London (Hammersmith Apollo) 7th June

[Death Cube K]

of the 600 gigs I've been to (and obv. not just by GNR) only 3 have finished after 11.30

Wierd. Where you from? I can't remember any of the concerts Ive been too finishing BEFORE 11:30, but rather midnight to 01:00am

[markreed]

London, England.

[littleredcorvette]

To all the people complaining about the guys making mistakes: have you really listened closely to any bootlegs of the old band? They all fucked up constantly. This is bloody rock n roll, not James Brown and The Famous Flames. Even when Slash was pulling off some mind-bending solo, there'd still be bum notes here and there. Too many fuckers are nitpicking. Just go and download the 192kbps mp3's of the Budapest show and listen to the whole show with a drink and some fags. It's fucking blinding stuff. Listen to Richard's solo where he goes from Bucket shredding to Christina Beautiful and the crowd go ape for it.

If you really hate Robin that much and think you're guitar teacher is better then fine, that's your perogative but he's gonna be around for the duration and you may just love his work on the album....

[BD888]

I haven't been to a GNR concert where Axl wasn't atleast an hour and a half late.

[Death Cube K]

They all fucked up constantly.

Out of tune, out of synch and out of their minds. They sounded a whole like a garage band at times  :hihi:s

[MeanBone]

robin doesn't need to play like zakk wylde or someone else's guitar teacher, he's the only guy onstage that can actually outrock Axl, the guy causes a huge impression on anyone that sees him live, he's all over the place and he has charisma, something your guitar teachers will never have no matter how many notes they can play per second. besides rock n roll is all about presence and songwriting talent. and judging by better, Robin has all of that, and no matter what some hatters may say he will still be the coolest motherfucker in the band!

[Gaymo, the Hobbit]

Amen

[slashisvr]

To all the people complaining about the guys making mistakes: have you really listened closely to any bootlegs of the old band? They all fucked up constantly. This is bloody rock n roll, not James Brown and The Famous Flames. Even when Slash was pulling off some mind-bending solo, there'd still be bum notes here and there. Too many fuckers are nitpicking. Just go and download the 192kbps mp3's of the Budapest show and listen to the whole show with a drink and some fags. It's fucking blinding stuff. Listen to Richard's solo where he goes from Bucket shredding to Christina Beautiful and the crowd go ape for it.

If you really hate Robin that much and think you're guitar teacher is better then fine, that's your perogative but he's gonna be around for the duration and you may just love his work on the album....

slash duff etc where 99.9% drugged up

[slashisvr]

the three guitar solo's were random stuff no improvision and alot of mistakes were made, bring back buckethead i say!

How's it not improvised if it's random?

But coming on at 10.40pm, and finishing at 1.01am is not. Axl should have said at the end "GOOD. FUCKING. MORNING!"

Is this just a Finland thing, but all the gigs I go to here start around 10-11..? Nobody expects a band to start at 8. Even the opening acts may not start by that time.

well the soloing wasnt going anywhere, just hitting random notes, i mean when i hear slash, ady smith yngwie mallsteem they have great soloing, there playing is going somewhere, with these guys it seemed like hit and hope, too much distorsion also.

[mlewis]

Yeah, Robin was stealing the show. People were loving his mid-song solos, and the duet with Richard went down really well. Really, this was as intense and great a show as I imagine being at the Ritz in 88 woukd have been- this show, to me , was this band's Ritz.

[slashisvr]

i hear they're casting him for pirates of the carribean 2

[sneeks]

I have audio of the entire show but unfortunately my mic is terrible so all I can really hear is bass distorting everything else Ah well at least I tried. Hopefully others will have better audio available.

[pilferk]

The band were MAGNIFICENT.

But coming on at 10.40pm, and finishing at 1.01am is not. Axl should have said at the end "GOOD. FUCKING. MORNING!"

I've never heard boos and jeers like it. The crowd had noticably thinned by the time they came on stage two hours late.? The bar was decanting all drinks out of bottles to prevent people throwing bottles of piss at the band. And believe me, there were many people who would've done so if they had the chance. No matter how good they were, I'm NOT going to see them again : I have a wife, a child, a job, and waiting for Axl to pull his head out of 'Axltime' to the real world causes frictions and costs money when it finishes that late.

Axl may have 'Fuck You Money', but someone needs to pull Axl to one side and tell him how seriously he's fucking off some of the fans.

I'm sorry but...I have no sympathy for you, or others complaining about this. ?I just don't.

