July 6th - Helsinki, Finland

[mikegiuliana]

the show was ok. i do have the usual complaints.

the endless guitar solos and "70's porno movie muzak" jams between songs sorta killed the momentum of the show for me...

it also sucked big time that they started 2 hours late.

to be brutally honest, i wasn't blown away... i saw VR two years ago, and they put on a better show IMO.

but, Axl truly does have a killer voice these days and the band seemed pretty tight... i wish Brain would've been there, though.

all in all, it was "just" ok.

what's wrong with you, this wasn't the best concert ever

Go to a vr forum with that attitude

[Jonathan]

I just came back from Finland, I had such an amazing time, I will write more later, I promise.

I wanna say a big thank you to jarmo for taking his time with my updates from the show.

While I'm at it, I just want to say that Madagascar, Out Ta Get Me and Better were the best songs at the July 5th show and that Madagascar and I.R.S. was the best at the 6th.

[evergreen_layne]

to be brutally honest, i wasn't blown away... i saw VR two years ago, and they put on a better show IMO.

all in all, it was "just" ok.

what's wrong with you, this wasn't the best concert ever

Go to a vr forum with that attitude

I'd love to see a pic of Pitman.  Thanks for the reviews except for the VR guy.   

[chineseblues]

Btw, axl said that fortus is from new york again! I thought he is from new jersey? Ok whatever.

i'm  pretty sure he said new jersey at show #2, but new york show #1 if i remember right

He said Richard was from New York in the Stockholm gig too! And then something like "No.. I screwed that up... You're from Jersey"
 

Thanks for all the reviews! Sounds like another great show.

he is from NYC though lol

[ppbebe]

NJ is just next to NY innit?

Big thanks for the updates axe, I have a good title and  jarmo and for the reviews, people.

I'd love to see a pic of Pitman.

mee too! I'd love to see the video/ to hear the audio stuff.
BTW It's Pittman  I don't think he'd date with a man/woman as he has a wife.

to be brutally honest, i wasn't blown away... i saw VR two years ago, and they put on a better show IMO.

all in all, it was "just" ok.

what's wrong with you, this wasn't the best concert ever

Go to a vr forum with that attitude

What wrong with one spectator's honest opinion? I'd hate it if he stated his personal opinion as a fact, but he doesn't does he?
He perfers A show of some other band to that of the tight band with a killer vocal, most of us love. So what? Tastes deffer.

[aeroplane]

The best concert ever!!
I loved axls voice, it was great! Even the solos were great. I think axl nailed the high notes perfectly.
Btw, axl said that fortus is from new york again! I thought he is from new jersey? Ok whatever.
The audience was great (i think), of course the scream, when the lights went out, was priceless! Amazing sound.
The toy thing was very funny. Also, audience didnt throw bottles to stage. Instead, Robin threw water bottles to audience. At least i saw that. I did have to leave earlier to get a taxi to home.
 : ok:great show

you had to leave earlier to get a taxi??

During the last song.It was almost ending, but i was forced by my tired relatives to go to the hotel. I was pissed off, but i couldnt stayed there longer alone since i know nothing about Helsinki.
I dont remember much about the show anymore, i was so tired. But happy.

[axe]

First about the taxi thing: There was a news story that aftre the forst GNR gig in Helsinki the taxi lines were 3-4 hours long! So no wonder some not-hardcore people might get a little scared and want to leave early.

Another pretty funny thing was that the Finnish promoters Welldone received complaints about the first gigs late start because some people had so much difficulties getting home after the show. Welldone said that they compensated this by giving free tickets to the second show for the people who suffered most for the late start. And guess what - the second show started and ended even later so the people with those free tickets probably had the same problems again!


The Finnish daytime paper Ilta-Sanomat had a column about Guns N' Roses today. The writer is called Jone Nikula, who is a big time rock figure in Finland. He has written books about Finnish heavy metal and rock music, he's been a rock DJ in radio, tour manager for Hanoi Rocks, marketing director in EMI record company's Finnish branch, and also one of the judges in Finnish Idols contest where he's the judge with brutal and onspoken honesty.

So when I noticed him doing a column about GNR, I braced myself to receive another portion of sarcastic and maybe even evil comments of member changes and all that that we have been reading from the journalists. But Nikula gave me a good surprise! Here's the translation:


The shadow of accomplishment

Guns N' Roses were the most noteworthy band in the late 1980's and early 1990's. With their debute album AFD the band brought danger, chaos, rage and arrogance back to mainstream rock. As the band itself and their record company got rich because of their statistic-breaking success, so did also promoters, record store chains and workers repairing hotel rooms. They also were opening the road for the grunge phenomenom a few years later.

With their second album, Lies, the band in passing invented the unplugged thing. And with it they bought time to work on their 1991 double albums Use Your Illusion 1 and 2.

After that it has been a lot quieter on record publishing front. The odd tours, continuing changes in personnel, stories about money disputes and megalomania, and the everlasting postponing of Chinese Democracy album has regularly kept the band in headlines - not always in very flattering ones.

* * *

Yesterday and on Wednesday the band visited Finland. The gigs were preceded by news of singer Axl Rose acting up, the lateness of their shows and a brawl that landed the singer in jail in Stockholm. On the other hand, we were also hearing reports of good performances and interesting new songs coming from the music world.

So it seems there's still enough chaos and arrogance, and even rage at least for the hotel guards, and undoubtedly the one guard that Rose bit in the leg was getting feelings of danger, too.

