Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I normally do not respond on HTGTH but a number of your posts have been brought to my attention today and I feel it is right to take the time to dispel the negative speculation through a statement of facts:

1. The show in Portland was cancelled last night because the fire marshall made it impossible for us to believe we could do our show without putting at risk the safety of the fans and the band.  They made it clear that they intended to harrass our fans, crew and the band through enforcing rules and regulations that are 200 years old to an extent that has not been applied to other artists and that we believed would make the gig a potential time bomb that would explode. Our Production Manager Chris Gratton is a seasoned pro who has worked with everyone from Korn to R Kelley and has terrific relationships with Fire Marshalls and authorities all over the world. This is the first time he has ever come to us and said this is a dangerous situation and these people intend to use their authority in a negative way against our fans, our band and our crew and I need you to do something about it.

The cancellation had nothing to do with pyro or ticket sales. Putting our fans, band and crew first cost $200,000 last night so we did not make the decision without great thought and care and it was made in consultation with our agents and our promoter both of whom lost money as a result and both of whom supported our decision 100% as they too could see that the authorities were more than overzealous in their approach. For all of you to be speculating without any knowledge or credible information that the responsibility for this is Axl's or the band's is nonsense. This band has performed more than 50 shows this year without incident and had every intention of performing last night. They did not perform because we - the professionals around the band - stopped them as we did not feel it was safe for them or for the fans. We take our responsibility to the band seriously and we take our responsibility to the fans seriously. Now if you want to vent your spleens about this do it to the people responsible ie the fire marshalls. We named them for a reason. They are the reason why the Cumberland County Civic Center did not rock last night.

2. I see a number of people flaming Jarmo and the moderators for removing posts at our request. I understand that you feel that we are using our influence to censor you. We are not. If someone wants to express their opinion or critique the band and its performances, recordings, actions etc that does not bother us but when you spread lies and disinformation about everything from ticket sales to release dates to how Pollstar calculate their chart we will use our relationship with Jarmo to shut you down because you cause chaos and confusion and you try to take something good and turn it into something ugly. When GN'R gets on stage every night for two and a half hours it is a positive force. The thousands of fans who are there every night lose themselves and have a great time. That is what rock n' roll is all about but unfortunately the 300 of you that aren't even at the gigs spread a negativity that does not reflect the reality at all as evidenced by the original thread on the Meadowlands show. We were there. We saw 11,000 fans having a great time. We had a great time. For the people in the room it was a great night but it wasn't to be for those of you at home sitting around your computers.

Jarmo is your greatest ally and he has a proximity to us that is to your benefit. No one else in the online community has it. He has credible information for you directly from the source. We are not looking for any negative favours. It is not how the band has ever operated. It is not how Axl operates and it is not how I operate.

3. Ticket sales.
Guns N' Roses have sold almost 200,000 tickets already for this run and we still have 7 weeks to go. We have sold almost 50,000 tickets in the New York area alone this year between Hammerstein Ballroom, the Meadowlands and Madison Square Garden on the back of one interview with Ed Trunk and before the album has come out.  Most bands do not go to Portland, Maine because it is what the music business calls a "soft market" but we had a lot of letters from fans in the area and we were determined to play there  regardless of whether it was "only" 3500 people. We are doing something positive in a negative world. If you are with us fantastic. If you want to  live your live in an adverse way stay at home.

4. This is from Axl:
I would like to apologise to all of the fans in Maine for the show not happening last night. It was important for us to play there and it is a shame  that what should have been a great night for all of us was not possible due to the actions of two people. I agree with and ultimately take responsibility for the end decision not to jeopardise the safety of the fans, the  crews, the bands and myself as a result of the methods of these particularly draconian authorities. We are not trying to get away or get out of anything or pull a fast one by combining ticket sales as has been speculated. There are reasons that I have not spoken more about Montreal and Philadelphia that have been extremely complicated and are not legally resolved behind the scenes to this day and could have possibly jeopardized the future of Guns N' Roses.

We have chosen to take the public heat for these events in order to have another shot at the future today with a new album.
The professionals around me felt that Portland was a potentially explosive situation that could have had a somewhat similar result based on the behaviour of the two aforementioned fire marshals (it's not my 1st barbeque!) had the fans been given entry to the building and the show started. In respect of these opinions , our fans, the people of Portland, and the bands scheduled to play with us that night, unfortunately the only sensible decision was not to take that chance. We hope to find another way to play for you in the future. Thanks for even trying to see us. It sincerely is much more than appreciated.

That is great, thanks.

So tired of the negative posts....................

Seriously, this is very nice of Axl/Merck to take the time to give this information to us personally, not that they should have had to, but a nice gesture.  Thank you very much!  Your true fans appreciate this! :peace:

Cool that they took the time to clear this up.

Can't wait for Ottawa. ? : ok:

Good to hear that.

BTW, I'm curious. Did Axl just mean Vancouver, but mistakenly said Montreal? Granted, the phrase makes sense with either one, but Vancouver was closer to Philadelphia.

thank you merck and axl for shedding more light.  : ok:   

unfortunately nothing will shut up those who are already set and bank on seeing this fail.  :no: 

It is very nice that they did that. But it still sucks that Beta came on here and essentially did the same thing and got treated like crap. Ron also clarified the matter and it still was not good enough from some people.

I'd bet some posters still bellyache after this too.

Thanks Jarmo

This is a classic Axl line..

"the bands and myself as a result of the methods of these particularly draconian authorities. "

After reading all that shit yesterday I was waiting for something like this. it got way to outta hand.


 :peace:

This is great. I love all the communication between the band and fans now. I hope everyone stops speculation on what they think happened.

I guess I missed the Beta incident, although I have seen her name being mentioned a lot recently. 

I just wanted to get my appreciation in before the onslaught of people pick this message to shreds... and you're right, it IS coming.   :nervous:

thanks.
Now I can shut up and stop complaining. I got what I wanted ?:smoking:

There will always be some that are never satisfied.

Thanks for the communication

I think people should realize that the band and management are going the extra mile this time around. I think they have heard our frustrations of the past and realize that it is important to communicate when necessary. I think a lot of people around here should start appreciating the effort we are seeing from gnr and mgmt in terms of going out of there way to inform us on certain things.

Some might argue that most normal bands communicate with there fans on better circumstances than gnr. And they have a point. But we know this isnt a normal band and we also know what the past has been like in regards to this band and comunication.

They are making big strides and thats good to know. This past yr has been a big yr for the band and fans. Some GREAT club shows, a successful European tour, and a positive US tour thus far. Not to mention some new kickass songs, better communication, Axl sightings, etc....The ball is finally rolling and it appears as if things are on track for what we all want. Hopefully we will have that disc by the end of the yr so we can officially celebrate a BIGTIME yr from the worlds greatest band. If CD is in our hands by the end of the yr, 06 will be looked upon as a bigtime yr in GNr histroy.

Bring the noise...MSG is days away.what an EXPERIENCE it will be......

Good post!

Thanks again for the message.  Sadly when we don't hear anything we start to think the worst, but this should clear up any lasting issues about last night.  20 hours till showtime, and I can't wait for Worcester.

Just wanted to make sure that there's no confusion about this.

We've gotten messages from Beta, Merck and Axl about this now, there's no need to turn this into a "why won't they talk about this and that instead?" thread.


Anybody who even thinks about writing something negative in this thread questioning the message, please logout now and don't come back.

You obviously don't believe what people in and around the band say, so there's no need to stick around here with that attitude. You better get find your GN'R news somewhere else.


/jarmo

We needed that communication.

Now on to MSG!!!

Looking forward to Chicago, Axl!!!!!   :beer:

cool.

i already know that some negative cunts that post around here and other sites will try to turn this update against Axl.

fucking whiners... but i guess that's what you get when you start talking about a new album 7 years before it comes out...

thanks for the info Merck & co... fuck the haters, bring on Chi Dem  : ok:

Awesome

thanks for posting Jarmo

That was really cool of Axl to address the fans personally. Thanks man, see you tomorrow night.

First mention of these incidents.

Hopefully someday we know the truth.

Thanks to the leadership tripod: Merck, Beta, and Axl.

Great of them to get in touch and offer a positive explanation.

I don't think it's hard to be positive and upbeat and it rubs off on others as a result.

 :beer:

It's nice how you all have accepted the apology on behalf of the fans in Portland.

If anyone who posts here had tickets to the show, I'd like to know what YOUR opinion is on the matter.

i'm really surprised about this message, since there is not that much communication in generell (that's not a negative statement, that's just a fact). i didn't know that it was outta hand yesterday, since i haven't been online that much. i don't want to and can't speak for all of us, but i guess i'm not the only one, who's very happy that there was a statement like this. it's even more appreciated, becaise it was mainly for those who don't attend the shows (well, i'm in europe, saw them there once, so i can't really go, although i'm in new york, but i miss MSG about a week :( anyways). the message shows that they care, and it shows that axl is only talking when he's got something to say (as stated in the past by merck, i believe).

this one message makes me believe, that the albums really coming, even without any comment by the band so far. but i don't care if its 2006 or 2007 or... just hoping they come back to europe next year and not only for the festivals to rock out.

cheers :beer:

very cool.

but as i was reading, i was REALLY hoping for some CD mention.  ya know, some sort of reasuring comment that it will still drop this year. oh well.  :peace:

Thanks jarmo for the clarification, and truth is there are way to many whiners, who arm chair quaterback, Im glad MERCK and Axl named names, cause they are the ones who fucked it up for the fans!. Its nice and all to read the boards, or boards when people are kind enough to give updates, but to those bitching, should just fuck off, cause if your not there, you really shouldn't comment on said shows, and setlist, and what the vibe and atmopshere is. Discussion is good  , absolutely but talking outta ones ass, is kinda stupid.

This is great, should shut the fuck up with these idiots.

Madison must be SO pissed off right now.

HTGTH rocks. That's why I trust this site more than any others.

And I'm glad Merck clarified various situations.

Well hopefully that will shut up all the negative posters out there for now. I think this community owes a big thank you to Merck Beta Axl and Jarmo for helpin in clear this up, it cant get any more official than that. So i will start Thank You (even though i have never been negative towards the band) for coming to this board to put the record straight.   

Thank you for the message Merck and Axl! And thank you Jarmo for bringing it forward to the masses : ok:

Sure I was worried about the cancellation and what trouble that could bring. I'm relieved that GNR is still determined to keep on goin. AND we have some communication now. That is great! :peace:

Very cool ?;D I still don't agree with the censoring since I think it's only fair to hear both sides of a story but that's not relevant in this thread...kudos to Axl/Merck for doing this ?:beer:


* only one question who the hell is R kelley  ;)

Thanks GNR for the message. The negativity really has to stop, puts the wrong vibe on this great band! Would be better to just quit the messageboards...but hey...there's also too much fun on the other hand ?;)
Keep ut the good work here and get prepared for some exciting times! I know I will be seeing this band again next summer in Europe!!

Wow, this is pretty amazing.  I'm really blown away that Axl and Merck took time out of their day just to address our online community.  If that doesn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Axl cares overwhelmingly about his fans...I'm not sure what does.

You guys rock!

R Kelly is a singer who go in trouble a couple years ago for making videos of himself urinating and defecating on underage girls. ?: ok:

Maybe they should go back to dropping Clay Aiken's name instead of R Kelly's.

hehe I was joking I know who R Kelly is, but since they spelled it wrong......well you get it  :)

Jarmo: Thanx alot for this message. ?8)

Axl & Merck: Thanx for clearing things up. I only feel and have great respect for both of you. I understand that it's hard to cancel a show and dissapoint the fans, but this can happen. : ok:

I just wanted to say thank you to Axl, Merck and Jarmo for reaching out to the GN'R community like that and for taking the time to communicate with us.

