Huge opportunity missed with Live 8/one million in Philly

[Pandora]

When he refused to show up to the concerts in the us tour 2002, he says his airplane landed late and he was watching a basketball game, good rock star?  

No. For the umpteenth time, the basketball game story was a RUMOUR. Axl never said such a thing. If you stopped believing rumours, maybe you wouldn't be pissing vinegar like you are.

And please don't post three times in a row. It's against the rules of the board.

[killingvector]

I agree that Axl did miss a big opportunity to show the world he is alive and well and can still rock the fuck out of thousands of people.   However, IMO, if he isn't ready to release CD yet, isn't ready to tour himself with his band and his band members are all over the place there is no way he could have been prepared to do this.  I believe that if Axl did do it I don't think he would have gotten booed as MikeB mentioned in a post earlier.   I think that people like to bash Axl but when he performs and he is doing what he does best, people forget about all the other stuff and get completely lost in Axl's ability to have you mesmorized on him on stage.   Sucks that he wasn't a part of it but that was expected.    I also believe that Axl wouldn't of performed the first time being on a bill with VR even if it's in another part of the world.

I don't see why his absence is such an issue. He has been MIA for three years now. I still have yet to see highlights of this on the news.

Since he has been MIA for years, it would be nice to see him at an event such as this just to get alot of exposure for CD and new GNR.  We all knew,  at  least the people who have been following this crazy train with Axl for years now, that he wasn't going to be there but all of these events that he has missed is just another event gone by to get himself noticed again infront of thousands and thousands of people.     

Obviously he has no plans to get back out there. If the band were assembled and rehearsing then I would agree with you, but there is no movement from new gnr at this point. None. Release later this year? I seriously doubt it from what i've seen and heard, or rather not seen and not heard. Axl doesn't need to do shows like this to get his career moving again; he needs to release a record.

[August 18th]

He has the dumbest excuses ever.

When he refused to show up to the concerts in the us tour 2002, he says his airplane landed late and he was watching a basketball game, good rock star? ? And remember last year in april04 he said that he was going to announce a release date in 4 months? See, I could go on forever.i know a lot of people are going to hate me now , but why, because I tell the truth? And why did Nirvana kill rock n' roll? Because Axl let Cobain take the bullet. I hate nirvana's music but unlike Axl , they cared about their fans, fans love a band that cares about them. After all the canceled gigs, the fans said "fuck it, we can only listen to the music but we're not allowed to watch them perform?" Axl pissed his fame away without a doubt . Maybe if Axl wasn't? self-centered about his fame , Mtv would of said "nah we won't play that grunge crap,we got Guns n' Roses who cares about their fans which we need and we'll play? new Rock n Roll artists on here soon." Thats why grunge/alternative took over because they loved their fans for turning on the band they hated for them. Back then when Gn'r was on top,it was people like Kurt Cobain's goal to take their throne as the biggest band ever from them, how Axl didn't care about his fans was the target for their shit music to take over.

this has got to be the dumbest post i've read in a long time.

[mick]

In the UK, a Pink Floyd reformation tour would sell out much quicker than if Guns reformed.

Maybe not in the US, but certainly in the UK.

I think it would be close. I saw Floyd twice in the late 80's, sans Waters, and these were sold out Stadium shows. Floyd could possibly do a bigger gate than a reformed GnR. I would love to have those both become reality so we could find out!
 

[DoubleTalkingJive]

I agree that Axl did miss a big opportunity to show the world he is alive and well and can still rock the fuck out of thousands of people.? ?However, IMO, if he isn't ready to release CD yet, isn't ready to tour himself with his band and his band members are all over the place there is no way he could have been prepared to do this.? I believe that if Axl did do it I don't think he would have gotten booed as MikeB mentioned in a post earlier.? ?I think that people like to bash Axl but when he performs and he is doing what he does best, people forget about all the other stuff and get completely lost in Axl's ability to have you mesmorized on him on stage.? ?Sucks that he wasn't a part of it but that was expected.? ? I also believe that Axl wouldn't of performed the first time being on a bill with VR even if it's in another part of the world.

I don't see why his absence is such an issue. He has been MIA for three years now. I still have yet to see highlights of this on the news.

