Here Today... Gone To Hell!

http://www.leaderpost.com/REVIEW+Guns+Roses+gives+Regina+fans+more+than+expected/2468584/story.html

REGINA ? By the end of the Guns N' Roses show Wednesday night at the Brandt Centre it was apparent that Axl Rose was not a believer of the old Walt Disney adage "always leave them wanting more."

In fact, Rose, the 47-year-old frontman and leader of the Los Angeles rock group, took the alternative approach, giving fans a set that started at 10:16 p.m. and lasted two hours and 27 minutes, plus a very brief minute before the band came out for its encore.

Nobody in the crowd should have left the Brandt Centre feeling ripped off by the show, as the band put on an intense performance, though the notoriously late Rose had the group hit the stage 45 minutes later than scheduled.

Coming out to flashes of pyrotechnics and fire blasts, the eight-piece group launched into the title track of the 2008 release Chinese Democracy. Rose looked every bit the rock star, adorned in a sleeveless denim shirt, jeans, sunglasses, red bandana and black top hat.

The stage, brought along specifically for this tour, had a large lower tier that had a walkway on each side of it so the band could walk out and play to the seated gatherers, while a U-shaped staircase wrapped around the drum riser. Behind the drum kit, a platform on a hoist was stationed, utilized at various times for dramatic effect.

Visually, the large LCD screens were fairly uninteresting, with two smaller ones on the sides to give close-ups for those further back. What the show lacked in video footage was more than compensated for with numerous pyro effects and blasts that startled more than a few people multiple times.

While it wasn't the Guns N' Roses that people grew up knowing and loving, the current lineup was very entertaining and solid musically. With three guitarists, bass player, keyboardist, piano player, and drummer to accompany Rose, there was little chance the band's sound would be thin in the concrete confines of the arena.

If there were any concerns that the show would merely be a spectacle with little redeeming quality musically, they were quickly put to rest when the group played the opening chords of the second song, "Welcome to the Jungle." The crowd was whipped into a frenzy as the fire blasts lit up the stage, and fans dressed in leather, denim, and club clothes started to sing along.

Many of the group's hits were played, as were many selections from Chinese Democracy, though the biggest cheers were understandably for songs that made up the band's early catalogue. Most die-hard fans would have been quite pleased with the eclectic set list, however hits like "Live and Let Die," "November Rain," Sweet Child O' Mine," and an extended version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" took many attendees back to earlier memories.

Interestingly, Rose frequently took advantage of extended guitar solos and instrumentals in the set to run backstage to maintain oxygen levels. Having depended on the use of oxygen tanks since the mid-2000s to get through shows, it's apparent that many vocalists half his age would need the same treatment to get through a typical GNR show, as the eccentric singer belts out certain parts in staccato-like fashion, and races around the vast stage like a track star.

Rose appeared to be in a great mood, smiling throughout, and sharing laughs at various points with his band. That's in stark contrast to his days with Izzy, Duff, and Slash, and while it would have been nice to get the "Hall of Fame" lineup, it was nice to see the moody star on one of his better nights. That said, Rose still played up his inner diva, with no less than six changes of outfit during the show.

His vocals were not great, though they were a lot better than expected. The screeching of the high notes is merely his style, and he surprisingly can sing the more mellow parts of the act with plenty of melody. While this was not something that was anticipated, it was definitely an agreeable surprise. The show started 30 minutes earlier than listed, as rockers Danko Jones took the stage before the start time on the tickets. While the arena was sparse, the hard-touring group gave a solid effort. Followed by hair-metal rocker Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, his self-named group played a lengthy hour-long set that seemed like a dud at times, making one wonder if this was the best of what glam-rocker Adam Lambert has in store for his future, but hit its apex for the last two songs when they played "I Remember You" and "Youth Gone Wild."

By midnight the crowd started to thin out as the reality of work the next morning won over the desire of a quarter of the audience's to make it through the whole show. At times, the numerous instrumentals and riffing became irritating as their only intention was to give Rose more time to suck back oxygen backstage before continuing.

All was forgiven and forgotten as Rose lit up the crowd once more and helped them find their second wind for the night's finale "Paradise City." Showers of pyrotechnic sparks rained down on the side of the stage as it shone intensely.

As the crowd walked out of the arena, visibly tired, yet still smiling, one couldn't help but feel that the show was well worth the wait after Rose's 17-year hiatus.

? Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

'The screeching of the high notes is merely his style, and he surprisingly can sing the more mellow parts of the act with plenty of melody.'

'one couldn't help but feel that the show was well worth the wait after Rose's 17-year hiatus.'

' His vocals were not great, though they were a lot better than expected'

 A positive review non the less from someone who obviously doesn't really know much about the band apart from the negative propaganda !

I agree the Hinge...oh well...person obviously got free tickets...what does a review from a journalist count for any way?  Musicians and performers just loathe them.  I thought it was great along with all the extras.  A great bang for your buck.  Very cool, loved it.

