Your 2002 Tour Story

[rainX]

The date was November 27th, 2002. It had be well over 9 years since I last attended a Guns N' Roses concert. Back then, I had to beg my parents and sit in the back seat, completely sober. But this time, it was my car and a 5 hour drive to Albany. My girl and I took 2 of our friends along and set out. Got there around 6, got on line, people were drinking heavily on line, just would walk about five feet and piss on the wall. It already had the feeling of a GNR show. Got inside, started one person back, dead center in front of the rail on the floor. CKY played, had some fun joking about them with the people next to us. The mixmaster came on next, with those crazy blow up things, everyone was a little confused, it was cool and all, but just wtf. Then the wait. It was long this evening, the titty show went on for a while, then finally, my legs weak from 4 hours of standing, the lights went off.

And my mind became blown. Axl said something right after brownstone, about the grass, and I tell ya, that WAS MY WEED MAN! Had just finished a doober (i used to smoke all the time in 2k2, quit since then). The amazing thing was when the lights came on after the show. Every single person that was on the floor - they all looked sweaty, hot, and like they just got laid. Everyone just looked at eachother like "holy crap that was amazing"

December 5th, 2002. My GMC Jimmy wasn't running too well, but I had to drive it. Shitty weather, picked up my friend, drove into the city, parked in one of those 30 million dollar garages and set out. Purposely missed CKY and most of the mixmaster. Guns came on so much quicker that night, and from the beginning to end, very few people sat down. A truly amazing show. Having waited for this for so long, it was probably the most emotionally high I've ever been about the band. I remember leaving that night thinking "they are really fucking back, and people are accepting it"

December 6th, 2002. Changed the oil in the jimmy in some damn cold weather. Said a quick prayer and took the hour and half ride down to Philly. Everyone kept yelling at my buddy cuz he wore his mets sweatshirt and they are hated down there. Missed CKY and Mixmaster Mike again on purpose. But, got word they had stopped selling Beer. Said to my girlfriend, Axl isn't coming and they don't want to start a riot. Ten minutes went by, and no cameramen went to their spots for the titty show. Said again, this is not a good sign. I said fucking it and in my seat on the middle of the floor I took one hit off my pipe under my sweatshirt, and then BAMN! the first chair came down from the top. I started screaming at some dumb fucks who took this as a sign to start doing more damage, then I just put my girl in between me and my friend and got away from the floor. Went outside and bought some t-shirts, half price! The feeling leaving that night was the exact opposite from the night before.

[Axl4Prez2004]

WTF? 

Rainx said:  Guns came on so much quicker that night, and from the beginning to end, very few people sat down.

How the fuck could anybody sit down at any point of that show?  That's crazy...okay, maybe during Buckethead's solo.      Goddamn I love this band.  I must have been 15 rows from the ceiling, and it was still awesome!

Axl4Prez2004    

[Rob]

Friday December 6th...Me and a few friends drove into Philly from Jersey, totally fucking psyched.? We were gonna see Axl Rose live.? We got to the arena and I bought a badass CD tourshirt bootleg in the parking lot.? There was this radio station there that had a booth set up and we sang some GN'R kareoke (WTTJ).? Then we went in and sat down.? CKY was ok, nothing special but not terrible.? Then came Mix Master Mike...man did he suck.? But the whole time I was just thinking, "It doesn't matter how bad he sucks cause pretty soon Axl Rose is gonna be up on that stage."? Mix Master finished up and the wait began.? The minutes turned to long hours.? Rob Zombie's Sinister Urge album played over the loudspeaker twice all the way through.? After every song the crowd would start to get loud with anticipation.? After a couple hours we noticed people starting to pack up stuff on the stage.? The beer and soda began to rain down upon the stage.? We saw the security guards get in a big line and walk out.? The words, "Oh fuck!" came to mind.? Then the announcement, "The band will not perform due to illness,"? or some bullshit like that.? And then it was on.? Me and my friends broke some shit and stole some binoculars and then went home.? Thanks Axl...you fucking prick.

[W 23 AXL II]

rainx

isn't it amazing that one night (MSG) was the ultimate, the best, and then the next night (PHILLY) was the exact opposite. its unreal, but totally Axl Rose.

