Here Today... Gone To Hell!

This would have been a great image rehabilitation event for Axl.? He could have performed for a great cause, to a huge audience.? Moreover, Axl could have done some duets with other great artists--the kind that seem to become legendary.? In addition, it is of my opinion, that Axl has delivered some of his best performances ever at huge festivals and at events of this nature.? Another opportunity missed.? One has to wonder, how many more they will have??

BTW, Hyde Park in London looks incredible--what an atmosphere for music!? Time for some Floyd!!!

I wouldn't have imagined Live 8 could be so huge. it's really a worldwide musical event? :o.
Axl was asked to participate, but he refused. Even a small apparition/ a duet would have been great...yeah...even just one song, 5 minutes... :-\

Just saw that there are over 1 million people in Philadelphia. ?Axl could have made that city happy by giving a free performance for a great cause. ?If one is an artist, one must desire to perform. ?I could not think of a better opportunity and atmosphere to perform in that the ones we are watching today! ?Folks, it may be that the desire to perform, which is ok, may not be there. ?The best thing to do if that is (assumption) the case, is to stop the retainers so the other artists can move on, and inform the fans that there is no album on the way in the near future.

can i see that article

http://www.sp1at.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=449

I have to disagree with you. ?

When Axl comes back, I want all eyes to be on HIM. ?I don't want him to share the stage with anyone.

I know Live 8 is for an excellent cause and everything, but I don't think Axl not showing is going to ruin his chances to make a comeback at a time when the hype will all be focused on him. : ok:

Yeah, I completely agree.....Man, Axl keeps on screwing up and we keep on making pathetic excuses for him..hes a dumbass

I'm sure Robin would have love to have performed, at least he's been to and experienced Africa.

As for Axl, well we don't know for sure he was even invited, do we? Maybe the others didn't want to duet with him?

well his band and music are not ready.
you don't come out with your art until you're ready. that's understandable.

well...  sp1at       i don`t think that counts :peace:

Velvet Revolver is rocking 500,000 plus in LONDON,---sound amazing!!!!  Where's Izzy?  LOL!  If they remix the vid of Don't Cry the sign should be, Where's Axl?

I had major doubts about Slash the last few years, but all were erased today!  Him and Duff were phenomenal at Live Aid today!!!  BTW, Scott Weiland is a great singer

I wonder how Axl feels sitting at home watching Slash play kick ass solos and getting a half million people off in London???  No guitarist works an large setting like Slash!! 

Queen made their comeback in 85 at the first Live Aid, Axl missed his opportunity to relight his candle.  Only November Rain for now with the new GNR.

Yes he did...... >:(

Honestly now, if you were Bob Geldof would you recruit an act that is constantly late for performances and has a tendency to walk of stage mid performance to play at an event that has been running like clockwork?

You're right Fretzo, this I was think he was never approached.

Just watched The Who, if he was going to have sung with a band it should have been them.

The Who was incredible!!!  Pete Townsend is incredible!  I would love to see Axl perform with him, but today Roger Daltry was dead on!  What a performance!

Folks if you are a music fan, this is the best since the Freddy Mercury Tribute!!!

You can bet your bottom dollar he's watching this on his home cinema...I just hope he is inspired to come back and participate in future events.

Has everyone signed the on-line petition at live8live.com?
It'll be amazing to watch Bob Geldof walk into the G8 Summit with 30-40 million signatures!

I have!!! Here comes the Floyd...  :D

PINK FLOYD IS BACK!!!? Roger Waters on bass!!!

Pink Floyd, hand's down, maybe the greatest live band ever!!  This is amazing!  Axl might not have wanted to share the stage with legends like this, as they project a large musical shadow!  Simply irrestible sound! 

"So, so you think you can tell heavan from hell, blue skies from pain...."

In fucking credible  :beer:

i remember watching a PF show 10 years ago: I had never seen a thing like that, that was HUGE. there were sort of multi-coulour lasers and a big big stage etc...that was a spectacle. I had the impression to watch a sience-fiction movie. It was...there is no word to describe it.
the best live show i have ever seen on TV, so far.

Seeing this restores my faith in music and humanity.  MTV should not cut into Floyd btw!  But, all I can say is Floyd is sonic orgasm! 

"Axl, how we wish you were here!!"

newsman, ever hear the term 'wish in one hand, and shit in the other, and see which one gets filled first'? LMAO!! But I see what you're saying. Axl, being one of the few performers who would have the whole world's eyes watching him, is not there. Pretty sad indeed. If it was 'old' GNR, not only would they be there, they would steal the show. GNR always stole the show at the festivals they played.

the entire world would be more than into the new band playing.

