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

[AxlsMainMan]

Well, I went to the May 12th show, and what a fucking night is all I can say....

Left Kingston, Ontario around 9 PM Thursday night, and made it to the US boarder by 10 PM....

For some reason me and my dad must have looked like terrorists, or drug dealers, because neither of us have ever been treated that bad going through US customs...

There were 4 guards there as soon as we pulled up and immediately they ask where my dad works, how much he makes, proof of ownership of the vehicle and alot more bullshit...

Even after he gives the fucker all that information, they tell us to pull over under one of the canapees so they can search the vehicle....

While there out there searching our truck, we're inside signing some bullshit Declaration nonesense, and then even after all that we have to empty out all of our pockets, and stand against the wall to get patted down...

Then out come the rubber gloves, which we thought were gunna be for an anal search, and if they were, as much as I love GnR, we would have been back home to Canada...

But anyways, they tear through everything in our wallets, and count out how much money I have for an 18 year old and how exactly I could have that much for working part time in a grocery store before finally letting us go......put our fucking truck back together since our clothes and everything was thrown everywhere inside and outside our truck...

Anyways, the road trip continued until round 2 AM since the rain was coming down to bloody hard, so we pulled over and caught some Zzzzs until 6 o'clock Friday morning when we took off again.

Made it into Manhattan around 12/noon exactly and were off to Valley Stream, LI to pay Comaknight for our tickets.

Met Comaknight, who btw is a great, great guy, and he was nice enough to show us to the train station and exactly which train to get on for Manhattan so we didnt spend half our night in Queens or something

As soon as we got back into downtown Manhattan, my jaw just hit the sidewalk...

I had never been to New York City before, and it was just WOW to me....a million people on each sidewalk travelling in both directions on each side, skyscrappers on every block, and clothing stores pretty much with every step...

I thought Toronto was big n' crazy but its nothing compared to New York...

So anyways, we check out the Hammerstein before we head down to Mustang Harry's for the before party and not to my surprise at all, theres already Gunners in line for the show around 1 PM ?

Before-Party was just awesome....

I met so many of you awesome guys n' gals, I know I couldnt possibly list you all without forgetting someone...darknemus, mikegiuliana, BigCash2000, Burke, and many many more, you guys are all amazing, and almost as big of a Gn'R fan as me...

But anywho, after some group photos, and getting a little tipsy, me and my old man, went off to explore NYC for a little bit before the concert started...

Pretty much just went up to Time Square, and by the time we grabbed some Popeye's chicken, it was around Doors opening Time...

The line to get in was INSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANELY long, but darknemus, being the great guy he is, let us cut in line next to him, so we only ended up waiting maybe 10 minutes to get in versus an hour or something unreal

As soon as I was inside, I stormed the Merch table and got a brand new hoodie with the new Logo on it, and a T with the other new Logo, and all the Hammerstein dates on it but there was like a half a dozen other things I would have loved to get as well...

Past the Merch table was the general admission standing area, and of course the stage...and HOLY FUCK were the only words that came out of my mouth there...

It was just to unreal being like 2 to 3 heads back from the stage....like in all honesty I could have spit Bullet for my Valentine's faces and they wouldnt have even known who it was

Ive been to so many concerts, standing or not, and Ive never been that close to the stage in my life...I mean if I wanted to jump over the big black security guards head onto the stage I coulda!

Anywho, before Bullet came onstage, Sebastian Bach came through the crowd on the right hand side of the stage which was where I was standing with his insanely hot wife/gf? so that's always cool...but then Bullet came out which wasn't cool at all...

Ive lived through some shitty ass opening bands but they sucked major Donkey dick....I mean they must have played a dozen songs, but to everyone, I think it sounded like 1 neverending song....

Guitars were adequite but there singer sucks balls....

