Gavin Felvus left Cwmbran for London about 24 years ago.
In 2003, he made the wise decision to start Guns2Roses and in his role as Axl Rose it’s taken him to shows all over the world.
The intro to their entrance on stage tonight came with a reminder that Guns2Roses have performed on stage with top stars like Brian May, Lady Gaga, and on occasions, a few former members of Guns N’ Roses have joined them on stage for gigs.
It’s a fascinating story about this former Fairwater Comprehensive School pupil, and I’ve loved interviewing him. The first time was in 2012.
Just a few weeks ago, he took his band to India, and in a few months, they’ll be entertaining people in Australia and New Zealand.
He’s played much, much bigger events than Crowfest, but never played for a crowd this size in his hometown. He told me a month ago during a phone call that he was looking forward to it.
I got the feeling he loved every moment. I saw him arrive really early (hours before their slot) at the stadium to enjoy the atmosphere, and was told his dad (who still lives in Cwmbran) was here, proud as punch.
They started with Welcome To The Jungle and ticked off all the hits to loud cheers.
Slash, their lead guitarist, stripped to his waist and was left on stage alone for a solo instrumental. He built us up for two minutes and suddenly dropped the intro to ‘Sweet Child of Mind’.
Cue wild screams from the crowd! It was a good moment.