while a guitarist played an instrumental version of ‘Don’t Cry’.

The singer had already abandoned the show once before, leaving the crowd with an instrumental version of Christina Aguilera’s hit ‘Beautiful’. And he threatened to leave the stage after ‘Better’ if the crowd persisted in throwing bottles.

However, they did get to air ‘new’ songs ‘Better’, ‘The Blues’, ‘IRS’ and ‘Madagascar’.

Perhaps referencing this weekend’s Nokia Isle Of Wight festival, Rose dubbed the site “the Isle Of Wrong” before ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.

Guns n’ Roses played:

‘Welcome To The Jungle’
‘It’s So Easy’
‘Mr Brownstone’
‘Live and Let Die’
‘Knockin’On Heaven’s Door’
‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’
‘You Could Be Mine’
‘Beautiful’ (instrumental)
‘Better’
‘Out To Get Me’
‘The Blues’
‘November Rain’
‘My Michelle’ (with Sebastian Bach)
‘Patience’ (with Izzy Stradlin)
‘Night Train’ (with Izzy Stradlin)
‘Madagascar’
‘Rocket Queen’
‘IRS’
‘I Used To Love Her’ (with Izzy Stradlin)
‘Paradise City’

Elsewhere at Download, second stage headliners The Prodigy narrowly avoided a crowd incident as hordes of fans climbed the lighting rig onn what was only their second-ever show back in their original line-up, after headlining Isle Of Wight on Friday.

Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi also played today, alongside Welsh hardcore heroes Funeral For A Friend and Bullet For My Valentine.

Closing the biggest ever Download, organiser Stuart Galbraith confirmed that the festival had sold out for the first time in its history, and that it would return next year, June 8-10.

As well as sister festivals in Dublin and San Francisco, he also revealed plans for a Download festival in Boston.

Courtesy of www.nme.com