Guns N’ Roses
7:30pm, American Express stage
Government name(s): William Bruce Rose Jr., Saul Hudson, Michael Andrew McKagan, Darren Arthur Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, Melissa Reese
Nicknames: Axl, Slash, Duff, and Dizzy
Hometown: Los Angeles
Active since: 1985
Genre: Sleaze & roll
Number of studio albums: Six
Number of Grammys: None, but four nominations
Latest release: 2008’s Chinese Democracy
Influences: Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Rose Tattoo, Hanoi Rocks
Notable collaborators: Michael Monroe, Alice Cooper, Don Henley, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Rihanna
Breakout moment: “Welcome to the Jungle” video, played by MTV at 4am on a Sunday in 1988, nearly a year after the single’s release
Songs they should play: Anything recorded up to 1993
Songs they shouldn’t play: Every note of Chinese Democracy
Brave experiments: Replacing Duff with the Replacements’ Tommy Stinson for 16 years; replacing Slash with Buckethead
Best lines: “Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place/ Where as a child I’d hide/ And pray for the thunder/ And the rain/ To quietly pass me by”
Notable achievement: The last truly dangerous rock & roll act
Last local show: Frank Erwin Center, Feb. 23, 1993
Tame Impala
8:15pm, Honda stage
Government name(s): Kevin Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, Julien Barbagallo
Nicknames: Mate
Hometown: Perth, Western Australia
Active since: 2007
Genre: Neo-psych dance jam
Number of studio albums: Three
Number of Grammys: None, but two nominations
Latest release: April single “Borderline”
Influences: Kylie Minogue, Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine, Supertramp
Notable collaborators: Theophilus London, Travis Scott, Kanye West, ZHU, Kali Uchis, Lady Gaga
Breakout moment: 2009 debut single, “Sundown Syndrome”
Songs they should play: The entirety of Chinese Democracy
Songs they shouldn’t play: The entirety of Chinese Democracy
Brave experiments: Rihanna covered Tame Impala’s “New Person, Same Old Mistakes”
Best lines: “Australians don’t sugarcoat things,” Parker told Rolling Stone earlier this year
Notable achievement: Kevin Parker remains a studio wizard who gets otherworldly drum sounds
Last local show: ACL Fest, Oct. 9, 2015
This article appears in October 4 • 2019.