I'm just finally collecting all my thoughts from last night. ?overwhelmed would be a good way to describe my mental state since the house lights went down at 11pm last night. ?I've been a lifelong die hard fan but never saw the band live. ?I was at the Philly show in 2002 though...waiting. ?I've seen VR twice, once at the tiny 9:30 club in DC and was fortunate enough to meet Duff and Matt Sorum breifly after the show. ?I saw Slash's Snakepit play a bar in Minneapolis in 2000 that had 25 people in it. ?But I had never seen Axl live until last night. ?And when the wait finally ended, and the first slow few notes of WTTJ started, it was honestly the type of rush you get as a kid. And When Axl finally came out I caught a glimpse of him despite the mad rush of people towards the stage while jumping up and down...he looked....great. ?No other way to describe it. ?what struck me right away was that he looked more normal (comfortable?) than any of the pics or videos that i've seen of the 2002 tour. ?No jersey. ?he was wearing jeans! ?braids (they looked shorter) back in a pony tail, wearing shades and dancing, moving, running around up there looking like he hadn't just disappeared for most of the last 13 years. ?And maybe that sets the tone for the rest of the band....bc with buckethead out of the band and Robin Finck looking like Soundgardeny Chris Robinson, it's like...whoah, they look like real people! ?cool! ?(sorry...i don't mean to offend BH or his fans, but i would hope that a real GUNS n ROSES fan would agree that completely regardless of his playing ability....c'mon...that guy doesn't belong in GNR. ?the whole 2002 lineup looked like a traveling freak show to me and thats just not the Guns that I grew up loving. ?Anyway, my point here is that the band appeared much less "weird" looking last night and thats fine by me).
quick sidenote:
My dad just called to see how the show was. ?After I talked his ear off for 10 minutes, he said that was great and made sure to remind me that he saw the original gnr open for Aerosmith in like '88. ?He actually sorta met Axl backstage. ?thanks dad. ?
getting back to the show. ?so much to tell so i'll just try to recap put down as much as possible. ?I haven't read through all the posts in this thread so sorry if some some of this is repeated. ?But i'll give you my take anyway. ?
- I was reading through some of the posts starting at 11 when the show started and think it's great that so many who weren't there were able to sort of follow along on this board. ?I'm sure it's been mentioned by now, Live and Let Die was played early in the set maybe after Better. ?It was preceding this song that Axl said (and i'm loosely quoting) "There are a lot of people out there who think they know whats going on....inside Guns...n....Roses. ?(He said gnr kinda slow and deep in a funny sort of way). ?But thats ok. ?thats how it goes sometimes. ?you gotta take the good with the bad. ?the bad with the good. ? and sometimes you just gotta Live n Let Die." ?it was something very close to that. ?hard to make him out at points - more on that later.
- I could totally understand how there was some confusion on the board as to which 3 guitarists were onstage. ?Honestly I had no idea. ?I didn't follow the 2002 lineup all that closely, but i recognized Richard Fortus (even though at first glance I was like Izzy! uh.....no). ?But I just assumed that Robin was out of the band and the two other guys were new. ?But then I heard Axl say Robin's name during the band introductions so i was sort of confused until i got home and read on the board about Robin's new look. ?I dig it. ?And he totally killed last night. ?I will always have a sore spot in my heart for the original lineup - more on that later too -but that grungy looking bastard impressed me last night and to come to realize that it was Robin...really opened my eyes. ?I'm going to be watching him extra close on Sunday night. ?great job by Robin last night....
- The band sounded great. ?I have no complaints. ?As for Axl, for what I heard he sounded great. ?I honestly did not like what I heard on the 2002 bootlegs, but this did not sound like that. ?I'm hoping though that his vocals are raised for Sunday's show though. ?Maybe it's just where i was standing on the floor, but on many of the songs i could hardly make out his singing at all. ?I might try a standing a little further back on Sunday and seeing if that helps. ?Did anyone else down front have the problem of the guitars drowning out Axl at times?
- It was overwhelming just to be there. ?to be in the room when he first made his appearance and it was great to see him seemingly in a very good mood. ?happy and having a blast. ?at one point I think Richard walked over to Axl and said something to which Axl said in tot he mic, "Wait, repeat that." and into the mic Fortus (it may have been Stinson) said "I'm having a great time, are you?" ?the crowd roared. ? Axl all spent some time in the beginning of the show talking about Ny...saying "New York City....kinda reminds me of Paradise City. I've been spending some time here recently and have spent some night trying to learn how you all do it. ?Many nights that have gone into the next day actually. ?I think you fuckers are trying to kill me." ?he was joking and in good spirits....but....and i guess he wouldn't be Axl Rose if he wasn't at least a little bit of an asshole but when introducing Brain during the band intros he said "As Sebastian (Bach) said on the radio the other day, where the fuck was this guy when you guys hired Matt?" ?gotta admit that bummed me out a bit. ?Like i said i'm a big fan of the guns i grew up on and Matt Sorum is a part of that - i def prefer him to SA - and was it really necesary? ?i guess it was a joke, but i hope he refrains from taking shots at former members tommorrow night. ?just my take on it. ?
- along the same lines....the energy and excitement in that place last night was absolutely fantastic. ?Definately one of the coolest atmosphere's at a gig that i've been to. ?However, it was the same comment that kept comming up from lots of the people at the show (and at the bar afterwards till 5am) that i met....'as crazy as that was,
imagine if it was the real/original band?!?...."
not sure i can imagine it, but especially after last night....to see how good Axl can still be...i would pay alot of money to see it. ?
- interesting side notes: ?Liam (or it might have been Noel) Gallagher from Oasis was there with a blonde date. ?he was in the VIP balcony stage right as was one of the guys from Winger. ?I would have never spoted either of these two but my friend is good like that. ?How he knew who the dude from Winger was...I'm not sure. (By the way, dude from Winger was rocking out! joining the sing along...)
- The Sebastian Bach My Michelle number was really great. ?definately made up for the initial disappoint that when Axl announced he was bringing out a special guest that it turned out to be...well...Sebastian Bach. ?but, he came out and said "YYYOOOUUU'RRREEEE ?FFFUUUUUCCCCKKIIINNNGG ?CRRRAAAZZZYYYY" a few times into the mic so that was cool. ?
-Highlights for me were probably WTTJ - i mean it was just so cool right then, SCOM, Out ta Get Me, TWAT and the Blues. ?after the some of the new songs were played Axl said "I see all you singing the new songs. ?you downloading motherfuckers." ?good stuff. ?Lots of pyro techincs thouhout the show and the place was filled with red and yellow confetti for second half of PC. ?really cool. ?I can't wait for Sunday bc i think i wll be able to enjoy more than i was able to last night. ?It was just so much! ?I was 30 feet away from Axl. ?I couldt get over that! ?
- After saying "good - fuckin - night" at the end of PC, Axl chucked his mic into the crowd as the lights went down. that fuckin mic was comming right at me except for the 30 motherfuckers who jumped up for it. ?despite them, it tipped off the guy in front of me's finger tips and deflected to my left. ?at the moment the lights went down. ?darkness. ?I reached in the dark to where i thought the mic would be on it's way down. ?it never hit my findertips. the next think i knew there were 15 people tacling eack other (and me) and grappling around on the floor. ?I didn't see the guy who got it. ?nobody did. ?he must have some how caught it and got the f out. ?i could have sworn it would have been right where my fingers were. ?damn. ?my buddy ended up losing the back of his phone, ripped the knees of this jeans, and bloodied up his knuckle going for it. ?good try
I'm def looking forward to sunday
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