Does anyone know if he is really taking in oxygen in between songs or is that just an assumption?

not only. like he said... wardrobe malfunctions are in place to be :P :rofl:

I think it has to be an assumption. How would someone from the local paper reviewing the show have any way of knowing this? Can they see what Axl does offstage?

There is a picture of 91-93 era, where Axl is taking Oxygen backstage, I doubt its between every song...

Hell back in 02 some local newspaper guy said axl was getting therapy every time he went behind the curtain  :hihi:  ::)

well no but as you know.. Axl did always have an oxygen tank backstage.. and I don't blame him
when you put on a show like he does.. you'll need that..
and Axl has always used it... as long as I can remember. at least since the uyi days..

Probably not, that's why he goes backstage. If he wanted to show everyone, he would do it on stage.

Think about it, a 3 hour show is 1/8 of a day, fuck, in the UK its a tea break every 2 hours, if my boss asked me to put a shift in like Axl, I'd want double time and a day in lieu...  : ok:

exactly, the reporter is saying he does it ever since the 2000 tour. Bullshit.

I am so confused by someone who goes to a show and leaves because of work the next morning...as if that half hour you save leaving the show is going to make or break your day?

Sometimes... If Traffic is a bitch it can make a big difference... I do it once in a while... For GNR? Hell no!

Dude, there aren't 50,000 people at the show.

The venues have been at 50% capacity, traffic should not be a problem.

I never said it about these shows... I'm speaking in general

plus what's about the 'Rose's 17-year hiatus' the writer claims? did the band tour without axl in 2002,2006 or 7?
and yet 'ever since the 2000 tour'? the article is too schizophrenic.  :hihi:

there're many things you don't want to do in front of people like mopping the sweat off, changing the clothes, going to a loo, etc.

he seems to dash out of the stage and back into it in seconds. wonder if that makes enough time for the alleged use of oxygen.

People are just plain stupid, man.

Fuck everyone.

That works  :rofl:

Another review.  This one is very positive:

http://www.rockstarweekly.com/content/view/1385/204/

Epic" Version Of Guns N' Roses Conquers Regina

Firstly, allow me to make a confession! I am not an archetypal Guns N Roses fan. I own but one of their recordings and  in fact, when I last saw GNR on March 27, 1993 (use your Illusion tour) in the beautiful ?Bridge City? commonly referred to as Saskatoon, it was solely due to their superb choice of support acts ? ?The Brian May Band?. Yes Brian May guitar player extraordinaire from the Legendary group Queen. Not to be confused with the Brian May from Mad Max fame.

At any rate, 16 years 9 months and 24 days have passed (but who?s counting) and my opportunity to see the legendary Axl ?you love him, you hate him, you can?t have a good old fashioned rock n? roll riot without him)?Rose is here. This time, I?m posed to see the much lauded ?Chinese Democracy Tour? in Regina, AKA ?The Queen City?, AKA ?The City That Rhymes with Fun?? more on that later, in the comfy confines of the acoustically challenged Brandt Centre. My curiosity has the better of me. Will he be late?  How Late?  One hour? 2 Hours? Will he storm out? Will he even show up? Is he still capable of delivering the goods? The questions mount.

IMHO, the words ?rock star?, ?epic?, and ?legend? are more common these days than candy floss at the local summer fair. Well, allow me to remove all doubt that this incarnation of the multi-million selling (100 million at last count) American rockers are not only alive and well ? thank you very much, but in fact, they make a compelling argument to be regarded in the aforementioned rock star, epic, legend status.

From the moment Axl and Company took the stage at precisely 10:16 pm, opening with ?Chinese Democracy?, Axl clad in a button down, white collar, long sleeve stripped shirt, (sans the sleeves) and adorned with enough silver jewelry to make any Mexican beach vendor proud (I swear I saw him in Puerto Vallarta last year ? true story) and with trademark red bandanna tucked under a black hat, he had the crowd on their feet, which is precisely where the majority of the 5,500 fans stayed for 2 ? hours until the show closed with ?Paradise City?.

As Axl sashayed and prowled effortlessly about the stage, it became apparent very quickly that Father Time has been rather kind to Axl.  His soon to be 48 years belies him. He looks and moves about with a presence and energy that reminds us that you don?t have to be a middle age rocker who well?looks middle age.

The between song banter was minimal at best, with Mr. Rose telling the crowd ?good to be here tonight ? I feel pretty good considering how much tequila I drank last night? Hey wait a minute, TEQUILA, MEXICO? I swear that was him! Axl later informed the crowd that this was his second show of the day, as earlier he did an impromptu performance at a local A&W. Although my sources say it was actually a Taco Time. Of course no rock show in Regina would be complete without the obligatory reference of Regina being the city that rhymes with fun. In this case, immediately before ?Knockin? on Heavens Door?, Axl suggested he ?heard this is the city that rhymes with fun.? Regardless of how it?s delivered, the crowd obliged as they have become known to do. This appears now to be a full-on tradition in these parts.

