Hallenstadion - July 1 (Z?rich, Switzerland) - CHANGED DATE

[Cows N' Roses]

I bought my ticket yesterday, seating one unfortunately, but hey nothing's perfect
Can someone tell me how far the train station is from the stadium?
If I can walk until there maybe?

[tonya_ytzerman]

Yes, you can walk. Here is a .pdf of the plan. If you are arriving by train, simply get off at "Bahnhof Oerlikon" or "Hauptbahnhof", and take tram no. 11 towards "Messe/Hallenstadion". Tram no. 11 leaves from "Bahnhofstrasse" in front of the main station ("Hauptbahnhof"), or right in front of the train station in Oerlikon (Oerlikon being closer to the stadium). Your train ticket is valid on the tram. Get off at the terminal station "Messe/Hallenstadion", and you're right in front of the stadium.

I have seen quite some tickets for sale on ebay and ricardo.ch, also for standing places. You need an account to bid though, it takes a few days to get one.

[Cows N' Roses]

Awesome! Thanks so much for all the details!! And I would bid but, I really don't know how it works and anyways, I already bought one, and it won't be the last GNR concert so.. but thanks a lot for the info!!?

[Steph]

Does anyone know at what time the show is supposed to start?
Also, are Avenged Sevenfold still the opening act?

May seems irrelevant but not for me 'cause I'm gonna travel to be there and maybe get in Zurich just a short time before the show begins...

Thank you?

[tonya_ytzerman]

The promoter's page says the show starts 8pm. The Avenged Sevenfold homepage lists a gig in San Francisco on that day, so if there is an opener, it won't be them.

[Steph]

thanks so much tonya?

so I guess unless they announce another opener, I'd better be there at 8pm...good to know!

[sixgnr]

The promoter's page says the show starts 8pm. The Avenged Sevenfold homepage lists a gig in San Francisco on that day, so if there is an opener, it won't be them.

And Bullet for My Valentine will be in Germany saturday. Any News?

[tonya_ytzerman]

Just phoned the promoter again:
There will be another support act starting 19:30, they say a homepage update (www.goodnews.ch) is underway.

[tonya_ytzerman]

Update: Shakra will be supporting Gn'R tomorrow. Whoever that is, I'm not into the Swiss metal scene.
Note that the show is now scheduled to start 19:30, not 20:00. source (the text there says you cannot give back your ticket safe for if you're considered a "case of hardship"(?) like you can prove that you had already booked some holydays that you can't postpone &  stuff like that. In that case you could have sent back the ticket until yesterday (Thursday the 29th). )

[Lucs]

Today's the day Cool !

[tonya_ytzerman]

Ok, this is gonna take a while. So I put some keywords before every paragraph, and if you're not interested you can skip.

queue
Got in line around 3, there were already some ppl waiting. Was with Keleko and a friend of his from Ljubljana, and I also met Lucs and his friends (that was your Swiss flag Axl wore, right?).

security
Security was the most disorganised, uninformed, power-trippy and incompetent bunch of housewives I've ever seen. I can elaborate on that, but won't bore you now.

pit, photos, promoter
Anyway, they finally opened gates some time after 6, and I ran for 1st row. There was a pit with wristbands, and we got 1st row center. The stage was not as high up as eg. in Dublin or Novarock, where you couldn't see half the stage because that thing in the middle is in the line of sight. So would have been really great if I could have taken my camera in. Which I couldn't. I had called the promoter and asked, and they said it was ok to bring cappy cameras (see my post in this thread). And like 2 minutes before gates open the security dude says no cams whatsoever allowed, only phones. Thanks for that . So I left my camera at the wardrobe. Keleko's friend took some pics with her phone (mine is too crappy), and maybe someday we figure out a way of how to transfer them to thenet.

opener (Shakra)
Shakra were really cute. They were soooo happy to have the opportunity to play one of the biggest stadiums in Switzerland and to open for Gn'R :-) . One of their guitarists seemed to be completely daunted and hardly moved. At some point the singer asked us to all raise our hands so that he could take a picture . The sound was ok.

official pics, stage setup
since Gn'R were late, I started to talk to some of the photographers who were waiting. They told me that only photographers from daily newspapers were allowed, no agencies. I specifically asked about the "all your copyright are belong to us" contract, and they didn't know anything about it. So I'll see that I get some of the papers & scan the pics that we have at least a few from the 1st 3 songs.
The stage was smaller than the ones I'd seen before, but I think that was good. Never an empty space anywhere, always something to look at (problem is with at least 5 of the 8 guys running in all directions, you never know where to look ).

