London (Hammersmith Apollo) 7th June

[Jimmy?]

huh, i didn't see him crowd surf? maybe i'm senile

I didn't see that either?

he did do something during OTGM very quick like the fist row but i missed it

he was being carried by the fans. his big red boots were in the air?

Were we at the same gig??
I was standing all the bloody time (except for 5 seconds during November Rain) and I missed that!?

lol, he definately did it! it was quite hard to see though my mate pointed it out "hey jimmy, look at the guitarist with the red boots!". i looked and looked but couldn't see him then i looked at the crowd at the edge and saw his feet up in the air? he then got pulled out by security! lasted a good 10 seconds though!

[Mandy.]

hey ppl, was merck that guy in a grey suit or something like that , at the right hand side of the stage with black hair?
just curiosity really coz he looked kinda Greek ahahhaha

I dunno, but there was a guy at the right hand side and that was  Fernando. He was wearing a greyish/white shirt.

[Jimmy?]

hey ppl, was merck that guy in a grey suit or something like that , at the right hand side of the stage with black hair?
just curiosity really coz he looked kinda Greek ahahhaha

yeh that was him, there wasn't much hair there though 

[The Bedouin]

just came home (holland)...what an amazing night. Axl never sounded better than this. Show rocked from the beginning to the end...too bad they still play some boring solo's

met a lot of cool people...too tired to write a full review

[Elrothiel]

hey ppl, was merck that guy in a grey suit or something like that , at the right hand side of the stage with black hair?
just curiosity really coz he looked kinda Greek ahahhaha

I dunno, but there was a guy at the right hand side and that was Fernando. He was wearing a greyish/white shirt.

I couldn't see... was he pointing out camera-ed people to security or was he being cool about it?

[Mandy.]

hey ppl, was merck that guy in a grey suit or something like that , at the right hand side of the stage with black hair?
just curiosity really coz he looked kinda Greek ahahhaha

I dunno, but there was a guy at the right hand side and that was Fernando. He was wearing a greyish/white shirt.

I couldn't see... was he pointing out camera-ed people to security or was he being cool about it?

He was being cool about it, I think. In fact, he has been really cool lately.

[Elrothiel]

That be excellent!!

[SWINGTRADER]

HERE'S A REVIEW FROM THE PLANET ROCK RADIO STATION MESSAGE BOARD

http://www.planetrock.com/messageboard/Default.asp?sub=show&action=posts&fid=806&tid=183160

HOMEPAGE:? http://www.planetrock.com/default.asp


DOES ANYBODY KNOW  WHY THEIR STREAMONG IS NOT WORKING??

[mikegiuliana]

glad you had such a good time SG

[stan1ey]

Did anyone see the tramp outside the venue? People were offloading their beer to him as they went in and he must have had at least 20 cans of unopenned beer around him. He was already drunk as fuck and happy as hell!

yeah, we tried to speak to him, did anyone see that guitarist playing 'sweet child o' mine' after the gig in the subway?
he looked like the sprog of chris evens and dennis pennis. priceless!

That was a woman!

With dreadlocks? and rather tall?

Ha! No, must've been a coincidence - she was quite skinny, short hair and dress to match, but did in fact look like Dennis Pennis and was singing SCOM whilst playing acoustic guitar..

On a separate note, we drove back to Bristol after the gig, and was freaked out to notice that the moon was blood red the whole way back!  I was pretty pissed but verified this with the driver, who confirmed that I wasn't halloucinating.  Was quite fitting, really..

[Spirit]

Guns N Roses: All Sleep In Hammersmith



"It's good to see you. It's good to be back at the legendary Hammersmith" said Axl Rose after the new incarnation of Guns N' Roses stormed to the stage performing Welcome to the Jungle and It's So Easy. "No sleep till Hammermith. Let's stay up all night" he added and he sure meant every word of it.

In true rock n' roll style the band turned up very late and by the time the set had finished at 12:58am, all London underground trains had stopped running. Inevitably, almost all of the 5,000 fans who packed the auditorium had to either sleep in Hammersmith, walk all the way home or wait for hours and commute using several night buses to get home. Special guest in the audience Queen guitarist Brian May had no such a problem as he arrived and left in his chauffer driven limo.

It was October 18th, 1987 when a relatively unknown hard rock band from America blew Londoners away during the Appetite For Destruction Tour in Hammersmith. In the 19 years that followed, they released 2 more classic albums, became the biggest band on the planet and then vanished from the face of this earth following the departure of most of the original members.

Few had great expectations on Wednesday, June 7, 2006, although the majority happily splashed 100 British pounds on eBay (about 180US or 180EUR) to get a ticket for what was a pre-Donnington warm-up gig. Slash was missing, Izzy was missing, Duff and Matt were missing; and so was good-old Steven Adler.

But when Guns N' Roses eventually showed up at 10:41pm local time, they were phenomenally good for three reasons. Firstly, because Axl's voice was as good - if not better - as it used to be 20 years ago. Secondly, they played a killer setlist that included most of the hits - exactly what fans wanted to listen to. And, thirdly, the musical interaction between the GNR members was very good. Shame about the uninspired guitar solos that served no purpose other than force fans to rush for more beer.

All in all the gig was very enjoyable. But make no mistake. GNR without Slash is like a World Cup football tournament without Brazil.

