Overall thoughts on the warm up shows.....

[Chief]

I also want to add:

Guns really had something to prove during these warmup shows and they f'n Proved it!!!!!!!!!

[14 Yrs Of Silence]

The shows were incredible.  I saw them on the 12th from the second row of Mezz 1 and on the 15th on the floor, working my way up to second row from the stage by PC.  It was great to experience the shows from both perspectives.  Axl was in top form, voice sounded amazing and he looked great.  The band was tight and 4 years after 2002 they more than ever seem like a real band now.  How can they not?  They all with the exception of Bucket stuck around.  I was very happy with the setlist and know that they will play more new songs once CD is released.

In 2002 we did not see Axl out and about like we're seeing today.  Its obvious that there is a huge shift in his attitude.  He's confident now and that is why 2006 will be different than any other year.  I'm certainly looking forward to the release of CD.  I'm also looking forward to an in depth interview (my guess is that the first will be Rolling Stone) that really touches on some of the issues over the past 15 years that have not yet been addressed.

[GNR estranged]

if i remember correctly there was a moment during ycbm on the 15th, where actually usually says with your ass in the air, and again if im remember correctly he didnt scream it into the microphone but had a big smile on his face, when the crowd actually sang that part.? they all looked like they were having fun, i really appreciated him mentioning that we re the diehard first day ticket buying motherfuckers or something like that, but we re all diehards, so hopefully their new found enthusiam will lead to big things for the rest of the year.? im just so surprised how much better, and i mean like 100000x better the band was during these 4 shows, then really any point in 2002

Yeah, I remember the "with your ass in the air" part too... because I always sing that part!! I did see him kind of smile when the crowd yelled it.. you know he had to think that was cool...

i remember that too and on the 17th he actually held the microphone out to the crowd so they could say it. axl sounded amazing. i just went back and watched the vma performance and a bootleg of when they played albany. axl's voice and movement on the stage improved so much. he was hitting notes at the warm up shows he couldnt hit back then. then new songs sound like the blues/maddy/chinese democracy all sound better. you can tell they have been working to improve them. also i think richard, tommy, and robin all improved on the songs they played. everyone seemed more comfortable on stage and most importantly seemed to be having fun. although i dont like kid rock i think bringing him on stage was good for the new band. the old gnr would have guest singers from time to time and it was cool to see the new gnr have that as well. izzy being on stage was an amazing moment. i wish all the die hard fans could have been at the show for that. dont get me wrong the crowd went crazy, but if everybody that loves gnr replaced the casual fans we would have blown the roof off of the hammerstein. the last few days were amazing.

[GNR estranged]

one more note. i went to the last 3 shows and although i am not a bumblefoot fan just yet i have respect for him. he seemed to improve a tiny bit in different ways in each show. i didnt like how he did some of the solos like KNOD on the 15th. but i thought he did a good job on noverember rain the 17th. hes only been in the band for a week, so i dont think anyone can really pass any kind of negative judgement on him for while.

[Mr.Intensity]

Yeah, I am trying to dl some Bumblefoot stuff right now to get a feel for his work.. he's been such a nice guy to all us fans, I hope he pans out.

[marknroses]

You can look at posts leading up to the May 14th 2006 show at Hammerstein - I was a tremendous skeptic. I thought i'd be wasting my money again like I did in 2002.

AS Honest as I can say this, I see the best Axl out there since the early UYI Tours. THe bandmates are playing with enthusaism.
I don't know how the new songs will be overall, its clear to say that they haven't made the impact of GNR's prior classics, but Im glad with the way the setlist worked out and how everything was.

I liked the way Axl ranted on stage, he was walking back and forth like he used to, rather than just standing to the side blabbering awat. Axl is now fully expressing himself and he looks great - his braids belong now and his style is chic but rock.

Have Fun in Europe, MARK N ROSES

[GetInTheJungle]

It was my pleasure to have seen them on Sunday - My first GNR concert also.  Philly 2002 was to be my first but we know what happened.

I am glad that I did not see that version since the band and especially Axl seem to be much improved from audio - video and comments from the 2002 shows.

Now the problem is the wait till they are back in the US - So I can see them live again.  I had a great time - especially meeting so many fans like myself.