Here Today... Gone To Hell!

   I?ve seen a lot of people talk a lot of shit on this forum about the Toronto show and so I?d like to give an honest perspective of the show. Let?s start from the beginning.

   I got at the venue at 5:00pm and when I got onto the floor at 7:00pm I was one person behind the rail, one person right of centre stage. The opening act came on at 8 and stopped at 8:30. The opening act was GARBAGE, nobody enjoyed them. The songs were terrible, lacking any structure. Not only bad songs but the lead singer blew the performance by constantly running around the aisles trying to get people excited. Nobody gave a shit, lets move on.

   Next were the Suicide Girls. They came on at 8:50. I was expecting some ugly ass bitches dancing to the backdrop of shitty music. They actually impressed me. First off, they were never nude; they had tape over their nipples. The best way to describe it is eye candy to pass the time. They had a good time and it got the crowd excited after such a shitty opening act. They finished at around 9:25.

   After the crowd was pumped up the Suicide Girls, out comes Bach at 9:50. My honest take of Bach is that he?s a great opener. He knows how to work a crowd. He?s the epitome of a late 80?s front man. He head bangs, swings the mike, and just gets the crowd fired up. His new songs were not good but they weren?t terrible. Bach told a story how he first performed at some shitty bar in Toronto and how he met his wife here and how the hottest girls are in Toronto (he pointed out this one girl in the audience that WAS smoking hot- more on her later). The floor was really into his performance and so he told the crowd that it was the best night of his life, (ya right but thanks for the compliment bro). There was a cool surprise during Monkey Business. In the middle of the song, out comes the Trailer Park Boys. To give a backdrop of who the TP Boys are, they?re the most popular and iconic figures in Canada for young guys. They got a show (Bach?s gonna be guest appearing on it) that?s all about drugs, drinking and having a great time. One of the guys, Bubbles, performed his song Liquor and Whores. For fans of the show this was awesome. The TP Boys looked like they were having a great time. Bach comes back and closes with killer performances of I Remember You and Youth Gone Wild (he can wail like a motherfucker). He finished at like 10:55pm.

   By this time, a lot of people were FUCKED up. There were a few people passing out. I looked back into the crowd, the venue was 95% full, that?s over 18 000 tickets (much better than 2002 sales). People started chanting Guns N? Roses in anticipation, the place was fucking electric. The crew was setting up the stage from 10:55pm to about 11:30pm. People started getting impatient (what else is new), some guys were worried he wouldn?t show. GUNS hit the stage just before 11:40pm, less than ten minutes after the crew finished setting up the stage (so everyone shut the fuck up about waiting)! When the opening notes of Jungle hit, people went ape shit. All of people rushed to the front. I passed the person ahead of me and got to the rail. Axl?s mike was OFF for the first part of his scream so all we heard was ?WHERE YOU AREEEEEEEEEEE? but everyone flipped out.

   Jungle starts and everyone starts moshing. They?re performance of Jungle was amazing, like an overdose of adrenaline. Next came ISE and Brownstone, Axl poured his heart out into these songs. In response, we were SCREAMING our lungs out, packed closer than sardines. I heard people yelling ?HOLY FUCK? like they couldn?t even believe it was happening. A saw a guy cry from happiness after the show ended, it was that fucking good. After the first three songs, about 10 people had to be taken out of the floor out of sheer exhaustion. The crowd reaction was SO much that Axl said ?I remember coming in here in 2002, I had a great time, but this is even better, thank you so much for this?. It was our fucking pleasure dude. He was all smiles. For the record, Axl is in great shape, as a workout enthusiast I can tell Axl is in prime shape, better than Bach. Axl was over pouring with energy.

   Next was Live and Let Die, the pyro was sick, it really adds a little extra edge. KOHD got the crowd to mellow out after nearly breaking the barricades. By this time I noticed we were packed so tight that some people couldn?t sing because they couldn?t breathe. People?s hands were stuck either up or down, it was crazy. After a solid KOHD, Robin does his solo. Previously I trashed Robin for butchering Slash?s solos but his solo spot was decent. Robin has great stage presence; he really is making a good impression on people. After the solo, SCOM. The crowd drowns out Axl, he was spot on, which is good because vocally for him its always been hard to pull off.