My girlfriend bought tix for Boston that monday night, but we never went, thought we could get refunded, never did from Ticketmaster. We had tix for CT and NYC. we were going to go to Philly after that amazing thursday night, but something just told me maybe it was over-kill....how much better could it be than the MSG show. Plus, money was getting low. (yeah, parking in nyc is only for the rich lol)


i dont know...why do i keep coming to this site? why do we all? i feel like i am a 14 yr old britney spears worshipper. its sad. why cant axl atleast give us an idea as to what is going on? would that be so hard??


does he like being a prick to his fans? does he really not even care?

[babydolls]

August 2002 - just come back to London from Reading festival in UK after seeing Metallica and system of a down - absolutely trashed, had two hours to get home, dump rucksack, shower, put on AFD v loud and then travel across London for an hour and a half....feeling tense, excited, sick, happy, FUCK!!!  Got to Docklands arena, almost fell apart just seeing Guns N' Roses on the "playing tonight" board.  Gn'r never played in Scotland on the UYI tour - and i was too young then to go London then to see em 

Got in as Weezer were playing - not bad, but I didnt want to hear anything but solid fact that axl would be singing.  Feeling v tired - I walked slowly through the crowd and then waited a really long n' roses time!  Finally -BLACKOUT - Fortus guitar notes hit the air adn BANG!!!  pyros go off - WTTJ begins.  I couldn't even see axl for the whole of the song - i was suddenly shoving through the crowd - jumping up and down, shouting along, but the crowd was so loud - I couldnt really hear him - so was still like " OUTTA MY WAY - I NEED TO FUCKING SEE HIM!!!!"  Fuck being exhausted - I AM SEEING GUNS n'FUCKIN' ROSES for REAL!!!

Spent the rest of the set asking nice tall men to put me on their shoulders and I was about 10 rows back in the standing area - watching Axl sing his heart out.

ONly song that didnt do it for me was the re-working of KOHD, but otherwise, the new songs sounded class and the joy I felt from hearing so much AFD was immense!

It was just incredible - AXl had a good few chats with the crowd and seemed on GREAT form - funny, sarcastic, laughing at himself a little - really in a good place.

London gave him an amazing response.

The bootleg video i have is poooor quality - but still I watch it in awe.  SO happy i had my chance and got to see Axl.

[ckgent]

Babydolls, how did you manage to see metallica and system of a down at 2002 reading festival, i dont belive either of them played that year.

Im glad you got to see gn'r in london, but i think its memory has cast everything into a void of confusion regarding the other gigs you saw at that time.

[Christos AG]

Babydolls, how did you manage to see metallica and system of a down at 2002 reading festival, i dont belive either of them played that year.

And you're damn right.

I travelled all the way from Greece to England to see them at Leeds and London.

Had a great time in both shows (the band was amazing) but even greater when Axl saw my GREECE LOVES GNR sign at London and waved at me twice.

He also mentioned it a bit later, ofcourse I went to drink some water cause I was too damn thirsty and I didn't get to hear it untill I got the bootleg.

Anyways, it was soooooooooooo much better than when I saw VR in Greece.

[babydolls]

good call ckgent - i got em confused.  Metallica must have been after 2002.  It's really not that important - other than the fact that I was weighing up my tiredness and my fear that axl would/wouldn't show that added to my emotions that day.    till G n'R kicked off anyway   

Christos AG - great you saw em in Leeds too - a whole weekend of gn'r.

[Thorazine Shuffle]

Pretty simple for me.? My friend and I bought tickets to the Greenville, South Carolina show and planned to hit a strip club or two afterwards, then the tour was canceled.

[WAR41]

Sounds like me Thorazine... Had third row tix to the SC show and floor seats to the DC show.  My brother got to go to the MSG show with his friends.  I was so happy when the tour got cancelled!

[madagas]

I had tenth row seats right in front of Bucket for the Greenville show.....

[chadj76]

I was beyond jacked up to see GnR for the first time, I drove up from Portland, OR to Vancouver (long ass drive) and we all know how that story ends.  I was pissed and also had tickets for the Tacoma, WA show.  I drove back down to Tacoma and hung out with some old friends of mine, honestly not thinking the show would  happen. 

When I got to the dome the first thing I was shocked by is that 1/2 the dome was blocked off and the other half wasn't very full at all........I got there to see the last 10 mins of MMM, which is 10 mins of my life I will never get back.  I don't know when the doors opened, but by 10:20 or so people were getting restless.  4 drunk guys behind me took off their new CD Tour T-Shirts and threw them in the crowd and advised Axl to do something involing a goat a jar of KY and a gun.........they left.

