The UAE has enjoyed a long, lively love affair with Guns N’ Roses – but now, we are ready to take that relationship to a whole new level.
Over the years, there have been multiple visits from both of the band’s main players, and a few loyal sidemen. But tomorrow, audiences will see Axl Rose and Slash together on the same stage in the UAE for the first time.
The Not in This Lifetime... Tour, which kicked off last April, features guitar hero Slash and bassist Duff McKagan back in the band for the first time in 23 years. But over the past decade – during which the idea of such a “classic line-up” reunion was just a misty-eyed dream – loyal local fans have lapped up numerous chances to bathe in the bittersweet GN’R afterglow.
In early 2008, Slash and McKagan stole the show at Dubai Desert Rock Festival in the band Velvet Revolver – which also featured former Gunners drummer Matt Sorum. It was one of the supergroup’s final gigs before vocalist Scott Weiland quit to rejoin Stone Temple Pilots.
Nearly three years later, Axl brought his version of Guns N' Roses to Yas Island, in late 2010, on the final stretch of the band's decade-long tour in support of Chinese Democracy – the wildly delayed, sole non-Slash LP that was eventually released to global chagrin in 2008.
One of that version of the band's bit-part players was to prove a perennial UAE visitor. Guitar virtuoso Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal first appeared at Dubai's Hard Rock Cafe in 2012 to help local rockers Point of View launch their strong debut album Revolutionize the Revolutionary.
It was the beginning of a long-running relationship with the award-winning UAE band, which culminated in a joint tour of India, and follow-up gigs at The Fridge in 2013 and The Music Room in 2014.
When Axl brought his GN’R back to du Arena in 2013, Bumblefoot appeared onstage in a Point of View T-shirt.
On Friday, the PoV relationship reach another level, as the Dubai rockers to support the reformed Guns N’ Roses at the Autism Rocks Arena.
Axl's 2013 concert came just weeks after Slash brought his solo tour to Dubai Tennis Stadium, with a band that featured singer Myles Kennedy. They performed six GN'R classics, all from 1987 breakthrough album Appetite for Destruction.
The number of Guns N’ Roses tribute bands who have played The Music Room in Dubai would be embarrassing to count, if they had not proved to be so fun. A planned visit to the same venue by Gilby Clarke – GN’R’s rhythm guitarist during the world-conquering glory years of 1991 to 1994 – was cancelled in 2015, as was a gig at Abu Dhabi’s The Exchange Lounge, allegedly due to security concerns on the United Kingdom leg of the tour.
If all this proves anything, it is that the GN’R’s legacy runs far deeper than the fetishised early line-up. Even the touring juggernaut of the early 90s starred three non-founder members – Clarke, Sorum, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who joined in 1990 and is the only member aside from Rose to have enjoyed uninterrupted membership since then.
Friday night, then, is just the latest chapter in the ongoing love affair between UAE audiences and Guns N’ Roses – and don’t count on it being the last.
rgarratt@thenational.ae
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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