Axl Rose at Billy Joel?s show tonight

[D-GenerationX]

Wow, 'Big Shot' was awesome.

[LordRazZ]

Not gonna lie....did not see that coming lol.  Saw Del posted it on fb and I thought it was a bit of a rib....but damn that was good to watch.

[PermissionToLand]

I can't help but notice the irony of Axl singing Big Shot...

And I'm not surprised he didn't get a huge reaction from the crowd, since Joel fans are not typically rock fans, and I don't think Axl's redemption has spread outside the rock scene yet. Most of them still probably judge him on 28 year old Axl...

But yeah, he sounded great and I would like to hear more in his natural speaking range. If nothing else, it would preserve his voice better. But I don't know how it would work in GNR... the song would have to be a stylistic outlier, which is not a bad thing. I'd rather have a diverse album than either CD 2 or AFD 2.

Oh, and the guitarist ruined the Highway solo.

[allwaystired]

He never ceases to surprise does he?!

So- what's the reason for this unexpected appearance? Any history between him and Joel? I can't recall any mention of it at any point.

Also- strange they went for Highway To Hell and one of Joel's........

[D-GenerationX]

Given that he knew every word and proper vocal inflection for 'Big Shot' by heart, I think it's safe to assume Axl is a lifelong fan.

[Ginger King]

He never ceases to surprise does he?!

So- what's the reason for this unexpected appearance? Any history between him and Joel? I can't recall any mention of it at any point.

Also- strange they went for Highway To Hell and one of Joel's........

I thought Highway to Hell was a bit strange too (why not a GnR song?)...but apparently it is a staple in Billy Joel's setlist, and, since Brian Johnson can't perform, who better than Axl Rose? 

From the clips, it sounded like there was a pretty good crowd reaction to him.  I mean, it's not Freddie Mercury tribute concert level, but it was good.  Loved how he sounded on Big Shot, and he nailed Highway to Hell.  A real pleasant surprise for sure!

[allwaystired]

He never ceases to surprise does he?!

So- what's the reason for this unexpected appearance? Any history between him and Joel? I can't recall any mention of it at any point.

Also- strange they went for Highway To Hell and one of Joel's........

I thought Highway to Hell was a bit strange too (why not a GnR song?)...but apparently it is a staple in Billy Joel's setlist, and, since Brian Johnson can't perform, who better than Axl Rose? 

From the clips, it sounded like there was a pretty good crowd reaction to him.  I mean, it's not Freddie Mercury tribute concert level, but it was good.  Loved how he sounded on Big Shot, and he nailed Highway to Hell.  A real pleasant surprise for sure!

Ah, that makes sense then. Didn't know that.

I'd agree that Axl seems quite the fan too!

[PermissionToLand]

He never ceases to surprise does he?!

So- what's the reason for this unexpected appearance? Any history between him and Joel? I can't recall any mention of it at any point.

Also- strange they went for Highway To Hell and one of Joel's........

I thought Highway to Hell was a bit strange too (why not a GnR song?)...but apparently it is a staple in Billy Joel's setlist, and, since Brian Johnson can't perform, who better than Axl Rose? 

From the clips, it sounded like there was a pretty good crowd reaction to him.  I mean, it's not Freddie Mercury tribute concert level, but it was good.  Loved how he sounded on Big Shot, and he nailed Highway to Hell.  A real pleasant surprise for sure!

Ah, that makes sense then. Didn't know that.

I'd agree that Axl seems quite the fan too!

Actually, Brian just performed with Paul Rodgers and Robert Plant (for the first time since his issues. Check it out, he sounded right on point). So it must be because Axl is a fan, which I'm not surprised by since he also likes Elton John.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

 After hearing Axl's vocal on it, I would love to see GNR cover Big Shot. Definitely something from left field that they could put their own stamp on.

[chriskon72]

From Slash

"We did 3 nights at MSG (Dec. 9, 10, 13, 91') the same arena Zeppelin filmed The Song Remains the Same. One of those nights we met one of Axl's heroes, Billy Joel. It isn't that obvious until you think about it, but Axl loves all of the great songwriters: the Eagles, Elton John, Billy Joel - he knows his shit. I didn't know anything about Billy Joel. But it was great to meet Billy that night because he is such an icon and also because he was very, very drunk- I had know idea he was such a fuckup, and I loved it. Duff and I could certainly relate to him, and Axl was really fuckin' happy. Billy was led into the dressing room, where we had all our booze, and he rummaged around the bar area, making all this noise.
"Where's the Johnnie Walker Black Label?" He said out loud, as much to himself as to us. "There is no Johnnie Walker Black". Needless to say, we sent someone out and they came back with a bottle for in no time."

Back in the day I remember Axl mentioning Billy Joel as one of his fav's. More than anything I think it is great to see Axl out having a good time.

[jarmo]

Billy Joel & Axl Rose Reflect on Their History Together Before Rocking Dodger Stadium

5/15/2017 by Fred Schruers

About 20 minutes before Billy Joel was to take the stage at a packed Dodger Stadium on Saturday night (May 13), Axl Rose -- looking like a pirate in layers of leather and thrift shop threads -- materialized with a grin in Joel's breezy backstage haunt. Joel greeted him familiarly -- they'd already consulted on the two songs they'd perform together -- and they briefly reminisced about a late '80s meet-up at the Roxy when Axl's Guns N' Roses was the new big thing and the girls at the Roxy were lining up to meet him.

They touched on Axl's gift to Billy after the Long Islander's emergency kidney stone operation -- a bottle of Jack Daniel's -- and Joel assured Rose he would be terrific covering AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" (and later in the set, "Big Shot"). Rose has been on the road this year but he was plainly a bit nerved up on this occasion. "I just," he said, eyes widening, "wanna do my job."

Full article: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7793207/billy-joel-axl-rose-pink-dodger-stadum



/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

He doesn't do it all that often, but you can tell Axl tries to do the best job he can when asked to do a guest spot.

[alcapone_dudu]

Axl just owns it! What a performance.

Big fan of Billy but Axl is something else.

[raindog]

They had this planned for a month now. I wanted to tell you guys so bad. I couldn't ruin the surprise though. I left one clue last weekend but no one picked up on it. https://instagram.com/p/BTxr_w6jrkc/

I was gonna say, no way this was in any way spontaneous - just look at the lighting! They had time to work on this. Really great to hear Axl sounding so damn good. Wonder what the Billy crowd made of it? I'm no big fan so I've no idea how someone like Axl is regarded among them.

[GNR4LIFEJD]

I know this is about the billy joel performance but when axl does these random pop ups it always make me wonder if there are ones he's turned down. You figure someone like Billy Joel who is a legend in music calls its someone Axl would certainly be open to. I mean there have to be other artists who reached out to him over the years not that we would hear about those. Just something I think about lol.

[Brundle25]

Funny pic of Axl and Pink!

https://twitter.com/piink_fanclub/status/863675978886860800