   The YCBM that was played last night was one of the best renditions I?ve heard. The drums were pounding, with the guitars wailing, Axl?s howl at full pitch, everyone grooving; it was a great performance. BTW in between songs Axl and the band would jam, which kept the pace and Frank would pound the drum and people DID chant GUNS N? ROSES.

   Dizzy?s solo was good but it was nothing compared to The Blues. I heard a few bootlegs but this song is one of those classic syrupy ballads like Yesterdays, even better. Axl jumped on the piano at the end and I felt everyone around me gasp. Side story: that smoking hot girl Bach pointed out was leaning right next to me during all of this (she was the one with red hair with streaks of blonde). We got to talking (and hit it off) but her friend fainted so she had security pull her and her friend out, when they pulled her out, you could see her pink thong, but NO ONE noticed because of how good the band was (I looked around to see if anybody saw that).

 After such a top notch performance, a song starts that I didn?t recognize (didn?t listen to ANY of the leaks, it was Better). This song floored me. People saying it?s a pop-metal song are fucking retarded. This song is pure funk/hard rock with a twist of a modern sound. It was AMAZING. Best surprise of the night, EVERYONE on the floor dug it, a few knowing the lyrics others just recognizing the power of the performance. The chorus is amazing, the song is a gem. It got the best reaction of the new songs, as good as other big GNR hits. Next was Richard?s Solo, it was ok, he jammed to beautiful with Robin (never understand why they play this), it was a drag.

   Luckily they know how to pace the songs and Out Ta Get Me was next. One of the best performances of the night. The whole band nailed it, Axl sang it with venom and finished it off with ?SO YOU CAN BITE ME,TAKE THAT TO YOUR CANADIAN HEARTS?. Nice twist. A few more people got pulled out, some for crowd surfing, others because it was just too much to handle. It was a good idea to play November Rain, everyone sung it. While he was playing it, Axl glanced a few times over at me. A lot of people at the front were exhausted/dehydrated (you move your spot is taken) so he probably was relieved to see someone still with it. Great performance, heart felt.

   IRS is a classic rock song, it?s got the GNR sound with a Zep feel to it, definitely digging it. His voice was so raspy during IRS I was afraid he might lose it. After IRS I guess the people in some seats were sitting down because Axl said ?Next Bumblefoot, don?t play too loud some people in the seats are trying to sleep?. Bumblefoot?s solo was garbage. It was just mindless shredding, he?s a great guy, I shook his hand, but honestly it had no flow. I saw two people yawn. It was cool that he played Oh Canada though.

   After that Axl comes out and he says ?I have a surprise, but its not what you think?. Now during the whole concert I was yelling PLAY RHIAD (its got potential people), so during his silence I yelled it again and he said ?not quite? (looking at me), and he said ?I got a friend, a Mr. Bubbles?. Bubbles from the TP Boys comes out and he says ?HOLY FUCK this is Axl FUCKING Rose?. Bubbles was star struck. He introduced Bach for My Michelle. My Michelle was electric, they play off of each other well. After Axl made a TP Boys joke (?I?m watching you guys like shit hawks?). Used to Love Her and Patience were next, both solid performances, Axl running like a man possessed during Patience.

   Nightrain was the last song before the encore. BEST song of the night was Nightrain. He NAILED it, he was prowling, stomping his foot, wailing. Mesmerizing. No other words could describe it. I kept taking cell phone pictures during the show but during Nightrain I was speechless. It rocked so hard my mouth was open in disbelief and I could only pump my fist. Axl SAW the expression of my face and he sung a verse right to me, smiling as I smiled back. Whoever said he doesn?t give back to his fans doesn?t know shit.

    I was sad when Nightrain ended as I knew it was near the end. For the Encore Chinese Democracy was played. Its my least favourite new song played yesterday but still a good performance, a good song. After it ended, I tried one last time to get them to play Rhiad, no luck. Paradise City kicks in and it was one of the best performances of the night. Everyone knew it was the last so people once again moshed out. At the end, a pyro went off that pretty much made everyone deaf, a final piece of thunder. Axl threw his mic into the crowd. Then used another mike to say ?Thank you have great night, drive home safe?.

Words can?t describe how electric Guns performance was. They LOOKED and PLAYED like a band. My only minor gripe are the extended solos, they did drain some energy. But that point is insignificant. The new songs ARE awesome, they have that Guns sound with more Zep/Queen and a little bit of a modern twist. The fan reactions from the floor was very good, with Better getting an awesome reaction. Axl normally looks over the audience (as in stares above them) but during the new songs he looked at everyone to see their reactions, I think he was impressed.

