What is the best GNR opening song?

[F*ck Fear]

Chinese Democracy.

Especially the way it sounds now. Great fucking rocker to kick shit off.

I felt like going with Welcome To The Jungle at first, but it would make a great mid set wake up call!

[Thorbear]

Chinese Democracy is pretty sweet, but ISE and NT are great as well. 

 

I don't like jungle as an opener, or in the beginning of the show, they should move it to a later slot in the setlist. 

[TheDemocracyRose]

They should shuffle between them.....

[Sosso]

Rocket Queen would be nice as the opening song, but not with the extended intro.

[TheGeneral]

1 hour ago, Sosso said:

Rocket Queen would be nice as the opening song, but not with the extended intro.

I always thought of Rocket Queen as a song that would be good near the very end, maybe even right before Paradise City.

Edit: Shuffle between them would be nice. Aerosmith did the same during their Aero-vederci Tour sometimes opening with Nine Lives etc

Edited January 29, 2018 by TheGeneral
Forgot something.

[Sosso]

5 minutes ago, TheGeneral said:

I always thought of Rocket Queen as a song that would be good near the very end, maybe even right before Paradise City.

Edit: Shuffle between them would be nice. Aerosmith did the same during their Aero-vederci Tour sometimes opening with Nine Lives etc

The drum intro would be a cool way to start a concert. I would love to hear the 2002 version performed live again, but this would need Bucket, Chris and Brain

[Towlie]

Coma would be a great start to the encore.

WTJ for the main set.

[Stress Fracture]

I think I’d go with WTJ but with the caveat that it was never better than with Robin’s tease riff and then Axl coming in from the shadows. Slash on this occasion is beaten at his own game.

It’s So Easy is strong and has ensured the NITL shows get off to a flawless start and compare well to the 80s/90s, with Axl’s ‘but it goes to show’ better and more aggressive than it’s ever been.

[andrew032302]

2 hours ago, TheGeneral said:

I always thought of Rocket Queen as a song that would be good near the very end.

When I looking the songs up, I saw that they actually ended the show with Rocket Queen once.

 

[default_]

It'd be cool to have RNDTH as opening, it sets the mood.

[AxlRoseCDII]

5 minutes ago, default_ said:

It'd be cool to have RNDTH as opening, it sets the mood.

Ooh...good one! That would be awesome.

[double talkin jive mfkr]

i would say that without a doubt it is PTU and specifically referencing the RIO opener where the energy of even a brand new song blows the crowd away. Only GNR could have ever pulled something like that - showcasing a brand new song to the thralls of the Brazilian crowd 

Furthermore even though there is like half a million people Izzy looks STOKED and totally into it 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2018 by double talkin jive mfkr

[Gold top 78]

I voted Nightrain with WTTJ a close 2nd. I think PTU would be a great first song on the encore. 

[El Guapo]

Welcome to the Jungle is just perfect. The structure of the song, the intro, the lyrics...just perfect.
It's so easy is cool as well and makes total sense since it's rather easy for Axl to sing (I suppose) and gives him the opportunity to warm up his voice on stage
Chinese Democracy works too, but it's a bit of a "poor mans Jungle" since it copies that  build-up too much.

[IncitingChaos]

I’d like a TIL teaser into WTTJ...

you know where he sings the 

And now I don't know why
She wouldn't say goodbye
But then it seems that I
Had seen it in her eyes

Then a pause, followed by first two notes of Jungle then a “DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE F*CK YOU ARE!!” 

Idk always thought that would be an interesting way to get rid of TIL haha

[El Guapo]

6 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

I’d like a TIL teaser into WTTJ...

you know where he sings the 

And now I don't know why
She wouldn't say goodbye
But then it seems that I
Had seen it in her eyes

Then a pause, followed by first two notes of Jungle then a “DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE F*CK YOU ARE!!” 

Idk always thought that would be an interesting way to get rid of TIL haha

That's...insane.
Not in a good way.

[Tom2112]

Depends on the gig doesn't it. For some of those 2012/13 shows when the opened up smaller gig with You're crazy that really worked. 

Jungle works anywhere, as would nightrain and a good few others.

Personally I'd love them to open with Nightrain, but Chinese, Jungle...? it's all good. Definitely NOT Coma though

[dogman]

2 hours ago, double talkin jive mfkr said:

i would say that without a doubt it is PTU and specifically referencing the RIO opener where the energy of even a brand new song blows the crowd away. Only GNR could have ever pulled something like that - showcasing a brand new song to the thralls of the Brazilian crowd 

Furthermore even though there is like half a million people Izzy looks STOKED and totally into it 

 

Agree 100%.  This was also the performance I was going to reference.  

[themadcaplaughs]

Did the band ever open a show with "Right Next Door to Hell," or was that just a possibility someone threw out? I dug "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Chinese Democracy." "It's So Easy" was cool in 2016, but I agree it fits in as a better second song (probably from listening to AfD so many times). If I were to choose another song, other than what was listed, I would pick "Better." 

I remember how profoundly weird it was hearing the band open with "You Could Be Mine" at that show in 2014. I feel that song's energy requires a band to build up before performing it. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by themadcaplaughs

[BlueJean Baby]

10 minutes ago, themadcaplaughs said:

Did the band ever open a show with "Right Next Door to Hell," or was that just a possibility someone threw out? I dug "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Chinese Democracy." "It's So Easy" was cool in 2016, but I agree it fits in as a better second song (probably from listening to AfD so many times). If I were to choose another song, other than what was listed, I would pick "Better." 

I remember how profoundly weird it was hearing the band open with "You Could Be Mine" at that show in 2014. I feel that song's energy requires a band to build up before performing it. 

Yes, this show

 

[Top-Hatted One]

1) Nightrain

2)Jungle

3)Easy 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Top-Hatted One

[-Jaro-]

Voted WTTJ but CD is on same level as opener...

[Dean]

Used to love the big intro to Chinese for the 11/14 shows. However, It's So Easy was a great change and gets the crowd going with that thumping bass!

[Nice Boy]

The thing about this band is, with their debut album they wrote two songs that really are the perfect opening and closing songs for any hard rock set ! - But that causes is a problem in itself, because how could they ever better it ?

Welcome to the Jungle is a definitive opening sound - the tense build up, the wailing siren vocal, the killer riff and the lyric that essentially says welcome to the spectacle of the show - how could they ever come up with a better opener?

Paradise city is the perfect closer - it's a feel good song but still rocks fucking hard, goes nuts at the end in a kind of Bohemian Rhapsody headbanging way, and the lyric essentially says ok it's home time now, end of the show haha

After you've written the two definitive opener and closer songs, where do you go (now) ?   

 

[Nice Boy]

On another note, It's so Easy is the perfect opener for a vocalist who needs a warm up to spend several hours doing or attempting a high-pitched rasp - the song begins on the low register and gradually builds to the high rasp. 

I believe this is why Axl choses to open with ISE and Brownstone so often. It's much easier for him to warm up on the low notes than dive straight in to a high register song.