I agree they would steal the show, except for today. ?Pink Floyd rocked the world, not to mention this was the first time in twenty-five years that the original band reunited with Roger Waters!! ?No way GNR steals this one! ?I cannot get over how great these 60's acts still are: ?Stevie Wonder, McCartney, The Who, Pink Floyd. ?Hands down better than any other bands that played today! ?Looks like the London show, although Philly had a million people, had the best acts!!

BTW, MTV's coverage is awful.   This just in, Beyonce Knowles is freaky-hot, gorgeous!!!?

newsman, trust me, if old GNR walked out on stage, the crowd would be in total chaos. Imagine: the lights go out, the crowd is silent, you hear the intro to Jungle, and two spotlights immediately shine on Axl and Slash. People would go crazy. No one would give a flying fuck about Pink Floyd. I mean no disrespect to Pink Floyd, I am a big fan. But thats how it would be.

Yeah, it only over-ran by 2.5 hours :rofl:

Great show : ok:

The Who were wicked, and Pink Floyd back after 24 years. :peace:

I know they would go nuts, but I think it's tough to take you seriously when you say "no one would give a flying fuck about Pink Floyd" ?Heck, the twenty-somethings in England maybe hipper than the US counterparts, it seemd the youger crowd was enjoying Floyd as much as the Baby Boomers. ?I think that also has something to do with just how good Floyd is live.

On that note Lofton, you obviously have never seen Floyd live! ?If you have, you would realize just what a significant thing happend today! ?I would suggest checking them out live during the rumoured upcoming tour.

In the UK, a Pink Floyd reformation tour would sell out much quicker than if Guns reformed. :peace:

Maybe not in the US, but certainly in the UK. :peace:

It goes without saying, the same goes for the States regarding ticket demand.

unfortunately axl ruined a lot of the gnr reputation on a constant basis, there is no way anything he does will touch PF ever. Live 8 was great!!!

The thing about an event like today's, is the spirit of the event.  Nothing like a festival, for a great cause, with great bands can provide the forum to be accepted once again as long as the material is great!  What a day, and in addition to Floyd, The Who and Green Day were great as well!

I've been to your fantasy castle. And it is without merit.

was it just me or did anybody else have goosebumbs when floyd played comfortably numb? simply beautiful!

Hey! this would have been a great opportunity also for Micheal Jackson : ok:

I highly doubt that.? Pink Floyd has a way larger fanbase than Guns N' Roses.? Four decades of fans that went nuts tonight.? That ovation was amazing and I actually got a tingle in my arms at home.? No dissing GNR, but Floyd's reunion was amazing beyond belief.? They didn't miss a fucking beat.? Axl's comeback at Rio didn't even garner as much media attention.? I mean I would love to see Axl get his shit together, but like the others said, he really blew it by not putting his hat into this show.? To be honest I think if Axl woulda showed up in Philly he would have probably had a few boos thrown his way from the last time.? He coulda killed two birds with one stone today:
1. Made up for the last Philly fiasco.
2. Headlined the piss poor Philly lineup (minus Stevie Wonder) and gave 1 million people a great fucking show.

It was one of those rock n roll moments one will never forget!  What a day for music!!

So after all it was good that GN'R wasn't there with pink Floyd this time. Maybe after CD. ;)

BTW I wouldn't give a flying fuck about old GNR reunion either.

With The current lineup (+BH :'( )  GN'R is capable of making a Pink Floyd.

I don't think it's a huge oppurtunity Axl pissed away, not to us but in this day in age he's the bad guy after the philly incident in 2002 and how Velvet Revolver ( the so-called rescuers of rock n' roll) constantly criticize him ?over and over in the press. There's two type of G n' R fans I know , the ones that support Axl but I only see them on message boards and the other kind of fans I talk to in schools, record stores, guitar shops that hate Axl which is more of them. I absoulatley hate to say this because Axl is one of my most favorite frontmen but 99% percent ?in this present day , he would be booed off stage if he performed like at a music awards show or somewhere like Live 8. In my book its best to wait for this phase to fade out .

The Who are tearing it up on ABC right now!!!

axl missed his chance at the Super bowl this year when paul mccartney was performing live and let die with a "cd" shirt and he didn't show up.

thats when the final nail was put on the coffin of nu-GNR in my opinion.
im glad btw that VR showed up. they showed the world the great rock show that i had the pleasure of seeing back in may at PNC.
 ;D
MNR

was it? i was in and out all day and haven't heard much on tv about it.

is this post a joke? If you are being serious, you need some help.

