New York City, USA Hammerstein Ballroom - May 12, 2006 + general info

[bazgnr]

I just wanna say that last nights show was insane. The crowds reaction to axl and him feeding back off the crowd was great. First off, I saw the girl in the white too, she was hot. It was nice to have her to keep the male fans busy during the shitty opening band and b4 Guns came on haha.

Also, there was a part towards the end of November Rain where the new guitarist ran behind the piano to jam with Axl, and Robin ran over to him, grabbed him by the guitar strap and dragged him back to the right side of the stage, just in time to get him out of the way of the amazing wall of sparks the rained down from the ceiling.

Axl also talked a lot last night. He first addressed the critics by saying "People are talking because they think they know what's going on inside Guns and Roses, but they have no idea." Also he said "New York City, my new Paradise City" and later went on to say "I've been here in New York a little while, and like a good student I've been studying hard, studying every night, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. (Big Smile and cheering) New York has almost killed me a couple times studying" Then when he played his new songs, "I heard a couple of you singing the new songs. Downloading motherfuckers" He seemed half kidding half pissed about that. Also, he said between songs about taking a bike ride around the city and said that his new guitarist needed someone to give him a bike ride around the city to show him the sites. Then, the new guitarist said something, and Axl goes "Wait, wait, say that again" and he says into the mic "I don't know about you, but I'm having a great fucking time" which Axl replied, laughing with a big smile "You don't even know how much fun I am having" He ended the night wwith a screaming " GOOD? ? ? FUCKING? ? ?NIGHT"

all in all, it was the best show i've ever seen, the crowd, axl, the new band, everything was great and going crazy

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that was Tommy who said, "I don't know about you, but I'm having a great fucking time."  It was great to not only see Axl smiling so much, but to hear him laugh as well.  A killer show, here's to more, and soon.

PS:  more reviews are found on the previous pages....click back a few!

[cocoscum]

Anyone know if there were bootleggers selling shirts outside?

[bazgnr]

Anyone know if there were bootleggers selling shirts outside?

None that I saw, and I hung around for a while after.

[jkruk88]

I flew in from Buffalo so I was expecting a lot:

1)   The line snaked around 4 blocks before the show...that should be an indication right there

2)  The energy felt during WTTJ was like nothing Ive ever felt at a show ever.  The bands on the scene now cannot touch this live show.

3) Highlights:
Sweet Child O Mine-  If I didnt know better I would have thought this was being played off the album on the house speakers.  Sometimes the new guys add their own flavors to the solos, which is fine, but on this one Robin played it just like the AFD cd and Axl sang every note perfectly.  On the 2002 videos I thought Axl had lost that edgy screech to his voice but last night he sounded like he did in 1989

Better- Wow...in my opinon it sounded the best of all the new songs.  The part in the middle where it gets super heavy was amazing.

November Rain-  Bumblefoot sounded great on this one.  I thought he sorta dropped the ball once or twice over the course of the night but Axl trusted him with the big solo at the end and he nailed it.  Kudos.

Chinese Democracy-  I was luke warm on this song but seeing it last night made me think it should be the new single.  It fucking rocks.  Robin's solo destroyed.

Night train-  WOW.  They extneded the song out a little and jammed while Axl was screaming...abosolutely phenomenal.  I was floored by how good this sounded and the new band really seems to nail this one.

Robin Finck in general- when the band first came out I didnt think he was in anymore because of how he looks.  I thought it was John Frusciante for a second.  But either way, he nailed every solo and had a great vibe all night.  Axl mentioned that "Better" was a Robin song, so big ups on that.

Minor criticisms:
Live and Let Die and KOHD-  I dont understand why Axl still feels the need to cover songs at this point.   KOHD was a good mellow out tune but I feel they could have put in something else, it would be great to hear some other UYI songs.

IRS- sounded good but the mix of the guitars sounded sorta weird.  I could barely hear Bumblefoot's solo but maybe that was an acoustics issue.  Wasnt bad by any means and lets not forget it was a warm up show so by they time they come around in the fall Im sure all the kinks will be worked out. 

All in all an amazing night, cant wait for CD.   

[BluesGNR]

I flew in from Buffalo so I was expecting a lot:

1)? ?The line snaked around 4 blocks before the show...that should be an indication right there

2)? The energy felt during WTTJ was like nothing Ive ever felt at a show ever.? The bands on the scene now cannot touch this live show.

