Chris Stapleton to Open for Guns N’ Roses in Nashville
Guns N’ Roses have announced the opening act for the Nashville stop of their Not in This Lifetime Tour: Chris Stapleton. The Grammy-winning singer, whose debut album Traveller stood out for its stripped-down, raw sound, will perform July 9th at Nissan Stadium.
Stapleton recently turned in a thrilling set at the home of the Tennessee Titans during last weekend’s CMA Music Festival. While a country artist seems like an odd fit to share the stage with Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, the core members of GNR’s reunion tour, Stapleton’s sound transcends country music. He is as adept at rock dynamics as he is country twang, and ended his CMA Fest performance of “Outlaw State of Mind” with a dose of ferocious feedback.
“I had a jamming amount of personnel,” Stapleton says of the large backing band he employed during CMA Fest. “So I decided to play. I like to play. They asked me in the press room what I was looking forward to performing? And I said I was looking forward to having a big band onstage and hearing my guys play.”
Stapleton isn’t the only country artist to open for a rock band at Nashville’s stadium. Last summer, Brad Paisley was tapped to support the Rolling Stones, who also enlisted Paisley to sing “Dead Flowers” with Mick Jagger during their own set. (Jagger reportedly appears on Paisley’s upcoming album.)
Guns N’ Roses’ reunion tour kicks off June 23rd at Ford Field in Detroit with Alice in Chains in support.