Guns N’ Roses Bring Back “Black Leather” Live

Guns N’ Roses delivered a deep-cut surprise during their recent stop in Fortaleza, Brazil, pulling a rarely performed track from punk history into their sprawling live set.

A Punk Detour in Fortaleza

Midway through a 27-song performance, the band shifted gears as bassist Duff McKagan took the lead on “Black Leather,” marking the first time the group had performed the track live. Originally tied to the Sex Pistols and their 1979 soundtrack The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, the song’s inclusion added an unexpected jolt of raw punk energy to Guns N’ Roses’ otherwise hard rock-heavy setlist.

A Song With a Fragmented Legacy

“Black Leather” occupies a curious place in rock history. Recorded after the departure of Johnny Lydon (Johnny Rotten), the track never quite found a definitive home in the Sex Pistols’ core catalog. Instead, it first gained wider recognition through The Runaways, who included their version on the 1978 album And Now… The Runaways. The Pistols’ own recording would later surface on a Japanese compilation, further cementing its status as an oddity among fans and collectors.

Guns N’ Roses themselves revisited the song in the studio for their 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident?, though that rendition featured Axl Rose on vocals. McKagan stepping up to sing it live in Fortaleza offered a different texture—one that leaned closer to the track’s snarling punk roots.

A Tour That Bridges Eras

The Fortaleza performance arrives as the band nears the end of its South American leg, with only two Brazilian dates remaining before shifting focus to North America and Europe. Upcoming shows in Hollywood, Florida, will serve as a transition point before an 11-date European run and a summer North American tour kicking off in late July.

What stands out, however, is not just the scale of the tour, but its spirit. By reaching back into punk’s more obscure corners, Guns N’ Roses demonstrate a continued willingness to recontextualize their influences rather than rely solely on legacy hits. Sharing stages with acts as varied as The Black Crowes, Public Enemy, Mammoth WVH, and Ice Cube, the tour reflects a broader, genre-spanning conversation—one that underscores rock’s enduring ability to absorb, reinterpret, and evolve.

Rather than simply revisiting the past, Guns N’ Roses appear intent on reframing it—pulling overlooked songs like “Black Leather” into the present and reminding audiences that even deep cuts can still carry a sense of urgency decades later.