3) Highlights:
Sweet Child O Mine-? If I didnt know better I would have thought this was being played off the album on the house speakers.? Sometimes the new guys add their own flavors to the solos, which is fine, but on this one Robin played it just like the AFD cd and Axl sang every note perfectly.? On the 2002 videos I thought Axl had lost that edgy screech to his voice but last night he sounded like he did in 1989

Better- Wow...in my opinon it sounded the best of all the new songs.? The part in the middle where it gets super heavy was amazing.

November Rain-? Bumblefoot sounded great on this one.? I thought he sorta dropped the ball once or twice over the course of the night but Axl trusted him with the big solo at the end and he nailed it.? Kudos.

Chinese Democracy-? I was luke warm on this song but seeing it last night made me think it should be the new single.? It fucking rocks.? Robin's solo destroyed.

Night train-? WOW.? They extneded the song out a little and jammed while Axl was screaming...abosolutely phenomenal.? I was floored by how good this sounded and the new band really seems to nail this one.

Robin Finck in general- when the band first came out I didnt think he was in anymore because of how he looks.? I thought it was John Frusciante for a second.? But either way, he nailed every solo and had a great vibe all night.? Axl mentioned that "Better" was a Robin song, so big ups on that.

Minor criticisms:
Live and Let Die and KOHD-? I dont understand why Axl still feels the need to cover songs at this point.? ?KOHD was a good mellow out tune but I feel they could have put in something else, it would be great to hear some other UYI songs.

IRS- sounded good but the mix of the guitars sounded sorta weird.? I could barely hear Bumblefoot's solo but maybe that was an acoustics issue.? Wasnt bad by any means and lets not forget it was a warm up show so by they time they come around in the fall Im sure all the kinks will be worked out.?

All in all an amazing night, cant wait for CD.? ?

I'm glad you enjoyed the show!

[Annie]

I wish that i could have been there! It's so hard to concentrate at work right now!

[Gunner17]

I am going tomorrow night and after reading the reviews I cannot wait!

Quick question:

Will I be able to bring my digital camera...? How tight is the security?

[mikegiuliana]

did anyone see the slut in the white mini skirt in the balcony 2nd level on the left side if facing the stage hot as hell dancing around with no underwear on..??

what he REALLY means is :

has anyone got her phone number ?

 

not at all, everyone on my side standing around was her cheering section, she was sitting on the railing with nothing covering her

[mikegiuliana]

I am going tomorrow night and after reading the reviews I cannot wait!

Quick question:

Will I be able to bring my digital camera...? How tight is the security?

they pat you down pretty good.. Put it in your underwear is my guess

[sidneydawson]

WOW! I am still amazed by last night. It was a great show and such a cathartic moment to see Axl again. I got in line around 730. If youre going to shows, be prepared to wait. The line snaked around several blocks, and yes, the cops will write tickets for drinking and scalping. Also...on a side note rant...don't pee in public! And definately don't pee on a church! Sigh, drunk people. Anyways, on to the show!

Hammerstein is awesome...I have to say, I never ever thought I could get so close to GNR. It is a beautiful small venue, and I have always found the staff and security to be very courteous and non-asshole like. You will have a nice view from anywhere in the place. BFMV were ok...I won't say that they were great, but they certainly weren't awful either. They played from around 9-9:50. Afterwards, a really good mix of tunes came on. I have to say...it really was a mix...rap, metal, alternative...all sorts of stuff.

Guns came on right at 11. That is a great sign to me...it suggests that Axl was ready to go on at the scheduled time. Jungle was amazing...those opening chords and lines sent chills down my spine. The crowd went insane...everybody on the floor was jumping...just like the RIR bootleg. He looked amazing...very athletic. The band looked good as well. The stage seemed a little scaled down for this show...but you can tell that it will be very impressive.

The set was pretty varied. The first few songs had such tremendous energy. Yes, his voice level was a little low and drowned out by the guitars at a few points. It was really cool to see the fans react to the new songs. As soon as Better came on, about half of the crowd was confused, and the other half new the lyrics. People seemed pretty receptive to the tunes. Yes, the new tunes have changed a bit...noticeably the intro to CD, and the opening guitar lines on the Blues. IMO, the highlights of the show were Jungle, The Blues, My Michelle and TWAT. Axl's voice on TWAT and the Blues was insane...no one can listen to him on those songs and think for a second that his voice is gone. Baz RAPED My Michelle. To see him and Axl on stage again was insane. You have two amazing frontmen on stage at the same time and they just DESTROYED that song. Their stage presence, voices and attitudes made it excellent. There weren't really any Axl rants this show...just a couple side comments. I think that's a good thing. I think the rants make him appear a bit narcissisitic and psycho at times. He seemed totally relaxed and casual last night...It was just a great show.