Anyway, Axl finally decided to hit the stage.  Some sound problems, ear piece problems etc.  I was just waiting for Axl to strom off stage but he didn't.  Funniest part of the show during Patience Axl took a MINI KFC Bucket (like the kind used for a large side dish) off the head of a guy in the front row and put it on!!!! It was classic and Axl actually started cracking up and missed some words.  It was a cool moment to see Axl actually smile.

Glad I got to see them.

[blasphemer]

 I went to the show, and he said he will be back soon!!

[Denhold]

Pukkelpop, Belgium 2002

Early in the mornig we drove form Germany to Belgium. I was raining all day. Dont know if I am right but I think it was the last day of the three at the festival. When we arrived at the festival area I saw many people all over with mud. The whole area was a big field of mud. I cant remember who played before GnR but the guy must have had a bad experience to play there. Everbody was shouting for GnR during his whole set. We stood there in the 10th raw and the whole place was full of GnR fans. The rain stopped and the wait was very long before Axl started. I was afraid that he would not show up. Then the riff from jungle started and the crowd went nuts.
The show was great. Axl was in great mood. "Here today gone to belgium. This one is for Jarmo!" Dont know if that were the exact words. Axl was laughing very much. I saw GnR two times before this evening and I never thought I would see him again. It was unreal. The new songs sounded so good that night. You cant compare them with the bootlegs, not even with the soundboard recordings. I never heard the bootleg from this show and I never will.
I think it will destroy the great memoriesof this night. 

[BangoSkank]

went to philly... he didnt show, we ripped the whole fucking arena apat.

[Axl Z]

london, late july 2002...

i'd seen tickets were going on sale soon or were on sale but in this pre-internet at home age i had no idea where to get them from or if i even wanted to after getting screwed around with the previously announced uk dates the summer before, anyway, found a website at work with 4 standing tickets for me and some mates and got them

fast forward to august 26th 2002,
i was working nightshift the day before (bank holiday money man!!) so was lucozade and red-bulled up, knacked and sleepy i got to the gig late, queues were massive, loads of people dressed like buckethead (axl even grabbed a bucket and put it on his head at the begining of the set!) so we're standing at the back of the queue when someone working there says to move to another queue, we do so (running) and are now 20 places from the front of a queue on a side door!!?

WE GET IN AND THE PLACE IS EMPTY - i mean empty!!
so straight to the front we goes!!
never thought that'd happen but it was and will always be the best gig i've ever been to!! (and i've seen alot)
it was my brothers first gig too - gonna be hard to top that!!

they played rhiad, chinese democracy, the blues and madagascar from the new songs, and the pyrotechincs ROCKED!!
(i think they could afford them because somebody owed axl rent money "FOR LIVING IN MY ASS!!")

only downside was had to leave during paradise city to get back home, fuckin' tubes!!

seen vr three times since and thou i love 'em, it ain't the same as gn'r!!

[Axl Z]

went to philly... he didnt show, we ripped the whole fucking arena apat.

classic!

[Buddha_Master]

Yea shit, this "brand new cool action figure" named Buzz Lightyear, took Woody's place on Andy's bed. The fucking dude, thought he was really Buzz Lightyear trying to save the galaxy from the evil tyrant and not some toy. Fuck man, but it all worked out and they became buds. Shit man, Lucas should remake it so they can digitally replace Mr. Potato head with Darth Spud.

...oh you said TOUR Story...

Yea I had tickets to see them in L.A. that January...it was to be there last show of the tour...

[Vicious Wishes]

Pretty simple for me.? My friend and I bought tickets to the Greenville, South Carolina show and planned to hit a strip club or two afterwards, then the tour was canceled.

I had tickets for the Greenville show as well. Pretty much sucks, any way you look at it. I did, at least, see them in 91 with Skid Row. Great show, and I'll never forget it. I would find a way to come up with however much money it took to see them again if I ever get the chance again.

[Lord Kayoss]

It was probably two or three weeks after the surprise VMA performance (which ain't gonna be done ever again so stop dreaming everytime August rolls around).  I heard that GN'R would be making a stop in Lexington, Kentucky.  I was like "Oh shit!  Finally a place I don't mind driving to!"  And was sooooooooooooooo looking forward to buying tickets.  Then, several days later I found out that the show had been rescheduled for Philly.  Then I was like "well fuck that."

Rest is history.  Or his story.