[AxlsMainMan]

Anywho, they were gone after a half an hour, and then came the house music which is what they should have played instead....tons of Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, and to my surprise a TON of Nirvana

Sebastian came along the security barricade to go backstage on my side of the stage, maybe 10 minutes before the show started and I got to shake hands with him....seems like a great guy..

Anyways, fast forward to 11 PM exactly....that weird exorcist shit briefly starts playing again, then all you hear......is the intro to Jungle!!!

Axl looked like a million fuckin' dollars!! Definately as if he had been pumping the iron alot lately and was wearing suuuper tight jeans and a black dress shirt.

The whole band was in amazing spirits though, and not once did I see any of them without the biggest smile on their faces...like Robin looked like a kid in a candy store the whole fuckin show!

I wasnt even going to the show to hear my favorite songs, in all honesty, I just wanted to go to see Axl and Gn'R take the stage after 3 and a half years and I couldnt have asked for a better setlist or concert....

I mean they played classic Appetite, through in some Lies and Illusions, and played all the leaks except Catcher + Maddy, The Blues, and CD...

Better had to have been my favorite though...and I was happy when everyone on the ground new the lyrics to, and in all honesty I couldnt even hear Axl sing the lyrics in parts because we were so damn loud

I cant remember if it was after Better or TWAT when Axl was like how do you fuckers know the words.....you downloading motherfuckers!

Asides from Axl giving it 110%, I was so pleased with the chemistry of the band as well...I mean, you really couldnt have asked for more than we got...

Whoever says they missed their Q in Better, or IRS, blah, blah, blah...who cares? The crowd I was with was signing so loud I couldnt even notice...plus I didnt go to the show, to grade Robin or Richard on their performances, I went there so they could blow my socks of which is exactly what they did...

I didnt really recognize Bumblefoot until Axl introduced him, nor do I think alot of people did...but anyways, you could ask for a better replacement...like I said, he looked nervous as fuck, but he nailed his parts, and ever fuckin solo he could have been given!

Axl did not let up once the entire show though...like Ive seen a ton of bootlegs/vids from the Ritz, Illusion era, all the way up to the 2002 tour and his voice was just phenomenal....like it didnt crack once, and from my foot and a half back from the stage view, he had zero trouble reaching the high notes in any of the songs, but most of all, he seemed like he was having the absolute time of his life up on that stage...

Every single time he looked out into the crowd he just turned cherry red and smiled....he wouldnt have rather been playing for anyone in the whole world except us, his "friends and support group"

Great memories were also when Axl was like, so Sebastian was really impressed with Brain and was like, "where the fuck was this guy when you hired fucking Matt Sorum ....priceless

or when Robin went crowd surfing not once but twice...first time he looked out at us on the ground, and just smiled like he had won a million dollars, through his guitar on stage and jumped out into us. Then when he got back onstage, he grabbed his guitar, and was just like fuck it and jumped back out into the crowd again... ....I didnt notice until later but it was like Robin was wearing a pirate costume or something

The highlight of the show, or my freaking life though had to have been during Out Ta Get Me, Im almost positive it was, when Axl came over to the right hand side of the stage, and when he hit that highnote, he made full fucking eye contact with me singing right along with him...

I kid you not and have no reason to bullshit you...my heart seriously wouldnt have froze had it not been my eyes Axl choose to make contact with then smile

I was really sad when Paradise City began, because to me, the band had just barely gotten on stage before the show was all over again... But then I looked at my watch and realized they had already been up there for over 2 hours so I just shrugged off my sadness and rocked the fuck out with confetti pouring down from the ceiling!!

Axl said goodnight and threw the microphone out into the crowd, leaving me, and probably a good 3 thousand people absolutely speechless as to what we had just witnessed...

He's back is all I can say...no way Axl could have pulled off skin tight jeans and a dress shirt in '02...I dare even say he was in as good as shape as say the Dust n Bones tour...

But forget appearances, its his voice that really counts and he gave it his fucking all the whole damn time! It was almost scary during the Blues or say Nightrain where he'd nail those insanely high notes because it didnt seem like it  required any energy from him at all...