setlist
gn'r finally took the stage with the usual songs. There were no surprises in the setlist (check out the updates thread in the main Gn'R section, I sent updates to Jarmo). Since they started about 40 mins late and probably had to stop by midnight, i found the gig rather short. No Madagascar, no Rocket Queen, no CD, ... .

axl
Was in good mood, talked very few. Sometimes he said something, but it was inaudible (at least from where I was standing, I got a good listen of the bass though ). Joked around with the band (Tommy was clapping his hands over his head and Axl came out on stage, watched him, and started jumping up an down with the "jumping jack" exercise. Voice was on the ok side, but have heard him stronger. Might have been the mix, but also some of my friends who were farther in the back said they could hardly hear him. He also wore only one earpiece, the other was hanging round his neck. Safe for that, I'm tempted to say "as usual" (clothing, moving, energy, snakedancing , mood), but that would not be suitable. He did a great show!

"the band"
Richard wore a scarf round his neck and a jacket in the beginning and stripped to no-shirt during the show  .  In between, he was dressed all in black, like Novarock. Seemed to have himself a blast, his solo was great! The best of him I've seen so far!

Robin was also hot (yes, he also took off the jacket and was dressed all-white safe for the Addams-Family print on his shirt, the stockings, and the ... whatever it is. A skirt? That thing was red and black. The stage was very close to 1st row, so I got a good look at him. I have never seen someone more into what he's doing. It's as if he can physically feel the music, not just hear. Great solos also! Though my friend joked that probably Richard and Robin had a marital quarrel because they weren't drooling at each other during "Beautiful" as much as they had been at Novarock . But it was also great without the drooling, some people even sang along .
He came down to 1st row once, and after the show (like after they had taken a bow and stuff) he ran down to 1st row again and just hugged the fans that were standing there and then ran back up.

bbf was wearing the red cap you've seen on other pictures, and sometimes an army-green and also kinda army-style cap. Someone asked in the other thread about his guitar, yes he did use the foot guitar for his solo. He also was playing with the fretless guitar (his homepage lists the guitars he has, you can see a pic of it there), but I forgot which song it was. At one point during the show he came to the front, and I threw a kiss at him, and he threw one back (now *that*'s the info you've been waiting for ). We also noticed his beard: He's shaved it such that when you look from underneath at his chin it's a stlyised figure of a man :-)
I never get his footguitar solo, I'm just not that much into the shredding thing, but don't cry was killer again. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The dude rocks!

Tommy - it's so sad there's hardly ever a spot on so that you can see the fucker! He jumps around a lot, bangs his head a bit, kind of a one-man-party (safe for when he's sneaking up behind Robin ). He's very much into it! I saw him conferring with Axl a lot in between songs, seems like he's the conductor or something. As I was standing in front of where they probably had the subwoofers, I had a great listen to his playing - awesome!

Dizzy was the first one to lose the shirt (yes, also the temperatures were hot), and... maybe he should pull up the pants just a tiny bit, but that's a guess . Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery good solo! The crowd LOVED it, just plain awesome!!! In good mood, too :-) . Chris was wearing what appeared to me a brazilian soccer shirt (it was red and black, with some print on the chest - but since I'm neither brazilian nor into soccer, don't hang me for that). He also lost the shirt rather quickly :-)  (though you never get to see what he looks like, right?).

Frank - great on drums, didn't hear a single mistake, didn't see him behind the drums though, so I can't say if he went shirtless too . He has  a slightly differen drum setup than Brain (from what I the thing looked like, I don't know shit about drumming to be honest :-/ ).

They all rocked big time, from start to the end! My friends now finally understand me at least, and I think I drew some more people into world's most unpredictable religion . The crowd was very loud, sang along every single line (even the new songs). Single shows are so much different from festivals in that way! I'm looking forward to the reviews in newspapers tomorrow (and we'll see which journalist was at the same show I was at...).

