MTV review

[Spirit]

Guns N' Roses Live: Basically Axl With A GN'R Cover Band, But Great Anyway
05.15.2006 2:05 PM EDT

And the band hit the stage just an hour and 15 minutes late!

That was the main question on the minds of the 3,300 people who packed the Hammerstein Ballroom here on Friday night. And if the unpredictable, reclusive Axl did come through, as promised, to take the stage with his current incarnation of Guns N' Roses, would the much-rumored reunion of expatriates Slash and Izzy Stradlin also materialize?

"I have my doubts," said Josh, a 24-year-old GN'R fan who drove down from Boston and coughed up $200 for a scalped ticket. "I was at the 2002 concert in Philadelphia, when he didn't show, and I was pissed. I thought it would never happen again. Guns is the best band ever. And if I see Slash tonight, I'll sh-- myself."

At around 11 p.m., the sell-out crowd ? which included actor Ethan Hawke and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach ? got some answers. Approximately an hour and 15 minutes after Guns were due to storm the Hammerstein stage, Rose emerged with his latest configuration, which ? at the moment anyway ? consists of keyboardists Dizzy Reed (the sole holdover from the Use Your Illusion-era lineup) and Chris Pittman, ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, former Primus kitman Brian "Brain" Mantia and three guitarists: erstwhile Nine Inch Nails member Robin Finck, ex-Psychedelic Furs axeman Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, a New York musician hired just last week to replace long-departed virtuoso Buckethead.

But it wasn't until the show's end, at around 1:30 a.m., that the realization set in: Sometimes rumors are just that. Slash Slash and Stradlin were nowhere to be found.

The audience (which ranged in age from not-yet-old-enough-to-vote to "Grandma? Is that you?," with the median age appearing to be around 35) welcomed Rose ? who was clad in a pleather shirt unbuttoned to reveal a crucifix hanging from a large necklace, tattered blue jeans, designer shades and his cornrows tied back in a ponytail ? and the band with thunderous cheers and screams as the band launched into its opener, "Welcome to the Jungle."

The gig was Rose's first in more than three years, and the first of four sold-out "warm-up" shows preceding GN'R's summer's worth of European festival appearances; the second concert went off Sunday night, with the third set for Monday (May 15), and the fourth on Wednesday (see "Guns N' Roses Line Up Two New York Shows"). The New York shows are Guns N' Roses' first since the ill-fated global comeback tour of 2002, which sputtered to a halt following the band's performance at New York's Madison Square Garden; Axl didn't take the stage for the following day's booking in Philadelphia, the crowd rioted, and the remaining dates were axed (see "It's Extra Official: Promoter Says GN'R Tour Totally Off").

Halfway through "Jungle," Rose was sopping wet ? not since Patrick Ewing last hit the hardwood has one man sweated so profusely after just two minutes of physical exertion. As he roared, "I, I wanna hear you scream," Axl unleashed his signature serpentine sway.

Fire blasts and roman candle-esque pyrotechnics exploded at all the appropriate moments, and the heat from these onstage detonations could even be felt by those huddled around the venue's back bar area. Indeed, the feel of the set was energized and huge: This was a stadium-size performance inside a theater; it was as if the band were playing for 50,000 fans.

Rose, 44, scampered around the stage like a schizophrenic with a hard-to-reach back itch, defying the extra poundage he's visibly added. However, his voice isn't what it once was: At several points during the 19-song set, it appeared Rose couldn't sustain certain notes, taking breathers here and there or simply deferring to the crowd. Although his pipes were smooth for most of the night, they failed him on at least two critical occasions: "Sweet Child O' Mine" and Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" (see "Axl Rose Named Coolest Old Person In Teen Mag Poll ? Right After 'Grandparents' ").

The band also stumbled at times, most noticeably during "Better" ? one of several new songs that have leaked online and are believed to be from Rose's decade-in-the-making LP Chinese Democracy, which he said in a recent interview should be out this fall. The crowd even sang along with many of the leaked tracks, which also included "Madagascar," "There Was a Time," "I.R.S.," "The Blues" and the album's title track (see "Are Guns N' Roses Finally Coming Back? The Signs Are There ...").

But the audience came to hear the classics, even if they were being performed by Axl and what basically amounts to a GN'R cover band. The floor at the Hammerstein seemed to buckle under the weight of the foot-stomping, horn-wielding mob during "It's So Easy," "Mr. Brownstone" and Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door," which Axl introduced by saying, "This is about a place I've been one too many times."

The night's most memorable moments came with "November Rain," "Patience," and the confetti-coated closer, "Paradise City," which inspired a sea of butane-fueled light. Even the night's opening act, Bullet for My Valentine, couldn't resist rockin' out at the bar, even if it was in jest. At one point, Bach joined Rose onstage and the pair belted out "My Michele," signaling an official, belated end to a long-running feud that many may have forgotten about.

Sunday night's performance brought virtually the same set, with one additional song tossed in to the mix: Appetite for Destruction's closer, "Rocket Queen." Rose seemed more comfortable during the second show and interacted with the audience, shaking hands and talking to fans; the show felt more organic overall.

Sure, this wasn't 1991, and yes, it was Rose standing up there with a bunch of hired guns that doesn't seem capable of holding a candle to the band's classic lineup ? but regardless, the energy and the essence of GN'R remains intact. To true fans, hearing Axl sing those songs, and seeing his rosy mug, was enough to justify that hundreds they'd dropped on tickets and $85 GN'R hockey jerseys.

