July 18 - Sheffield, UK @ Hallam FM Arena

I was looking forward to it, but it probably had a lot to live up to with the only 2 GnR shows I'd been to were Wembley stadium in 91 & 92

The first 4 tracks flew by and I was really impressed with them, Live and Let Die with the bombs and the flames made for a great arena spectacle, I could feel the heat from halfway back on the arena floor, it have taken the eyebrows off the people at the front.

However Axl didn?t look happy, taking his ear monitors out, stalking the stage and having words with the techs off stage. As soon as LALD finished he stormed off stage and someone announced they were having technical difficulties and would be back soon.

3 mins later (seemed like forever) and Axl came back onstage to introduce the first of the nights guitar solos. People around me seemed to be dumbstruck by how bad it was. However I think he was doing it on purpose, I think he was taking the piss, because as soon as the crowd were becoming restless and weren?t responding he went in to the opening riff of Sweet Child O?Mine and the place went mad again.

Knockin on Heavens Door was when Axl explained that the monitors on stage weren?t working so he couldn?t hear what he was singing, so he had no clue if what he was singing sounded right or not. It didn?t sound too bad from where I was anyway.

We then got a piano solo of all things which incorporated some Bowie, Ziggy Sradust I think. This lead in to the only new track of the night, The Blues.

The excellent You Could be Mine got things back on track which was followed by Axl storming off stage again, he came back on a few minutes later and introduced another guitar solo, which in fairness was the best of the evening as it was a version of Don?t Cry.

Out Ta Get Me got the place going again, I thought Axl sounded great on that one. November Rain followed, another classic and again I liked the curtain of fireworks that came down.

Then another guitar solo, he was joined by Robin and they did an instrumental version of Christine Aguilera?s Beautiful!! Surreal or what.

Sebastian Bach came out to duet with Axl on My Michelle, great version and Axl?s mood seemed to visibly lighten at this point.

Then original gunner Izzy Stradlin came out for the remainder of the show, the cover of the Stones song after My Michelle dropped the pace again.

I think About You was a surprise inclusion (for me anyway) and the set finished with 2 classics in Patience and Nightrain.

They came back out for the encore of Paradise City, bombs, fireworks were going off, red, white and blue ticker tape was blown all over the crowd, catherine wheels were going off and it gave the show a spectacular ending.

3 guitar solos (4 if you count the weird duet) and a piano solo was too much and it did kill the atmosphere, (in my opinion). The place was electric after the first 4 songs, but Axl going off dampened it I thought. Take out the solos and you could get another 3 or 4 GnR songs in there, which at ?40 is a ticket is what people had paid to see (GnR songs that is).? If the guitar solos were dropped then I think the show would flow much better.

Only 1 new song too, but I know they have done more new ones in previous setlists on the tour. Maybe this will change on the other UK shows.

On the plus side is was a great speactacle with the fireworks, bombs etc etc.

It was really good to hear those GnR songs live, they are too good to go to waste.

Axl sounded on form to me, not too much different to when I last saw them 14 years ago.

Overall though I'm glad I went, plus I got it on mini disc too (along with Sebastian Bachs set). My mics picked up Axl muttering to someone after he goes off the first time 'tell them we're having technical difficulties'.