Axl goes on late. ?He has for quite awhile. ?It's very well documented, not just on the boards, but in the press. ?Maybe the venues should post a sign or something, but, the fact of the matter is.....pretty much most of the people buying tickets to a GnR show should have a reasonable idea that GnR is going on late. ?If you can't do the "staying up late" thing...don't go see 'em..don't buy tickets. ?But don't complain. ?It's like complaining that the sun is going to come up in the morning.

[cyllan]

What a night! Thank you Axl and thank you GNR! ?Thanks also to all the cool people I met at the Distillers pre-show. ?Just goes to show that the the old punk ethic is alive and well in the GNR community, forget organised concert packages, management-led get togethers, Gunners are doing it for themselves and, of course, do it so much better!

Haven't had a chance to read through the thread yet as the boss has been keeping me busy at work this morning. ?But, as he's just gone for lunch, I've got a few minutes to add my views on last night. ?One word to begin with - unbelieveable; had to keep telling myself that it was real, GNR at Hammy O - the stuff that dreams are made of! ?NY was amazing, Madrid was fantastic, but Hammersmith was where it all came together. ?This band is not the same band that toured in 02. ?There is energy, chemistry and an indefinable something that was missing back then. ?Axl's voice is the best I've ever heard it. ?He's on top form and obviously enjoying this tour, emphasised by his greatly reduced absences from the stage this time around. ?It's great to see him dancing around and having fun while the band jam.

To anyone who's yet to see them this year, please don't judge on bootlegs/streaming because you really are only getting a tiny part of the whole package that makes this band what it is. ?I urge you to do whatever you can to get to a show - you won't be sorry you did!

I was so glad to hear the warm reception given to the new songs. ?Obviously Madagascar and The Blues were familiar to more people than were Better and IRS, however I thought that Better was given a deservedly good show of appreciation. ?I felt that the solos did kill the energy of the previous shows I've attended but not last night. ?The whole thing flowed more whilst retaining the loose structure that is the hallmark of a GNR gig. ?I couldn't pick a favourite guitarist for the eveing as each time one took the spotlight, I kept changing my mind. ?Dizzy is an absolute star; he plays with such gusto that I never get bored watching him. ?Tommy is just, well Tommy, full of energy, a great performer and, of course, Axl's right-hand man. ?Brain is the one that I've struggled to warm to but last night it all clicked into place and I can genuinely say that, for me, his intro to YCBM outshone Matt. ?And when Axl introduced him to the crowd, the huge grin on his face seemed to sum it all up.

One highlight, of many, for me was NR because it allowed all 3 guitarists to shine and demonstrate their individuality, yet at the same time display their togetherness as a band and the interaction with each other. ?And this is coming from someone who, as I was reminded last night (thanks Ian ? ) said after seeing them in 02 that I didn't think I would ever be able to accept NR without Slash. ?Well, I can now and I've never been more pleased to be proved wrong!

I'll stop now before I bore you all senseless with my enthusiastic rambling. ?One last thing though, I don't know if anyone else has put their bid in yet, but Axl, if you're ever of a mind to throw out the lilac shirt from last night, chuck it in my direction would you - it's gorgeous and the well-toned bod inside didn't look half bad either ?

[slashisvr]

i was waiting backstage with 10 or so fans about 2ish in the morning and i think it was a VIP person came out and said that pittman said that the studio version of silkworms is awsome

duno what to make of that......

[markreed]

Then Pilferk, Axl owns you and you are his bitch. Which is roughly what the legal notice outside the venue said :



Since I bought a ticket, that gives me a right to an opinion on the time the show happened.

[pilferk]

of the 600 gigs I've been to (and obv. not just by GNR) only 3 have finished after 11.30

Of the 50+ EVENING ROCK gigs I've been to, MOST ended after 11:30. ?Probably a bit more than 1/2 have ended before midnight, though. ?Another 25% have ended just after midnight. ?The others (and not all of them GnR gigs) have all ended later than that. ?When I worked at a venue, that ratio was pretty consistent with what we had happen for concerts, too.

GnR is not the ONLY band who starts late, or even plays late.

[slashisvr]

axl must have spent 60 odd thousand last night on curfews if rumours are anything to go by

[Slashead]

Yeah, Robin was stealing the show. People were loving his mid-song solos, and the duet with Richard went down really well. Really, this was as intense and great a show as I imagine being at the Ritz in 88 woukd have been- this show, to me , was this band's Ritz.

Stop blaspheming.

Thanks.

[mlewis]

My pics- some better than others.