I know this is very much appreciated by a great number of loyal GN'R fans and I sincerely hope that Axl, Merck, Jarmo and the rest of the band are somehow made aware of our gratitude for their thoughtfulness in this area.

Thank you,
W.R. ?

Good work GnR camp, some of the fans really needed this. Things can very easily be blown out of proportion and then it snowballs into something that it never was.
Very responsible of the crew to cancel for these reasons and not risk any serious lonmg lasting damages.

I know.. I just never get tired of making that guy look like shit (no pun intended).

Back on topic... I'd still like to know what the fans of Portland think of the statement. I, personally, think it was pretty cool of them to do it (even if it was needed to get GNR out of hot water). But I wasn't one of the 3400 people who bought a ticket and made arrangements to go see a concert the other night.

That's nice of Merck and Axl to communicate like this with the fans. Thanks guys and good luck on the rest of the tour! Too bad I can't make it this time! :(

first i did a positive post on page 2, but after reading mercks/axls message again (btw, i still stick to my first post), i'm just wondering about one thing: WE as the posters don't get censored, unless WE spread lies and disinformation. i guess the HD-advertising incident was then i lie i guess... or was it a disinformation? just can't figure it out. (sorry for the sarcasm, i understand, that a lot of internet-news services look at HTGTH for news, but we get a little censored due to that. wouldn't do harm to ackknowledge that.)

anyways that for taking time to get a message out.

I'll put my hands up and apologise. I was pretty pissed off at the news yesterday but can you blame us?

I still consider myself to be a big "true" fan... its just hard sometimes when you want this band to do well and become big again but silly things seem to get in the way.

Maybe we do need to take a lil step back and chill a bit.

7 tuesdays remaing  : ok:

I'd like to echo the sentiments here and thank Axl and Merck for a show of true class.

Cheers guys.

It's nice to have Merck and Axl talk to us as fans and not through the dreaded Press Release...Thanks Guys and Jarmo!!


So, Axl and Merck, about THAT album now.....

 ;)

Hey guys never usually bother to post as most of the time this place (as per the message) is full of people complaining and bitching.

Just wanted to say that I have been waiting for this album for as long as I can remember and to be honest if I have waited this long a little longer simply doesnt bother me!!!

Finally this year I got to see GNR in Dublin, Donnington, Wembly (twice) and by a massive stroke of luck I was present at the acoustic gig in London also.

THIS BAND FUCKING ROCKS. All of the shows I have seen have been excellent, as in the first post most of the shows have gone off without incident so why complain now. It appears as though there is a valid reason for the cancellation so STFU.

The only people that have a right to complain are the 3500 that were all set for a rocking GNR show. Anyone who sits at their PC and then just bitches about something that they were never going to anyway need to get a life....fast.

Well I couldnt be bothered ranting anymore so just wanted to say thanks to the GNR camp for clarifying everything and taking the time to inform the fans.

Also wanted to thank Jarmo for his hard work over the past 10 years (especially this year) as without this place none of us would know what was going on.

Shocko

Well well well ;D

Haters : So long, so long ...

I wonder who among them will come to this thread and start shit.

GN'R and Jarmo, thank you again for giving us facts.

Here Today ... Gone To Hell! is, to me, the only reliable source on the web.

Can't wait for the album to come out and shut those fuckers for good.

i have just said the same thing concerning hd and rs but my post has been deleted again...

so here'e my positiv one: communication since 2002 has really improved (which doesn't mean it's close to the status "satisfying").

I think any GNR fan should be satisfied with this statement. They did the right thing by offering some sort of explanation (unlike in 2002 when the band just disappeared without warning or apology, which was a big "fuck you" to the fans). I still don't agree with their wanting to censor stuff here though. I've seen plenty of posts that don't fall into the disinformation or rumour category but still get deleted simply because management doesn't like the message.

Nice to see Merck and Axl talking directly to us :) Thank you very much  8)

Cool post, but one question..

What did Axl mean here (I just woke up so excuse me if this is a silly question)

"We have chosen to take the public heat for these events in order to have another shot at the future today with a new album."

 :smoking:
Made my day.

I'm really impressed, this is great. I don't want to sound like an ass, but maybe next time something like this happens, the press release can be as cool, insightful and explanatory as this note is. It will certainly kill the negative speculation.

I really hope that the press picks up on this as much as they've picked up on the bogus 'GNR pull no show' story. Will this message be posted in some form on the official GNR site?

I've got to say, I still disagree with some of the thread deletions, as HTGTH is still considered a fan site, and I've never known a fan site that management could exhert influence over (other than illegal content). Doesn't anyone else think it's time that this forum was made official? It would be a positive move.

But thanks Axl and Merck (and Jarmo) for bringing GNR fans a clear concise explanation. Really, really respect you for it.

Now get back to work and bring us that fucking album. ;) :peace:

I was going to make another thread with my thoughts, but I'll just put them here where they belong.

Axl and Merck:

Thank you. This is what communication is all about, and as fan, I very much appreciate the thoughtfulness and clarity found in the message. I don't blame Axl or the band for what happened with the cancellation - Like a lot of things in life, we can't always get what we want, and that includes rock stars with a desire as simple as putting on a great show. They want to be up there as much as we want to see them. But the tour will go on, and I wish the guys great success.

Anyway, glad to see that the lines of communication are working, and that Merck and Axl are patient with people - They know it's been a long haul. I was losing my patience with things at the start of the tour, but as unorthodox as this band is, they know what they're doing. I've always respected Axl and the band, and that respect is steadily increasing.

Plus, Axl used the word "draconian," which is just badass!  : ok:

Edit - Maybe someone (Jarmo?) can send this thread along to management - I see that the majority of comments are appreciative, and I hope that the band can see them.

It's actually sad that Axl and Merck had to tell us anything directly.  It's so great of them to do, but there would have been no point if some people of this board weren't constant assholes about this band.  The negativity about everything; the tour, the album, ticket sales and the setlist, are all fucking ridiculous.  I'm sure some of you are happy because Axl and Merck responded to your petty bull shit posts you keep making and I'm sure it makes you feel somewhat important that they took time out of their day to write to the board in reply to what you have been saying.

GN'R have given us so much already this year and there is so much more to come.  We have the continuation of the tour, the album release and more touring after that... what is there to fucking cry about all the time??  I would just like to say fuck you to all the people that Axl and Merck had sent this message in response to.  Reading your lame posts on a daily basis was getting old months ago.  I'm sure we have a ton of people that have registered in the last couple of weeks that help carry on the bitching and they can fuck off too.

Good post man.

Thanks for passing the message on to us Jarmo. And Axl and Merck, of course. The time, consideration and thought to us fans is greatly appreciated and respected. I'm sure that will settle things for the most part, leaving only the real nuisances or dickheads. One very small question though..see below..


No it's not a silly question.. Look i swear i'm not starting trouble.. but this sentence could be understood a few different ways..

"another shot at the future today with a new album" - may possibly be (mis?-)interpreted as "another shot at the future (which starts as of) today with the new album (coming out today)"? Any further clarification at all? Or a reference to the commencement of promo? or something like that?

I apologise if I read too much into it or if I seem to be persistent, I swear I'm not, just trying to defuse a potentially stirring comment?

But ultimately, yeah it was just a observation in passing. Overall, once again, thanks for your thoughts to all concerned.

I don't even know why the cancellation even became a big deal. I didn't really post in the threads about it, so I didn't know it got ugly. I don't have any reason to doubt the band. And why are people pissed? A gig got cancelled, I wasn't there so I have no reason to be pissed about it, there was a statement, who cares?

Now bitching about not having the album, now there's something to bitch about :hihi:

I dont think its cool to use this thread to bitch at everyone else. This is supposed to be a positive thread explaining what happened, why do you take it upon yourself to take shots at people??

You are no better than anyone else that has bitched about the band. There is no need to use this thread as a reason to jump on everyone else.

It was cool of them to post this so please take your negativity somewhere else.

I kind of thought that for a second too, but I think we're reading too much into it. I guess Ax meant 'today' in the broader sense. Didn't he? ?:nervous: *runs to the record store*

I know bud but the thing is, that sentence is just..can be taken in so many different ways.
It almost sounds like they're saying "look, we want to clear all this shit up and think about the future, because the album's coming out now, so let's clear up all these concerns and negativity and start new because it all starts today"....
..anyway look I hate to persist about this, it just really struck me thats all. Anyway sorry, I won't dwell on it.

thanks for posting it Jarmo, much appreciated!

It would certainly be nice if he meant "today" literally, but I think the finished album would have been on the internet at least a week ago if that were the case.

CD ain't coming out today. He was talking about the future of the band today, as opposed to what it was, and what it could have become.

Indeed.

I'm going in to the city in a couple of hours, so I'll scan around for it. If it was out, we'd find out soon enough. ?:)

Plus I'm thinking that Axl and Merck's post will have been written yesterday (Monday).

it grew out of proportion because of the conflicting reports why the gig got canceled.

1st was that the fire marshalls stoped the show
2nd was, because to little tickets were sold

at the end people got pissed because they tought the band should have canceled the show earlier, and given some notice to the fans.

I'm glad to read that, thanks for posting.

I didn't think the press release was as clarifying as they wanted it to be, but Beta clarified it well enough for me.

You know one thing I really like about this msg?? Its that they are saying let the "public" think what they want, but we are going to let the "true" fans know what really happened. Thats pretty fucking cool IMO, shows they do care about the fans that have been here for them all these years.

Honestly, this post has made me gain a lot of respect for Merck and Axl. Look at how they went out of their way to clear this up, they wouldnt have went to this trouble if they werent being honest.

And I have been one of the negative posters here, but after this im going to cut them a break, and stop being negative for awile. Im going to wait until the end of this year and see how chips fall. If we dont have a album or at least a release date, then I might hace to start doubting again, but im done bitching about it, lets see if everything works out as planned. ?

i'm just wondering why this isn't posted on their official website.

I stated an opinion and definitely wasn't speaking to EVERYONE as you had said twice. There is no need for you to respond to anything I say in this thread and ruin it.  I wasn't being negative about the band or HTGTH.  I simply said what I had to say to a few choice people. They know who they are and they can be upset with me.  You can send a PM you know.  I completely support the message we received, AS I SAID IN MY POST, so worry about yourself and not me.  Thank you.  I'm sorry that my post offended you, as it should to all the constantly negative people here.

EDIT:

No wonder you cried about what I said... go figure.

I think because they're talking about "HTGTH" and are responding to some of the comments that were made here.

if something happens regarding the album til the 10th (and i specially talking about the MSG concert & some news about CD), then this sentence means something, if not, we're reading too much into it...

Good on you. I complete agree and that was the whole point of this message; to try to clear up any criticism or negativity as best as they could, and without making it sound like you in particular were a troublemaker, which im sure you werent and im sorry if it comes across like that, but generally, for people who had doubts, let's say, that it clears up. And I agree, not that I never did, but it made me appreciate and respect Merck and Axl alot more.

And that sentence about the album continues to intruge me. But I'm not going to dwell on it. Unless people don't mind a post in free discussion relating to this lol. Nah im not that desperate to. Anyway, thanks for tolerating my wonderings. I'll just wait and see. Sorry I just can't help thinking about it.

i think otherwise...but i will keep it for myself..don't want to get banned here :P

It does me as well lol, ive read it about 50 times and still cant figure out the meaning. As of now, im taking it as maybe he means that he is just going to take all the heat and not worry about it, because the future is the new album, no need to dwell on the past.

I really dont know for sure though lol

This is by far the most important statement! For those of you who have been flaming Jarmo for deleting post he is not only doing us favor but the band a favor.
Thanks for passing the messages by to us, I have said it a million times Jarmos action is why HTGTH is the best Guns site on the net PERIOD!