   I think I have to make it clear that this performance was the best concert I have seen. The best songs were The Blues, Better, YCBM, OTGM, Nightrain and Paradise City. This comes from a classic rock fan so to put it in perspective, at the SARS concert, AC/DC upstaged the Stones and last night Guns upstaged AC/DC. Axl?s voice was crystal clear even against the rail dead center, with the rasp being in full effect the WHOLE time. The man hasn?t lost a beat. He?s the LAST and ONLY rock star remaining. He has the moves, the look, the voice, and the band. The only way I can describe it was electric. The audience, 18000 strong, LOVED it. A good measurement was when I took a piss and all 20 guys in there couldn?t shut up about the concert (some were talking from the toilets), and no one knew each other. It was that good. What a night. Thanks Axl for the memories. Next stop: Detroit.

They should hire u to do PR


That review was great, made me feel like i was there watching the concert.



peekin at a chick who passed outs thong though kind of disturbed me.........  :nervous:



other than that the review was great and the concert seemed amazing! : ok:

That's an extremely well-written and detailed review - Excellent work!  :beer:

Its actually sad that Axl can have such a presence and such an effect on people, but he has basically shut himself off from the public for the entire decade of his prime.  There is a lot of lost music and special moments lost in that decade.

Man, that was a fucking great read. I even shed a tear at your descriptions of the opening songs.  :beer:

yeah,that was a great read! :beer:

reviews like this makes me want to see GNR again soo bad that it hurts  :drool:

AWESOME review, thanks for sharing man.. sounds like a killer killer show!

That IS impressive!  The number of times I've seen a great show and yet nobody talks about it after, for it to really be talked about means it must have been off the hook.  Damn I wanna see GN'R!!  I might be travelling the world in January, if I don't go to Thailand I'll seriously consider San Diego.  That would be unbelievable!!

That was a great review.

Got me excited for Tomorrow although I highly doubt the Ottawa crowd will be any where near as hardcore as Toronto.

Are you a journalist or something cause babe you can really write.... loved your review.  Sounds like it was a killer concert........which brings a big smile to my face as some friends of mine were going to that show.....

Dizzy played Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane" before his intro solo to The Blues. It was fuck n' sweet

That was sweet.  Great show.  On my way to Ottawa now.

I wanted to go sooooo bad... im so jealous.

Thanks i wondered what it was :beer:

I went to the NJ show and I was in the firts row. Then I said fuck it and I bought tixs for MSG. Your review was fuckin great. Well done :)
I want to see them again!!!

You remind me of those crazy housewives that think the actors on TV are talking to them. Good review, but lose the fantasy.

Also, if you didnt listen to ANY of the leaks, how do you know Rhiad?

GREAT review -- included the good and the not-so-good.  Nice.  Thanks.

"A saw a guy cry from happiness after the show ended, it was that fucking good."




HA funny i cryed at 4am after the show in NYC May 14th in the hotel room. It was just to much for me i think. I was front and center and seeing someone i'v only seen on tv since i was 9, it was nuts. i was just over running with emotion lol  :rofl:

dude
rhiad isnt a leak.. it was played live!
maybe he was at the concert in las vegas.. or downloaded..
 ::)

Yes, it's always important to say everything and to be fair and honnest: positive and negative points. Both are important to keep beeing down to earth.

Hey thanks for the comments, it really was that great. I think I should clear up a few things. The girl with the thong wasn?t the one that passed out, that was her friend. She got out of the pit because she wanted to look after her friend, who passed out. And its not peaking when her ass is right in front of your face ;). As for the guy that said ?You remind me of those crazy housewives that think the actors on TV are talking to them. Good review, but lose the fantasy?, buddy you need to relax and stop being so bitter. I was about eight feet from him, its hard not to be noticed. It wasn?t just me he did this to. When he was shaking hands at the side, he WAITED about five seconds for this one guy to outstretch his hand far enough to meet Axl?s. And to respond to this: ?Also, if you didnt listen to ANY of the leaks, how do you know Rhiad??, by leaks I mean the new songs of 2006 (T.W.A.T, Cather in the Rye, IRS, and Better). I call those songs leaks because Axl didn?t want them to leak. The songs from 2002, Rhiad, The Blues, etc, were played live so I did download them. I regret doing that because unless I hear it live or hear a studio version I can?t judge the full impact of the song. This is why I refuse to listen to the demos of the new songs, the ?leaks?. A demo can sound totally different from the studio. Just listen to the Welcome to the Jungle demo and the studio. Wow.