Since he has been MIA for years, it would be nice to see him at an event such as this just to get alot of exposure for CD and new GNR.? We all knew,? at? least the people who have been following this crazy train with Axl for years now, that he wasn't going to be there but all of these events that he has missed is just another event gone by to get himself noticed again infront of thousands and thousands of people.? ? ?

Obviously he has no plans to get back out there. If the band were assembled and rehearsing then I would agree with you, but there is no movement from new gnr at this point. None. Release later this year? I seriously doubt it from what i've seen and heard, or rather not seen and not heard. Axl doesn't need to do shows like this to get his career moving again; he needs to release a record.

I agree, I think he has no plans at all to do these kinds of events but it can only help him get even more exposure than just releasing CD and even though we are devoted fans, he does need as much exposure as he can get to sell this album, mainstream is alot different now then when GNR released their previous albums, not to mention a different band.   I know that his career will get moving all on it's own when he finally releases this album, it's just a GNR fan of today's wish to see Axl up there doing his thing and kicking some ass.

[ryan_of_lax]

Let's say Axl was approached to play...
What possible reasons could he come up with not to?

If he's not ready to tour, fine. This isn't a tour. It was one show.
Most bands played 3 songs. If the new band can't pull 3 songs together, I think they should just retire.

Axl needs to lighten up.
The world doesn't revolve around him.

[DoubleTalkingJive]

Well by his own admission in an old interview from 91, he does call himself a brat

[Neemo]

Fuck, we don't even know if he was asked, it was a rumor. a 15 minute time slot isn't that big of a deal anyway IMO, besides, Dizzy, Tommy and Fortus are all touring with other bands right now. hard to play a gig without a 1/2 of your guitar section, and no bass player, let alone the bongo/keyboard guy. GnR can't do a show without him

[MikeB]

Okay August15 and everybody else, maybe my posts were unnecessary. But when you look at other Rock n' Roll artists in history, they got their job done better and had a better excuse to be gone. Sure drugs killed rock stars like Jimi Hendrix but he dealed with fame and criticism,? he supported his fans for liking his music. You don't disappear from music just because a new era dawns and fans like a new band that you don't listen to. The thing that pissed me off about the show Behind the Music was because nothing but fights happened in the band I thought to myself " Why the hell did they form together as a band then." The bottom line is when you form a band, that's your family and you play music you all agree on making. Slash and Matt Sorum both admitted they hated songs like November Rain and all orchestra/piano stuff they made in Gn'R after all this time. When there's a band that never talks to their frontman, that's fucked up. If I? were in a band with a frontman that held a contract to me and said

Sign the rights of the name to me or your out of here

I would look at him straight in the eye and say

Fuck you,you're pathetic,I'm not going to let this band go down the tubes? just because you can make music you only like

The other members felt they had to follow Axl's orders just to keep their fame and respect from their fans.

[younggunner]

Axl needs to lighten up.
The world doesn't revolve around him.

SO then leave him alone. You act as if Axl was asked and then declined because certain demands werent met or something...

the funny thing is we have no clue if GNR were asked to play or not. Fuk SPlat.

[Walapino]

lets pray for another live aid in some odd years and bob geldof can make slash and axl reunite just as he did with Floyd 

[DoubleTalkingJive]

Okay August15 and everybody else, maybe my posts were unnecessary. But when you look at other Rock n' Roll artists in history, they got their job done better and had a better excuse to be gone. Sure drugs killed rock stars like Jimi Hendrix but he dealed with fame and criticism,? he supported his fans for liking his music. You don't disappear from music just because a new era dawns and fans like a new band that you don't listen to. The thing that pissed me off about the show Behind the Music was because nothing but fights happened in the band I thought to myself " Why the hell did they form together as a band then." The bottom line is when you form a band, that's your family and you play music you all agree on making. Slash and Matt Sorum both admitted they hated songs like November Rain and all orchestra/piano stuff they made in Gn'R after all this time. When there's a band that never talks to their frontman, that's fucked up. If I? were in a band with a frontman that held a contract to me and said

Sign the rights of the name to me or your out of here

I would look at him straight in the eye and say

Fuck you,you're pathetic,I'm not going to let this band go down the tubes? just because you can make music you only like

The other members felt they had to follow Axl's orders just to keep their fame and respect from their fans.

