Guns N’ Roses Play ‘Black Leather’ Live for First Time in Brazil Show
Guns N’ Roses performed their cover of “Black Leather” live on Saturday night for the first time ever. The show took place at Arena Castelão in Fortaleza, Brazil, and bassist…
Guns N' Roses performed their cover of "Black Leather" live on Saturday night for the first time ever.
The show took place at Arena Castelão in Fortaleza, Brazil, and bassist Duff McKagan took over lead vocals on the track from the band's 1993 covers album, The Spaghetti Incident?, Deltaplex News reports.
Thirty-three years have passed since the band released the studio version. Axl Rose handled vocals on that original recording.
Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols wrote "Black Leather." The Runaways cut the song first on their 1978 album And Now… The Runaways. The Sex Pistols released their own version on a Japanese compilation and as a single in 1980 after the band had already broken up.
Jones recorded vocals on the Sex Pistols version after Johnny Rotten departed in early 1978. The track came out after the band's initial split.
The Spaghetti Incident? was the last album to feature Slash and McKagan before they departed in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Both musicians reunited with Rose in 2016. Since then, the band has released singles "Nothin'" and "Atlas" in 2025.
Saturday's concert featured 27 songs. Fan videos captured the performance and spread across social media platforms.
McKagan and Slash covered the song at a tribute show back in March with former guitarist Gilby Clarke. That performance hinted that the track might appear in future setlists.
Two shows remain in Brazil before the band heads to the US. They will perform in São Luís on Tuesday and in Belém on Saturday.
After South America, the group will perform in Hollywood, Florida, on April 30. They headline the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach on May 7. The band tours Europe in June and early July before kicking off a North American tour on July 23 in Raleigh, North Carolina. That leg wraps up September 19 in Atlanta.
The Black Crowes, Public Enemy, Mammoth, and Ice Cube will open on various tour dates. Ticket information is available on the official website.
