AXL's Rant in San Juan last night

[anythinggoes]

Already got the tix and thought they were going to play more new songs. The hammerstein show was great because they added in TWAT, IRS and Better, but since that show they have since dropped CD or Madagadscar and rarely play TWAT.

Funny because I've heard all those performed live over here in Europe (excluding T.W.A.T). But I think the songs were dropped after May because you say so.

At least one show I went to, I got to hear four of those songs. In one show.

/jarmo

Yeah i think i was at that show, Donnington Also happened at Oslo, Norway @ Spektrum ?28th June and 8th July.

[stvyrayvhn]

Personally, I can't wait to hear Welcome to the Jungle, It's so Easy, etc. on Nov. 8. 

I'm happy with hearing anything from GN'R after 4 years of nothing and 10 years before that. 

What's all the fighting about?

[faldor]

Amen Axl.? I'm sick of hearing people complain too.? Wahhhh!? I wanna hear different songs.? Wahhhh!? Just be grateful you're hearing ANYTHING.? All those who complain, you know who you are.? Do yourselves a favor and make yourself your own greatest hits CD.? Listen to that over and over.? That'll solve all your problems.? Cuz Axl can't create a setlist for Billy from Boise, Idaho because Sally from Bakersfield, CA is gonna wanna hear some different songs.? You see how ridiculous this is.? Shut up and enjoy the ride.

I don't think the majority of the criticisms are unjust at all.? As Acquience Rain pointed at the Bar, why is it wrong to want to hear new songs on what is called the Chinese Democracy World Tour? And in fact many of us aren't even complaining about the lack of new songs. We miss alot of the Illusion material and would gladly trade one or two of the back AFD catalog for one of the older gems.

Here's the problem.  Some people want to hear NEW songs.  Some want to hear more Illusion era songs.  Some want to hear One in a Million.  Some want to hear Move to the City.  I'd love to hear all of the above but I don't think Guns is gonna play a 6 hour set anytime soon.  While YOU may want to hear a couple more Illusion songs, other peoples would be screaming, "why the hell are they playing old songs, where are the new songs?"  Since this is a NEW band I think they'd be smart to get THEIR material out there instead of playing "Civil War".  The more they go into the catalog the more comparisons to the old band will be made.  They need to create their own identity.  So for now what you hear is what you're gonna get.  Try to rope in the casual fan who remembers the classics from Appetite and the hardcore and new fans who are clamoring for the new album.  Bottom line, whatever setlist they play, any band plays, there's gonna be complaints.  You just can't please everyone.

[polluxlm]

You just can't please everyone.

One could atleast try....

[Adler_Sorum_Brain]

Give it a rest already...Please 

[whiny]

read carefully: i said that nothing much has changed (not nothing)... and i really do think i have to change my name...

[russtcb]

read carefully: i said that nothing much has changed (not nothing)... and i really do think i have to change my name...

If you take the solos out, you're looking at a setlist of roughly 18 songs. How is having 4-5 new songs played nightly (about 25% of the set) "nothing much"

[//JK75]

Well I don't know if someone already said this, but to all the people who keep sayin' they are playin' the BIG hits I just want to ask this.....

Civil War, Yesterdays, Don't Cry wasn't big hits ?

And Out Ta Get Me and My Michelle was ?

It's not about the hits.. it's about the live show man... the live show is what makes or breaks a band... the hits just give them the mainstream part of it..... my michelle is an awesome song live... watch all the boots you can with of that song....? yesterdays isn't such a good live song.... it's not that electric. say as out ta get me is live...

I see your point, I'm just debating people sayin' they are playin' the hits. Actually I love "My Michelle" and Baz sounds great with Axl in it.

[//JK75]

Well I don't know if someone already said this, but to all the people who keep sayin' they are playin' the BIG hits I just want to ask this.....

Civil War, Yesterdays, Don't Cry wasn't big hits ?

And Out Ta Get Me and My Michelle was ?

Yesterdays was a hit? Where?

