Guns N’ Roses Open 2026 North American Tour in Raleigh on Slash’s Birthday

Guns N’ Roses kicked off the North American leg of their 2026 World Tour at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday night, July 23rd. The band played a marathon 29-song set that landed on guitarist Slash’s 61st birthday and included a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

• Support acts in Raleigh included Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Pierce the Veil and The Barbarians of California.
• Public Enemy opened the show with a 10-song set featuring “Shut ‘Em Down,” “911 Is a Joke,” “Bring the Noise” and “Fight the Power.”
• The North American tour leg runs through a September 19th show in Atlanta.
• The classic Guns N’ Roses lineup of Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler has sold over 100 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Axl Rose Leads Birthday Serenade for Slash in Raleigh

The Raleigh show fell on Slash’s 61st birthday, and both the audience and his bandmates marked the occasion by singing “Happy Birthday” to him mid-set, with Axl Rose leading the surprise. Slash appeared bashful during the moment, covering his mouth as the packed stadium sang.

Guns N’ Roses posted an Instagram highlight-reel video celebrating the guitarist, captioned “Join us in wishing the iconic, the one N’ only, Slash a very happy birthday.” Slash thanked fans afterward, writing “Thank you everybody for all the kind bday wishes, you guys are fn wonderful, cheers!” alongside a humorous video.

Guns N’ Roses Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne

During the Raleigh set, Guns N’ Roses performed Black Sabbath’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, projecting Osbourne’s image on the video screens. The performance came a day after the one-year anniversary of Osbourne’s death.

Guns N’ Roses Raleigh Setlist

The show opened with “Welcome to the Jungle” and closed with “Paradise City,” bookending a set that drew eight songs from the band’s debut album, Appetite for Destruction, including “Mr. Brownstone” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” The band also worked in a run of covers, among them Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Wings’ “Live and Let Die,” The Damned’s “New Rose,” Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman.”

1. Welcome to the Jungle
2. Bad Obsession
3. Mr. Brownstone
4. It’s So Easy
5. Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
6. Hard Skool
7. Chinese Democracy
8. Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
9. Yesterdays
10. Think About You
11. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Black Sabbath cover)
12. Estranged
13. Double Talkin’ Jive
14. Don’t Cry
15. You Could Be Mine
16. Nothin’
17. Rocket Queen
18. Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
19. New Rose (The Damned cover)
20. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
21. Happy Birthday to You (For Slash)
22. Civil War
23. Atlas
24. The General
25. Slash Guitar Solo
26. Sweet Child o’ Mine
27. November Rain
28. Nightrain
29. Paradise City