The wait is over and loud cheers are already echoing across the city! As popular American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses prepares for its Bengaluru concert at NICE Grounds on Saturday, their fifth outing in India, fans are expected to witness an evening of hard rock, iconic guitar riffs and rock anthems. Adding to the excitement is B’luru-based Girish and the Chronicles (GATC), led by Girish Pradhan and featuring Suraz Karki, Yogesh Pradhan and Nagen Mongrati, returning as the opening act, having previously shared the stage with the rock legends in Abu Dhabi and Mumbai. For vocalist Pradhan, the concert carries a special significance as the band prepares to bring its latest music to a city it calls home.
The band is also considering a recreation of its performance on America’s Got Talent (AGT), where a rock rendition of Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain earned it four yeses from the judges in 2025. “It’s very different every time. Abu Dhabi, being our first, will always have a special place. It was also our first time performing in an arena. Mumbai was a different experience altogether. We had double the excitement because we had just returned from AGT, but were still keeping the whole thing a secret. Besides, a soundcheck video of mine had gone super viral, which gave us a lot of visibility too. It was also an opportunity to understand how differently things work in India,” recalls Pradhan.
The band’s journey began in Gangtok, with an early breakthrough coming in 2010. Within six months of forming the band, they travelled to Montenegro to represent India at a music awards event. They won a silver trophy at the Suncane Skale International Music Festival in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, that took them to Europe.
His impromptu soundcheck performance in Mumbai travelled across social media, attracting attention from musicians in the international rock circuit. Pradhan had been recording soundcheck videos occasionally, with one filmed at Independence Rock 2023 in Mumbai giving him his first taste of viral popularity. “I hit the jackpot when I did it at the Guns N’ Roses concert. It travelled all around the world and back, garnering millions of views. It was crazy, with some big names in the rock scene from around the world following both me and the band on Instagram,” he smiles.
The association also brings a personal connection for the vocalist, who grew up listening to the band. Before GATC secured its first support slot in Abu Dhabi, Pradhan and bandmate Yogesh had performed at a Guns N’ Roses tribute gig in namma ooru. The possibility of eventually sharing a stage with the actual band was a distant dream at the time, as Pradhan recalls, “It was a funny feeling when we got to know about it eventually!”
Sharing a concert lineup with childhood influences, however, does not necessarily translate into extended backstage conversations. He says the members of Guns N’ Roses are usually occupied with their commitments. A brief greeting from bassist Duff McKagan during the Mumbai show remains one of his memorable interactions. Yet, the sight of guitarist Slash’s instruments backstage left a stronger impression. “Just looking at Slash’s guitars piled up and seeing their setlist was such a powerful feeling. I was like, ‘This is the real deal!” he exclaims.
Pradhan’s journey has also taken him across international studios, where collaborations have helped him develop his songwriting and artistic direction. He spent a month in Texas recording their album, Lucky, with drummer Chris Adler and guitarist Myrone, with producer Machine overseeing the project, Firstborne. “I realised how important it was to embrace my unique imperfections. It gave me a new direction as an artiste,” he shares.
Looking ahead to Bengaluru, Pradhan is particularly excited about the possibility of playing Paradise City alongside Guns N’ Roses, should such an opportunity arise. Meanwhile, among his bandmates, Karki is one he thinks would be most likely to get starstruck backstage. “We might sneak in a recreation of what we did on AGT!” he reveals, before returning to rehearse what may be one of the key highlights of Saturday evening.