[tonya_ytzerman]

Aftershow & Backstage
A friend of mine had caught a guitar pick (he thinks it's Robin's) which he gave to me (thanks Krusty!), and then Lucs walked up to me and handed me his VIP-backstage sticker which he had gotten, since he had to run home. Thank you SO MUCH for that!!!!!! I owe you lots of for that, man! So I had the sticker, and my camera outside the building, and noone could tell me where to go with that sticker. So I asked around until some dude told be to go back to the concert area, where I met Gio (the Gn'R security dude). He "knows" me from the Gn'R gig I have been to (well from saying hi and stuff), so I asked him what to do. He took me behind a door and told me to wait there. So I stood in the catacombs of a huge stadium, have no idea where to go (aisle to the right? aisle to the left?) , where i can go, or what to do, and noone expecting me to be there (Lucs should have been there, after all!). I tried my luck with the aisle to the right cause the door there was open and I saw Richard and Robin there. So I walked up to them, and asked if they had a pen and if I could have an autograph. Then the security dude there saw my pass and told me I wasn't allowed to be there, so while I backed up through the aisle with said security dude in front of me, Richard was following him with a pen, and signed my pass (thanks!). I think he and Robin had come straight from the shower or something, so I didn't "talk" to Richard (Robin had disappeared) and just went back to my post between the aisles and waited.

It was the exit that lead to the busses, so I figured that at some point the band would just walk past me. Then I phoned my friend and gave her my wardrobe ticket through the fence, hoping to get the cam before the band came. Right after I had given her the ticket, Gio walked up to me and told me to follow him. On our way I briefly met Richard, who was already leaving for the bus. He took me to the band's catering, like, he opens a door, shows me to enter and I nearly step on Tommy's feet and Dizyy sits in front of me and everyone stares at me like "Hi....??" I really didn't have the slightest idea of where I was, who the other people in the room were (safe for Tommy, Dizzy, and Frank), how to act, or what to do. Dizzy was signing some autographs for the blonde next to him (who looked like she was suffering from an overdose of self-tanner, wore a white thing that I first identified as a net for a scubadiving tank but then decided she called that a shirt, and who found it hard to work a digital camera later the night), so I thought that I would just slip in my ticket for him to sign as well (I still had no pen, and no camera). There was another blonde at that table, and beer, so I didn't want to disturb him any more (after all, what do I have to say? "Great solo"? They probably notice if I say that to everyone, and second, ... err... what answer would I expect? "great you shut up during November Rain, I can't stand it when people who can't sing do"? So most of the time I just shut up and watched.

When I turned around, I saw bbf standing right behind me (he's really not that tall, hehe). I talked to him for a while - he's really such a nice and funny guy!!! Most was just "about God and the world", he said he'd love to work on an upcoming Gn'R record, but that he didn't know if that was the plan ("I hope they don't kick me ;-) "). He also wore a shirt that read "my name is Ronald and your name is douchebag" .

Tommy joked about the fact that the tickets for the show were actually pink (see pics in this thread) "Have you seen this? They sell pink tickets for a rock show!!!". He didn't say much and seemed to only be waiting for everyone to hop on the bus, so I left him alone. For some reason, he had *two* folded sunglasses in his shirt's neckline.

I must say that everyone was *very* friendly, introduced themselves (bass & drum technicians), asked my name n' stuff (I guess erveryone just thought I was with some of the other guys ). Talked to them for quite a while, at some point Del James walked up to me and asked if he could bring me a beer (I said I didn't drink, but a diet coke would be fine, and could keep myself from asking whether I may fall on my knees and kiss his feet for the "without you" story ;-) ).

At some time, Robin came in (he wore a Poncho and a hat), and he also signed my ticket. Frankly, he scared me a bit... I mean, he's the nicest person and stuff, but I just felt a little intimidated for some reason. He didn't stay long, but I have to say he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen (he kinda walked up close).

Beta was also there for a short while, but I didn't talk to her (I didn't want anyone to figure out I wasn't with anyone and getting thrown out). She has actually blonde, not white/grey hair as you could think from some of the pictures.

I didn't talk to Frank (he was busy with some of his guests), but got an autograph when he was leaving. Chris also was there and made a shrews comment about my shirt (I wore the HTGTH thing again). I didn't get it, and neither did he (somehow, HTGTH seems to be a name people know, but they don't know what it is exactly). He also said that he didn't go on the Internet, so that's probably why .