In some countries in South America for example. I think they included Yesterdays in Greatest Hits. Go see for yourself:
http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/releases/greatest-hits/index.html

[Midnight Gunner]

so axl is calling out fans who sit on a message board and complain about the setlist. it's funny that the same people are the ones that supported this band and axl all these years without any activity ('96-'01) and after a failed tour ('02) and they're the ones defending him against all bad press and the casual rock fan that thinks axl is an asshole. so i won't agree with axl this time.

there's some of you who say that people going to more than one show should expect the same setlist and don't have the right to question what the band is doing. i say they have every fuckin' right to express their opinion just like each and everyone here does. just because they're not praising every show doesn't mean they should shut up. yes they are 5% of the people going to the show, but one "gem" each show for those 5% i don't think would be too much to ask. and playing the hits for the 95% doesn't mean they could throw a don't cry, estranged in there. it's not like those weren't hits.

everytime someone says that *insert band name here* does something every one of the people blindly defending gnr jumps right in and says gnr is not doing what other bands do. but as soon as people discuss the setlist the same defending individuals say that "most of the bands have the same setlist every nigt". so, when is it ok for me to compare gnr with other bands and when it is not? because i'm confused.

and i keep hearing they play what the crowd wants to hear. then, what about greece when there were civil war chants going on from the crowd?

i've only seen gnr once this year and i will admit it was the greatest show of my life. i had to travel abroad too see them because there was no chance they'd come to my country and i'm 100% sure i'll do it again whenever they'll be back and i'll have a great time again. but i won't deny that i will go hoping to hear some different songs and if it would be the same setlist again i will still rock out but i will be a little dissapointed. i'm not "bitching" and "whining" i'm just trying to share an opinion with fellow gunners and hope not to get responses like "you suck, fuck off, go away if you don't like it".

I agree with you 100%.

[Midnight Gunner]

What part don't people understand about who is going to the concerts? Does it not make sense to you that the people that are going to see them, have not seen this set list before? What part of this is so hard to understand? That is the entire point here. It is not a tough concept to grasp. The setlist is working with casual fans, who just happen to buy tickets to the shows. That's it.

No, that is not the point here and I don't understand why you keep grasping onto it like it is. This is the Chinese Democracy Tour. It is not unreasonable for any fan to expect more than a rehashed greatest hits set. If they intended this to be a a greatest hits rehash for the casual fans then it should have billed it that way. You can't create expectations by naming it the Chinese Democracy Tour and then complain when people are upset that they haven't met that expectation.

I understand the album hasn't been released yet, but don't name it the Chinese Democracy Tour if you can't deliver. Sure, they will probably change over to a Chinese Democracy heavy setlist when/if the album is released, but these fans who are seeing the tired greatest hits sets will be getting short changed in the end when that happens.

I also don't understand why everyone is acting like the fans who are complaining are being completely unreasonable here. First of all, these people are complete diehards. They have done more to support this band than these casual fans you keep referring to. These diehard fans also appreciate the band's entire catalog instead of caring only about the hits like the casual fans. A musician should be appreciative of that fact. Instead, he is whining about fans who care about this band the most. They probably care a bit too much, but at least they do.

These fans aren't making unreasonable requests. It's not like they are demanding them to change the entire setlist to tunes that are more obscure to the casual fan. It would be a nice treat if they could just change some things up every now and then. Is it really too much to ask if they would drop a song such as Live and Let Die in favor of something like Civil War or Madagascar? No, it's not but some people sure seem to act holier than thou over it for some reason.

 

Man, two great posts in one thread....Today is gonna be a good day. lol

[RancidPunx]

I can't believe there are people that would actually DEFEND Axl and co for NOT playing different set lists?!?!? What fan in their right mind WOULDN'T want to hear variation if they were seeing multiple shows? Who cares what Axl says about Internet people sitting behind keyboards. I am going to see multiple shows on the West Coast and would obviously love to see some set list changes from night to night. There is a reason that bands/acts like Springsteen, The Stones, or U2 can tour over and over and you'll see a different set every night. A great rock tour adds unpredicability - what will they play? what nuggets will they unearth tonight? What will they open with? If you play the same well-rehearsed, well-choreographed set, night after night, you've become a well-thought out show as opposed to a rock concert. I would expect to see the same act night after night from Madonna or Christina Aguilera or some other person with a choreographed stage show - not Guns n Fucking Roses.

Great post. I could see it as being unreasonable if people were coming on here and wondering why don't they break into Coma or Crash Diet. That will most likely not happen. The people going to these shows and spending $100 per ticket most likely own the Illusions records. You are going to tell me that the majority of the crowd would be upset if they played "Don't Cry" or "Civil War" Even a "casual" fan would know those songs.
Please stop saying that the "complainers" are asking for more CD songs. We get the point that until the album is released there will be the same songs we have heard already from CD.Great. How about mixing it up with other songs from the catalog as well?