Neither do i man. I just..arghh.. It can be taken in too little and too many ways. I'll start a thread in off topic discussion?
I think at the very least Jarmo can appreciate that in return for their respect and thoughts to us we are trying to take our own initiative in managing our posts in the best possible manner lol

I think its wonderful that Merck and Axl (and Beta) came down here specifically even though most artists would see it as being below them to talk directly to the fans in such a fashion. Just shows that GNR are a different breed, which is why we all care so much!

Blimey. Axl's taking a leaf out of Bumblefoot's book...  :)

SG

I agree half heartedly about that statement.

Because yes, while I do agree that some meaningless random posts of negativity should be deleted. Why are threads regarding websites listing cool articles about CD (rollingstone), tv ads featuring new GN'R music (Harley-Davidson) and website updates (Del James article on gnr.com) not allowed to be discussed?
These are hardly "negative" topics that they are pointing out. If anything, they are generating more excitement amongst us fans. : ok:

And this shouldn't be seen as a negative post either, I'm just curious why management would want to delete things that would create good hype?

Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing what is to come in last few weeks of the year for GN'R. :beer:

Two words...

Told Off

Thanks Merck & Axl, and even a re-thanks to guys like Ron & Baz for trying to re-assure the fans, and shed light on the current situation & the reasons behind Portland.

Have fun at Madison Square... ?: ok:

lol at least we know axl does read the forums from time to time! And how big these forums r eally are!

get on another forum

there are millions: www.chinesedemocracy.com  www.gunsnroses.us


edit: my point was that forums is a place where you can discuss things in a free way, that's all.

You completely missed my point.

I ain't ranting at all. I suggest you read what I wrote again.

I'm a happy camper that they addressed these things and that all is good in GN'R camp and will continue to post here as I have been doing so for many many years.

I suggest YOU go somewhere else if you don't like it. : ok:

it was very nice that Merck and Axl took the time to talk about that - thanks for posting that... but my opinion is that some things... that are facts shouldn't get censored... e.g. the harley ad, the del james article, some pictures... etc etc...

on the other hand i understand how bad is to start roumors and stories that they are away from the reality...

enjoy the US tour ?:)

You two...take it pm's.

On topic, I was expecting an statement and we got it.? :)

Yeah, I guess people are jumping the guns on some things. Well people involved with whatever the concern is, pictures or rolling stone article or whatever, there's no way for us to know though.

Very glad Merck and Axl made this post! Thanks guys. Just sad you even had to do it. Wish some people would have a little more respect.
peace out
amyl

Nice to get a message from the man himself and it shows that he cares about keeping us informed with the right information instead of letting us be swayed by the wrong information.  It must be pretty cool for Jarmo to be called an ally.

Thank you Axl, Merck and Beta for clarifying the situation - and Jarmo too for giving them the forum in which to do it. ?;) ?That said, I can't help but feel sad that they felt that it was necessary to do this. ?After all there had already been an explanatory press release but still this didn't seem good enough for some people, and in all honesty, I've no doubt that those same people will manage to find something to criticise in this statement as well.

At a time when the future for GNR is looking brighter than it has in years, GNR fan sites should be brimming with confidence and positivity and ready to welcome new fans and lapsed, but now returning, fans into the fold. ?Instead of this, and particularly since the start of the NA tour, I've often felt that a dark and gloomy shadow is haunting the board, and especially certain topics, threatening to drain the energy that some of us try to bring to our contributions to this community.

Before this is misread and misunderstood, I'm not saying that all opinions have to be in accord with mine. ?On the contrary, a discussion board where everyone agreed with each other would soon become lifeless, and as tiresome to read as the continuous complaining from a small, but very vocal, minority on here has become.

Axl and Merck have gone out of their way to explain the truth behind the recent events, and have also vocalised their support for Jarmo and this site; I hope that when the next unexpected event occurs, people will remember this and not jump to conclusions before they're in possession of all the facts (and there have been far too many incidents of this happening recently for me to even start posting examples).

Finally, I've never doubted Axl's commitment to Guns N' Roses and his actions over the years have proved to me that when it comes to putting on a show, he never goes on stage intending to give less than 100% of himself to the performance. ?To my mind, this shows his consideration and respect for me as a fan and it's why I, in turn, respect him and try to reflect this in my conduct as a GNR fan, whether through my behaviour at a concert or on a fansite messageboard.

Thanks again, guys, and enjoy the rest of the tour; you too, Jarmo!? :peace:

Axl should do this more often. This shut's up all the negative people. thousands, millions, have something bad to say, Axl says 100 words, and everyone goes silent.

I really hope this settles this Civic Centre show once and for all. It's not Axl's fault, end of story. He's absolutley right, he's played all the shows this year without a hitch, one show goes wrong, and everyone flips. Give Axl the credit he deserves for changing the stigma of the new Guns and Roses around and making them TRULY a respectable band.

And nice to see they really do pay attention to these boards in the Guns and Roses camp. Just goes to show how much us fans really mean to them

thank fuck!!!

i must admit i feared the worst yesterday, i didnt post but i thought........."fuck". although it was different from before when shows got pulled and there was just silence. so this i excellent.

i think its great that axl, beta, merck posted on HTGTH. and its great that Jarmo is trusted within the band, it clears up the people who are negative. i think they're negative because of the myth that has become chinese democracy................

put it this way, when the album comes out, i think all this shit will stop. you'll get some whiners hanging around, and the geeks here trying to twist the lyrics from the songs to suit whatver they want.

we all support GnR, so lets pull together, i mean, we want the band to be successful!!!


my only grip, censoring news articles that are already in the public domain....................................whats the point, your just fooling yourself? like having crabs but just ignoring it because you're to embarssed to go to the doctor! :hihi: :rofl:

To all the haters out there...YOU GOT TOLD! :yes:

I'm sick of all this negative shit floating around these boards!

And really I would be at the concerts if I lived in America! But heeey...I saw them three times in Britain :peace:

No, please post it, I'm so interested to find out...

About the message, thanks. I'm so glad Merck and Axl finally spoke.

I hope that some of the whinners will shut the fuck up now. There were other ways to make you shut up, but I chose not to use them.

From now on, I'll be less patient... I've reached my limits last night and this morning with some nutcase on this board...

When you have Beta posting on this board, and you don't respect what she's saying, you're fucked in my book.

not only in yours......


this is great by the way!  thanks for the clarification axl and merck : ok:

communication with the fans ain`t a crime... can`t wait for CD :peace:

Definitely, with no offense at all intended for those who are linked to GNR/Axl, for someone like Beta, who is close to Axl not only professionally but personally (from my understanding), to take the time to try to clear up some things, and to be disrespected like that, is just generally directly and simply fucking rude and just, yeah, fucked up man.

Hopefully we will hear more from them again in the future, but next time we do, I sincerely hope it's not in direct response to a negative situation

This is wonderful!!!
I'm very glad with this post.
Thank you!! ;D

This is excellent. A huge thank you for the post... Clears a _lot_ of things and removes frustration from people who are more than willing to jump to conclusions and always assume the worst about everything.

Good to hear from Axl and Merk.
I to am sick of all the negative posts and all the bitching.

Thanks for the response Axl/Merck and Beta. Alot of people need to go out off the net and get a grip on reality, this board has been far too negative over the past few days. Its easy to get carried away when we dont really know whats going on but there has been a wealth of negative posts that should really just go. This is a positive time for Guns n Roses, the album is blatantly on its way, the band are touring - and we are about to witness the best show of the tour on Friday night!

Jonx

Yes it's a wonderful statement, they bought me hey! haha

no really, I agree with everything said, and I love the personal message from Axl, so nice of them to take the time to write this : ok:

now whiners, sit back and wait for CD, it's coming!!!!! I hope that will shut you down :yes:

Great to read this, a very honest and thorough statement. ?it is a shame that it has got to this stage, where some people cant accept what they are being told - i hope these people move onto other boards or other bands.

I am overflowing with positivity and excitement for GnR - i constantly think of how i can clear my visa bill and just jump on a plane and catch their next gig.Just knowing they are on the road, playing night after night, thrills me. ?This year has been the greatest GnR year for me ever (for a number of reasons) in a live respect, and to think there is more still to come with a new album and the probability that I will get to see them live again - its FUCKING brilliant! ?

thank you GnR. ?:beer:

if only they had given us a hint abt a release date ?:nervous: Anyway, ehanks a lot, and now on to MSG ?:beer:

That last paragragh mirrored my exact thoughts. Considering it will be a while till they hit Australia my enthusiasm and excitement jumps so far ahead that I'd love to catch a flight and see them at an imminent gig, but as you said, just knowing they're out there ripping it up, winning crowds all over again, makes me very happy and pleased.. and yep, knowing that each gig is hopefully one gig closer to me being able to see them.. amazing

This is great and highly appreciated, thanks!

The sad part tho is that people around the gn?r community, meaning other forums, now tend to slam and bitch about this nazi board and about the statement and how it?s full of lies and stupid shit like that! No wonder artists tend to have a love hate relationshit with their fans lol...

I must say that i?m fuckin?happy about the way this board is moderated. Tho the trafic increases, it actually runs smoother and smoother imo.

People are always free to come and go as they please unlike the jews during wwII so c?mon people!

LETS PARTY LIKE IT?S 1939!!! ?:hihi:

Well finally they're coughing up a little payback for Jarmo's loyalty. ?I really hope they look at this thread and really realize how far just a little level-headed PR and personal contact is getting them. ?


Actually, this isn't true (and that's not a negative). ?They are taking the steps it takes to turn this board into a true fan board, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it most certainly won't be the place for news or GNR politics. ?THAT is what you'll have to go to the other boards for. ?HTGTH can and will be the official fan board (IF they continue communicating). ?

Most artists, actors, etc, have fan sites where negativity is frowned upon, bad news is censored, their personal lives are off the table, etc.. ?There is absolutely nothing wrong with sites like that. ?Axl, Merck and Beta can drop occasional notes, 'insiders' can correct info and drop tidbits, fans can come here to get nuggets of controlled news, discuss their favorite aspects of the band, give opinions about the performances, hook up at the shows and generally discuss their love of all things Gn'R. ?and it will be just fine. ?

It will not, however, be a news board, a balanced board, a place offering both sides of a story or the unabashed truth about any problems, issues, negative opinions or indeed, with this band, facts. ?But that's perfectly acceptable for a fan board. ?Just state these things in the board description, make it clear HTGTH is an endorsed board, positive in nature, and the haters will expect to be censored, and nobody's going to expect the unabridged truth, they'll expect just the band's perspective. ?And obviously, fans having a direct line to the band's perspective ain't a bad thing.

That said, I do hope they conduct the information in an honest manner. ?Putting a positive spin on it is great, mistruths aren't so great. ?(IE: ?There is only one way the placements on the Pollstar chart under discussion are determined, and that's according to Pollstar. ?To call it misinformation IS misinformation, but that's another topic for another thread -- that will probably be censored). ? ;)

Anyway, glad to see them reach out. ?It does a world of good. ? : ok: ?:beer:

Thanks for the update GNR & Co. ?And, I feel this is not said enough, thanks to Jarmo for running an awesome site. ?And no, this is not ass kissing, it's just a fact. ?I must admit that even I posted something in that topic about the Maine cancellation and yes, it was about Letterman (feel free to dig up the original post). ?First of all, I'm not an idiot - I knew about 99% that they were not going to be on the show (and for those of you who don't kn0w, they weren't). ?Secondly, I just posted a straight fact from a real direct source (cbs.com). ?I know how much all of you like real, confirmed info so that's what I was giving - and I stated that it was FYI. ?Yet I got a few negative posts from people. ?If I wrote something false or completely made up I could have understood that but I didn't. ?And to all of those people who are sick of seeing the same old posts, rumors, negativity, etc. then I suggest try checking out the other sections of this forum - always interesting things going on there!

