Guns N Roses ARE SERIOUS !!

I'm quite shocked the differences between the 2002 and 2006 tours are so unclear to some people. Even more so the differences in the behavior of Mr. Rose. Even putting aside the obviously intentional leak of new songs in February, the months of oh-so-public socializing and the shockingly casual radio interview. For him to actually commit to releasing music within months is a giant leap forward. To play such an intense tour, uphold that shamelessly public social scene and even add more dates to tours is anything unlike what happened in 2002. His voice and even the band's performance were immeasurably better than four years ago. If the plan goes ahead, this is the beginning. Axl himself even admitting 2002 was merely an effort to keep the band together. Look at the effort that has been made by both band and management through press releases to keep things running smooth. This is the beginning. I'm not going to quite believe it until it's officially announced, but I'm at least expecting a single in the next couple of months.

No, they are still not playing an entire show of new songs, and until the album is well and truly on the shelves, they won't. 99% of this tour was to an audience who knew nothing of this lineup and arrived skeptical of what was going to happen. Because they bring out the big hitters and play them with passion and skill that hasn't been heard since 1989, people leave convinced they were worth the money, the name and the willingness to accept Chinese Democracy as a 'Guns N' Roses' record. Despite a seemingly large army of Chinese Democracy-thirsty online stalkers, they're playing to an audience where only 5% have even heard that there are demos out there. Anyone who witnessed the amazing audiences instantly silenced when the unfamiliar (though brilliant) riff of 'Better' rung out will know what I'm saying. Until the album is out, and probably not even until the second is near, will new material dominate the set-lists. They play for the people, not the nerds. Until the risk of losing the audience and the mystic of the album has gone, don't expect to hear 'This I Love' or whatever song you've been waiting all these years for. It would be insanity to do so.