SACRAMENTO — The final day of Aftershock Festival was all about headliners Guns N’ Roses. The biggest rock band on the bill, which also included the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, got a whopping three hours on stage to close out the four-day event and the excitement built throughout the day—even as the band showed up a good 30 minutes later than expected. All was forgotten once Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan and crew hit the stage, exploding right out of the gate with “It’s So Easy.”

GNR played more than two dozen songs. Rose was a spark plug. The 61-year-old nimbly worked both sides of the stage and had plenty in the tank to deliver his powerful screams.

After “Bad Obsession” and “Chinese Democracy,” the band worked in a cover of Velvet Revolver’s “Slither.” That band featured several Guns N’ Roses members but with Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland singing. Rose made it his own.

After crowd favorite “Mr. Brownstone” and “Pretty Tied Up,” it was time to roll out a classic. As the band broke out seminal hard rocker “Welcome to the Jungle” early on, tens of thousands of cell phones shot up into the air to record the moment and sing along. Appetite For Destruction was the most represented album in the set with seven tracks.

The stage was well-lit but the production relatively simple for Guns N’ Roses compared to the weekend’ prior headliners. Massive video screens show 3D renderings. Keyboardists Melissa Reese and Dizzy Reed, and drummer Frank Ferrer were situated on a large riser at he back of the stage.

Multiple times, GNR rolled into extended jams that featured Slash’s virtuosic guitar work. Watching him was alone worth the price of admission. Each bend of the strings and flash of wah-wah pedal was so distinct, while these jam sessions offered plenty of space for him to operate. At one point, the guitarist even played a talk box. McKagan looked stoic and determined, even singing lead on of The Stooges “T.V. Eye.”

Songs like “You Could Be Mine” and “Hard Skool” kept the pace moving while “Better” brought a distinctly modern rock energy. With Reed and Reese, Guns N’ Roes have a few extra tools that were especially evident on Chinese Democracy‘s “Better.”

While the first half of the set offered plenty of material for diehard fans, with Rose in a chatty mood, the second half was hit-heavy. Rose went through enough costume changes to challenge Taylor Swift.

It’s tough to compete with the rock power ballad trifecta of “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “November Rain” and “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” Rose actually managed the high notes better than one might expect. While he’s not in his 20s anymore, he had a good sense of timing for pushing the limits and that translated into strong results.

Guns N’ Roses closed out with a one-two punch of the rumbling “Nighttrain” and massive singalong “Paradise City.”

Rancid

For all the punk acts on the Aftershock’s final day, none brought it harder than Rancid. Somehow managing to pack 18 tracks into an hour, the band stirred up plenty of energy, starting with “Roots Radicals” and “Radio.”

“This has been the most requested song for us over the past 10 years or so,” singer-guitarist Tim Armstrong said before rolling into “Side Kick.”

Armstrong sent out shoutouts to just about everyone involved with the festival, the day’s other acts and even his own guitarist, Lars Frederiksen. Naturally,”Ruby Soho”was the audience’s collective favorite song, but there were plenty of memorable moments.

Dance Gavin Dance

Sacramento’s Dance Gavin Dance were the weekend’s hometown heroes. The band played a 10-song set, opening with “The Ghost of Billy Royalton,” “Synergy” and “Head Hunter.” DGD fused melody with biting and aggression. While the majority of the band’s material came from last year’s Jackpot Juicer, such as “Die Another Day,” the closing song was “We Own the Night,” from 2015’s Instant Gratification.

Daughtry

Chris Daughtry and co. didn’t let a little tech issue get in his way of delivering a powerful hard rock set in the midday sun. That heat briefly took down the power and the sound during second song “World On Fire.” The band finished the song before leaving the stage while a crew resolved the issue.

“It’s so hot up here we got things blowing up!” Daughtry said upon his return.

The performance focused on the band’s more aggressive tracks like “Artificial”—flames shot upward and Daughtry growl during bridge—alongside crowd-pleasers like “Over You” and “It’s Not Over.” The band closed out with the stellar “Heavy is the Crown” and a cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways.”

Mayday Parade

Florida’s Mayday Parade opened with “Oh Well, Oh Well,” one of several melodic pop-punk numbers. Vocalist Derek Sanders was endearing, encouraging the crowd to give a hearty to cheer to the festival’s crew behind the scenes.  Other highlights included “Piece of Your Heart,” “Jersey” and “Jamie All Over.”

Wargasm

Buzzy band Wargasm, currently touring with Corey Taylor, provided a jolt early in the day. Opening with “Super Fiend” and “D.R.I.L.D.O.,” the perfomance melded hardcore punk with an industrial edge, a la The Prodigy. Sam Matlock provided the aggressive screams on songs like “Pyro Pyro” and “Spit.”

“This is the rule: I say and you do,” vocalist Milkie Way declared, taking charge of the band’s crowd.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.