When GNR started, I don't think they fought until the fame hit, that is when the fighting started, the drugs got worse and now they had more money then they could have ever imagined. ?They imploded on themselves. ? They were hungry before they made it and after they reached super stardome, now who is going to do what whoever wants, who isn't, Axl gave them an ultimatum and they signed it. ?Slash admits on BTM, they did it to keep the peace. ?But ultimately it lead to their demise anyway. ?It just goes to show that even though they created this fanominal band, they did have different musical tastes, I bet if Axl wasn't so hard to work with maybe it would have been different. ?I agree with you that Axl shouldn't of disappeared from sight, especially twice. ?I am also one of the few on here who think that Axl does owe us something, a statement at least. ?The criticism and the perfectionism is what I think Axl can't handle but hopefully he will get a grip and get back out in the world again and show us fans what we love best about him. ?

[Minneapolisnewsman]

Axl needs a manager who does not kiss his ass,  pushes him, set's deadlines, and gives him some "proverbial" tough love.  With that said, I have no idea what Merck's style is, but would think that he need's to tighten down the clamps.

Also, Axl may be too far gone from the game at this point to ever regain the desire to work as hard as he would need to, to have a successful comeback.  From what I hear and read, his work ethic is erratic (sign of genius, but a genius will only succeed commercially through structured guidance and personal self discipline) and he has invested well enough to live a very good life without ever having to work again.  I don't ever question his talent, but I would definitely question his desire to return (hell I don't blame him).

It's a funny thing though, analyzing a live rock star; and I think Ax loves it.  He definitely enjoys being an enigma, as well as being out of the spotlight.

[younggunner]

I don't ever question his talent, but I would definitely question his desire to return (hell I don't blame him).He definitely enjoys being an enigma, as well as being out of the spotlight.

This has been my point for sometime now. He has the best of both worlds. Im sure he wants to drop the album but then he realizes hes gotta do all that other stuff and be back in the spotlight again. I could ve very wrong, but it just seems to me that Axl might not want that in his life right now.

[W. Botaxl Rose]

I don't see how axl showing up in Philly again would of been a good situation for anyone involved. It's probably best he just avoid philly from here on out & montreal & vancouver & atlanta.

[DoubleTalkingJive]

I don't ever question his talent, but I would definitely question his desire to return (hell I don't blame him).He definitely enjoys being an enigma, as well as being out of the spotlight.

This has been my point for sometime now. He has the best of both worlds. Im sure he wants to drop the album but then he realizes hes gotta do all that other stuff and be back in the spotlight again. I could ve very wrong, but it just seems to me that Axl might not want that in his life right now.

Enigma he definitely is... I too have said that he needs a manager or just other people to really push him completely to get this out and get going.  But yes, he might not want to tour and promote and do all the things that comes with releasing an album.  I never quite thought of it in that sense.  I mostly thought more that he just not ready cause he feels it's never good enough but you guys could be right.   Good points made here.  Although, I totally think that when he is on stage and he does feel that crowd screaming for him, you can see it on his face and his attitude that he loves it.

[killingvector]

Axl needs a manager who does not kiss his ass,  pushes him, set's deadlines, and gives him some "proverbial" tough love.  With that said, I have no idea what Merck's style is, but would think that he need's to tighten down the clamps.

Also, Axl may be too far gone from the game at this point to ever regain the desire to work as hard as he would need to, to have a successful comeback.  From what I hear and read, his work ethic is erratic (sign of genius, but a genius will only succeed commercially through structured guidance and personal self discipline) and he has invested well enough to live a very good life without ever having to work again.  I don't ever question his talent, but I would definitely question his desire to return (hell I don't blame him).

It's a funny thing though, analyzing a live rock star; and I think Ax loves it.  He definitely enjoys being an enigma, as well as being out of the spotlight.

more speculation. With a username of Minneapolisnewsman, I would expect that you would abhor rampant speculation but you seem to indulge more than anyone here.

Axl didn't come. He never said he was coming. There was no indication that he was coming. Let it go.