Guns & Roses' appetite for destruction brings them back to Israel

The reunion of Rose and Slash, which seemed more unlikely than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PA leader Mahmoud Abbas sitting down together, came after years of bitter acrimony.

By DAVID BRINN
Updated: DECEMBER 5, 2016 20:52
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Saul Hudson, better known by his stage name Slash (photo credit: REUTERS)
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Saul Hudson, better known by his stage name Slash
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The summer of 2017 is shaping up to be the season of the loud rock ‘n’ roll dinosaur. On the heels of venerable boogie masters Aerosmith, booked for May 17 at Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon as part of their farewell tour, will lumber Guns & Roses, one of the bands Aerosmith inspired and who then went on to even greater heights, for their third show in Israel on July 15 as part of their “Not in This Lifetime” tour.
The premier hard rock band of the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Guns & Roses set the bar for a raunchy, blues-driven raw sound with albums like Appetite For Destruction and Use Your Illusion I and II.
It will be the first time since 1993 that Guns & Roses founders Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan will share the stage in Israel. Rose returned in 2012 in a revamped version of the band that ironically had endured for much longer than the original lineup.
The reunion of Rose and Slash, which seemed more unlikely than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas sitting down together, came after years of bitter acrimony.
By all accounts, despite Rose toting some extra poundage, the old chemistry between the two is back and the reunion which began earlier this year has kept the band’s legacy intact.
Tickets to the show go on sale Friday morning at 10 a.m. – from NIS 290 for lawn standing to NIS 890 for Golden Ring tickets (with discounts for both to American Express holders).