"I'm just psyched," said Terry, a 40-year-old fan from Long Island, after the show. "They nailed it. This was even better than I imagined. It didn't matter to me what they played ? I was going to love it regardless."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

? Chris Harris, with additional reporting by Daniel Montalto

[.Seal]

A decent interview...

[Groovie In VT]

Fucking douchebags at MTV, they  just WANT Axl and the band to fail so they can be there to report it.

[WARose]

pretty cool review...... but biased though...

"a bunch of hired guys who didn`t seem cabable of holding a candle to the old line up"....

and i thought axl`s voice was better than in 2002 from what i heard...   and better than 92/92 as well...

[RichardNixon]

That review was pretty positive. Calm down people. Until CD comes out, that's the best your gonna get for a review of a live show. The new band needs to prove themselves with their album. I know they will, but t still needs to come out.

[axlrosegnr]

I love how they said that Sebastian singing with Axl signaled an end to a long-running feud....they never had a feud.....

[Oh My Choking Soul]

That cover band shit gets old.

[fif]

Hour and 15 mintues late?!?! ?Where the fuck do they get that from?!?! ?The opener went on stage at 9 and played for about 45 minutes or so then there was an hour to set the stage. ?11 was a great time to start. ?once again FUCK MTV!!!! ?Those assholes should stay out of the music scene and make another season of Real World since that's all those fucks do nowadays......

[killingvector]

that review is a slap in the face of Robin finck, Richard Fortus, Brain, and Tommy Stinson among others.

They deserve to have their sizeable talents recognized, not trivialized.

[Naupis]

pretty cool review...... but biased though...

"a bunch of hired guys who didn`t seem cabable of holding a candle to the old line up"....

In your mind it may be biased, and in their mind it may be true. There are many fans that love the new GNR that would admit this band has not, or never will put on a performance that matches some of the old bands best shows. The Ritz in 88 comes to mind, as Axl himself will never be able to sing like that again, nor should he as he is 20 years older now.

[Walapino]

You have to be insane if you think you will get 100% cock sucking reviews for Axl and new GNR, I think the review was decent and didnt come across as just squashing Axl.

[NicoRourke]

I'd like to say it's a decent review, but why do they need to call GN'R a "cover band" ... The guys in the band, they've worked hard, they've written the new material, recorded it etc. So isn't it time to forget about the whole "cover band" ?thing ?

But then again, this is coming from MTV ... Wich has long time sold its soul ...

[D]

what extra pounds?

I still cant exactly figure the fuck out where Axl has gained all this weight?

He looks the same to me.

[ElNonoPololo]

I love how they said that Sebastian singing with Axl signaled an end to a long-running feud....they never had a feud.....

You don?t remember?

Sebastian killed Axl?s father

Or maybe he was thinking of Vince.

[Naupis]

That cover band shit gets old.

There is no sense in even bothering to get mad about it anymore as Axl knew full well he would never hear the end of it when he signed on to continue using the name.

Ask yourself, would you rather have the band named GNR and hear critics call them a cover band. Or have Axl call it something else and forgoe alot of the opportunities the Guns name will afford him. The Axl Rose band doesn't headline Rio, GNR does. That being the case I will live with all of the criticism to help keep him in the spotlight.

[DoubleTalkingJive]

I hate the fact they mention how during the new songs they stumbled a bit.... These are warm up shows...it's to be expected in a way..and I don't agree bout the extra poundage..he is in much better shape then 02.

[Timothy]

what extra pounds?

I still cant exactly figure the fuck out where Axl has gained all this weight?

He looks the same to me.

Thats what I'm still trying to figuer out .



AXl sounded great on the 12th.

[BKinNYC]

Hey All,

Check this out.  (Please keep this in this section - it's relevant to this MTV review, as well as all others)  I've been reading the reviews for the last two shows (I went to Friday's, and thought it was great), and did a little research.  Here's a review from the Chicago show in '91, before the UYI's came out.  I thought it was an interesting parallel to what we're reading today.  Here's the links, one from a Chicago show, and another when they played Lexington:

http://jaehakim.com/articles/music/revu/guns.htm

http://www.gnrontour.com/sets1991/19910629reviews.html

-I also thought it was interesting that the Lexington reviewer made it sound like the new songs weren't good, and were forgettable.  Sounds like a lot of critics nowadays!

That's why I always say we shouldn't get so uptight to what these critics say, good OR bad.  Think about it:  When Chinese D is finally released, we can all say "We heard these songs played live before the album was out," and those critics will look foolish.

[CAFC Nick]

While I think its a decent review, it is harsh on Robin, Richard, Tommy etc.

But you can understand why they are saying this. Only us hardcore fans really know about the new guns. For the casual on-looker, a band called Guns N Roses without Slash, Izzy, Duff etc isn't GNR. We all have to accept thats the way most people feel about it.

[xxrosesxx]

Maybe Axl should have tried a bit more in the past to present and prepare the new ?band to "look" as a union, a "band". He could have made up stories about "hanging out", "being pals" etc but he didnt, and Velvet Revolver did. I think his biggest mistake was that he made the band look as a buch of "hired guys" who have are not in touch with each other and just get together a few days before a tour. that's what MTV takes advantage of. my opinion