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Over the weekend, an Axl-less original lineup Guns ‘N Roses attended their induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Earlier in the week, Rose wrote an open letter to the Rock Hall committee expressing his declination of the honor, as well as throwing in a bit of remorse for good taste. As expected, the night went on without the frontman as all other original members from the band’s heyday performed three songs off their legendary "Appetite for Destruction" album.

Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler, Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed we’re joined onstage by guitarist Gilby Clarke and current Slash-solo-project-singer Myles Kennedy after being introduced by a straight-faced, albeit slightly sarcastic, Billie Joe Armstrong, who jokingly asked “who’s missing?”

High praise and emotions continued as members spoke with bittersweet remembrance as they looked back at their legendary careers.

 "I'm so honored to have met these guys in the back alleys of Hollywood," said Duff. "We learned how to write songs together. We created the brutality, beauty and total truth all at once, but we were writing songs for ourselves. We had no audience. We played our first gigs with very few fans. And as we progressed, more and more fans came and they were relating to these songs. I don't know if they were relating to us so much or the songs. They spoke to them. I don't know if it matters who's here tonight, because it's about the music that that band created."

The sans-Axl celebration included three performances from “Appetite for Destruction” – “Mr. Browstone,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City” – with “Use Your Illusions” era member Sorum on drums while the man he replaced, Adler, sitting down for the latter two.

 

 

 

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