How long is too long when it comes to the length of a concert?
The usual Guns N' Roses set contains approximately 30 songs and lasts upwards of three and a half hours, which on average is a good hour longer than most acts perform on stage. And perhaps a little too long for some fans to endure.
In an interview with the Heavy Music podcast, GNR bassist Duff McKagan has defended the band's decision to rock out for such a long period of time.
“Man, Axl [Rose] loves – you know, I think it’s – goddammit, it’s like, what songs do you take out, you know, if you wanted to play shorter?” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong – my body would love it if we only played two-and-a-half-hours," McKagan continued. "Most bands, like, play two hours. Two hours and 10 minutes or something, and we’re playing three [hours and] thirty [minutes]. I’d love to play shorter because, just, I’d be in less pain the next day. But, there’s just too many songs, and people stay for the whole thing. Nobody leaves, so it’s like, “Okay, they must be enjoying this.” We’ll whip out ‘Coma’ or ‘Locomotive’."
“We’re whipping out other songs," he added. "I really love playing ‘Bad Obsession’, you know? ‘Pretty Tied Up’. It’s so great. . . . We’ll play it all. ‘Reckless [Life]’ and ‘Shadow [of Your Love]’. I’m looking at Axl, and I’m, like, “Yeah, you sure, man? ‘Cause we’ve gotta play again in a couple nights.”
McKagan's comments mirror what his bandmate, guitarist Slash, said last year during an interview with TVK's Rock City radio show.
"It's good. It's fun," Slash said about the three-plus-hour-long sets. "We play that long because we enjoy playing. It's not because we have a mandate to play for three hours. It's just we get going and we just can't stop."
Watch the full interview below.