The rest of the band did nicely as well. My favorite performances came from Finck and Fortus. Both have such a great stage presence...really fun to watch and hear. The band was tight...very few mistakes. Thal didn't blow me away, but he didn't suck either. It was his first show and he nailed the songs. He doesn't seem to have much stage presence though. IMO, Robin is now clearly THE lead guitarist of GNR. Robin seems to have more spotlight now, and seems to dominate over Thal a bit in terms of the performance. All in all, amazing show and freakin great to see GNR again! We've waited for this and it is worth every minute, dollar, everything!

[mikegiuliana]

yeah robin was the highlight, he was up front onstage.. he really stood out too because of how diferent he looked, he was easy to spot..

[Gaymo, the Hobbit]

god i am so jealous, eventhough i will see them 3 times, but still...
you guys had a very special night yesterday

[killingvector]

yeah robin was the highlight, he was up front onstage.. he really stood out too because of how diferent he looked, he was easy to spot..

I enjoyed the Fortus, Thal  collaborative solo for Madagascar. It didn't measure up to Bucket's but it didn't try to.

[badapple81]

It seems like Axl has really nailed it in terms of set, the look, the voice, winning over the old school fans.. everything. He is really making the right decisions these days!

[Continental Drift]

I'm not completely thrilled with the NY Times review.... but to a certain extent Axl sets himself up for that type of review the longer he goes without releasing Chinese Democracy. Let's face it, they don't play obscure old songs... they play LEGENDARY old songs (WTTJ, ISE, Brownstone, LALD, Patience, NR, KOHD, YCBM, Nightrain, etc.)... and trying to mix in songs that people may or may not have taken the time to download, and have not even been given the opportunity to reach legendary status (via proper release), amongst such an elite catalog of songs is a recipe for a let down in certain parts of the show. It's inevitable. If Axl doesn't like that type of criticism... he needs to get the record out there so that the crowd (in general, and not just the die-hard HTGH'ers) can have an opportunity to react positively to their live presentation. The new songs are also clearly difficult to perform live b/c there's a hell of a lot going on sonically in each one. I thought the band was practically "out of control" when they played "Better", missing cues, solos etc. (though they still salvaged it).

The one thing I'll disagree with though is "TWAT". The crowd REALLY responded to that song. It would be unfair and inaccurate to paint that song with same brush as the other new songs. It reminded me of how "Live And Let Die" was the only "new song" the crowds would reliably react to back at the beginning of the UYI tour before UYI was actually out.

[mikegiuliana]

It seems like Axl has really nailed it in terms of set, the look, the voice, winning over the old school fans.. everything. He is really making the right decisions these days!

yeah he did everything right, he never needed to win us older fans over, as I told talking metal I am into the new band respect them as players but it's not gnr to me.. SHow was grea tthough.. Still tough for me to look onstage and see the others.. Few more shows to go..

[GnR-NOW]

Just read the NYT article, and personally they can go fuck themselves.  Rarely do they ever have anything positive to say so when it pertains to the current GNR they make sure that its not positive, but not overally negative, which would turn off any of they're readers.  I think this tour will be so much better then 2002 in alot of ways.  First the new songs that were leaked, we're looking forward to hearing them, we;ve expected them and they're awesome, by the way they said the same things about how the crowd reacted to the new songs from 02,  but even Axl knew when he was like you downloaded them, these songs are awesome.  I wouldve replaced LALD with Rocket Queen or Civil War.  Second they don't look like a freak show.  They look like a bad ass rock band.  I cant wait for Monday !!

[WhatIsItMan]

That was bad ass. 

[Evolution]

Aah don't let reviews get to you guys too much. It's just one guys opinion, and due to where he works he probably feels an overinflated sense of importance and views himself as some kind of person who's opinion should be the influence on all their readers.

Simply put: If you enjoyed the show and had fun, fuck the hacks. 

[GnR-NOW]

for anyone who was in the mezz2 how was the sound, were you able to hear the music loud and clear