[russtcb]

I know it's redundant to say this but I will anyways, I think the setlist is gonna change somewhat tonight anyways.

[//JK75]

I can't believe there are people that would actually DEFEND Axl and co for NOT playing different set lists?!?!? What fan in their right mind WOULDN'T want to hear variation if they were seeing multiple shows? Who cares what Axl says about Internet people sitting behind keyboards. I am going to see multiple shows on the West Coast and would obviously love to see some set list changes from night to night. There is a reason that bands/acts like Springsteen, The Stones, or U2 can tour over and over and you'll see a different set every night. A great rock tour adds unpredicability - what will they play? what nuggets will they unearth tonight? What will they open with? If you play the same well-rehearsed, well-choreographed set, night after night, you've become a well-thought out show as opposed to a rock concert. I would expect to see the same act night after night from Madonna or Christina Aguilera or some other person with a choreographed stage show - not Guns n Fucking Roses.

Great post. I could see it as being unreasonable if people were coming on here and wondering why don't they break into Coma or Crash Diet. That will most likely not happen. The people going to these shows and spending $100 per ticket most likely own the Illusions records. You are going to tell me that the majority of the crowd would be upset if they played "Don't Cry" or "Civil War" Even a "casual" fan would know those songs.
Please stop saying that the "complainers" are asking for more CD songs. We get the point that until the album is released there will be the same songs we have heard already from CD.Great. How about mixing it up with other songs from the catalog as well?

}

Yeah... Is good to see some people understand and respect other's people oppinions. We are hardcore fans too.. I am probably between the olders here.. fan since 1989, 31 years old and I'm still supporting Axl. I just don't keep suckin' his ass like some people here, I got the right to say when I don't agree with something and always try to respect other people's oppinion.

...These diehard fans also appreciate the band's entire catalog instead of caring only about the hits ...

That is very truth !... There are people here who call themselves fans but they consider 60% of UYI albums "fillers", that are great fans for sure... they don't want to hear Estranged live.

[Ellroy]

I can't believe there are people that would actually DEFEND Axl and co for NOT playing different set lists?!?!? What fan in their right mind WOULDN'T want to hear variation if they were seeing multiple shows? Who cares what Axl says about Internet people sitting behind keyboards. I am going to see multiple shows on the West Coast and would obviously love to see some set list changes from night to night. There is a reason that bands/acts like Springsteen, The Stones, or U2 can tour over and over and you'll see a different set every night. A great rock tour adds unpredicability - what will they play? what nuggets will they unearth tonight? What will they open with? If you play the same well-rehearsed, well-choreographed set, night after night, you've become a well-thought out show as opposed to a rock concert. I would expect to see the same act night after night from Madonna or Christina Aguilera or some other person with a choreographed stage show - not Guns n Fucking Roses.

I can't talk about Springsteen because I've never been to one of his shows, but The Stones and U2 play practically the same setlist every night. They might change the order a little bit (as Guns do) and switch one or possibly two songs every once in a while (U2 switches more often then the Stones) but it is almost the exact same set every night. Alice in Chains plays the same set every night as well and so does Iron Maiden. There are quite a few bands out there that play similar/the same set list every night. Guns are not alone in this and Guns fans are not alone in complaining. There are those over at the Maiden boards and the AIC boards and the Stones boards that complain as well. Sorry guys, this isn't an isolated thing. A great deal of great rock bands play the same set every night.

[Journeyman]

I can't believe there are people that would actually DEFEND Axl and co for NOT playing different set lists?!?!? What fan in their right mind WOULDN'T want to hear variation if they were seeing multiple shows? Who cares what Axl says about Internet people sitting behind keyboards. I am going to see multiple shows on the West Coast and would obviously love to see some set list changes from night to night. There is a reason that bands/acts like Springsteen, The Stones, or U2 can tour over and over and you'll see a different set every night. A great rock tour adds unpredicability - what will they play? what nuggets will they unearth tonight? What will they open with? If you play the same well-rehearsed, well-choreographed set, night after night, you've become a well-thought out show as opposed to a rock concert. I would expect to see the same act night after night from Madonna or Christina Aguilera or some other person with a choreographed stage show - not Guns n Fucking Roses.

