How Wolfgang Van Halen Brings Back Soul To GNR Song

Wolfgang Van Halen seemed to level the things up for “Paradise City” when the musician was requested to take part on the Guns N’ Roses tour last October.

Van Halen shared how he tried to rightly copy Izzy Stradlin’s original guitar take on the song, while he was out traveling with the band. “I just holed up on the bus in any free time, and I learned just perfectly. There were moments where I only listened to the right side of the headphones to hear Izzy’s part, so I could play it literally perfect,” the musician said in an interview with Consequence. He tried to do his best for the song since the show is only limited to one soundcheck per night.

Apart from playing the guitar, GNR wanted to sing him the backing vocals as well, and, without hesitation, Van Halen sang the high harmony that he often hears at the first part of the song. To his surprise, GNR hasn’t been doing it for years. “Duff [McKagan] was like, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s harmony there, isn’t there? That sounds great, man!’ It was like, ‘Okay, I think this will be alright!’”

With Wolfgang Van Halen bringing the lost element at a Guns N’ Roses song, it all came together more than anyone anticipated. You can watch the interview below.