question for people who saw the 2002 tour live

[D]

ok i was watchin my chicago bootleg and i realized that maybe why i thought axl's performance wasnt like axl of old was because it was a boot, and on chicago u really dont get the energy of axl either

so people who saw GNR live in 2002, did axl still have the same energy on stage as he did back on the illusion tour? did he do the same dances mic stand stuff runnin around etc?

on boots i know it takes away from the performance, so someone answer that please, thanks

and tell me what the differences were also, im not talkin about voice, looks etc

im talkin strictly about his movement,running,dancing etc etc

[Cowboy Buddha]

to answer this question, yes he had the same dance moves.  The only thing that was different was his voice and seemed more goofy.  Because there was this one incident where someone threw a cup at him and he just flicked him off and went off after Outta get me but then he said jokingly "I mean who throws a cup of water," he had the energy just more upspirts.

[lennonisgod]

I saw them in Cleveland in '02 and overall it was an amazing show.  But just to remark on Axl's energy, he was energetic.  I don't remember him dancing with the mic stand or anything, back like he did in the day.  He did the Axl sway, which is something he does at every show anyway.  As far as running around like he used too, he did a little running.  I think the stage in 91-93 was a little bigger then it is now, as far as the length goes, so maybe he didn't run as much because of lack of room.  But that would depend on if it was in an arena or a stadium.  I guess he is 11 years older then back then too.  I remember him going backstage quite often though, sometimes even two or three times a song.  He would always come back with more energy then when he walked off.  I have the Columbus show and NYC show on DVD from 2002, and I can see what you're talking about D, it really doesn't give his performance justice.  

[younggunner]

He was very friendly and joking aorund a lot. Same moves and stuff. Just more friendlier I guess.

[badgirl]

in new york, he ran a lot, was high energy, but he doesn't dance like he used to. but if you watch the illusion tours, he didn't really dance then either. the only dancing is like majorly modified versions of what he used to do.

[KeVoRkIaN]

Toronto and London, ON Canada dates I saw - he looked at his best - no shortness of breath - running a fair bit - same moves........ I was 4th row in Toronto and 16th in London looked like he was in stellar condition.........

[AdZ]

Saw them in london on the mini-tour.

yeah he danced the same amount, lots of running around, standing still with arm outstretched etc. looked & sounded great.

He doesn't really use his mic stand anymore...

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

i was at MSG 2002.
i think it was axl without the attitude.
when i watch chicago 1992, i see a badass motherfucker.
in 2002, it was just a rock legend in a XXXLLLL football jersey.
but he had energy, yes.

[mega_music]

The short lived 2002 was freakin great. I seen them in Cleveland 2nd row and Columbus 18th row.

Cleveland Axl did alot of moving around. I dont remember him using the mic stand to much but damn that was a year and half ago. He also did some crowd interaction. Same old Axl show Fucking Great!!

Columbus pretty much the same I do remember him giving several people high fives. Which he seemed to enjoy as well as the crowd. Axl was talking about the Ohio State Buckeyes and how he has always liked them, and also made a mention of the recent Columbus OSU riots. mmm Im trying to remember things. Side note: I think Robin got pissed at his guitar during Nightrain or PC and threw it against the stage. I remeber seeing Earl make a brief apperance at the side of the stage.

Oh the titty show was better in Cleveland than Columbus.

[jbenzz]

I'm just wondering since a couple people mentioned it... does axl still have the same mic stand as he used to back in the day... the one that was like a half mic stand:
***
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  |\
  |_\
  |   \

My best attempt at recreating it...  

I really like that mic stand. It's really cool and he used to do the spinning and shit with it. Just wondering if it's different.

/Ben

[dave-gnfnr2k]

axl sounded amazing in boston.
When I was leaving the show the people in front of me ( a bunch of 18-20 year olds) were commenting how how great he sounded, and were impressed how he ran around on stage like a madman.

[NickNasty]

I ws also at the Boston show. Axl's voice was clearer, his dance moves were the same...I thought his energy level was amazing...he seemed in good spirits, and his little monolgues and rants were enjoyable. He did go back stage alot... possibly to catch his breath...he was 11 years older, so I won't begrudge him for it...it gave the audience time to soak in the new band...as for Axl's outfit/ attitude chagnge...I think it is inevitable. This is over a decade later, with new players, so Axl changing is a given, both in terms of time and style...but to go back to D's orginal question: one needn't worry ALL the patented Axl moves were there...I especiall loved the high leg kick after the fuck off line in "It's So Easy."