HIGHLIGHTS
- The version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door which was masterfully executed and stood out from all the other songs.
- Dizzy Reed's exquisite piano solo
- Sebastian Bach of Skid Row fame joining vocals with Axl for My Michelle
- The naked flames during Live And Let Die and the rocket pyrotechnics during Nightrain

SET-LIST

Welcome To The Jungle
It's So Easy
Mr Brownstone
Live And Let Die
Sweet Child O' Mine
Madagascar
Better
You Could Be Mine
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
The Blues
IRN
Outta Get Me
November Rain
My Michelle
Patience
Nightrain
Paradise City


Source: http://www.therockradio.com/2006/06/guns-n-roses-all-sleep-in-hammersmith.html

[sneeks]

Thanks for sharing the pics and vids Mandy, they rock Especially good because they are all from my viewpoint on the night 

I got back to my brother's house at 3am, at 2.15am we were walking the streets outside of Parliament

We also had a bus driver who refused to leave Hammersmith Bus Station until 20 people got off of the bus We were there for around 20 minutes when everyone refused.

[CD2006]

All in all the gig was very enjoyable. But make no mistake. GNR without Slash is like a World Cup football tournament without Brazil.

pathetic.

[Mandy.]

All in all the gig was very enjoyable. But make no mistake. GNR without Slash is like a World Cup football tournament without Brazil.

pathetic.

Actually, it's like a World Cup without the US. There will be a difference, but the football lovers won't really care.

[CD2006]

All in all the gig was very enjoyable. But make no mistake. GNR without Slash is like a World Cup football tournament without Brazil.

pathetic.

Actually, it's like a World Cup without the US. There will be a difference, but the football lovers won't really care.

LOL, true words.

[dolphin]

Let's get a few things straight.
I love Gn'R and last night was the first time I felt ready to go and see them since the break up. What a mixed bag it was!
Firstly - the waiting around for 2 hours for them to come on stage is just tedious now - when they were at the height of their powers it kind of went with the territory of being the Most Dangerous Band in The World - you're 44 now Axl, clean and sober so no excuses for showing your fans the disrespect of rolling on stage at 2305. Boring!

Okay, I am confused.

What time did Guns hit the stage at Hammersmith?

Was it 10:30pm, 10:45pm, or 11:05pm as sweetwater says here?

[dolphin]

Wow, what a great show. I was somewhere in the middle of the standing section, and the energy coming off the band and the crowd was astonishing. (I am never going for circle/seating section tickets again!)

And what a great band. They are gelling with each other as players and as people waaaay more than in '02. Plenty of interraction between members, and they were playing as more of an ensemble, rather than a backing band for Axl and the lead guitarists. I'm also pleased that there is a lot more spontaniety than before. (For example the 'Guns N' Roses' jam song near the end). Robin rivalled Axl for stage presence, but I'm still not sure about his soloing style. Bumblefoot seemed to be really enjoying the crowds adoration, and actually made a very credible fist of the last November rain solo. Tommy was really into it, and held propelled the rhtytm nicely? (though I couldn't really hear his bass guitar in the mix). Dizzy's Keyboard work was awesome, and? even Mr Pittman did a noticeably fine job in parts (e.g. the Backing Vocals for Madagascar).

Brain and Richard were on Fire! Richard's style is almost a bridge between the bluesy sound of old Guns and the more technical sound of new guns, and he was playing with a hell of a lot of soul, which really showed during his solos. Brain was pulling off some mad fills, but never missed a beat.

Uncle Axl was in good spirits once he had his deepheat masage (see the link to the Times musicblog a few pages ago). He quipped 'Gay Marriage is legal in England, right?' after seeing the 'Fuck me and marry me' banner. And from some of his banter, it also sounds like he is really stoked for Download - those going to Donnigton are in for a real treat. I for one don't miss the rants. as others have pointed out, he is looking nd sounding much better than he has for a long time. He is really bringing out the aggression and passion in his songs without forcing his vocals, and there were some great screams and long notes at times. I think not having such a bbig stage to cover helped.

Yes, I was getting pissed off waiting for the show to beign, but that evaporated once WTTJ got going. Of course, keeping 5000 people waiting around like that is downright rude. But? had a thought whilst waiting for the band come on, and Limp Bizkit's 'My Way' was playing on the PA. For better or worse, the story of Axl's career has always been 'My Way or the Highway', and long time fans ought to have accepted that by now. If he didn't do things in his own way and in his own time. If he behaved any differently, he wouldn't be the Axl Rose, who can thousands of people in the palm in the palm of his hand at every show, or who can touch our hearts and kick our minds with his songs.

Did anyone else notice Robin slam his guitar onto the ground and storm off at the end of 'It's So Easy?' Technical problems? Or just a lame attempt at showmanship?

Any ideas as to what Dizzy was playing for his solo?

What link?  I didn't see one.  Can you post it?

[Naupis]

All in all the gig was very enjoyable. But make no mistake. GNR without Slash is like a World Cup football tournament without Brazil.

That was actually a really positive review, and then the reviewer drops that tidbit in as the last sentence so that is what you walk away remembering. I am sure those guys love reading that all the time.

[chineseblues]

Brian May commented about the show on his official website http://brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html

[Drew]

Thanks for posting that review Spirit.