NEW YORK (Reuters) - Reclusive rocker W. Axl Rose was on his best behavior as the new-look Guns N' Roses played its first concerts in more than three years over the weekend and dusted off a few songs from its long-delayed album.
His trademark shriek complemented by a trim goatee, the 44-year-old vocalist is the only holdout from the original lineup of the self-destructive band that ruled MTV and the pop charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
As Guns N' Roses struggled to record its follow-up to the two "Use Your Illusion" albums from 1991, Rose took control of the band and either fired his bandmates or watched them leave in frustration. His efforts over the last decade to record the new album "Chinese Democracy" with a revolving cast of hired hands have become something of a music industry joke.
In his early days, Rose had a penchant for antagonizing pretty much everyone, but on Sunday he repeatedly thanked the sold-out 3,300-strong audience at the Hammerstein Ballroom for its support, and shook hands with fans.
Guns N' Roses performed nine of the 12 songs from its 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction," including "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." Other crowd pleasers included "You Could Be Mine," "Live and Let Die," and the ballads "November Rain" and "Patience."
It was the second of four sold-out shows scheduled at Hammerstein. After Friday and Sunday, the band will play again Monday and Wednesday before a series of European festival appearances that will begin May 25 in Madrid and will include two dates opening for the Rolling Stones in Germany.
While the crowd came to hear the old hits, Guns N' Roses also played several songs from "Chinese Democracy," including "Madagascar" and "IRS." Rose told a New York radio station last week that the album might come out this fall. During the show, he thanked the crowd for its patience.
"You can hold your breath a lot longer than David Blaine. I want to thank you for that," he said, referring to the New York stuntman who last week failed in an attempt to break the world record for holding his breath underwater
Rose is no longer the scrawny kid who ruled Los Angeles' Sunset Strip in the 1980s, but he displayed a surprising amount of energy. He wore his braided long hair tied up in a pony tail, designer sunglasses, blue jeans and a leather shirt unbuttoned to reveal a crucifix hanging from a large necklace.
He dedicated the show both to his mother and to former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, whom he credited for finding a vocal coach and a throat doctor when Rose lost his voice after the Friday show. The two reunited after not talking to each other in 13 years.
"I was busy trying to save my life, he was busy trying to destroy his," Rose said, before inviting Bach on stage to sing along on "My Michelle."
Rose's previous comeback fizzled in late 2002. After a triumphant performance at New York's Madison Square Garden, he failed to show up for the following day's show in Philadelphia. The crowd rioted and the promoters canceled the rest of the tour.
Despite rumors that Guns N' Roses refugees, such as equally reclusive guitarist Izzy Stradlin, might appear at Hammerstein, none materialized. With one exception, the seven musicians backing Rose played with him in 2002.
They were keyboardist Dizzy Reed (who has been with Guns N' Roses since the "Use Your Illusion" days), guitarist Robin Finck (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia (formerly of Primus), guitarist Richard Fortus from the Psychedelic Furs, keyboard player Chris Pittman, and bassist Tommy Stinson from the Replacements.
The new addition was Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, an obscure New York City musician hired last week to replace enigmatic guitar wizard Buckethead. Occasionally, Bumblefoot played an unconventional guitar modeled to look like a hybrid between a bee and a foot, complete with retractable wings.
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