Anyways, after the show, me and my old man briefly stopped by the after party at Stitch to meet some more Gunners, and I was pleasantly surprised I wasnt the only one just speechless after that...so many agreed, Axl has never looked Better, and I heard lots of "Buckethead who's?" when people were talking about Ron being the new guitarist.

Took the 3 AM train back to Valley Stream, and said goodby to New York around 5 AM as we were heading over the George W bridge..

Next day, we pull up to Canadian customs and the guy behind the till was like Bonjour/Hello, any booze or smokes in the truck to declare, and after telling him a 40 of Bacardi and a carton of smokes from the duty free shop, he just smiles and is like welcome back to Canada Eh!

Gn'R on May 12th 2006 though is probably the greatest memory in my consciousness right now, and probably forever...

I just want to thank all you fellow Gunners I met there for making it such a great trip and a night to remember, and I cant wait for the Fall so I can see Gn'R in the states again, and see all of my fellow Gunners all over again

[mikegiuliana]

Anyone know what radio station is promoting the show? Which station plays Gnr?

q104.3 was there, i saw their van, that is nyc's classic rock station

If anyone remembers the vj caine and host of The rock show he was there too.. Really cool guy hung with him for the last hour of the show..

[mikegiuliana]

I don't think it will be possible to top the first show unless izzy is there or something.. Axl could never sing better

[badapple81]

AxlsMainMan thanks for the cool read! 

[mikegiuliana]

AxlsMainMan thanks for the cool read!?

very cool dude I enjoyed hanging with him, glad you had a great time..

[AxlsMainMan]

AxlsMainMan thanks for the cool read!?

very cool dude I enjoyed hanging with him, glad you had a great time..

Thanks dude, I most enjoyed meeting you too

It's great to put a face to a username now with a lot of people!

[Spirit]

KNAC review: http://knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4610


Guns N' Roses In New York City

They're back!!! Guns N' Roses, one of the most controversial rock bands of the 80's are back in full force taking New York by storm with a fury that hit like ya like a freight train.

Guns N' Roses performed their first concert since 2002 last night at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Last night's concert was the first of four sold out GNR shows which are slated to take place May 14, May 15 and May 17. All four concerts sold out in 3 minutes. Pretty amazing for a band who hasn't toured since 2002.

Last time I saw GNR perform was on the Use Your Illusion Tour in 1990.at the Worcester Centrum. I have always loved their music, and tonight's concert was everything I thought it would be. Up Close and Personal, In Your Face, Axl Rose at his best!!!

Driving down 95, it may have been raining buckets but nothing could damper the mood for the day. We were going to see GNR perform in a very rare club appearance.

New York City was alive and well, the city that never sleeps, and that sure held true tonight. It is good to see somethings never change.

This was my first time seeing a concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The historic venue which is right int he center of Manhattan and was the perfect venue for this GNR concert. The place doesn't have a bad seat, and the sound system was amazing.

We were right down on the floor, and had a great view of the band. Opening the show was Bullet For My Valentine. I recently got to see them perform on the Rob Zombie Tour. Their modern day set with great melodies was better received on the Rob Zombie Tour. It was clear the audience was their to see one band their heroes Guns N' Roses.

The excitement in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. hit the stage right at 11 P.M. and played till 1:15 A.M. in the morning. GNR performed most their hits, taking their fans into the future with this stellar new line-up that includes new guitarist Ron Thal of Bumblefoot fame , who didn't disappoint the die-hard GNR fans.

Opening with "Welcome To The Jungle", Axl Rose dressed in a black long sleeve shirt, and jeans with his newly dread locked hair in a ponytail took complete control of the stage. Axl was back, in great voice, and looking amazing. It was clear to see, that Axl is back for the long haul and ready to rock.

GNR first part of the show inspired their old school hits which included ,"It's So Easy", Mr Brownstone ," and "Live and Let Die." GNR sounded really tight as Brain played down some of the hardest hitting drum solos that you could imagine.

