Guns N’ Roses opened the North American leg of their world tour in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Axl Rose led a stadium-wide rendition of “Happy Birthday” for guitarist Slash. The moment, during a concert featuring songs including “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City”, highlighted the enduring appeal of the band’s classic-era members and gave fans a notable opening-night moment.

Slash appeared touched and slightly overwhelmed as thousands of attendees sang to him at Carter-Finley Stadium, while a video of the tribute gained more than 17,000 views online. The band also shared a birthday tribute on Instagram, and Slash thanked fans in a brief post, writing that they were “wonderful”.