Glastonbury Festival 2023; memories of when Guns ‘n’ Roses made their ‘triumphant’ UK return at Leeds 2002

No no - we’ve already done that, at least those of us who attended Guns ‘n’ Roses first UK show since “reforming” with Axl Rose and a rag-tag bunch of session musicians. Though they lacked Slash and Duff McKagan, those of us who attended Leeds Festival 2002 were more than content for any Guns ‘n’ Roses live performance, after watching their celebrated comeback at the MTV Video Music Awards that same year.

Other bands on the Leeds Festival line-up that year also knew many of us were there to see Axl Rose take to the stage, this time braided hair and NFL shirt clad rather than the spandex shorts and “Kill Your Idol” T-Shirt, red flannel at times adorned across his body, at other times tied around the waste. Some were excited to be sharing the bill with the rock icons, while others dismissed them and the arrogance that came along with sharing the backstage area with Rose.

I recall watching Amen, a particularly brash punk band that played the main stage hours before Guns ‘n’ Roses would headline Leeds Festival (not Reading - no, you lot had to make do with a show in London instead), with lead singer Casey Chaos asking if we were looking forward to the set. Many cheered, with Chaos responding “you know he’s only wearing a bandana because his braids are fake, right?”

Roll on the evening, waiting amongst a sea of people to see Guns ‘n’ Roses triumphant return. We waited… and waited… and waited… and then it dawned on us; we know this scenario from before, but never have been at ground zero when it happens. What if Axl Rose threw a rockstar tantrum backstage and was refusing to take to the stage? More importantly than that, how the hell are me and my festival friends going to get out from the middle of a sea of potentially p***ed off Guns ‘n’ Roses fans? We’ve seen footage of riots when the band walked off stage while on tour with Metallica - is this going to happen to us?

Around 50 minutes later, and being teased with the continued “check, one, two, check” chorus from the roadies on stage, the lights on the main stage suddenly went dark. The video screens lit up as dialogue from ‘The Exorcist III’ flooded Temple Newsam, with the unmistakable opening riff from the first track on Guns ‘n’ Roses legendary album, “Appetite For Destruction.”

Better late than never, Axl Rose wonders out (braids and all) and lets out his blood curdling scream - ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ follows. I breathed a sigh of relief - the second band I wanted to see this festival (Foo Fighters being the first), and I didn't have to worry about a riot… until the last night of Leeds Festival 2002.

We didn’t care about new work from the “forthcoming” album ‘Chinese Democracy’ (which ended up being released six years later), and we weren’t too bothered who the new line up included. We cared only for the sing-a-longs many of us hoped to experience first hand the first time around, while others thought they’d never get a chance to sing-a-long with Axl live after their acrimonious split in 1996.

Axl at one point, about to sit down in front of a cream white grand piano, informed us that because he came on late, they would have to cut their set short in order to avoid a curfew. We were upset, but understood - but Axl being Axl… decided to eschew the curfew. “I didn’t come all this way to be told when I have to finish, we’ll go on all f***ing night if I want.” We cheered - we approved of this rockstar tantrum because, selfishly, it benefitted us.

As the confetti littered the air around the main stage after an encore of ‘Paradise City,’ and dispersions had been cast aside; this was an incredible show. Our only collective disappointment was it wasn’t the original line up - a disappointment that won’t be too much of an issue today when Guns ‘n’ Roses headline the Pyramid Stage.

What did Guns ‘n’ Roses play at Leeds Festival 2002?

A huge thanks to Setlist.FM for filling in some of the gaps in my memory, but the full setlist for Guns 'n' Roses at Leeds Festival 2002 was as follows.

• Welcome to the Jungle
• It's So Easy
• Mr. Brownstone
• Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
• Think About You
• You Could Be Mine
• Sweet Child o' Mine
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan cover)
• Out ta Get Me
• Madagascar
• November Rain
• Street of Dreams
• Patience
• Rocket Queen
• Nightrain

Encore:

• Paradise City

What time are Guns ‘n’ Roses playing the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023?

Guns N' Roses will headline the Pyramid Stage this evening with a set time scheduled for 9.30pm to 11.45pm. But given my experience, plan for a wait.

Those of us who will not be able to attend Glastonbury Festival 2013 won’t have to miss out seeing Guns ‘n’ Roses play, as BBC iPlayer will be showing their set in full, with on-demand video available for a week after the end of Glastonbury 2023.