One of the most amazing of GNR's sound that I enjoy enjoy is the amazing keyboards. I have seen GNR keyboard player Dizzy Reed perform with his band HNB many times and let me tell ya tonight Dizzy was on fire. Tickling the ivories on his grand piano solo leading into "The Blues." Tonight it was so great to be able to see Diz perform with one of the greatest rock bands of our time, . Axl sang his heart out on this song, and proved his diversity as a singer.

Axl also sat down at the piano on "November Rain" and performed one of the most touching moments of the evening. This song has always been one of my favorites and seeing Axl perform this song tonight was simply amazing.

Tonight's GNR concert was prompted by spontaneity and even included a special guest star. No it was not Slash or Izzy, but 80's rocker Sebastian Bach. Seeing two of the best 80's singers singing "My Michelle" was simply.priceless!

GNR performed the title track off of their upcoming album, Chinese Democracy and song "I.R.S." These songs best describe GNR in 2006 very modern with a touch of old school. Another one of the highlights of the show was my all time favorite GNR classic,"Patience." Axl shined.

As the evening was coming to a close, one thing was for certain. The momentum of the band never let up. All eyes were on Axl Rose as he captivated the audience with his magical stage performance. GNR ended the night with guitarist Robin Finch blistering solo into "Night Train" and closed with the ferocious "Paradise City."

The audience went into a frenzy, headbanging when Axl sang, "Take Me Down to The Paradise City" as Axl and his new version of GNR rocked New York City hard. Never looking back, only looking into the future. The baddest of the bad boys is back, Mr Axl Rose. Ready to reclaim his throne as one of the best rock "n"roll singers of our time.

Get ready to witness one of the best rock and roll shows this year, as GNR invade New York City all this week. The band will be touring Europe this summer. They say timing is everything. Axl Rose has surely picked the best time to make a comeback. 2006 is shaping up to be the summer where old school metal rules the concert scene.

GNR are back with a vengeance, and making their old school rock and roll roots come alive once again, as Axl Rose proves he is indeed one of the best rock and roll singers of our generation.


GNR Setlist

Welcome To the Jungle
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Better
Live and Let Die
Sweet Child O'Mine
Knockin On Heaven's Door
Madgascar
You Could Be Mine
The Blues Dizzy Solo!
Out to get Me
November rain
My Michelle - Sebastian and Axl
Chinese Democracy
T.W.A.T
Patience
I.R.S.
Nightrain
Paradise City

[Birk]

Preparty wasn't well organized i feel..Prices for beer was outrageous.  Should of had some kind of special for us fans.  But oh well.   Scored some bud in Ny, smoked a few drank ALOT!!!!  Met some cool people...The canadiens, forgot your names already..LOL..  Sorry i was wrecked...The show kicked fucking ass!!! I was thrown out of the show during Paradise City as the confetti was falling everywhere, i tried to jump on stage...BIg mistake, but it was worth it..Fuck it...Great show.  I guess i can say i was backstage, since i was thrown out the backdoor.  Whats up with any pics from the Preparty???  If you have them please post them...And whats up to JOE!   If you read this email me, and the canadiens too!! THANKS FOR A GOOD ROCKING TIME!!!  Birkoner@aol.com    AXL IS BACK BITCHES!

[IFINGLOVEGNR]

Preparty wasn't well organized i feel..Prices for beer was outrageous.? Should of had some kind of special for us fans.? But oh well.? ?Scored some bud in Ny, smoked a few drank ALOT!!!!? Met some cool people...The canadiens, forgot your names already..LOL..? Sorry i was wrecked...The show kicked fucking ass!!! I was thrown out of the show during Paradise City as the confetti was falling everywhere, i tried to jump on stage...BIg mistake, but it was worth it..Fuck it...Great show.? I guess i can say i was backstage, since i was thrown out the backdoor.? Whats up with any pics from the Preparty? If you have them please post them...And whats up to JOE!? ?If you read this email me, and the canadiens too!! THANKS FOR A GOOD ROCKING TIME!!!? Birkoner@aol.com? ? AXL IS BACK BITCHES!