Great post!

A great thanks towards Axl & Merck for the info and Jarmo to share this with us!

It's great to see GN'R does care of it's fans! Respect! Now bring out the fucking album! ?:hihi: ?:peace:

So they do know how to get information out, when they're motivated ... astonishing.  Now ... about that album guys?

Don't worry. I saw your posts, I appreciated that you were trying to give us some information and clarification as best as they should, and that applies to everybody who posts info, as long as it has a source and hasn't already been repeated or isn't overblown, people should appreciate and acknowledge that there are others who are trying their best to help us with information. Once again I stress, as long as it has a source and isn't too vague or ridiculous

Great to hear from Axl and Merck, it is such a shame that a loud minority had to force them to make this announcement. I know people are sceptical when it comes to GnR and feel they've been there and seen it before, but the fact is, what is going on in 2006 is like nothing we've seen since maybe '91 (o.k, i wasn't old enough to remember much of '91... but you know what I mean  :P ). These are exciting times, I'm glad that most people see that, it's just a shame that the minority have to be so loud and annoying that they force these guys to speak out.

cheers Merck, cheers Axl!

Sounds reasonable to me, thanks for the info....

-PEACE-

Personally, I chose not to read any of those posts only because I knew they would all be negative.

I appreciate the messages from management and Axl.

Thanks :beer:

Amen.  It's about time a line was drawn in the sand...thank you!

Well it's a prime example that some of these whiners/naysayers, are just doing it to intentionally be negative. When you get the info directly from the people involved, and you still go on and on about everyone being liars or your own conspiracy theories, there's no hope for you.

When those bitch about honesty, finally get it, then still hate, why else can you do?

I haven't made any negative posts about this whole debacle, and I do find all the whiners just that: whiners. And yes, I think it's sad that all the constant nagging and whining forced them to make an announcement. But for completely different reasons. I actually think it's sad that they don't communicate like this before things go all haywire. We live in the age of information but GNR tend to forget that most of the time. You can no longer thrive on secrecy and get away with it like you could in the old days. I'm glad they finally came out and said something, but I'm kinda peeved it took a crap load of bitching by some whining internet geeks before they did.

I saw the shitstorm brewing yesterday....
 ?
 ? I was in and out of the forum all day long at it was getting worse and worse. I'm not a long time member of the forum but have been in here a lot since the beg.of the euro tour (not much of a comp.geek but I'm getting addicted).
 ? ?Anyone who comes here on a reg.basis knows Beta has posted here in the past. I couldn't believe when she posted yetserday (I and a few others said tks to her) but there were quite a few others just giving her shit. I was thinking holy Fuck! we've got an inside look of what's going on and people are say that it's not her, she has an agenda, and whatever was said. I hope this event doesn't make her change her mind about posting in the future...thought I'm sure she'll think twice.

 ? Thanks Merck/Axl this kind of interaction is good it as well give us ammunition to stand up for the band when others try to put it down...that could have been the case with the PR but people took the situation way over board.

 ?Can't wait for you guy's to get to Brazil...Beta ajudar a gente, Guns precisar tocar no Brasil em 2007 bota pra foder!!!

Thanks Jarmo, Beta, Axl, Merck...looks like Jarmo is a heavy hitter now. Kind of makes me feel guilty for being "slightly" negative.  :P A little straight forward communication goes a long way.

Great post to wake up to  : ok:

Thank You :beer:

thanxs for the post and clarification , bring on janaury 10 th !

With all the "He said, she said" concerning GN'R, it's so hard to pick the bullshit out. :-\

We're the good guys and they're the bad guys.


Oh well.....on with the show.

And sorry - but how do fans' uncensored views and opinions create "chaos and confusion?" Many of the fans - a large majority of them actually - have been going to the shows. They're not just sitting behind their computers.

Thanks Merck, Axl, and jarmo.

Merck's (and Axl's) message is pretty much exactly what I said yesterday in the thread on the subject.

I have to say that this was a class act from Merck and Axl! When we are thinking, that they have all the reasons not to say anything about the cancellation but they choosed to give some inside info about it..

I hope all these negative posters will now stop bitching about the whole situation.

Well, this board is being read mostly by fans.

However, some of the people who read this board write on magazines, webzines and media in general. If they read shit, they'll write shit.

That causes chaos and confusion.

Especially when it comes to GNR, a rather less informative band when it comes to press and media, this is a very important issue and everyone should understand it.

I can't help but agree with everything in this communication from the band. Call me an ass kisser if you want but I can totally understand how they wouldn't want confusion created by people who have no idea what their talking about.

It's so much better to be in a situation that you know is factual. I continue to hope (and believe) that things will be back on track tonight as scheduled. I know SO many people who I personally have talked into giving this band another chance that are going to be at the Palace on November 25.

My friends and I all work retail and the weekend is hell on all of us. I believe in and love this band enough to have convinced almost all of them that spending $75, driving out to the Palace now matter what the weather conditions and going no matter how tired they are will be worth it. If people are spreading things such as "shows are cancelled when ticket sales are low" then that jeopardizes future ticket sales in my opinion.

In the end I very much appreciate the information from Merck and Axl. It does help cement my belief that things will go on as planned and we'll all get our shows for the rest of the tour. Hopefully some news will come soon on a single and album and then everyone's individual complaints will be gone I believe.

The management saw a potential disaster forming (with Vancouver and Philly in mind) and this time backed off from it. They did it because of you, the fans and for the band. Of course they are very edgy when it comes to these issues. They do, unlike others, learn from history.

Nice to wake up to this. Thanks to Axl, Merck, and Jarmo for straightening some things out. The fact Axl & Merck took the time to post here hopefully puts to bed the rumors that have been flying around.  More importantly, maybe it will shut up  the haters post so much garbage lately.

Those of us who are here for the right reasons are here foir the same reason- the love of this band, the desire for their success and a sort of support system while waiting for new music from GNR. (We do have impeccable musical taste. :hihi:)

thank you jarmo (i knew that ticket sales wasn't reason)

P.S> man conrat,your site become a official"

As I've said before, I love Gnr News at 8am...waking up to postive Gnr stuff rules all.

As one of the "negative nancy's" against Jarmo..as much as I still think you're a cockblocker on the thread deletion issue sometimes..I can give respect when its warranted. And this is one of those times.

KUDOS for getting this out to us. I posted right before bed last night in the Beta thread, we need to respect those around Axl...and be happy we are getting press releases and communication. People were still bitching. Now, Axl and Co have gone WAY BEYOND what we are used to. Please don't ruin this guys....this open communication is gonna be key to making Chi Dem a success and letting Axl know how much we appreciate him.

Now onward and upward! MSG is gonna so rock for you guys....thanks again Jarmo..ya big poopie head :P

AylaRose

If there is a band in the World I feel this situation could happen to it's Guns and Roses.

Particularly the night before elections in a region of the world that is so polarized (MAINE).

I have not traveled and criss-crossed the world and after seeing the show I saw last week I felt like something was terribly wrong for this decision to be made.

Shows at bad venues where they harass the fans is not a fun experience and they do happen (been to a few).

An averted disaster causing disappointment is better than a traumatic experience.

I for one think it was the right call and saw many impassioned post of support intermingled with the negative post. ?Not everyone was fire bombing Jarmo and the band.

We have come a long way, I would never believe that Axl would adress online comunity so directly (even via Merck) and almost personally (mentioning Jarmo)... nice gesture, I think this will shut all the doubters!

GN'R online comunity is very big, it's not only 300 ?8) i know that they know ;)

Thanks Axl, Merck and Jarmo! Can't wait for the record. 7 weeks...

Long live GN'R!

i think he was basically talking about people sitting in front of their computers during the shows....   and i doubt that more than 300 people do that....   

or he was talking about whiners.... who knows  mysteron? :nervous:

When there is a discussion thread going on durring a concert and it is filled with... "WTF? when are we gonna hear CITR, this Appetite shit is BS" or "How many times do we have to re-hash 1989" or "Steve the Lawyer told me that a bathroom attendant said Maine sold 45 tickets and Axl threw a fit and beat up a criplled kid then flew back to NY"

Those are people who didn't attend that show talking about things that they have no idea about. You dont know why something happened and you don't know how the crowd feels. Sure i appreciate the people sharing updates but most of the times they are so into the show they are missing things. We had 3 different people telling us different things about who was drumming durring the Estero show.

That was great - this was exactly what I was looking for yesterday, and they delivered it. Thanks guys! It's a real relief to know that they would take the time to do this - it really renews my faith.

I am sick of the negative shit. All you piece of shit whiners can leave the board. Thank you Axl and Merck!

This is more like it! This should keep the negative people that hang around here like a wart on your fucking finger away for a while. It's a shame that Merck and Axl have had to to do this because of certain whingers but I salute them for doing so and once again it shows why they are so well thought of by the people that really care! Mike

Coma, those update discussion threads are a MESS. Really, all I do now is come the next day and check the setlist-real simple and clean. Any significant things will be put in the setlist/note section on the main page. The rest is just useless chatter. If somebody I respect on the board goes to the show, I will check their review. ?: ok:

That is an awesome gesture from Axl and Merck, I just hope we can try and fill this board with more positivity. After all, this is the best time to be a Guns fan in years, and still people bitch and moan, It's unbelievable!

Thanks Axl, good luck for the rest of the tour!  :peace:

Why this thread is only 7 pages long? When bad things happen, hundreds of people can speculate & whine all around here and extend threads to dozens of pages.

But only around 100+ of us can be really thankful for Axl speaking to us himself.

Merck you're the man! Thanks for taking your time to communicate with us ?:)

Have you ever guys thought over Merck's statement, that he does belive in fans (if not, go to the Pollstar and find CIC 2005 key-note)?

It's all about G N'R enthusiasts. If it wasn't all about us - real fans - making the music, playing live gigs wouldn't have sense - it would be something like making "art for art's sake".
This is also us who bring back the intrest into the band to the casual people/fans - the best example is Jarmo's work, which he constantly does for 10 years now and how this site exists in the net.
So do not spoil someone's "faith, focus and determination" ( to use Merck's quote again ?:) )

Axl & Merck are in the music business more than 20 years now, so they know what they do. They surely don't need some of your "home-bread managers & promoters" advices how to act for this band - just rely on their experience.

In the mean time go to the concerts if the band is playing somewhere around your town ?: ok: & patiently wait for the CD coming out ?:peace:

G N'R: best wishes for the rest of the tour! ?:love:
 

Awesome!  ;D Big thanks to Axl, Merck, Jarmo and everyone else!  : ok:

Nothing better than to come home from school and get good news!

GnR rules!  :peace:

Thank you Axl, thank you Merck, and thank you Jarmo  :peace:

hi all just read the new statement from axl and merck, and thanks for trying to clear shit up, thanks for taking the time, but the one thing that doesnt make sense at all, you the band obviously keep an eye out on these forums to see what people are saying, thats fair enough so would i.

The one thing you the band could do to shut up all the negativity is give us some fucking info on the album, thats why were all here and im sure every member here and at every other forum would back that up.  Can you imagine how the positivity on these boards would explode on these forums if we had info on chinese democracy come straight from the band itself, and i for one have a lot of mates aregnr fans that dont have computers so they usually get the info directly from me.

I for one cant wait for new material from the this band, fuck ive been waiting since the illusion days and been a fan since the appetite days so come on guys enough is enough its time for you the band to give us some info on the album whether its a release date setlist or message from axl comcerning it, and you would see these boards turn around with positivity and a much needed new respect between band and its fans.  And let the fans do some promotion too by telling all their friends about it.

i expect this to be deleted because this board censors everything but i hope not and i hope the band sees it, come guys its time to get the album out give us some info and watch the boards explode

Nice, cheers for that G'n'R - have a few beers and rock the rest of the tour

 :beer:

Nice nice thank you. :D


It happens when some of the posters state their opinions, speculations and hearsays as facts and when the lurkers esp the writers of magazines, webzines and media are not educated enough (or for whatever reasons) to distinguish fact from fiction. And that happened many many times.

