Here’s a sentence that feels odd to write: Guns N’ Roses are rolling into Fenway Park tonight (August 21), and they’re bringing brand new music with them. The reloaded rock and roll titans have been on a steady touring grind over the past few years — revisit our recap of the Not In This Lifetime Tour stop at Gillette Stadium from 2016 — but only recently have been adding new songs to their iconic catalog.
The original troika of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff last week unveiled a new single called “Perhaps,” and while it’s a bit more Chinese Democracy than Appetite For Destruction — much like 2021’s “Absurd” — it does bring an element of freshness to the mega-show. But hey, who are we kidding? We know why we’re all packing The Cathedral of Boston for some Monday night debauchery, and that’s to hear the hits, from the radio classics to the band’s absolute greatest, including this new era’s setlist stalwarts like “Coma” and “Rocket Queen.” Both of those should sound massive echoing out into the Fens.
Also of note: This appears to be the last concert at Fenway Park this summer, part of a busy lineup that welcomed P!nk’s Summer Carnival, Zac Brown Band, Dead & Company, Fall Out Boy, and others. So get in your licks while you can, and get their early to show Chrissie Hynde some love, too.
GUNS N’ ROSES + THE PRETENDERS :: Monday, August 21 at Fenway Park, 4 Jersey St. in Boston, MA :: 5:30 p.m., $32 to $150 :: Event info :: Advance tickets