Then some dude came in and shouted for everyone to leave ("we have a schedule to keep"), cause they needed to get on the bus to Nijmegen, so my time there was over, Dizzy wanted a hug before he left (even though we hadn't talked), and that was it basically. I hopped on my bike and joined my friends again at a pub, went to sleep at 6 in the morning and got up some time this afternoon. But considering I had to fly or ride trains forever for the other shows before I could write  a review, I think I was fast enough.

tonya is now a *very* happy gunner, thanks to Lucs (!!! can't thank you enough!!!), and Gio (i just don't know how to thank him...).

Picture-taking was forbidden, but I took some of my ticket and of the wristband (here).

[Lucs]

Cool !! I'm so happy that you got to meet the band !! Too bad for me I couldn't stay there, but well, the show was really great

[Lucs]

queue
Got in line around 3, there were already some ppl waiting. Was with Keleko and a friend of his from Ljubljana, and I also met Lucs and his friends (that was your Swiss flag Axl wore, right?).

Yup ! I threw it on stage and he "wore" it and everything it was so cool

About Axl's voice, it was pretty hard to heard it from where we were (front of the stage). But I got some pieces of videos (from German forum http://www.gunsnroses-forum.de/ and we can hear it very well !

Live And Let Die

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=F3D571C2406565F2

November Rain

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=F9D4170C3DAF94D1

I got to touch () Robin Finck at the end of the show while he went to hug someone in the audience just next to me ! A friend of mine slapped his ass lol

[Lara]

I got to touch () Robin Finck at the end of the show while he went to hug someone in the audience just next to me ! A friend of mine slapped his ass lol

LMAO     



Tonya, thanx for great review! 

[fishyguy]

Wow thanks tonya_ytzerman great review and backstage story!

[Neemo]

thnaks Tonya....again you provided a great review

[Ines_rocks!]

god tonya u?re just fucking lucky!! how cool girl!

[bucketheadfan]

GOOD TICKET.. LUCS

[tonya_ytzerman]

As promised, here are the reviews from the local newspapers. The pictures are shit, Tages Anzeiger even used a picture from Roskilde (this one: http://www.hs.fi/kuvat/iso_webkuva/1135220494752.jpeg ).

Review from Neue Zuercher Zeitung (translation, it's not my fault they can't spell Gn'R correctly):

Witching Hour with AxlGuns'n'Roses in front of euphoric audience in Hallenstadion

The songs of US hardrockers Guns'n'Roses are timeless grand rockers. Despite for the slightly anaemic presentation in Hallenstadion, 13 000 spectators sang along to every single line.

Who exactly was on stage remained as unclear as it remained unimportant until the end. For a moment you could think you recognised guitarist Izzy Stradlin, this scarf was waving so perfectly! But it was only Richard Fortus. And could the slim-as-an-aspargus keyboarder really be Dizzy Reed, who, safe for Axl Rose, is the only remaining member from the era of the really existing Guns'n'Roses? Drummer Brian Mantia, who was the reason why the first Zurich concert had been cancelled, hadn't returned; anyway a bald understudy sat behind the caldrons. And bearded lead guitarist Robin Finck, in his temple whore costume, reminded you of Jim Martin of Faith No More.

But frontman W. Axl Rose could have masqueraded his nameless fellow musicians also explicitly, with top hat and hydrogen dye, as Slash, Duff & Co. Because on this saturday night, it wasn't about a new beginning, a glorious return, or even only a new interpretation. The program was: Axl Rose sings old hits of his dead band. There is no creative reason for this, the new Guns'n'Roses album, advertised for over ten years, still has no release date set. That the stage decoration with lampions and [chinese] characters alludes to the known-for-years album title "Chinese Democracy" seems like sheer mockery.

Nearly all songs of 1988's debut album as well as hits from the "Use Your Illusion" time ("November Rain", "Knocking on Heaven's Door", "Live & Let Die", "You could be mine") were presented. "Patience" and "Night Rain" were the highlights. The blessed audience waved with lighters in an emotional way that didn't fit the unpretentious mien of the band in at all.

W. Axl Rose, in shirt and blue jeans instead of stretch under pants as earlier on, had an acceptable voice (not worse as at the Freddie-Mercury-Tribute), herlicoptered in little dancing steps across the stage and acted, even though he forbore from announcing anzthing, reasonably engaged. Also the playing time of two and a quarter hours attests this. The audience thanked the difficult star and applauded every superfluous-as-it-gets guitar solo, and even the four new songs presented. The latter, by their disappointing unvividness, made clear that Guns'n'Roses don't make it to the present even with their surprising tour.