Real classy, a message to the band with a bunch of swears and demands.  : ok:

Thanks to the whole GNR camp for the statement.  : ok:

Thanks to Jarmo and Beta for alerting management that a Battle Royal was brewing.

Thanks to Merck and Axl for taking some time to clear this up.

I think this statement was all the 'real' fans were looking for.

Can't friggen wait for 11/24!

That's cool. Thanks for posting Jarmo (and Merck).  : ok: 

While I'm happy that Merck/Axl took the time to communicate directly with us, it's almost embarrassing that they felt the need to come here to explain matters. It tells me the haters here really pissed them off. We've never been addressed specifically, and it sucks it had to be done on a subject like this. Maybe they'll come back again and we can talk about more positive matters (release date?) instead of having to correct lies. Maybe Jarmo can pass this along and it could be the start of some better communication, from the band and more importantly from us.

just hearing axl say a new future with a new album makes me happy :yes: ;D

I think this really means a lot, for all of us fans who come here everyday and try to keep up with our fave band, and see that they really care about us, and about our thoughts... But this also means that they are a bit afraid of all this negativity that has been around here lately... cos they know how powerful internet and this board can be... they know that everywhere around the globe u can check the net and read some thread called "I?m tired of waiting. CD will never come out" or stuff like that, and u end up having little and little patience day by day.... but they also know that by coming here and "talking" to us, that we fans, although very surprised, we will be very happy with the concern... Now, one last thing.... all this negativity didnt start from nothing.... it comes from this long, long waiting (and many of u are waiting for much longer than me so I shouldnt even complain), and basically, from no news whatsoever about CD... and it sure is very important on all of this...

but anyway, thanks for the concern : ok:

Damn Right. 

I'd like to personally thank Axl and his Management for taking 10 minutes to give us a brief explanation. 

Chicago will be a blast!!

Right on bro! That put a smile on my face too! ?:)

That?s pretty freakin cool we got a message direct. Thanks!

I was concerned Baltimore would be canceled due to low ticket sales, but apparently the situation in Maine had nothing to do with that. Good news!

Even though I've been 95% POSITIVE regarding GNR, I still had that little bit (5%) of doubt about where they were as a unit from the band down to management. ?The tour as a whole and the pending release of CD.

That 5% of doubt is now gone.

Thank you Merck, thank you Axl and, again, thank you Beta for stoppin' by and setting things straight.

Beta, I love your attitude. ?You rock! ?You're like the 11th member of GNR (Merck being the 10th).

I work every fucking day with power trip people so I do understand what you guys went through.

Rock on and fuck the Draconians ?: ok:

See you all at MSG!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited to say:  Sorry jarmo for not thinking of you...........thank you for hanging in there all these years, always keeping the faith. which has earned you this direct link to the band!!!!  In my book you would be the 12th member of GNR.  Cheers and well done.

Because a majority people will always feed off of nagativity, and ignore the positive side of things. ?It is simply how a large number of people operate. ?The only way they feel better about themselves is by beating others down. ?It doesn't matter if it is perceived or reality, in the end, in some twisted way, they feel validated...

This is by far the best thread I've seen on this board in 5 years. ?Although I thought the original release, as well as the comments by Beta were way more then enough to clarify the situation, the message by Merck and Axl was awesome. ?I still have my ticket stub from the Dec '02 show in Philly, but shit happens and you move on. ?If I had gotten all bent out of shape, I wouldn't have enjoyed the phenominal Hammerstein show on 5/12. ?If the band believes the best thing is to take the heat publicly for those two events in order to this tour to take place, who are we to complain. ? Thanks again Jarmo, Merck, and Axl, an come back to Philly soon... (I'll even take Camden)

Its great they took the time to give us this statement!
No that they needed...I believed in the problems with the fire marshalls, in some other thread I even remembered how NIN canceled their show in the same place earlier this year.

its great to have this kind of attention from the band...Beta, Axl, Merck, Ron.... : ok:

nice for them to take the time to clear things up. i wish he would've mentioned why we can't talk about a certain article with Merck's own quotes in it, and a certain motorcycle company's commercial, but oh well.

Thanks guys! Can't wait for the Midwest shows!!!!!!

I like this forum, I like that the band and Merck like this forum. HTGTH for the win.

Thanks Jarmo for posting this message from Merck and Axl. Im loving this site more than ever now!  :-*

This is great, finally we have a direct link to GnR and are not left alone in the dark. Hope you guys continue to good PR work and keep us informed

Thanks!

Thank you Merck and thank you Axl. No crime. No foul. Best of luck with the rest of the tour, and thank you for an OUTSTANDING year! 2006 is right up there with some of the best Guns N' Roses years ever. : ok:

And Jarmo... a tremendous compliment to you... and well deserved. It can't be said enough what a special place this board is. We're all very lucky to have it.

Lastly, Merck is right... there should always be room to legitimately critique the band when deserved... but let's cut out the fucking misinformation and unjustified negativity. :peace:

Thank you Merck and Axl for taking the time to prepare this message for us.  Shows that you guys care and I for one appreciate that.  Hope to see the album this year though.

Thanks Jarmo, Merck, and Axl for putting yourself in front of the gun again.  If you're looking for another "soft" market to play in come to Scottsdale, AZ, next to Phoenix.  500 mile away concerts are killing me.

Great post, thanks Axl, Jarmo, Merck and Beta. Now can we finally move on and help make GN'R the biggest band in the world again : ok:

it is a small percentage of people that are negative though. most of us are genuine and excited about everything GnR, bad news spreads quicker I guess.

Well that wasn't painful now was it? Refreshing to hear something a little less vauge. 

Wise decsion on posting this, IMO.   We aren't asking for a play by play and to find out what color Axl shits (although as sick as it sounds some might want to know :-[ )- I'll take a guess.  But some information....I think that there was panic on the boards because there is a lot of money and time and scheduleing invested in upcoming concerts. No one wants to get screwed, out of money that is.

Group hug- Thanks guys!!

Game On!

no mention of cd!!!!  typical....  >:(

At least they took the time to reassure us about the reasons the show got cancelled and the tour.  Look on the bright side man.   : ok:

Phoenixes and dragons ;D


and far from that.  Have you read this part? a laudable spirit. they love fans. :yes:

Well said Merck!

Keep up the great work Jarmo, your a blessing to the GNR community!


Now let's get the shows rolling, Chicago is just around the corner. :beer:

From Axl.


Last time I checked "CD" was the new album.

Thanks Axl, Meck and Beta! You rock... ?:beer:


And thanks to Jarmo for running such a great site like HTGTH! ?:beer:

I'm cool with the whole statement except for this section by Merck:


The Hammerstein shows were already sold out before the Trunk interview, and I don't see how an interview in May can influence ticket sales for dates six months later that weren't even announced until months after the interview.

Thank you, Merck, Axl and - of course - Jarmo (for providing this vehicle for communication).  This statement is much appreciated.  Even as a devout GNR fan, I began falling into the downward spiral of negativity and confusion based on the rumors and speculation.  This statement set me fucking straight.

Looking forward to seeing you bitches in New York.  Good luck tonight in Worcester!

Thanks Axl, Merck, and Jarmo!  :peace:

THANKS!

That's caring about your fans!  Can't wait for MSG ;D

Thank You, very cool response. ? :peace:

This is really great communication, and definitely what we needed, and need more of! :) Thanks to all involved!

a.

i thik this response illustartes that the band is taking things pretty fucking seriously this time and that's all you can ask for  :beer:

Thank you Merck, Axl and Jarmo!!! ?: ok: ?It's about time we had something to shut up some of the people on this board who do nothing but bitch, bitch, bitch!!! ?

This is great. Thank you Merck, and thank you Axl. And thsnk you Jarmo for bringing this to us.

Awesome!

This is great...Im very happy to see everyone giving an insight to this...Merck,Axl,Beta,Baz,Ron and whoever else

Now that I think about it, the only thing I care about is a kick ass show at Madison Square Garden Friday night. ?That is really all I care about. ?I am pumped and the cancellation this week is kinda irrelevant to me. ?It was a great time in East Rutherford, and it will be a great time Friday night in NYC.

Great statement by GNR management. And needed, too. As always, reality has a different face then that of all the speculation, frustration and consequently thus.. unproductive and annoying whining.


Thanks Merck, Axl and everyone behind it!  : ok:



And oh yeah.. regarding the smoking issue?

I dunno, folks, but at The Spektrum in Oslo (the second GNR Oslo show this year), one of my 'crew' almost got thrown out for lighting up a cigarette.

"Hey, it's a rock show for fucks sake!" he yelled as a security guard came to his seat seconds after he lit up. "Alright, OUT!" and he was grabbed in no polite manner in both arms.

Through some sweettalking and a little, white lie of the cig being passed to us from behind, he was allowed to stay.

However, the security guard never left my friend Morten there outta her sight; constantly staring him down and on her walkie talkie and getting her two co-guards all worked up over Morten too. She stood in the aisle for the remainder of the show. Staring.

Morten was furious (he's a heavy smoker). I'm only a party smoker and have no problem with smoking bans at concerts, but I detested the - yes - draconian security there.

As I mentioned a few months back, another one of my buddies almost didn't get in at this show either. As he was told he was too intoxicated and the bouncers then did their own little I-Pardon-You schtick (Schindler's List) on him; humiliation and all.

As my buddy (he's pretty ribbed) told me afterwards.. had he been intoxicated, he would have knocked the lights out on that steroid-infested beefhead instead. And not gotten in, but be in jail. Funny, eh?

Instead - because he was sober and smelled the coffee the Spektrum security guards were brewing - he had to crawl under the carpet, wiggle like a dog and suck up to some dork because said security guard had a small penis.

It's frustrating.

While the Spektrum show rocked and was one of the best of the whole European tour, the security conditions felt like N?rnburg in the 30s.  And by the way... there was only one beer per customer.

I mean.. It was a joke. You get in line, get your beer. Get in line, from the back again, and get another. Fuckin' comedic.

I love and respect my northern Scandinavian brothers in Norway and Sweden, but alchohol and public entertainment rules and regulations are pretty goddamn strict there.

No wonder it was in Stockholm that the rent-a-cop incident happened.



Anyway.. My 2 cents turned a nickel.


Peace.

RF

 :peace:

Thanks for that info! They definately went the extra mile by giving us this statement. They certainly didn't need to do it after a press release and a statement from Beta. Any reasonable person should have been satisfied from those, but it was very nice to get a long statement from Merck and Axl and I'm thankful they took the time to do it. ?After a great show at the Meadowlands I'm ready for a great show at MSG!

No doubt. Guns are made for the big stage. It's also kind of a homecoming for the band too, conisdering all the time Axl spent in NYC, and that several of the band are from NYC.

I want to second that!
Hopefully the nonsense and undue negativity will cease.

Very cool that they posted that.  Axl and Merck need to know that not everyone on these board are whining about everything!  Just a few of those people that have nothing better to do than complain about EVERYTHING!



Hatts

It's good that the band are communicating more openly. I think one of the problems with perception in the past is that there has been so little communication that speculation gets out of hand.

I agree Bandita. They did not have to do that. But people are still going to bitch and complain. It feels hopeless sometimes. Some of us on the board are not complaining about every little thing, so I hope that they see that.

I normally read through all pages, but I'm in a hurry at this time.  Let me just say that Axl, Merck and the rest of the Gn'R camp (which includes jarmo imo) did not have to say anything to us... It's obvious they took time out of their very busy schedules to include us in a notification that to me, is the nicest thing you can do for your fans..