Amazing, you have not heard anything yet.? I just saw that Associated Press has it tabbed the "Greatest Concert Ever!"? To tell you the truth, I have never seen a festival show, including the Freddy Mercury Tribute Show, where every band came to play like they did today.? My God, that might have been Pink Floyd's greatest live moment ever!? The sound was mesmerizing.

I saw some blurb scrolled on cNN but that's it. More on Natalee Holloway than this event.

I really despise charity events like this; as Neal Peart said, if these people knew what to do about the problem in Africa, they would do it. Hanging out and listening to music doesn't help the incredibly high rate of AIDS infection in South Africa.

Hey folks.

Major acts at Live 8 received around a 15-minute timeslot, so let's say that this applied to GNR. IF Axl had decided to play Live 8, what should they have played in their set? It is a bit of an art form to devise a good setlist for this type of short charity gig. Queen probably dit it best at Live Aid.

Here is what I would have suggested for this gig:

Welcome to the Jungle
Civil War (first half or so), leading into
Don't Cry
Paradise City

this is sad. :no:

Axl should think about a reunion FOR THE FANS. really. No disrespect to the curent Gn'R line-up, but people love when legendary bands reform (pink floyd). Axl-Slash-Duff are the real deal. reform "the magic three", this is a minimum. Fortus on rythm guitar and brain on drums. Everybody would be happy, old-band fans (the immense majority) and new band fans. Duff and slash were great yesterday. They just destroyed anything I heard and saw from tommy and Robin in GN'R over the last few years. Axl had better turn the page and put his ego appart. 10 years of personal conflicts and runaway egos are enough. Turn the page. For the fans, for all the music lovers. Plus they would sell tons and tons of million albums again. they would be extremely successfull, and fill every stadium in the world.

This is just not the time for Axl isn't it ? Sucks for you Axl worshipers . My opinion about the guy ?has changed , I used to think the guy is cool but not anymore.Just because I love the ?music doesn't mean I can think he's a good person, although his lyrics make a great point sometime sometimes he had the right view of how things should've been. But admit it , the guy is a liar, coward , and hypocrite. He bashes gays , what does he do, goes and supports freddy mercury , performs with Elton John , sends flowers to the Pet Shop boys. He beated women , never gave a damn about the fans who got hurt when he walked-off stage.Hes so self-centered it's not funny. After all what us fans have done, supporting guns n' roses , after how many merchandise we bought . He has the dumbest excuses ever. Look how he disappears from us fans, Slash spent almost a decade going around playing at ?gigs and sessions , toured with side projects just to see his fans again, now there's a man that thanks his fans. Why couldn't Axl go start a solo project or play at session and gigs for his fans to see him again? I'm sorry to disappoint my friends here after how I supported Axl with you in the past. You mind as well talk to the air if you wish hard for a comeback from Axl. He's afraid of criticizm which is why he needs everything so perfect. Wether you people like it or not he's a has-been :-\ if he wasn't why does he hide from the public? But I give it to him , he is the last great frontman we ever had in a long time. But performing with a bunch of members in a band that don't fit in is not going to regain his respect. And Axl if you're reading this, I'm not trying to piss you off , i'm trying to help you brother. Stop dwelling on your bad childhood and move on.

When he refused to show up to the concerts in the us tour 2002, he says his airplane landed late and he was watching a basketball game, good rock star? >:(? And remember last year in april04 he said that he was going to announce a release date in 4 months? See, I could go on forever.i know a lot of people are going to hate me now , but why, because I tell the truth? And why did Nirvana kill rock n' roll? Because Axl let Cobain take the bullet. I hate nirvana's music but unlike Axl , they cared about their fans, fans love a band that cares about them. After all the canceled gigs, the fans said "fuck it, we can only listen to the music but we're not allowed to watch them perform?" Axl pissed his fame away without a doubt . Maybe if Axl wasn't  self-centered about his fame , Mtv would of said "nah we won't play that grunge crap,we got Guns n' Roses who cares about their fans which we need and we'll play  new Rock n Roll artists on here soon." Thats why grunge/alternative took over because they loved their fans for turning on the band they hated for them. Back then when Gn'r was on top,it was people like Kurt Cobain's goal to take their throne as the biggest band ever from them, how Axl didn't care about his fans was the target for their shit music to take over.

