A crowd already restless after waiting nearly an hour for the band's appearance replaced roaring cheers with a chorus of boos when they heard the slip up.

The core original members of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan bounded on stage with the rest of the band undaunted, while the 70,000 strong crowd seemed a little bemused.

"You're in Melbourne," yelled one crowd member as the rockers burst into opening song It's So Easy and fireworks lit up the stage.

Audience members have also complained about poor sound quality at the concert, the band's first Melbourne performance since their notorious 1993 Calder Park concert.

The concert was trending on Twitter on Tuesday night, with dozens of audience members venting their frustration at the blunder.