Plus it's not just any old band or musicians that is speaking to us.  This is Axl 'fucking' Rose that is actually speaking DIRECTLY to us.. That in itself has very epic proportions..

I just want to say a big hearty "thank you" for keeping in touch with your fanbase and for not allowing anyone to 'give up hope'.. I could write a very long msg here, but I do have to get to work.. (I'll post from there anyway.. lol)..

Thanks for everything,

-Dave

See, all we needed was a little communication....Extremely glad to see this raise spirits around here

Awesome, very good of them to give out a message like that.

90% of the guys n gals on these boards beleive in the band and are fully behind them.

To the idiots that are quite frankly very very very sad individuals, have you nothing better to do with your life than come onto a fourm of a band you do not give a fuck about and slag them off? you wana take a long look at yourself, seriously! strange people.

Ive seen gnr 3 times in europe, the band was awesome. Keep doing what your doing AND release that fuckin album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was cool of them to address the fans like that and dispel some of the speculation/rumors that people were having.  Thumbs up to Axl, GNR and managment.  : ok:

Folks, I've been a GN'R fan from the beginning (87), and I've never found any reason to get pissed at them.  Occasionally, I've been disappointed at how things have played out (the split), but even then, I've known that these are men who do what is in their best interest and the best interest of their fans.  I call today an all-time high for being a GN'R-head.  To have a band that cares enough to actually make direct contact with those of us on the board, just to explain things that they don't have to explain...well, that's pretty special in today's world, don't you think?  Thank you Axl.

People arn't as lucky as you are, the maine show might have been their one chance to see GNR, personnally i'd be pissed aswell. I was pissed when Axl left during nightrain at Wembley. People slag off Axl due to frustration. No-one comes here (and stays here) to purely slag off the band, they come to express there opinions, also as corpus said whats wrong with constructive critism.

I can't see how the harley ad is false information, a big company like harley wouldn't just claim to have a song from Chinese Democracy with no intention of playing it again.

Thank you Axl and Mr. Merck for explaining in such detail about what happened in Portland.

At first when I started reading the message I sort of gotten the impression that Axl, Merck, and all the bands were blaming the fans for making up rumors and shit. But it is not us.

I just wanted to say that we the fans and if I may, speak for everyone, when I say we get confused and brainwashed about this type of shit, ie, cancelling shows, tours, being late..etc... because of all the media, bad journalist who love to trash GN'R and all the propaganda!

I am glad to know that the GN'R team do not hold us fans responsible. And I am happy that you have taken the time to contact us to set the record straight!!

Rock the fuck on!!!!

Peace
~S~

I think it's pretty damm cool that Merck, Beta& Axl took time out to clear up the situation.

you can't imagine, for exaple, on a sports forum, the clubs manager comming on clearing up any situations - if you get what i mean.

And it's good to see their being honest with the fans.

now... abut that album ........? : ok:


BTW Totally agree about the smoking issue in Oslo, weve got a smoking ban here in Scotland, and coupled with a raging hot areana in the Summer and 5 dollar a pint beers, you really want a smoke.

It's a Gn'R gig not a church picnic  :smoking:

awesome post...I just made my g/f read it to make HER understand why GN'R cancelled.  This band is looking more and more promising as the days go on....

I'm sure if we knew about all the "legal" issues going on with the prior cancellations we would change our mind on how the band is handling those situations.  I know there was thousands of dollars worth of stuff in the arena (soundboard, chairs, stage set-up, etc.) destroyed in Philly, so I'm sure thats a big part of it.

Of course. Maybe other bands would have played, but GNR has a history of riots and bad shit happening. They just wanted to be cautious and not risk anything happening again. They saw a potential disaster and backed out for the good of everyone. I cant say I blame them for it, knowing the history of St Lous, Philly or Vancouver.

Thanks for posting Merck and Axl.  Can't fuckin wait until Winnipeg Dec 4th. 

Like many others here on the board, I also would like to thank everyone involved in making the real truth be known.  I am hoping that those of you on the board who are not team players have learned something, or will be moving on to display your acts of immaturity somewhere else, so that those of us who are truley fans of this great band can enjoy this as intended to be.

Thanks Again
Msaxl43

No they just use the official website.....

Look I think its great that they actually responded.  However, considering that they have never done this before, don't you ask yourself why they did it this time??  I do hope that this is a continuing trend though because then I will be less skeptical of releases like this. 

And you know what, once again they are talking about people who weren't at the shows who are the ones complaining.  I'd like to point out that once again I was at the Nov 5th Continental show and I gave an honest review and it was removed.  I can scan my ticket if you don't believe me.  So stop trying to make it like its only people who didn't attend the shows who are posting negative reviews and negative comments.  Sorry if Merck, Axl, whoever did not like what I and some others had to say. 

To Jarmo who always said that if the band put out press releases us 'Axl haters' would complain about it.... I am not complaining about the press release.  It is much appreciated by myself and I am sure many of the other 'Axl haters' on this board.  And I am sure that took a grand total of an hour to 2 hours to type up.  It isn't that difficult. 

the thing about whiners is even if there are only a few of them, they post ALOT. which makes it seem like there are more than there really are. i think it was accurate when somebody said 90% of the people on here arent whiners.

and where do you get those numbers from?

yeah it might be like 98 percent : ok:

it's like that in all businesses...if someone has a good experience they will maybe tell one or two people, but if someone has a bad experience with a product they will tell 10 or more people and make sure to not let anyone forget.

thanks for posting jarmo...some people obiviously wanted to hear more but at least it's a statement form both mouths...and the album is mentioned.

i mean not much they could do...it's obvioust the city didn't want them there :-\

This is awesome!!!!! Thank you so much for posting this and for the post Merck and Axl!

Thanks Jarmo, Merck and AXL,

Looking forward to MSG !!!!!!!! : ok:

Thanks!  It was very professional and responsible for them to take the time and address these issues for the fans. 

Looking forward to seeing them in January!!   :beer:

nice gesture, really appreciate it, fucking great that they took the time!

 : ok:
GN'R fuckin' RULES!

Thank you for what should now shut everyone the fuck up!

Now everyone fuckin' rock out tonight... ?wish I was there with you all!

Phew, that took a while to read through (the thread in it's entirety so far) ?:o

This was increadibly cool of Axl and Merck to do. ?My guess is that it took a pretty good stretch of time to get that thing written so that it included everything they wanted to say in an understandable manner. Well, it would have taken a long time for me, their probably better at it then I am :hihi:

It really pissed me off how bad Beta was being bashed yesterday. ?She didn't have to come here to post, but she did. And she got bashed to hell from a few different people for it. ?I had to stop posting in there to save my karma :hihi:

It gets hard reading this board sometimes, when most of the threads turn into bash-fest (or a lot of them anyway) ?I feel like I can't post sometimes because if it's positive, someone will bash the hell out of it. ?Oh, and in regards to the post that said that people don't come here just to slag the band...I know one personally, or did. ?It's truely the ONLY reason he ever posts here. ?He wants to see a train wreck. ?I don't like when people do that at all.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this message. ?I'm stoked for tonights show and Fridays, both of which I'll be at. ?(shit I gotta get going!) GNR fuckin rocks my fuckin world!!! ? :beer:

;D

Its time to move on.

Looking forward to the Minneapolis show, and Axl, we don't barbeque up here...it's too cold. : ok:

Like I said in my handful of other posts here, I'm a long time lurker, but try not to post and get caught up in the sometimes "organized chaos" we've come to know and love as HTGTH. ?I too want join in here and state that most if not all of the people here are always going to be Guns N' Roses fans. ?People like to come on here and sing praises one day, then lament until their fingers bleed the next day. ?And for better or worse, that is what this place is, an outlet to dicuss anything on your mind related to Axl, Merck, Chinese Democracy, etc. ?Yes it is a shame that Axl, Merck and Beta had to go through Jarmo at all, but in this day and age, it's to be expected. ?Regardless of what happened in Maine, I'm still on the edge of my seat waiting for November 13th to come around. ?And no matter how long we;ve all been waiting to get our hands on Chinese Democracy, I still check on here almost daily for the release date, as if I were a 5 year old the night before Christmas. ? :drool:

So in any case, if you are reading any of these posts Axl and/or Merck, or even if you Jarmo are relaying these comments back to Axl and the boys, just know that although some around here may act like they are disgusted with things, we all know how every one of use really feels... ?;)






 ?

It's comforting, in a way, to know that the "higher ups" read our thoughts and concerns.

that is good then.something said and not ignored.very kool of axl and merk.THANK-YOU !

I found these two quote's to be pretty funny on Blabbermouth just now, and the stories are right beside each other  :rofl:


Sebastian said


Then this headline



I just found this funny because the posts were right beside each other.

Wow, that's fucking awesome....

Merck is right, they played like 50 shows in a row, one of them where Axl had to be rushed to the hospital because he tried to continue it even when the doctors told him not too. On top of that Axl and Merck named the fire marshals that were being idiots, it has seemed to me since the Hammerstein shows that this time around Axl and co. are determined to pull off a big tour.

I'll openly admit at times I've posted comments regarding the setlist and stating I'd love to hear new additions to it, but that's because I'm a fan and I want to hear all the damn songs live at one time or another.. I also want to see all the new guys get their due for their work on the new tracks, but ANY guns n roses show is an event, it really doesn't matter what they play, it's cool to see them finally address all the morons who spread lies, misinformation, and try to spin everything in a negative light on the band.

Maybe Guns should do a 3,000 seat venue there or 2,000 seat venue like Hammerstein sometime for the people in that state that got shafted by the unfortunate situation.... :peace:

Hey, Axl.

Thanks.

You saved my life!!!

See you in Toronto!!!

How did they plan to harass fans?  Why is everything from the GnR camp so vague?

I think it is time to get over this and move on...bring back the density of Ronbin's beard threads!!!

thanks for the message! by the way, gunsnroses.com is updated with the message from axl.

of course not!!! :hihi:

None of us know 'behind the scenes'.. There could be legal implications with saying something about the album before it's time..

After the statement Axl & crew made, I'm confident that we'll finally see this album in all its glory.. :-)

Wow, I'm speechless. To hear from the GNR camp firsthand is awesome, but its unfortunate they had to take the time to do this on a message board. But you know what, that just shows how much they value GNR fans. I, for one, appreciate the effort and time it took for Merck and Axl to do this. They have better things to worry about than us, but they took time out of their day to do this. That's about the best thing you could hope for from your idols!

Guess I wasn't too speechless after all. Thanks. ?: ok:

WOW! my post got deleted because I said "Merck and Axl can't be bothered to say anything about the album."

Doesn't that kind of go against Merck's whole, stuff?

I'm sure they'll discuss it when it's time.. 'can't be bothered to say anything' to me sounds negative.. you're saying they don't care to inform the fans..

We don't know what the hell goes on behind the scenes.. I say relax and we'll hear something, hopefully sooner than later..

great post...I agree with them 100 percent...i was at the meadowlands show and it was great....i am sick of the negativity of people on this board, especially the ones who ARENT EVEN GOING TO SHOWS!!!!

WEll I thinks its great that axl and merck decided to actually speak to us directly BUT why does it seem the only time we get a press release is when something bad happens... ie axls bites a cop, or a show gets cancelled. It would great if they just let us know what the real plan is... i mean we've stuck around for 15 years with no new material, a simple

"hey guys were mixing better and TWAT right now... finck's solo is going to blow your mind!! Can't wait to get it to you guys for december, feb the latest! Hang in there guys 'soon is the word" axl

The only time we here from them is when shit goes bad and they feel the need to justify their actions. They wouldn't need to that if they'd just drop us a quick line once and a while.

