WATCH: Guns ‘N Roses Tribute to Kobe & Gianna Bryant, ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’

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Last Sunday, January 26, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash that tragically took the lives of him, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people on board. Tributes have been pouring in, from memorials being left outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles to the Lakers honoring Bryant’s legacy before their first home game since his death to Alicia Keys and Boyz II Men opening the 2020 Grammy Awards with a performance of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” that was dedicated to the crash victims.

Friday, January 31 in Miami, there was another tribute, this time from legendary rock band Guns ‘N Roses.

Guns ‘N Roses Dedicated a Song to Kobe and Gianna At their Super Bowl Concert

Guns ‘N Roses headlined one of the nights of the 2020 Super Bowl Music Fest, taking place over Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Super Bowl weekend at American Airlines Arena in Miami.

During their set on Friday, lead singer Axl Rose talked about being in Los Angeles the night before and morning of the crash.

“The other night, coming home from rehearsal, we got to our exit, which is pretty much my backyard, and I was pointing and I was like, ‘Is it just me or is that really weird?’ It was this fog bank like a thundercloud over the trees and it was long and really white … the only word I had for that at the time was that it looked ‘formidable.’ And in the morning, it was worse, and that’s where the helicopter flew. It was pretty scary. … So I want to dedicate this to Kobe and his daughter and everyone on the flight and their families and everyone affected by this terrible event,” said Rose.

Then he and his bandmates played their 1992 single “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” a performance that lasted nearly 15 minutes, complete with an incredible guitar solo by Slash that impressively just keeps going and going.

Song History

Guns ‘N Roses first started performing “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” in 1987 and later recorded it for the 1990 Days of Thunder soundtrack. It was also released as the second single off the double release Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.

The song is not a Guns ‘N Roses original, however. It was written and first recorded by Bob Dylan in 1973 for the soundtrack to Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and it quickly became a worldwide hit. Another famous version of it was released in 1975, when Eric Clapton covered it.

In 1996, Scottish musician Ted Christopher wrote a new verse for the song in response to the 16 children and one teacher killed in the Dunblane, Scotland school shooting. Dylan authorized the additional verse and the song was released with a children’s chorus singing alongside Christopher. Proceeds from the song were given to three separate children’s charities.

Since the song was written 47 years ago, it has been used in over 30 movies and episodes of television.

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