Carrie Underwood Sounds Killer Covering Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones + Joan Jett While Opening for Guns N’ Roses
Country/pop superstar Carrie Underwood is one of several artists who have been tabbed to support Guns N' Roses this year and on her first night on the road with the legends, she tackled a bevy of rock covers, including hits by Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and The Rolling Stones. And she sounds totally killer singing all of them.
Underwood's rock and metal fandom is no secret. She's buddies with Axl Rose and the two have guested onstage with one another to sing GN'R songs in the past. In other words, she's a prime choice to warm up the crowd before Guns N' Roses hit the stage.
The tour kicked off on Aug. 5 in Moncton, New Brunswick in Canada, where Underwood performed an 18-song set, opening up with Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation," which was followed by her original "Last Name" mixed with snippets of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir."
From there, it was clear this was not going to be an ordinary Carrie Underwood set as the singer expertly tailored her set to align with a rock audience.
Deeper into the set, she performed Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" and a scorching rendition of Motorhead's biggest hit, "Ace of Spades."
READ MORE: 10 Best Metal Covers of Hit Country Songs
It's the Motorhead cover that is perhaps the most impressive, even if that's mainly attributed to the juxtaposition of a country/pop singer taking on the roaring classic. Underwood's vocal delivery is aggressive and punchy, with tons of attitude that is a more than worthy tribute to band's deceased classic lineup of Lemmy Kilmister, "Fast Eddie" Clarke and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor.
See Underwood's complete setlist from the tour's opening night and watch fan-filmed footage of each cover further down the page.
See all of Guns N' Roses upcoming tour dates, as well as who is opening each show, right here.
Carrie Underwood Setlist — Aug. 5, 2023 (via setlist.fm)
01. "Bad Reputation" (Joan Jett cover)
02. "Last Name" (With snippets of "Kashmi"r by Led Zeppelin)
03. "Undo It"
04. "Crazy Angels"
05. "Hate My Heart"
06. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (Pat Benatar cover)
07. "Velvet Heartbreak"
08. "Alone" (i‐Ten cover)
09. "Church Bells"
10. "Somethin' Bad" (Miranda Lambert cover)
11. "Poor Everybody Else"
12. "Out of That Truck"
13. "Blown Away"
14. "Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones cover)
15. "Flat on the Floor"
16. "Rock and Roll" (Led Zeppelin cover)
17. "Ace of Spades" (Motörhead cover)
18. "Before He Cheats"