Guns N’ Roses Kick Off North American Tour On Slash’s Birthday In Raleigh

Guns N’ Roses launched the North American leg of their 2026 World Tour with a performance at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. The show opened an 18-date stadium, arena and amphitheater run across the United States and Canada, with support from Public Enemy.

The performance followed stops across Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom. Frontman Axl Rose steered the 29-song set that drew from throughout the band’s catalog, including “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “November Rain,” “Nightrain” and “Paradise City,” alongside newer material “Perhaps,” “The General,” and the most recent singles, “Nothin'” and “Atlas.”

The crowd joined a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” for guitarist Slash, who celebrated his 61st birthday yesterday. Cover songs performed included Slither from Slash’s Velvet Revolver project, Wings’ “Live and Let Die,” Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” The Damned’s “New Rose” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” GNR also performed Black Sabbath’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” while an image of the late Ozzy Osbourne was shown on the video screen.

Guns N’ Roses 2026 North American tour continues through September 19. Click through video highlights of opening night, kicking off with Slash’s extended birthday solo, below: