This weekend is a very special one for die-hard fans of legendary heavy rock. Last night (October 6) was the first night of Power Trip, a specially curated festival located in the heart of Indio, California. The remote festival location is welcoming six iconic bands that have each left their own special mark in the world of rock & roll. Friday night’s show saw the iconic Guns N’ Roses and legendary Iron Maiden set things off for what is promising to be an unforgettable weekend of music. Power Trip is a three-day festival put together by Goldenvoice, the same company that pieced together the 2016 festival which featured acts like the Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, and The Who. With Power Trip 2023 underway, things are starting to heat up in California.
Guns N’ Roses pieced together a career-spanning setlist for their spot at the festival. They kicked things off with “It’s So Easy” from their classic 1987 release Appetite for Destruction, an album that got special attention last night. Eight tracks of the band’s 29-song setlist came from their legendary LP with Guns N’ Roses pulling out songs like “Paradise City”, “Rocket Queen”, and “Welcome To The Jungle”. The band also pulled from their influences, covering songs from Bob Dylan, Wings, The Stooges, and Jimmy Webb’s (made famous by Glen Campbell) “Wichita Lineman”. Guns N’ Roses also performed songs from both of their Use Your Illusion albums, performing songs like “Bad Obsession” and “Civil War”.
Iron Maiden kept things tight and honed for their performance. The band kept a heavy focus on their newer releases by performing tracks from their 2021 LP Senjutsu with songs like “The Time Machine” and “The Writing On The Wall”. They then threw it back to their 1986 release, Somewhere in Time with classics like “Caught Somewhere In Time”, “Heaven Can Wait”, and “Wasted Years”. This year’s breeakout song for them has “Alexander the Great” off 1986’s “Somewhere In Time” which previously to 2023, was never played live- saw its 37th appearance of 2023. The band then skipped through their discography with performances of “The Trooper” and “The Prisoner”.
With day one of Power Trio 2023 down, things are already shaping up to become a legendary moment in music history. Day two kicks off tonight with AC/DC and Judas Priest performing while Sunday (Day three) will feature Metallica and Tool. Check out the full setlist and footage from last night’s show below.
