Guns N’ Roses Play “Bad Apples” Live for the First Time in 35 Years

Guns N’ Roses pulled off a deep-cut revival that few fans expected, dusting off “Bad Apples” for the first time in 35 years during their explosive set at Brazil’s Monsters of Rock festival.

A Deep Cut Resurfaces After Decades

The performance of “Bad Apples,” originally featured on Use Your Illusion I, marked only the third time the band has ever played the track live. Its last outing dates back to May 11, 1991, at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre, where it appeared as part of a string of warm-up shows for the monumental Use Your Illusion Tour. Prior to that, the song made its live debut at Rock in Rio 1991, cementing its status as one of the band’s most elusive live rarities.

By bringing the track back into rotation, Guns N’ Roses tapped into a deeper layer of their catalog—one that longtime fans have long hoped to hear again but rarely expected to.

Expanding Setlists and Surprise Covers

The São Paulo show also served as the third stop on the band’s 2026 world tour, which launched at Mexico’s Tecate Pa’l Norte festival. Alongside “Bad Apples,” the band continued to shake up their setlist, reintroducing staples like “Rocket Queen” while also revisiting “Dead Horse,” another Use Your Illusion I cut that has only surfaced intermittently over the past several years.

In a nod to their influences, the band also performed “Junior’s Eyes,” originally by Black Sabbath. The cover, first played during Ozzy Osbourne’s Back to the Beginning event last summer, has quickly become a compelling addition to their live repertoire—bridging classic hard rock eras with ease.

New Songs, Shifting Lineup, and a Global Outlook

Earlier on the tour, Guns N’ Roses debuted two newer tracks, “Atlas” and “Nothin’,” giving fans a glimpse into their more recent creative output following the songs’ December release. Notably absent from the current run, however, is second keyboardist Melissa Reese, who has stepped away from touring due to unforeseen personal reasons.

As the tour moves forward, the band is set to traverse multiple continents, including Latin America, North America, Europe, Australasia, and Singapore, with dates scheduled through December. A diverse roster of opening acts—ranging from hip-hop pioneers to alternative and hard rock mainstays—underscores the band’s continued cultural reach.

More than three decades into their career, Guns N’ Roses appear less interested in simply revisiting past glories and more focused on reshaping them. By blending deep cuts, new material, and unexpected covers, the band is crafting a tour that feels less like a nostalgia circuit and more like an evolving statement—one that suggests their legacy is still very much in motion.