I can't talk about Springsteen because I've never been to one of his shows, but The Stones and U2 play practically the same setlist every night. They might change the order a little bit (as Guns do) and switch one or possibly two songs every once in a while (U2 switches more often then the Stones) but it is almost the exact same set every night. Alice in Chains plays the same set every night as well and so does Iron Maiden. There are quite a few bands out there that play similar/the same set list every night. Guns are not alone in this and Guns fans are not alone in complaining. There are those over at the Maiden boards and the AIC boards and the Stones boards that complain as well. Sorry guys, this isn't an isolated thing. A great deal of great rock bands play the same set every night.

Bruce Dickinson rants a lot more this days but the maiden fans dont like that, i think its cool. He says what he is feeling 

[whiny]

read carefully: i said that nothing much has changed (not nothing)... and i really do think i have to change my name...

If you take the solos out, you're looking at a setlist of roughly 18 songs. How is having 4-5 new songs played nightly (about 25% of the set) "nothing much"

4-5 new songs?... "better", "irs" and sometimes (almost never) "twat" makes 2-3 songs that are new compared to 2001. not one new song from uyi, not one from afd, just one from lies, zero spaghetti; as i said: "nothing much" has changed; why is it that so hard to understand? it's ok to think that this setlist is fine or just boring, those are points of views that are neither wrong nor right - just (inter)subjective. but to say that the setlist has become more varied means ignoring simple facts.

[marknroses]

The height of GNR's performing abilities was in mid-1991, when they would play 3-4 hours & 30 songs & performed them in various setlists & with intense emotions (particularly from Axl Rose). THere have been great shows since, though it would be nice for some more "spontenaity" & for GNR to throw on a couple of songs here & there to refresh fans' memories & bring out more new material.

GNR can do what they want, & the fans are entitled to their opinions. Great to see Axl rant about it - shows that he's still pissed off & articulate, but I disagree with the rant, & would prefer a more varied setlist.

MNW

[The Legend]

Amen Axl.? I'm sick of hearing people complain too.? Wahhhh!? I wanna hear different songs.? Wahhhh!? Just be grateful you're hearing ANYTHING.? All those who complain, you know who you are.? Do yourselves a favor and make yourself your own greatest hits CD.? Listen to that over and over.? That'll solve all your problems.? Cuz Axl can't create a setlist for Billy from Boise, Idaho because Sally from Bakersfield, CA is gonna wanna hear some different songs.? You see how ridiculous this is.? Shut up and enjoy the ride.

I don't think the majority of the criticisms are unjust at all.? As Acquience Rain pointed at the Bar, why is it wrong to want to hear new songs on what is called the Chinese Democracy World Tour? And in fact many of us aren't even complaining about the lack of new songs. We miss alot of the Illusion material and would gladly trade one or two of the back AFD catalog for one of the older gems.

Here's the problem.? Some people want to hear NEW songs.? Some want to hear more Illusion era songs.? Some want to hear One in a Million.? Some want to hear Move to the City.? I'd love to hear all of the above but I don't think Guns is gonna play a 6 hour set anytime soon.? While YOU may want to hear a couple more Illusion songs, other peoples would be screaming, "why the hell are they playing old songs, where are the new songs?"? Since this is a NEW band I think they'd be smart to get THEIR material out there instead of playing "Civil War".? The more they go into the catalog the more comparisons to the old band will be made.? They need to create their own identity.? So for now what you hear is what you're gonna get.? Try to rope in the casual fan who remembers the classics from Appetite and the hardcore and new fans who are clamoring for the new album.? Bottom line, whatever setlist they play, any band plays, there's gonna be complaints.? You just can't please everyone.

They should delete all of the posts in this thread, and just have this one. In BOLD!

This sums the whole thing up.

You just can't please everyone.

When I was at Tampa, I heard so many different songs being yelled at him to play. Some obscure. AXL! AXL! Play Don't Cry, Bad Obsession, Double Talkin' Jive, Garden of Eden, Don't Damn Me, Bad Apples, Coma (that was me), Civil War, Yesterdays, Get In The Ring (yes, and I was like, WTF?), Locomotive, So Fine (once again, WTF?), Estranged, Since I Don't Have You, Human Being, Black Leather, etc.

Some cats kept yelling these obscure songs. Maybe it was one of you from this board?

[Midnight Gunner]

Judas Priest has played the same set for years...and fans have been bitching for years....so, yes, other fans do want setlists changed...the bands just don't want to ever take the risk, so they stick with what "works".