Chris Stapleton Joins Guns N’ Roses For a Performance of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”

Iconic rock piece Guns N’ Roses invited Chris Stapleton for surprise performance on Wednesday night, Blabbermouth shared. The country mysic star joined Guns N’ Roses on August 5, 2026, at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Ontario Canada to perform a live rendition of Bob Dylan‘s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Stapleton and Axl Rose shared lead vocals on the rendition of the Bob Dylan classic, with Stapleton also providing rhythm guitar over Slash’s solo. You can watch fan footage below.

This is not the first time the country and rock icons have shared the stage together. Roughly a decade ago, Stapleton served as Guns N’ Roses‘ one-off opener at the band’s concert at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium concert in July 2016, via Rolling Stone. “When I was kid, if you’d have told me I’d be up here playing before Guns N’ Roses, I’d have called you a liar,” Stapleton told the crowd that night. Stapleton later joined Slash on his 2024 solo album Orgy of the Damned, where he provided vocals on cover of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Oh Well.”

Guns N’ Roses are currently on the North American leg of their 2026 world tour, following performances across Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and the U.K. The North American run follows landmark period for the band, including the release of their first new music since 2023 (singles “Nothin'” and “Atlas”) and the deluxe reissue of Live Era ’87-’93, which features newly remastered audio and updated artwork. The North American tour continues through September 19 with stops at iconic venues including a historic return for the band to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena—Guns N’ Roses‘ first performance at the venue in over thirty years.

Jonah Schwartz: Hello, I’m Jonah Schwartz. I’m a student at the University of Iowa studying English & Creative Writing with expected graduation dates of 2027 and 2028 for my undergraduate and graduate degrees respectively. I am passionate about literature, film and especially music, and I love to combine my love of writing, music and pop culture wherever possible.
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