For his solo before SCOM, it was "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" by 'Floyd  that Robin played, or at least a portion of, right? :-\

There were 2 Canadian girls at the Joint in Las Vegas that had made some sort of sign. They were also wearing Marry me Axl shirts. They pushed their way to the front towards the end of the concert and held up their poster. I saw him smile at them.

I agree with the reviews! Incredible show...I went nuts lol. Talk about bang for your buck....TPB, the girls were a nice distraction, Bach rocked as usual...and 2 hours of Guns blew me away!

The Suicide Girls were beyond hot.

I usually have a weakness for blondes, but that one girl with the wavy black hair was veeeerrrry fine.. :hihi:

excellent review.  very nice.  sounds like an amazing show as always.  8)

Were they recording this show last night for DVD perhaps?

I saw 2 professional video guys recording the show from the mixing area, and at least one camera guy walking along the front of the stage.

I wonder if that dude in the nosebleeds was filming (the one who got his ass kick by metro's finest)

 ;D Okay first off ihave to say Gn'R ruled last night!

I was right up front, and jesus i have to say, Axl rose is so sexy. Axl still has his voice, and he still can run like a mother f*cker. hehe

The opening acts where good too. some band from canada was cool, another one was the suicide girls, im not a dyke but i did say wow, once. These 2 girls did a play on the movie pulp fiction, which was amazing, and hmm we'll call it very sexual i did watch atleast 40 minutes of women licking each other takin their tops and bras off. i have never seen so many naked women. not even at my dads strip club.

As for super group, im not sure if anyone noticed but bazz during big guns looked at some one in the crowd pointed and flapped his tongue at this person like he was eaten them out, that person was ME by the way. That made my night! wow! lol.

Axl came out, one thing i didnt like though was that he didnt rant alot, besides calling the sides of the Crowd quiet. I know for a fact axl hates when the crowd isnt moving, so i think thats why he wasnt ranting and having as much fun as he did in like the new york shows. Or so I was told.

Overall this show rocked!, the trailer park boys was mint, super group rocked! Axl was happy, the crows was dying, and bumble foot made people strum his guitar in the end of paradise city, he also shook hands with people too. I now can die a happy woman!

ACTUALLY dude that person might not be lying. because allof them were looking the odd time at the crowd smilling singing to fans shaking hands and stuff
bumble foot pointed at me and like 3 other people around me. dizzy smiled when my best friend yelled youre sexy. when it was quiet. Trust me believe people when they say something happens. if it boosted their happiness obviously they arent lying.

That was one of the best reviews I have read.   Reading it you wouldnt think it was just from a fan.   Better than most pros.   Great job.   I cant wait now to see them in December

A bit late I know but I couldnt find this , and jsut have to ay that , reading this review was so damn refreshing, and spot on . You jsut really have to go to ashow

What an awesome review dude. It made me feel what I felt this summer when I saw them in Spain. And that comment from Axl telling BBF not to play loud because the people at the seats were tryig to sleep made me laugh ;D.

Think again.. From most ppl who I have seen talk about being at both shows, they say Ottawa blew Toronto out of the water.

Haha, it had to be said : ok:

Yeah, GN'R seem to be winning everyone over.. Hard to believe there's still so many anti-Axl cynics out there.. Can't wait for them to announce a show in Australia, Richard told me they're coming in an email and Sebastian said it at that show in Melbourne.. fuck it's gonna kick ARSE!

Amazing show hun. :beer:

Amazing review! Thanks for the read!!!  ;D

A) I very much hope this is true and B) I'd LOVE it if Robin did that again when they play here Saturday!!

 As much as I would of loved to hear some Pink Floyd, I don't think Robin or Dizzy played any part (any of the 7 parts) of Shine on You Crazy Diamond. I know it would have been awesome but I doubt it was that song. Russtcb be prepared at the Detroit show to hear a guy yelling "PLAY RHIAD".

If they're gonna play it, they might as well do it here. The Palace is the only place on the 02 tour that they played the song in the US.