Governors Ball 2013: Guns N' Roses By the Numbers
Fresh off their secret show at Brooklyn Bowl earlier this week, Guns N' Roses stuck around New York City for a few more days to headline the second day of Governors Ball 2013. Though, I suppose we can't say "fresh."
Thanks to tropical storm Andrea, Gov Ball ended early on Friday—headliners Kings of Leon were rescheduled for an earlier set Saturday—and Randall's Island turned into a complete wash... literally. The entire festival grounds, which usually serve as a golf driving range, were transformed into one giant mud pit. Ill informed festivalgoers were losing shoes left and right (pun intended), and no one was mud-free below the knee. A moment of silence for the really expensive pair of wedge sandals I saw stuck face down in the mud near the Porta Potties.
But a giant field of gross sludge can't stop GnR! (Especially since they didn't actually have to stand in it.) Axl Rose didn't disappoint—he even brought fireworks, and thankfully not the "truck stop revenge" variety he referred to at Brooklyn Bowl. Ew.
In case you missed it, here are a few key facts and figures from Guns N' Roses 90-minute set at Governors Ball.
Number of minutes late GnR went on: 10 minutes early! What! Unheard of.
Number of minutes into their set until "Welcome to the Jungle": 10
Number of fireworks detonated: We counted 6, not including the pyro.
Number of people who bit it in the mud (face first) from rocking out too hard: 2
Number of muddy girls on shoulders: 3
Number of Wings covers performed: 1 ("Live and Let Die," obvs)
How drunk the audience was on a scale of 1 - 10: 7
Number of hot chick video montages played on the big screens (that looked like they were made in the '80s but were actually current): 1
Approximate diameter of Axl Rose's cowboy hat: 30 inches?!
How sparkly Axl's shoulder pads were as he serenaded us on the piano during "November Rain": 100
Number of band members on stage: 4
Number of shirts they were wearing: 3
Number of Axl outfit changes: 1 (He ditched his white t-shirt for a more sensitive blue mid-set. He also changed out of the cowboy hat into his trusty red bandana.)
Number of guitar solos: 8? 9? I lost count.
Number of muddy couples making out to "Knockin' on Heaven's Door": 1 (People still do that?)
Number of people not participating in their finale, "Paradise City": 1, and I don't know what his problem was.
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