Guns N' Roses Live Debut "The General" at the Hollywood Bowl

Guns N' Roses surprised fans of the final night of their tour on November 2, at the Hollywood Bowl - a live debut of "The General."

The Los Angeles band who erupted in the 1980s right off the bat with their debut, Appetite for Destruction, have played around the world in small clubs to enormous festivals, but hadn't performed at the world famous Hollywood Bowl until the last two gigs of US Tour.

Axl Rose, Slash, Duff and the boys whipped out the new tune, "The General" as a treat right in the middle of the Thursday night set, which is a shame because many might have been making a pit stop or standing in line for a new beverage when the singer introduced the 16+ year old song by saying “this could be very interesting.”

Yes, much like the Buster Keaton film of the same name, "The General" is old. How old?

Way back in 2007, Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach told Metal Edge he had heard the demo of it and asked his pal Axl when would it become available because he was blown away.

“It’s by far the heaviest metal tune I think I’ve ever heard Axl do,” Bach gushed.

“This slow, grinding riff with these high, piercing vocals, screaming vocals," he said. "I was like, ‘When is this coming out?’ And he said, ‘2012.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you’re killin’ me!’"

Was Bach in the audience to finally hear the tune along with the 17,500 in attendance at the gig that boasted The Black Keys as the openers? Unsure, but he did post this photo with his wife in nearby Bel Air, so hopefully?

Bach later told Rolling Stone that "The General" is the sequel to "Estranged," the nearly 10-minute epic from Use Your Illusion II.

Which might be true. So then why play "The General" two songs in the set before "Estranged"?

"Estranged" at the Hollywood Bowl on Nov. 2

On Thursday the band performed "Perhaps," a Chinese Democracy era tune that never made that album but was released as a single this August. "The General" was the B-side of that single, which is perhaps why it was played next?

Then the group rocked "Absurd," which was also a Chinese Democracy reject released as a single August of 2021. Finally they unleashed the more familiar "Estranged."

After 50 gigs on their 2023 World Tour, including a stop at Power Trip, Glastonbury, and Wrigley Field, Guns is going to get some much needed rest.

But guess who doesn't want to sit around waiting for his top hat to collect dust? Slash will be back on stage in December in North Carolina and then off on a World Tour of his own with his band The Conspirators in January. Get your tickets on Slash's site.

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