Guns N’ Roses at their peak were one of the most explosive forces in rock — the Los Angeles quintet hit with the velocity of punk but the craft of classic hard rock, and their 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction remains one of the best-selling albums in US history for reasons that hold up completely. Axl Rose’s voice was genuinely singular: screaming, plaintive, menacing, and melodic in turns, often within the same phrase. Nightrain, one of the more respected GN’R tributes working the circuit, takes on the challenge of that catalog at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Friday, April 17th.
The show is happening tomorrow night (as of April 8th), which means this is a final-notice reminder for Hudson Valley readers within range of the Pocono Mountains venue. Penn’s Peak is approximately 90 miles from the New York border — a manageable drive for a Friday night show that starts at 8:00 PM.
Nightrain’s focus is on the classic lineup era — the Appetite and Illusion period when Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, and Steven Adler were all present. The songs from that era are among the most physically satisfying in hard rock: “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “November Rain,” “Mr. Brownstone.” A competent tribute band performing this material in a room with good sound is almost impossible to dislike.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Doors open ahead of the 8:00 PM start. This is a tomorrow-night show — confirm your plans now.