In the early 90's , here's how Mtv's point of veiw was ," Guns n Roses don't care about their fans because the leadsinger is a dickhead and the most notorious frontman Ozzy is retiring, so who's left?" There was the was the spark of the grunge/alternative generation.

Axl wasn't there because velvet revolver was, i'm sure it's because of that. No need CD to be ready to perform, to sing one song, to duet, even on an old song. 5 MINUTES. is it too much to ask for a 10 years + reclusive? He was asked to be part of the greatest musical event ever, he was asked because he is one of the greatest artist ever, but he refused. he snubed it because his so called "enemies" Slash and Duff were there. They were in London, Axl could have been in philly if he wanted to, on the other part of the planet and not see them ,but he still said no, That's what I call a childish behaviour. it seems his own? ego is more important for himself than helping the poors who don't have enough to eat.
Well done Axl. Well done...

here is a Duff interview from yesterday for a german TV: http://velvetrevolver.nbalive.org/050702_Live8_Interview_Duff_BNN-www.velvet-revolver.com.asf

He could have come on with no pressures, no album to promote. no band politics. Just be there for his fans and for the sake of the cause.  He could have performed Sweet child  and then either 'We will rock u' with Queen/ or 'November Rain' with Elton and today he'd be ready to get his ass into gear. Because he would be pumped up, people would have gone nuts man.

(I'm not getting into the argument over whether Axl should have played at Live 8 or not, but I do want to point out a major misconception about this event)

Live 8 is not a charity event. This is not about raising money, simply awareness to the fact that these things are happening. I have seen some asshole TV companies yesterday selling this as a Pay Per View and that all proceeds will go to the "charity". That's gonna be hard since they aren't accepting donations. Hell the tickets were given away free (though for a short time e-Bay had a few up there from a few chancers, but those were quickly closed).

The slogan for the event is "We don't want your money, we want your voice".  And as far as Neal Peart is concerned (as well as anyone who buys into what he says), well he can go fuck himself. At least people are trying and not sitting at home being armchair critics when there is even a small chance for change.

Scree

I agree that Axl did miss a big opportunity to show the world he is alive and well and can still rock the fuck out of thousands of people.? ?However, IMO, if he isn't ready to release CD yet, isn't ready to tour himself with his band and his band members are all over the place there is no way he could have been prepared to do this.? I believe that if Axl did do it I don't think he would have gotten booed as MikeB mentioned in a post earlier.? ?I think that people like to bash Axl but when he performs and he is doing what he does best, people forget about all the other stuff and get completely lost in Axl's ability to have you mesmorized on him on stage.? ?Sucks that he wasn't a part of it but that was expected.? ? I also believe that Axl wouldn't of performed the first time being on a bill with VR even if it's in another part of the world. ;)

I guarentee that 90-95 percent of the people there went to hear music not some politics about Africa. If that continent's problems are to be solved, governments need to act. Listening to some crunchy jam while smoking some reefer isn't going to change the world despite what thousands of beatnik graduates of Woodstock will lead you to believe.

I don't see why his absence is such an issue. He has been MIA for three years now. I still have yet to see highlights of this on the news.

Since he has been MIA for years, it would be nice to see him at an event such as this just to get alot of exposure for CD and new GNR.  We all knew,  at  least the people who have been following this crazy train with Axl for years now, that he wasn't going to be there but all of these events that he has missed is just another event gone by to get himself noticed again infront of thousands and thousands of people.     

No. For the umpteenth time, the basketball game story was a RUMOUR. Axl never said such a thing. If you stopped believing rumours, maybe you wouldn't be pissing vinegar like you are.

And please don't post three times in a row. It's against the rules of the board.

Obviously he has no plans to get back out there. If the band were assembled and rehearsing then I would agree with you, but there is no movement from new gnr at this point. None. Release later this year? I seriously doubt it from what i've seen and heard, or rather not seen and not heard. Axl doesn't need to do shows like this to get his career moving again; he needs to release a record.

this has got to be the dumbest post i've read in a long time.

I think it would be close. I saw Floyd twice in the late 80's, sans Waters, and these were sold out Stadium shows. Floyd could possibly do a bigger gate than a reformed GnR. I would love to have those both become reality so we could find out!
 :beer:

I agree, I think he has no plans at all to do these kinds of events but it can only help him get even more exposure than just releasing CD and even though we are devoted fans, he does need as much exposure as he can get to sell this album, mainstream is alot different now then when GNR released their previous albums, not to mention a different band.   I know that his career will get moving all on it's own when he finally releases this album, it's just a GNR fan of today's wish to see Axl up there doing his thing and kicking some ass.

