In a recent conversation with Consequence, Wolfgang Van Halen talked about touring with Guns N’ Roses.

Here’re few interview parts:

You supported Guns N’ Roses on tour. Obviously, you toured with Van Halen so you know what those large-scale shows are all about. But touring with a band like Guns N’ Roses, especially coming off your first album, what does it do for your confidence, how does it build you as an artist?

“In a way, it was a wonderful way to start because it’s a trial by fire, you’re being thrown to the lions every night because the Guns‘ audiences are – at least when we were on there – they would tell us that they’re notoriously not very receptive to openers.

“So when it started going really well, it was like, ‘Oh, s*it, we’re actually doing it!’ It was kind of a dream.

“So I think it was a really great way to cut your teeth at such a ridiculous level in the States. We played baseball stadiums! I never could have imagined it! It is ridiculous.”

Those last two nights, you got to play ‘Paradise City’ with the band on stage. What was that experience like?

“Absolutely insane! I was so nervous beforehand. When I had heard that Axl [Rose] wanted me to play ‘Paradise City’ with everybody on the last two nights, and they want me to be a part of the bow and everything, it was like, ‘Uh, OK…

“And I just held up on the bus in any free time, and I learned just perfectly. There were moments where I only listened to the right side of the headphones to hear Izzy’s [Stradlin, guitar] part so I could play it literally perfect to every little thing he did.

“And I wasn’t happy until it was just so ingrained because we only had one little soundcheck but it went so well because I didn’t know that they wanted me to do backing vocals too.

“And right as we did it, I just started singing the high harmony that I always hear at the beginning of the song, and I didn’t realize that they hadn’t been doing that the whole time.

“So when I did it afterward, Duff [McKagan] was like, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s harmony there, isn’t there? That sounds great, man!’ It was like, ‘OK, I think this will be alright.'”