Although I do very much appreciate the update! Thanks for having an awesome site Jarmo! You da man!

thanks to jarmo for the post!!!!!

when i heard the show was cancelled i didnt even bother logging on yesterday, i knew what the response would be!

some people want guns to fail! which is really sad!

Well, If "someone" happens to be reading this, be it Merck, Beta, Axl, Sebastian or anyone else associated with the greatest tour 2006 has seen. Thank you. As I have said before, I have always, and will always support this thing. I have done my best with trying to spread a positive vibe among the "fans" and will continue to do so. I can not wait ofr Minneapolis and Reno, once again I will have the time of my life rockin' out to the greatest band in the world ;)

Conversely how can people say something positive about the shows if they ARENT EVEN GOING TO SHOWS?  I am sick of people blindly believing that everything is going great out there.  Should their posts be deleted too??

I'd like to know exactly what Jarmo's connection with GnR camp is....

Great venue you have in your avatar there! ^

Yep...it's a little cutout from a photo I took of the Roxy and Rainbow when I was there in January

Jarmo respects GN'R, GN'R respect Jarmo

A little respect goes a long way

sweeet, the rainbows pizza is amazing.

Good one!

I have a feeling tonights show will be a blinder. With a fire mashall rant if we're lucky!

Looking forward to the album soon.

I respect GnR, but I wouldn't exactly say I have 'connection's with them (except for Axl wearing my flag in Glasgow ;D) ?I mean how does he know/what contact does he have...with GnR and management?

I'm not starting anything, I'm just curious

Thanks Axl and Merck, for this message and thanks Jarmo for posting it : ok:

God,things are realllllllyy lookin good in the world of GNR.this can only be a positive time for GNR fans.

thanx to Axl/Merck/Jarmo for putting everything together.

 ?we are one big family,but even familys have knobheads in em,and you cant choose your family ?: ok:

At least dedicate "You're Crazy" to him.

What is this 'respect' you speak of?

 ;)

good stuff.   That statement convinced me that there was a good basis to cancel the show.  Nice, open communication.

The whole censorsing "misinformation" thing I completely disagree with.  The way to handle that is through an open forum where informed people can correct misinformed ones.   Unilaterally deciding and removing opinions you don't agree with creates a coercive environment, in my view.

I appreciate them taking the time to apologize to us; however, it still doesn't change the fact that I left Monday night for a GNR concert and didn't recieve one. I would like to see them reschedule the concert. There are other places they could play besides the civic center.

I for one, appreciate the update. Thanks Jarmo and thanks Axl and Merck!

Is really great to see the band communicating with the fans...
That is a good policy they should apply from now on..
Thanx a lot.

I'm guessing that everyone in the GnR camp just want to put this "bump in the road" behind them. ?I mean if this whole ordeal was gaining enough attention on HTGTH to warrant a response from Axl, than they probably just want to avoid as much of the compaining as possible. ?This would definitely be logical, at least in my opinion,

yeah..that's what I have been thinking about.. this site is a fucking best GNR site there is at the moment..All the HTGTH admins have been doing their job 100 percent and when you come to this site you always know that this site is definetely not for people who choose to spread all the negativity info without the correct information.

This thread is based on the message from Merck and Axl..I give thank you for Merck and Axl for that..they choosed to give some information that wasn't really meant to be heard by fans..

I agree with you on this.  It's nothing short of amazing that this site, and the fans, got this message.  While it was totally unnecessary, it was also greatly appreciated.  It says alot not only about Axl, Merck, and the band, but also about HTGTH and all those who help keep it the best GnR site around...thanks to all.

Thank you for taking the time to explain to the fans.
It shows you appreciate us.  :peace:

Thanks guys. Thanks Beta too (and I truly sorry for all the shit you may have read here).

Funny how the bad news thread had like 30 pages and this awesome thread with this reply made specially for the fans is way smaller... ::)

And how? sad and embarrassing is that?? It's far easier to complain than to give credit where it's due, perhaps...I'm sure that HTGTH and the band realize how appreciative most of us truly are...at least I hope they do.? ? :beer:

Thanks for this great press-release Merck/Jarmo/Axl!! I know it sucks when some stupid assholes spread bullshit about things that are going great, and you're more than right to stand up for the truth, because as Axl once said: "Why let one bad apple spoil the whole damn bunch?"  : ok:

Also, I'm sad to know that people talked shit about Beta! Beta, if you're reading this: Eles que se fodam! Voc? ? demais!


Yeah...and there's people that call themselves "fans"  :no:
Gn'R doesn't need them!

wow, a personal response from axl himself ?:o

its nice to know the tour will continue... i look forward to seeing them for the second time this year whenever the nashville date is rescheduled

Thank you Axl and Merck for clearing things up : ok:. It is very easy for some people to blame always the same person (Axl) when they don?t know the truth. They talk as if their opinions were facts and from the heat of the moment they believe everything they are told without stopping to think carefully.

Forget about the negative people who call themselves fans and remember there are a HUGE amount of people that will always support you and wish you the best. Go on with the shows and good luck with the rest of the tour :love:.

N.R.

THanks :D I loved reading that!

Cool message Axl, Merck and co  : ok:

Personally before GN'R exploded this year I was sceptical about CD etc, but Download rocked my socks off and I'm genuinely pleased that the tour had kept going so well.  GN'R are being talked about again!  I've been following the CD soap opera for five years and this is the best it's been in that time for sure.

GUNS N FUCKIN ROSES  :)

DEf. true words being spoken GN'R Green.  We've said this year in and year out, but we ARE closer then ever and it feels great.

It couldn't have been said any better!  I've been on this train ride since day one, and I too haven't felt this assured that things are finally going as planned.  It definitely seems we are hitting some light at the end of the Chinese Democracy tunnel with this tour, and seeming the album sometime soon!   :)

Thank you Merck, Axl and everyone else at the GnR camp.

And thanks Jarmo and the HTGTH crew, you are doing a great job here, and lets hope now people will stop complaining for a bit and jumping to stupid conclusions.

Here is to the rest of the tour rocking on!? :beer:

Hey Jarmo - this is a MESSAGE board.  Dont they realise that?  We are entitled to have an opinion - negative or positive. When they log in and read the posts - they must be prepared for that.  Do you really want this board to lose its excellent reputation by delivering it to them sugarcoated and rose colored?

That is really sad - that you would lose your integrity - for them.

I agree with Mysteron, Jarmo, Merck and Axl.  Now can one of you dudes get me backstage passes or on the guest list of any after parties in NYC Friday night?  Thanks!

When GnR' decided to tour this past year they take on the responsibility of ensuring that their customers are happy. In the business world when you take on a task your responsible for that task no matter what the outcome. We don't blame or point the finger.

Bottom line is, GnR' cancelled the show not the fire marshalls. They explained their reasoning yes, but it might not be to all the fans liking, especially the ones that were in line when being notified of the bad news.

I don't know about you, but I like sugar coated things. My cereal is so plain withour sugar. Same with doughnoughts (sp?) Roses are Red. I like red. Color is like sunlight, it brightens everyones day.

 :rofl:

If this works for you, please take me with?:hihi:


Who do you speak of when you say "them"???

Last I checked this was a Guns N' Roses FAN message board.  If you are not a fan you can surely leave.

This is not just "a message board", this is jarmo's message board. If you can't respect what he asked for - no negativity in this thread - then who are you to talk about integrity?

Well that was great to see. At least they addressed the situation. They could have left it the way it was.

Depends on your definition of a fan. ?Obviously your definition is someone who doesnt question or have his own thoughts. ?Im sorry but if I came on to this board and all that was being said was "this band is great they can do no wrong" it would be boring.

Im totally all for disposing those who ONLY talk negatively about the band. ?But we should still have the freedom to speak negatively/postively when we like.

Very cool for them to address this so that the speculation can be ended and put an end any controversy that a lot of people were trying to stir up. 

You're free to express your opinion, even if it's negative.

What we won't tolerate with are people who have made up their minds about anything without having heard the other side, or doubt anything and anyone with no reason, just stupidity.

It's really stupid.

Having Beta (she's the closest it gets to Axl and the band) posting on this site, telling people what happened last night, and then some of the posters calling her a liar, insisting that she has her own agenda and all kinds of bullshit.

If you're more interested in the firemen's or Papa Roach's approach on this matter, then you're definitely on the wrong board...

But in all fairness, how can this board be anything more than a propaganda piece if the other side of the occurrence isn't even a permissable topic to be discussed?

The message from Axl and Merck was nice in that it at least cleared up alot of the frustration on the part of many board members with the sudden change in operating policy the past few months. At least now we know that Jarmo has been given a direct edict to filter out unwanted info, instead of just doing it without any rational. I think that has been a real sore spot for a lot of people, and at least everything is on the level now for better or for worse.

either you believe them or you don't.

if you don't then you've got issues

we don't want to deal with your issues

if you say you've no issues you're in denial

if you think someone is lying to you / doesn't give a shit about you - that's an issue

its not jarmo's or anyone elses obligation here to help you work through your issues with GN'R / Axl

Thanks for the post Jarmo, You know I always get my news from your site, Love having you visit my forum although its been  embarrasing to see you attacked like you were last week over there. Keep up the good work and maybe someday I can tie you up again. hehehhheheh

Really I appreciate all you do in the community.

Is it propaganda to keep the shit and the rumours and the lies out of the forum?

There was a time when we'd do anything to get an update, an explanation about anything.

And now that we're getting these updates, we have people posting that their cousin's stepmom knows a fireman in Maine, and he said that Axl didn't wanna do the show cause it wasn't sold out... And we have the usual negative creeps yelling and ranting that it's all Axl's fault "as usual"...

About the matters not allowed to discuss:

There are some things that got out too early. Probably someone thought it was the time to let people know, BUT it wasn't.

If we have a huge thread on this board about the ad, people who read this board to find news and use them for their sites, will write about the ad and in a few hours you'll find it everywhere, which is not the way Axl/management wanted it to be.

They have a plan on how to release the record, all the promotional campaign, and that ad leak fucked their plans a bit.

Sometimes, shit like this happens. We tried to help, as it was asked. They didn't try to censor us, the posters or anyone else.

They just asked for our help to keep it quiet for as long as it was needed.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm 100% with Jarmo on his decisions. Sometimes they might not make sense, at the time, but they all seem to be right a few hours, days, weeks later.

Second, I'm 100% with this band and all the decisions made by the band OR the management. If they ask me to do something, I'll happily do it. You can call it kiss-ass, I call it loyalty and respect.

It's pathetic. We're all GN'R fans. We're here and on any forum to support the band (obviously not all of us).

If you don't like this forum and its rules, it's fine. There are so many forums you can post at.

But calling names and trying to look bad-ass on the internet shows how pathetic some people are...

In the end, it doesnt matter who or what you believe...It doesnt matter if you forgive anyone...It doesnt matter if your a cry baby or not.

Its all about the music.

Great post. But in all seriousness Christos, the history of silence kind of played a part in some of the problems in the fanbase. If there could have been a post like yours a month ago a lot of this would have been cool.

I do think some of the bashing needs to quit, but that goes for the zealots who gang up on posters who might post legit, non positive messages, which leads to flame wars and hijacks threads. Now that they think they might get some attention from Axl I can see that side getting worse. I hope somthing will be said to them as well.

I mean the situation is what it is. I think the forum is still the best one out there, but it is hard not to look at it as a propaganda arm of the management company when anything that doesn't toe the party line is considered "Shit" and "rumours" that lead to "chaos".

To put out your press release about why the show was cancelled and blame it on specific parties, but then forbid the rebuttal of those parties strikes me as propaganda. To allow links to positive concert reviews, but delete negative ones is the same sort of thing.

I am not saying it is bad, but it is no different than when a government controls the information their citizens see for what they percieve is their own good. I am just happy to see management made the post to at least let people know that's what's going on.