In Helsinki everything went smoothly at least on the first gig. At its best, the night in Arena gave us great rocking. At its worst it was still good entertainment.

* * *

Obviously Guns N' Roses are not the same band anymore that they were when they changed the course of rock music. The band consisting substance abusing, broke dudes has changed to musicians playing behind the frontman Axl Rose. The new songs also made it obvious that the grandiloquence that Axl Rose brought to the band already in the 1980's has been given even more important role. One could also note that the band's best songs all come from the debute album from 1987.

And still, after all this cynical tearing, it also became very clear that Axl Rose is doing the right thing by continuing to use the band name. During the couple of hours in the Areena, he proved that Guns N' Roses is still more than a touring outside museum of 80's heavy rock. As a band they might still be unbalanced and prisoners of their former accomplishments, but they are still relevant.

In my 1980's world Guns N' Roses were everywhere. But the band on stage this week in Helsinki wasn't a nostalgia act. It was a band oozing of second coming even though they might still be looking for their form and balance. The shadow of the band's accomplishments is long, but a new sun is already peeping out in the horizon.

[Skeletor]

^Cool article, Nikula rules!

[AxlsMainMan]

You have to love the ending to that review: "The shadow of the band's accomplishments is long, but a new sun is already peeping out in the horizon."...

[warrocks]

You have to love the ending to that review: "The shadow of the band's accomplishments is long, but a new sun is already peeping out in the horizon."...

very clever actually, love it too!

I wonder if there were other well known rockers from finland watching the concert? like some guys from HIM or even Stratovarius? Sinergy? lol ( don't think so But..well anyway I ask ) hey! maybe The Rasmus hahaha





(like your avatar...funny as hell LOL)

[justincrowe]

the show was ok. i do have the usual complaints.

the endless guitar solos and "70's porno movie muzak" jams between songs sorta killed the momentum of the show for me...

it also sucked big time that they started 2 hours late.

to be brutally honest, i wasn't blown away... i saw VR two years ago, and they put on a better show IMO.

but, Axl truly does have a killer voice these days and the band seemed pretty tight... i wish Brain would've been there, though.

all in all, it was "just" ok.

what's wrong with you, this wasn't the best concert ever

Go to a vr forum with that attitude

wrong with me?

i'd suppose what's wrong with me is the fact that i'm not a hardcore Axl nutswinger like you.

sorry about that. 

[Tomorrows]

Dude, dont worry. Your honesty is appreciated since you were actually at the concert and stuff.

[kupirock]

Amazing show. Axl was great...before the show we saw Del James walking in front of us on the floor, it was cool

[aeroplane]

I know, i saw del james too.Very cool.?

[fishyguy]

That was a very nice translation to a very nice article.

[makkonen]

GUNS N` ROSES STOLE MY SUNGLASSES!!!!?
Well, not really
I throw my glasses to the stage maybe during PATIENCE (or just before) when Axl was very close to my section of the sittingplace. It was very classy throw i must say
Landed right next to Axl?s feet but he didn?t notice them. Axl moved back to the center of the stage and Richard came to the "sunglass-spot", almost crushed them accidentally. And he left to other parts of the stage too.
And then came Ron Thal, playing hard with the song that was on, noticed my glasses, picked them up and put them on for a while then Ron probably understood that they were too dark for a stage so he just put the glasses nicely on the top of the amplifier (or something). So...Ron Thal wore my sunglasses, pretty-fucking-cool?
Great gig again, i personally think that Madagascar was played MUCH better yesterday but i REALLY missed Chinese Democracy Why on earth GN`R skipped that gem both nights

+ my Q&A with Ron (with his permission ofcourse)------------------------>
----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: BUMBLEFOOT
Date: Jul 7, 2006 11:26 AM

<< Hello!
THANKS for two GREAT shows here in Finland!
You really fit to new GN`R and i hope that you are part of the writing process also in the near future.
Very nice of you to play Don?t Cry, cause without you fans wouldn?t hear it LIVE at all. So thanks for that too!

Thank YOU ! You all were wonderful people and it was a pleasure to be there with you all

<< ps. do you remember 2nd show in Finland, you picked MY sunglasses from the stage. I throwed them when Axl was very near of the place where i was sitting. It was a VERY good throw i must say Richard almost crushed my glasses minutes later and then you came, picked them up, tried them on and put them on the top of the amplifier (or something...i?m not a musician or technician)...

haha, those were yours! Cool! Yeah, I saw them on the ground and thought "someone's gonna smash these, I'd better put them somewhere safe!" lol

<< pps. you are doing FANTASTIC job with GUNS!!!!
ppps. Frank Ferrer was also AWESOME!!!
pppps. gongratulations to BRAIN also! >>

Thank you thank you thank you !

<< ppppps. ask Tommy to play some Replacements stuff as his solo-section with his bass (that would be something...) I LOVED THE REPLACEMENTS!!!

Great idea...

<< pppppps. you partied with Kimi R?ikk?nen (Formula1 driver) day before yesterday??

Yeah, then had dinner over his new house before the show - wore his hat on stage - what a cool fucking guy!

<< GOOD LUCK WITH THE REST OF THE TOUR!

Thanks so much! Hope to see you again!

bbf

[axe]

"We're all contributing to Bob's pension fund".

WHO'S BOB?

Dylan. That was before KOHD.