2022.10.11 - Estadio Nemesio Camacho El Campin, Bogotá, Colombia

This will be Axl's 1000th show with GN'R.

Slash played the riff to Don't Damn Me at rehearsals.

Source: Del James and Kat Benzova on Instagram (Vanessa's husband's birthday).

Soulmonster wrote:Slash played the riff to Don't Damn Me at rehearsals.

The soundcheck clips from Meegan's Instagram. Duff looked surprised and asked what it was when Slash played the riff:

Dizzy on Instagram:
Hello Bogota!!!





https://www.instagram.com/p/CjmCglwIxW2/

Pictures by Del James:

Pictures by Meegan Hodges:

Maybe the ugliest litho I have ever seen.

With this show, Slither has been played more times than I.R.S. (99 vs 98) and Shadow of Your Love has been played more times than Think About You (80 vs 79).

Photos by Kat Benzova:

These pictures by Kat could be from either show in Bogota:

Review of both shows in Bogota; Orbita Rock, October 13, 2022 (translated from Spanish with Deepl):

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30 years later, this was Guns N' Roses' return to Bogota

By Miguel Acuña

Guns N' Roses finally returned to Bogota's El Campin Stadium almost 30 years after their (almost failed) first concert in Colombia in 1992. It was two memorable nights, filled with the band's greatest hits and all the energy of core members Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan and Dizzy Reed.

After the cancellation of their show at Estéreo Picnic 2020, as a result of the shutdown of massive events due to health emergency, Guns N' Roses confirmed their visit to Colombia as part of their We're F'N Back! Tour 2022 for October 11, and the response from the Colombian public was so overwhelming that it was necessary to add a second date for October 12, which also sold out in a few hours. It should be noted that only three cities on the 2022 Guns N' Roses tour had a second concert: London (England), Bogota (Colombia), and Saitama (Japan).

More than 80 thousand people attended the concert at the El Campín Stadium; the city of Bogotá waited thirty years to settle the debt with what in the 90s was the most important rock band on the planet, and the outcome could not have been better: a flawless organization from the entrance to to the performance, a band that for three hours unleashed all their greatest hits and a satisfied, happy audience, many of them grateful to see such big idols as Axl Rose, Slash or Duff McKagan live for the first time.

Aterciopelados, the band chosen as the opening act

The opening act was the classic Colombian band Aterciopelados, led by Andrea Echeverry and Hector Buitrago, who played 10 songs for about 55 minutes, including “Cosita Seria”, “Sortilegio”, “Rompecabezas”, “Florecita Rockera”, closing with one of their first songs, the classic “Mujer Gala”. At first, the announcement of their appearance was not received well by many Guns N' Roses fans who argued that this was not a worthy opening band. But the one thing that is certain is that Aterciopelados is the most important rock band in the history of Colombian rock and this makes them worthy of sharing the stage with one of the most important rock bands in the world.

During their show Andrea Echeverry expressed his dissatisfaction with the main band's management: “ The gringos are cool, but uh-huh, they didn't even let us do a sound check”, which caused some controversy. There was either criticism or applause from the audience, as many of them found this way of complaining to be appropriate.

The set list for the We're F'N Back! Tour 2022

When the time came, at the scheduled time: 8:00 p.m. on the first day and 8:15 p.m. on the second day, Guns N' Roses jumped on stage at El Campín under the euphoria and the opening notes of “It's So Easy”, the song chosen to kick off their entire 2022 tour. Later, one after another came classics from the band's history like “Mr. Bownstone”, “Welcome To The Jungle”, “Estranged”, “You Could Be Mine”, “Sweet Child O' Mine”, “November Rain”, and “Don't Cry”, among others, completing a set list of 27 songs in each concert. New songs, such as their latest release “Hard Skool” from 2022 and “Absurd” (2021) were also included, as well as renditions of Velvet Revolver's “Slither”, and their unforgettable covers of Bob Dylan's “Knockin' on Heaven's Door”, Misfits' “Attitude” and Wings' “Live and Let Die”.

Since the beginning of their tour, two Ukrainian flags are featured on the sides of the stage and the song “Civil War”, with the same flag on the screens, is dedicated to the victims of this event, which has not been lost on the band.

This is what the Guns N' Roses legends were like

Despite being the 30th and 31st concerts of their 2022 tour, which began on June 4 in Portugal, each one of its members gives their all in every concert; Slash is still the same virtuoso and impressive guitarist that has stood out as one of the pillars of rock history, supported by his partner Richard Fortus (rhythm guitar since 2022) with whom he alternated solos in a few songs. The constancy and leadership of Duff McKagan in the band throughout history, makes him one of the key elements of the show, mainly in the performance of the lead vocals of “Attitude”, in addition to his vocal presence on all the choruses.

What would the piano solo on “Estranged” be without Dizzy Reed? Another infallible member of Guns N' Roses since 1990 supported on this task by Melissa Reese, who became part of the band in 2016 and is also providing backing vocals. On drums Frank Ferrer, solid member of the band since 2006, recruited by Axl Rose initially as a session musician and later replacement of then drummer Bryan Mantia.

60-year-old Axl Rose, the Guns N' Roses icon, controversial, hated by many and beloved by many, returned to Bogota 30 years after his behavior at the Campin and the Hotel Tequendama sparked a lot of criticism. It was the time when Guns N' Roses was the biggest rock band on the planet and his rockstar-like behavior made him stand out not only for his artistic endeavors but also for his complex personal life. Now, even though Axl Rose has lost a great part of his signature voice, and has been criticized for it, he makes an effort to offer a high level show, leading the audience to remember that each of the classic songs he has created and is now performing, are a special part in the lives of his followers. Energetic, with attempts (some of them successful) of his trademark screams, his constant change of outfit and of course his perfect interpretation of “November Rain” on the piano, he fulfilled his goal. After more than 30 years of singing with his special (forced) voice, and 31 concerts of the current tour, he could not be expected to carry on with his voice intact, also considering the problems that the altitude of the city of Bogota causes for the singers. A few words in Spanish from Axl like “Gracias...”, “Hola...”, “Compadres...” generated a lot of euphoria during the concert.

The concert and the spectacle

Although the sound in the stadium and all the set up in general meets the requirements of carrying the concert without any setback, at the level of spectacle the Guns N' Roses show is basically musical and with great displays of virtuosity from its members. At a time when the industry of live shows of this level seeks to innovate in technology and linkage with the audience, this show has a conventional set up, without a catwalk, with lighting and screen visuals that are somewhat “basic”, with zero pyrotechnics and little interaction of the Guns N' Roses legends with the audience. Some attendees had to wait in line for two days to be able to enjoy them.

They are just that, rock legends, and it will always be a pleasure to enjoy a Guns N' Roses show for all that they represent for the history of music and for the lives of their fans. Although this is the fourth time Guns N' Roses comes to Colombia (1992, 2010 without original members and 2016 in Medellin, 2022), Bogota finally settled its unpaid bill with the band that it received in 1992 and could not sustain, because at that time it was simply not ready for it.

Original article in Spanish:
https://orbitarock.com/resena/regreso-de-guns-n-roses-bogota-2022

Duff in Bogota (source: Susan on Instagram).

Credit: Tako217.

Credit: HTGTH.