Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan have regrouped as the rock band Guns N’ Roses for the “Not in This Lifetime…” tour. This is the first time the group has played together since the “Use Your Illusion Tour” in 1993.
Just as the tour’s name suggests, I truly never thought that Guns N’ Roses would perform again. When I learned that they were going back on tour, I immediately texted my parents, begging them to let me go. My fellow fan Juliana and I bought tickets three months in advance, and we counted down the days until, finally, July 27th arrived.
We approached the Georgia Dome, nervous, excited and extremely intimidated by the immense size of the venue. I looked at Juliana and began to feel the elation build up in my body, starting in my heart and spreading through me as if traveling through my veins. This was only the second concert I’d ever been to, so I tried to take in my surroundings as much as possible and savor every minute.
As soon as we entered the dome, we realized we were on the opposite side of where we should have been. We accidentally went up too many floors, then quickly realized and ran back down. That’s when we hit the sea of middle aged people. It was all we could do to get into the current of people going the same direction, and eventually find our seats.
By the time we reached our seats, the opening act, the Cult, was done playing. Luckily, we were able to hear them even though we didn’t see them. We quickly found our seats and got settled, intently watching the screens on the sides of the stage as we eagerly waited for the members to come on stage.
Guns N’ Roses finally arrived, kicking off their concert with “It’s So Easy.” The show dulled a bit toward the middle of the setlist, but was quickly rejuvenated with “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” which got the entire crowd up, dancing and screaming. We even saw a lady who appeared at least 60 standing and singing.
However, the space was very large, and the sound somewhat distorted. Julianna and I both agreed that a different venue, perhaps Philips Arena, would have greatly improved the acoustics.
My favorite song, “November Rain,” was played toward the end of the set, but the wait made it all the better.  Throughout the night, different screen backgrounds and fireworks kept up the mood of the concert. It was highly entertaining to see all of the middle aged people in their attempts to relive their glory days of high school.
The encore piece, the classic “Paradise City,” was a perfect finale, complete with fireworks and cheers from the crowd. It was truly amazing and left my hearing temporarily impaired.
Walking out of the dome, Juliana and I were both at a loss for words. The only thing  I remember saying is, “This is the best night ever, best night of my life.”