Slash Explains Why Guns N’ Roses Still Open With ‘Welcome To The Jungle’

Slash has opened up about Guns N’ Roses’ approach to writing new music, their ever-changing setlists and why one of the band's biggest hits remains the perfect way to kick off a show.

In a new interview with the Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash was asked whether the enormous success of the band's 1987 debut album, Appetite For Destruction, ever influences how he approaches writing new music.

According to Slash, it doesn't.

“You just write what's in the moment and sort of what you're going through now,” he explained. “You don't really look at past stuff.”

While Slash admits it's “amazing and humbling” to see Appetite For Destruction become such an iconic record, he says the band doesn't spend much time looking back at material that was released almost 40 years ago.

Why does Guns N’ Roses open with ‘Welcome To The Jungle’?

As for why Guns N’ Roses continue to kick off their current shows with ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, Slash reckons it's pretty simple.

“It's just a good opening song. It pretty much says it all in the first few seconds. So it works pretty well.”

Slash also revealed that putting together the band's setlist isn't exactly a complicated process. Rather than sticking to the same running order every night, the band has a collection of songs they can pull from.

“We don't really have what you call a set setlist either,” Slash said. “We have an opening song, we have an ending song, and we have a lot of tentpole songs that we're gonna play, and then we mix a lot of stuff up.”

The guitarist explained that the band essentially works from a pool of around 50 songs, picking and choosing from them for each show.

Guns N' Roses are playing Eden Park in Auckland later in 2026, Grab your tickets - HERE