I just wish sometimes they put the effort into seeing the entire forest they do looking at each individual tree.

It's a good thing Merck and Axl (and Beta) interact with this board. Thanks to them :)

To be honnest, it happened the way it happened and that's it. Sure a cancelled show is never a good news, but don't over-react. It's not the end of GN'R, it's not the end of the "new" Guns N' Roses and it's not the end of the world. It's just one show. See beyond. There were and will be plenty of other shows. Just to name a few, I'm sure the Madison Square Garden show (Friday night) is going to be amazing ?: ok:

I don't want to enter into this "war" between some fans and the management, or Axl or whoever but... if you can, go to a show to make your own personal judgment, and if you can't, just wait for the reviews. The people who go to the show know better than those who stay at home.
I hope the album is going to come out soon (and yeah I really hope "soon" is the word :hihi:)

PS: PERSONAL REQUEST FOR MERCK ---> I start to hear some rumours about a 07 european Tour, don't forget the Olympia (you know what i'm talking about).?It would be much appreciated for us, the frenchies :D

Peace,
Nesquick

I believe Jarmo posted that something that shouldn't be out there, got out there early.

When something like that is posted by the admin of this forum, I believe that it's pretty clear that the band/management wants to keep it quiet.

It's not censorship. I've posted this so many times this past month and so did Jarmo.

They asked us nicely, and we respect their wishes. Other forums might not and they didn't do what they were asked to.

It's their problem.

You need to keep one thing in mind. Our first concern here is what's good for this band.

Not censor the members of this board.

When we'll read lies and bullshit, we'll delete the thread. If you call that censorship, then I'm a fuckin nazi...

Now, don't take this last comment personally. I'm just tired of all the bullshit I read on so many GN'R forums from "fans"...

"fans" my ass...


Now, tell me when did you read or hear something official from Maine's fire squad? All I read on this board was rumours that "Axl this, Axl that" etc etc.

The only negative review I read, which got removed, was one that paid more attention to the poster's retard friends than the show itself.

I'm sorry if my words are harsh, but I don't expect to get a good review, and I don't mean positive, I mean objective, by a person who cares more about what his retard friends will do at a GN'R concert. People who never cared about the band, people that were there to spoil the fun for others.

How can a review that contains the following lines be objective?

Fell asleep? More likely passed out drunk.

For obvious reasons, Jarmo and this Board has taken a lot of flack lately. ?One thing I've noticed is that during GNR's "hiatus" or when there was nothing going on, this Board was the only "official" (or close to a real official gnr website) GNR website fans could rely upon. ?With that said Jarmo has a responsiblity to the band which probably most of us do not understand and he's gotten a lot of flack about it. ?He's doing the best he can, trying to please both the members here and not piss off the band the same time, lol. ?: ok:

I think having lines like that in a review shows objectivity. People don't always have the time of their lives at a concert. I saw Shadow's Fall last year and got bored halfway through their set. That's not me just trying to be negative about them, that's just honesty.

You keep saying this board is for fans. I don't recall fans being required to eat a pile of shit that a band's manager feeds them. When I read the "apology," I felt like my intelligence had been insulted. Again, that's not me trying to be negative. That's just honesty. What Axl said was fine, in my opinion. He even hinted at taking responsibility. Merck, on the other hand, came across like a condescending ass. If he's ok with constructive criticism, then here's some: hire someone else to issue apologies or just let Axl do it.

Now, deleting "negative" posts is lame. Surely a guy like Axl Rose isn't going to be offended over what some pests on a message board have to say. I mean, this was the guy who informed the world that Bob Guccione Jr's dad gets more pussy than him (which could be considered disinformation, depending on you ask I would assume). Merck commented that negative posts may cause confusion and chaos (lol). I like to think that the people who post here have the intelligence to read the positive and negative posts then form their own opinion. Does Merck really believe GNR fans are too stupid to decide for themselves?

Being a fan of the music is all about the music.
Being a fan of the band is not all about the music.

It may be about the fans for Axl, but for Merck it's simply business. I don't think he cares about the fans at all, he's a capitalist looking out for his own and Axls interests. For him it doesn't matter that the real fans get the right picture, all he sees is alot of negativity and the possibillity of that reaching the media and creating a bad spot for him and the band, business and image wise.

I have no intention of reading this entire thread, but I want to say I think it's pretty fucking cool for Jarmo that his site has become so high profile. I've been coming here since 1997 ... it was much different then. This has been my sole link to GNR for the last ten years and its because it's managed very professionally, even though --- this being the internet and all --- it doesn't need to be. So I personally think it speaks to Jarmo's character, his site, and the moderators here that Merk made that post.  :beer:

reading between the lines:   GNR felt that the current situation could have dissolved into something we have seen before...  I see some responsible behavior coming from Axl and Company that I see as extremely encouraging and refreshing.

My post was mainly directed at the band for the silence breeding discontent. I really haven't read a post as direct the way yours was (christos), not saying there haven't been, I've only seen short, vague messages. edit: the post about a certain picture we're not allowed to talk about was pretty direct  :hihi:.

The silence of band and management has caused a lot of negativety, some of which is legit.

This is my first post. I have been a GNR fan since 1990 and I have read this board since 2001. I think it is very important that Axl and his closest people had sent a message to this site. I want to express my support to Axl. I hate to read those posts of people judging Axl. I think that Axl music has always been against people judging him. I love Axl for the way he transmits feeling through his songs and I am very excited because he is singing again, doing concerts and I want to hear the CD album soon, but I have never felt that anybody have the right of demanding him to release the album. I think that it is very stupid that people come to a fan board to bitch and complain about anything Axl does. Being fan of somebody is loving this person. I really admire the way Jarmo has conducted this site. I think that a fan board must be a site for talking about your favourite artists, their songs and I think it is not a site for everybody telling Axl how he must do things. Axl music is not an public opinion issue. He acts the way he thinks he must act and we are his fans because in some aspects we agree with his message and because through the years we have loved him. I have my husband, work and personal life and I never loss my time sending negative energy to a band or to a person that I do not like. For people that do not like Axl please go to post on another board.

^ Very nice post, clau68!  I agree with you on all points and I too am very happy that Axl/GNR have sent a message to HTGTH (a part of which I just noticed is now on GNR's official web site).

Thanks Axl/Merck

I liked how they posted that on their site, too.

But I wish that video would have been posted as it said, and... that article.

OH, anyone notice anything ?funny about that picture? ?People are silly about airbrushing.

I am glad that they took some preventitive measures by cancelling before the AOJ got into things when it was showtime causing a REAL problem for everyone! ?Firemarshalls can be testy... and well, sometimes rightfully so. ?At least no one got hurt - by fire, or by riot!

@JimMorrison4: did you even read the review AG is talking about?

it was from WAR41 if i remember correctly. he said the show was shit, but one of his highlights was, when him and his friends spoiled the concert for another fan, who happened to like the show :no:

I didn't get to see it before it was deleted. I just had to go by the quotes.

Even if the guy is an immature jackass (just speculating based on what you said), his opinion is just as valid as anyone else's.

Axl RULES!!!!!

I agree that it was important to put the GN'R camps version of events to stop the negative media the cancelled show was attracting, it shows that they care. However, there are still so many unanswered questions.
As Axl and Merck have taken the time to answer this subject, to simply add another paragraph to quell the negative vibe that CD wont hit the stores this year surely wouldnt have been too much to ask.

I've never said that I don't believe the band - my posts(which are now deleted) are merely suggesting that deletion of that kind of info is exactly what makes things harder to believe. I can't help being curious and looking for more info, but that is mostly because I'm looking for more material to vindicate the band. As you probably realize, most fans of this band don't frequent this site, and I can tell you that the people who don't get to see messages like the one here are pissed off because they believe what they're being told by the local media. There's a lot of negativity about the band in Portland right now.

So yes - I appreciate open discussion about the subject, because I want to be able to justifiably object when people try to put all of this on Axl.

If that's a problem, and you want me to log out, and not come back, just say the word. I'm just about over the excitement of being told I'm not a "true fan" of this band. ?::)

I don't think that they are lying.? In fact, I think it's consistent with what the band has been saying.? The "no-alcohol" on stage thing was just the last straw of a whole afternoon of the arguing and negotiating over other things, including pyro, smoking and drinking in the building.? I think there is a sensible way to reconcile both points of view here without either party being a "liar."? The fire marshals thought they were imposing reasonable restrictions that every other band has agreed to.? The band thought that the fire marshals were imposing unreasonable, petty restrictions that were not imposed on other artists.?

I can see both sides here, but ultimately agree that GnR had every right to say, "you know, we are not going to play under these conditions."? I think it was just a bad interaction of pretty zealous (not necessarily "over" zealous) fire marshals meeting with a band that is pretty zealous (not necessarily "over zealous") about protecting its freedoms and right to do things it way.

Again, as I hear all the data, it really doesn't sound like anyone is "lying" or maybe even that there is a clear-cut someone to "blame."? Instead, like most complicated things in life, it's an interaction and it turns out that Portland authorities are not a good mix with GnR management.? That's fine with me -- I don't need to find a "bad guy."? I now understand why the band cancelled, and think it was reasonable, but I can also understand -- maybe not agree -- with the Portland authorities take on the issue.

I really hope the moderators won't delete these posts because this can be an example of a reasonable dialogue, hopefully where nobody is flaming anybody, which is what these boards are all about.

who cares anymore, the show last night went off without a hitch, the tour isng "breaking down" like so many of you said...

this is more proof that chinese democracy is coming out..

Nice post. I agree with all of your points.

That message was fantastic and makes everything 100 percent great now.


Thats all we ask for,  just a simple official update every once in awhile.

I personally dont think that is too much to ask.

Sometimes, opinions,
Like cultures, are more VALID
Than others. ?Just truth.

An opinion based
On incorrect research is
An invalid one.

People have the right
(At least in Western culture)
To their opinion..

But in MY worldview
Don't FORM one without research!!!
(Just my opinion.. ;D)

Splash

/Mike

 ? ?Well I'm fairly confident that you are speaking about me. So let me clear your confusion up. I do not come here because I want to see a train wreck. You are crazy to even make such a statement. I come here to give an honest opinion of what I think. I do not want to see the band fail. I have always liked the band and hope they do well. However I am not an ass kisser who will eat the dirt that Axl stands on. If he fucks up I do not come on here with a bunch of cute smiley emoticons supporting him. You are basically a groupie who will never find any fault in the band no matter what they do. Axl could go on a killing spree tomorrow and you would stick up for him and say he must have had a good reason to do it. There are honest fans and then there are delusional fans. It's quite clear by your posts which one you are.

I never lost faith, but sometimes it gets difficult to justify everything to everyone you try to defend GnR to. ?It's fucking amazing to have some back up from the actual band and their management. ?

I love how close the band seem to be to their fans now. ?For the longest time, to me, GnR were the biggest thing to me yet seemed so far away. ?Now, I feel like the fans are part of the GnR family in a way that I'm not sure I remember them being before. ?I love it.

I'd love a release date even more, like ;) ?

Anyone heard the interview of Eddie Trunk with Sebastian Bach and Axl...?

Search Eddie Trunk on google and you can find it. Really hilarious.

http://www.93x.com/blog.asp?id=304224&SBID=4444

Check it out, direct link to this thread. (I swear - I had nothing to do with it *acts casual*)

Can you see now why sometimes we're trying to help as much as we can?

People are watching these forums for any news they might find.

Often times we are the last people to see the new "news" of any kind on this board, so how is that really helping if people are looking?

If they find it elsewhere and not here as has been the case lately, don't you think they would be less likely to come back here for any breaking news. Just an observation.

Bingo.

I was talkin' with the web guy n' sent him the link. He likes the board, I believe.