As GNR blinded and deafened the crowd with a dizzying display of lights, explosions and pyro, while playing such mega hits as ?Welcome to the jungle?, ?Live and Let Die? (an argument could be made here that the explosions were excessive) and closer to the end of the show ?Sweet Child O?Mine?, but most certainly during ?November Rain? that I conjured up the hereto unforeseen and unbearable notion that perhaps the 80?s were not so bad after all. In fact, GNR was quickly proving to me that 80?s arena rock is alive and well.

In addition to Axl, ( the only original member) the band consists of Frank Ferrer - drums, Tommy Stinson ? bass guitar , Richard Fortus ? rhythm guitar, Ron (Bumblefoot) Thai ? lead guitar, Dizzy Reed on keyboards, Chris Pitman keyboards and DJ Ashba also on lead guitar. These guys are not just ?window dressing? for Axl that?s a for sure. These guys can all play. What a novel concept!

Rock Star? Absolutely! Epic? No Question! Legend? The jury is out on that one, but on this rather chilly night in ?The City That Rhymes with Fun? no one, (myself included) would argue that Guns and Fucking Roses  showed up, on time, and delivered the goods to a satisfied audience that were left wanting more. In my case, if I have to wait another 16 years 9 months and 24 days to see them again it?s quite conceivable that ?Legend? will be in Axl?s back pocket.

By Gary King
RockStar Weekly

Ali

Great review! Sounds like this writer is actually a rock and roll fan (admittedly not a huge GnR fan, which makes the review more impressive and unbiased). I love that he referred to the band as "Guns n' FUCKING Roses"! The explosions were perhaps excessive? : ok: And this guy gave props to the rest of the band for being the incredible musicians that they are. It's good to see that some people aren't continuing to dwell on past lineups and accept that this is "Guns n' Fuckin' Roses", and they fuckin' rock!

Keep showing 'em what a REAL rock star is supposed to be, Axl!

That is hilarious.

Ron THAI  :rofl: :rofl:

No, I seriously doubt traffic has ever been a problem in a city like Regina.  However, Saskatchewan is a massive province, and it's more than likely that quite a few people drove several hours to get there.  Ideally you'd want to get a hotel room, but for some that's not economically feasible.  If you're facing a 3-4 hour drive home and you're not sure when the show is going to end, it might make sense to leave when some do.  Moreover, most of the people who left early are probably not your hardcore variety; they saw the hits they wanted to (WTTJ, ISE, MB, KOH, LLD, SCOM) and called it a night.

I remember in 2006 the issue in Toronto was that the subway shuts down around 1:15 for the station near the ACC.  Problem is that the show didn't start till midnight.  A few of my friends stayed as long as they could but couldn't afford the $40-50 cab fair to get home should they miss the last subway.  There are real reasons why people can't party the night away during the middle of the week.  Sucks for them 'cause they're missing out on a fantastic show.

I'm surprised though that people are complaining about a 10:20 start.  I can't remember other than the 2002 MSG show where GNR came on before 10:00.  I'm perfectly happy with any start time that's before 11:00, or even 11:15.  Midnight to me is kind of pushing it, especially since Baz usually finishes his set around 9:30-9:45.

Anyway, I'm excited about next week!

Cheers,

Andrew

 :hihi: :rofl: :hihi:

What's UP.. Interview ??

GN'R The Best performance in The History...

ASIA vs CANADA

The Winner Is::

SOUTH AMERICA

 :smoking:

"but most certainly during ?November Rain? that I conjured up the hereto unforeseen and unbearable notion that perhaps the 80?s were not so bad after all"

Ha! Ha! I swear the first GN'R live rendition of November rain has been done during the 90's, not the 80's!!!! ::)

cool review!!  I hope Gun's will come to Texas in the Fall. looks like the Summer dates will be full in Europe!!! :beer: :beer: :beer:

I agree!

C'mon, leaving a GnR concert before the end because of work the next day? Don't these people see that they payed for the concert, so they waste as much money by leaving early as they would skipping a day of work? If you go to a GnR concert that's in mid-week, for God's sake take the next day off!

Here in Brazil two of the concerts are in mid-week, and that's no excuse. Everyone knows GNR goes on late and plays a long set. Go to the concert with your head off of what you have to do the next day! I swear I'm gonna call on a booing chorus for anyone leaving early. Losers.

Maybe we're just cheap, LOL

The article is here: http://www.rockstarweekly.com/content/view/1385/204/   , but, i'm curious about this piece.

 "The between song banter was minimal at best, with Mr. Rose telling the crowd ?good to be here tonight ? I feel pretty good considering how much tequila I drank last night? Hey wait a minute, TEQUILA, MEXICO? I swear that was him! Axl later informed the crowd that this was his second show of the day, as earlier he did an impromptu performance at a local A&W. Although my sources say it was actually a Taco Time.

Just wondering if anyone knows more about this?,  what did it consist of?, did anyone pull out their phone and tape it for us?, or at an extreme level, surely there's at least the store security footage!  anyone know an employee?   lol!...

i like the title of the review. "Epic Version Of Guns N' Roses" :beer:
not only positive the writer, Gary King of RockStar Weekly is much wittier than the regina leaderpost writer.


i think the tune was played on piano already in 87/8. thats not the point tho.