Guns N' Roses Play Surprise Gig in NYC Boutique

Posted on Feb 12th 2010 10:05PM by Benjy Eisen
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Bandanas must be "in" this year, because Axl Rose brought Guns N' Roses to New York for Fashion Week on Thursday night. It was a surprise gig that marked the first time GNR performed in the U.S. since 2007 -- and that one, too, was a one-off at a fashion industry event.

The show was held in the space that once housed CBGBs, the legendary dive bar and music venue where GNR performed in the late '80s. The space is now occupied by a John Varvatos boutique (thank you, gentrification).

Brooklyn Vegan reports that, indeed, people waited for hours for the late-night set and were rewarded with a ripping 17-song show that drew from the band's entire career but only included four from their current release, 'Chinese Democracy.' Incredibly, the store wasn't anywhere near capacity by the time the band wrapped up just before 3AM. Audience members included Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sebastian Bach and Sean Lennon.

Buzz band Alberta Cross also performed, in a previously-announced part of the show, and told Rolling Stone that they were just as surprised as anybody to find themselves opening for GNR. But perhaps the most surprising thing about all of this is that the stealth gig was a part of Fashion Week. Usually, when the word "fashion" is used in the same sentence as "Axl Rose," it's to note that the notoriously tardy frontman was "fashionably late" for his own gig. Surprise!