Here they are





lets hope to get some more tonight, i'll get there around 6:00

[marknroses]

(quote author=GnR-NOW link=topic=29914.msg573203#msg573203 date=1147613295]
and why are we still calling them nu gnr, theyre gnr, theres no other gnr in the world.  i admit, i thought the gnr name was a little off for axl just to use by himself, but after the trunk interview its clear where the spirit of gnr is, its axl rose.  therefore his band is guns n roses

Before the people on the board begin to stifle my right to an honest opinion, I just want to say I have every right to it since I do own 30 GNR shows  from Roxy 1/18/1986 through MSG 12/5/2002, so I have a pretty good understanding of Axl and his abilities.
Axl abilities once enabled him to be the biggest rock star in the world from 1988-1993. GNR was a tremendous band with tremendous spirit as well.
How anybody could hold Axl and his current band with the GNR name to a lower expectation perplexes me and it has done so to the point that I now post here rarely. If he's having "sound issues" at his first show and not doing enough about it, then I take a big issue with that since he rarely had these issues on a consistent basis in the past.

Im just coming out to the concert at this point to thank him for his past music and to see if there's anything left in the "trunk".
I live on 70th street in manhattan's upper west side and to watch fans from around the country flock to see this guy perform and for me not to show up would be an insult to my love for anything regarding GNR.

I think its great to watch him return and to see him performing with Sebastchian. I hope he does it again and I hope to see something new and exciting and to hear new songs like what he did with UYI. I want to see AXL ROSE excited with the new songs, as he was with any new song he put out with the past.

I'm glad he's back (for the 3rd time) and its remarkable considering what he's been through in his personal life - but he's got work to do and he should get to it the right way with the right attitude if he wants credit for the GNR name.

MNR

PS - Im watching the DVD of the Ritz Gig from 1991 (which happend 15 years ago this coming tuesday). If this new band and this show is half as good at the Ritz gig, then Axl is truly back.

[marino95]

The Ritz gig was in 1988.

[metallex78]

The Ritz gig was in 1988.

I'm pretty sure they also played the Ritz in 1991, a couple of warm-up shows for the UYI tour.

[oldgunsfan]

How long on average did it take to get i the venue?  Ticketbastard lost my tix and i got to pick them up at the Hammerstein

[AxlsMainMan]

Hey,

I have a bunch of pictures from the May 12th pre-party I really wanted to upload, but unfortunately, the pictures are saved as fuckin' PDF files....

Is there anyway to convert these to a normal JPG, or a photo hosting place that will automatically do that for me, since tinypic wont

[GNRslave]

Board members attending May 12th: 14 Yrs Of Silence, Barbie567, bigcash2002, Crashdiet, CTgirl, dmny50, draguns, Electric Sintar, fif, GeorgeSteele, illusionone, jazjme, LittleFly, loretian, mccoygnr, mikegiulana, MR.BROWNSTONE, russtcb, SINSHINE, smeagol2124, uncleslashbob, w.axl.rose, WhatIsItMan, Z

just wanted to say that i was there on 5/12 and im also going tonight (5/15)!!

[Rob]

Yeah, I was there on the 12th too...where's my name damnit!!!   

[mikegiuliana]

all the people I met that night wa s agreat experience, all of you rocked, hope to see you tonight... Take care

[GnR-NOW]

its weird knowing it might never be like this again with the way they did these shows

[AxlsMainMan]

its weird knowing it might never be like this again with the way they did these shows

I wouldnt be surprised if GnR played a few "Warm Up" shows at the Hammerstein once again in the Fall, if they still intend on going on tour in the fall.

After the reception for these intimate shows, and the easy sale of tickets, it would be a great way to kick off a North American tour