[gnrgoblue]

I saw them twice in a four-day span. The first in Chicago and the next in Detroit. The Chicago show was the best concert I've ever been to. The band was energetic and they played a great, enthusiastic show. Axl did plenty of running around. Too much, in fact, for my taste. I don't think all that running really adds anything to the show (a little would be cool, but he begins to look a little silly after awhile). But there was a lot of it, and probably as much as I've seen in the Illusion-era videos I've seen.

The Detroit show was the worst concert I've ever seen and a waste of money. Axl was a whiny little bitch who needed to be smacked in the face like a two-dollar whore. He was listless and disinterested the whole time (in his defense, the Palace of Auburn Hills WAS at least two-thirds empty) and ran off-stage like a prude prom date the first chance he got.

Once apon a time, I was Guns fan No. 1. That Detroit show, though, changed everything for me. I still like the music, and that's why I still check in here for possible news on a new album, but, personally speaking, I believe that Axl needs to get his shit kicked in a few times so he can grow up and act like a man. What a little pussy.

[DRUNK]

 :(I feel crushed.  I just wrote a 4 paragpragh responce to this, and all of a sudden I got kicked offline.  This blows.

I can't even begin to re write it.

[ClintroN]

ive only got MSG 02' show n' i cant get enough of it, Axl is runnin' like mad all over the place!!!

Some nights Axl is'nt gonna be at his best 'cause he is older n' shit, but the last tour wasnt long enough to judge how he'll be in the long run. I think he'll be much fitter when we see him in action next tour, judging from the so called recent photo

[fartinabag]

I saw msg show also.  Axls stage presence was amazing.   axl was feeding off the crowds energy at this show.  some shows they didnt sell out so i guess it might be harder for him to give a 150% when the arena is half full. If u doubt axl still has "it" pick up msg bootleg

[willow]

I saw the Chicago show. It was the best performance I have ever seen. I also have the bootleg of the show. The recording is poor. Axls voice cuts out a lot, when he is carrying his voice. This made the bootleg very poor compared to the real thing. I would love to relive that night about a 1000 times.

[Johnnyblood]

I've seen the new band live twice. I've also seen the RIR boot, the MSG boot, a few dloads, and the MTV thing. So I've seen all or part of probably 6 shows of the new Axl.

In my opinion his stage presence is similar to the 92 tour, maybe a little more distracted than before, as he almost seemed suprised to find himself performing again after so much time off. That's just an observation and could be way wrong from what he was really thinking. But the body language was saying that at times.

The dance moves were pretty much the same as most of the UYI shows I saw. He seemed to maybe try and reacreate his SCOM snakey dance a little more at recent shows, same way he was playing so many Appetite songs.

I've always felt that Axl's true genius was and forever will be in the area of live performance. And I also think that he hasn't really focused on that aspect since the Appetite era. Very often he has seemed to be 'playing the part of Axl Rose', and not always convincingly.  

So the Illusion tour, and the recent live appearances, in my opinion, were generally not as captivating or exciting as the earlier ones were.

That said, in many ways I think his voice was more consistently listenable on the recent tour. Not nearly as good as the early days, but better than many of the UYI shows. And he also seemed to be very happy at the two shows I saw, and that's something I've never seen in Axl, either in the UYI or the Appetite eras.

In short, I liked the 2001 and 2002 shows I saw much more than the 1991 and 1992 shows that I saw.

[F*ck Fear]

I saw Guns in Toronto Canada in 2002....It forever changed my concert experience.....Axl sounded fanfuckingtastic,all the moves were there,the energy was high,and the sound of the musicians were fucking great....All in all it was the best show I've been to,and I saw VR two months ago front row.

[Mutherfunker]

D, I think the MSG boot, with that camera angle and distance takes away from the true scope of the performance.

Did anyone notice during that performance that Axl could kick his leg up above head height. Talk about flexibility.

Also, what I really like was when he was jumping up and down with both feet on a couple of occasions like moshing during PC. Does anybody wanna tell me if he ever used to do that before? I've never seen it. Fucking cool.

@#$%Muther