Axl Rose dedicated “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” to recently deceased rapper Biz Markie during GUNS N’ ROSES‘ concert last night (Thursday, August 5) at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. He also sang a few lines of Markie‘s hit “Just A Friend” before and during the song “November Rain”. Rose apparently met Markie in 2006. At the time, Markie was impressed by Axl‘s car, Rose said.
Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall, died last month at the age of 57. His death was confirmed by his manager, Jenni D. Izumi. Hall had reportedly been ill for months, but Izumi did not provide an official cause of death, according to NPR.
GUNS N’ ROSES kicked off its summer 2021 tour on July 31 at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Dubbed “We’re F’N Back!”, this trek comes on the heels of the “Not In This Lifetime” run that began in April 2016 and became the No. 3 highest-grossing tour in the history of Billboard Boxscore.
As was the case with “Not In This Lifetime”, the current GUNS N’ ROSES tour features classic-lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.
The massive touring production will make stops in Detroit, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and more before wrapping up with two shows in Hollywood, Florida, at the Hard Rock Live Arena on October 2 and 3, 2021.