Let's say Axl was approached to play...
What possible reasons could he come up with not to?

If he's not ready to tour, fine. This isn't a tour. It was one show.
Most bands played 3 songs. If the new band can't pull 3 songs together, I think they should just retire.

Axl needs to lighten up.
The world doesn't revolve around him.

Well by his own admission in an old interview from 91, he does call himself a brat :peace: :P

Fuck, we don't even know if he was asked, it was a rumor. a 15 minute time slot isn't that big of a deal anyway IMO, besides, Dizzy, Tommy and Fortus are all touring with other bands right now. hard to play a gig without a 1/2 of your guitar section, and no bass player, let alone the bongo/keyboard guy. GnR can't do a show without him :hihi:

Okay August15 and everybody else, maybe my posts were unnecessary. But when you look at other Rock n' Roll artists in history, they got their job done better and had a better excuse to be gone. Sure drugs killed rock stars like Jimi Hendrix but he dealed with fame and criticism,? he supported his fans for liking his music. You don't disappear from music just because a new era dawns and fans like a new band that you don't listen to. The thing that pissed me off about the show Behind the Music was because nothing but fights happened in the band I thought to myself " Why the hell did they form together as a band then." The bottom line is when you form a band, that's your family and you play music you all agree on making. Slash and Matt Sorum both admitted they hated songs like November Rain and all orchestra/piano stuff they made in Gn'R after all this time. When there's a band that never talks to their frontman, that's fucked up. If I? were in a band with a frontman that held a contract to me and said I would look at him straight in the eye and say The other members felt they had to follow Axl's orders just to keep their fame and respect from their fans.

SO then leave him alone. You act as if Axl was asked and then declined because certain demands werent met or something...

the funny thing is we have no clue if GNR were asked to play or not. Fuk SPlat.

lets pray for another live aid in some odd years and bob geldof can make slash and axl reunite just as he did with Floyd  :beer:

When GNR started, I don't think they fought until the fame hit, that is when the fighting started, the drugs got worse and now they had more money then they could have ever imagined. ?They imploded on themselves. ? They were hungry before they made it and after they reached super stardome, now who is going to do what whoever wants, who isn't, Axl gave them an ultimatum and they signed it. ?Slash admits on BTM, they did it to keep the peace. ?But ultimately it lead to their demise anyway. ?It just goes to show that even though they created this fanominal band, they did have different musical tastes, I bet if Axl wasn't so hard to work with maybe it would have been different. ?I agree with you that Axl shouldn't of disappeared from sight, especially twice. ?I am also one of the few on here who think that Axl does owe us something, a statement at least. ?The criticism and the perfectionism is what I think Axl can't handle but hopefully he will get a grip and get back out in the world again and show us fans what we love best about him. ?

Axl needs a manager who does not kiss his ass,  pushes him, set's deadlines, and gives him some "proverbial" tough love.  With that said, I have no idea what Merck's style is, but would think that he need's to tighten down the clamps.

Also, Axl may be too far gone from the game at this point to ever regain the desire to work as hard as he would need to, to have a successful comeback.  From what I hear and read, his work ethic is erratic (sign of genius, but a genius will only succeed commercially through structured guidance and personal self discipline) and he has invested well enough to live a very good life without ever having to work again.  I don't ever question his talent, but I would definitely question his desire to return (hell I don't blame him).

It's a funny thing though, analyzing a live rock star; and I think Ax loves it.  He definitely enjoys being an enigma, as well as being out of the spotlight.

This has been my point for sometime now. He has the best of both worlds. Im sure he wants to drop the album but then he realizes hes gotta do all that other stuff and be back in the spotlight again. I could ve very wrong, but it just seems to me that Axl might not want that in his life right now.

I don't see how axl showing up in Philly again would of been a good situation for anyone involved. It's probably best he just avoid philly from here on out & montreal & vancouver & atlanta.

Enigma he definitely is... I too have said that he needs a manager or just other people to really push him completely to get this out and get going.  But yes, he might not want to tour and promote and do all the things that comes with releasing an album.  I never quite thought of it in that sense.  I mostly thought more that he just not ready cause he feels it's never good enough but you guys could be right.   Good points made here.  Although, I totally think that when he is on stage and he does feel that crowd screaming for him, you can see it on his face and his attitude that he loves it.

more speculation. With a username of Minneapolisnewsman, I would expect that you would abhor rampant speculation but you seem to indulge more than anyone here.

Axl didn't come. He never said he was coming. There was no indication that he was coming. Let it go.