Message from Merck and Axl

[DunkinDave]

I'm cool with the whole statement except for this section by Merck:

We have sold almost 50,000 tickets in the New York area alone this year between Hammerstein Ballroom, the Meadowlands and Madison Square Garden on the back of one interview with Ed Trunk and before the album has come out.

The Hammerstein shows were already sold out before the Trunk interview, and I don't see how an interview in May can influence ticket sales for dates six months later that weren't even announced until months after the interview.

[irgspice]

Thank you, Merck, Axl and - of course - Jarmo (for providing this vehicle for communication).  This statement is much appreciated.  Even as a devout GNR fan, I began falling into the downward spiral of negativity and confusion based on the rumors and speculation.  This statement set me fucking straight.

Looking forward to seeing you bitches in New York.  Good luck tonight in Worcester!

[BurningHills]

Thanks Axl, Merck, and Jarmo! 

[gmGnR]

THANKS!

That's caring about your fans!  Can't wait for MSG

[prairie]

Thank You, very cool response. ?

[a.]

This is really great communication, and definitely what we needed, and need more of! Thanks to all involved!

a.

[NickNasty]

i thik this response illustartes that the band is taking things pretty fucking seriously this time and that's all you can ask for 

[RoCoKiN]

Thank you Merck, Axl and Jarmo!!! ? ?It's about time we had something to shut up some of the people on this board who do nothing but bitch, bitch, bitch!!! ?

[christina_rose]

This is great. Thank you Merck, and thank you Axl. And thsnk you Jarmo for bringing this to us.

[alternativemonkey]

Awesome!

[Malcolm]

This is great...Im very happy to see everyone giving an insight to this...Merck,Axl,Beta,Baz,Ron and whoever else

[PhillyRiot]

Now that I think about it, the only thing I care about is a kick ass show at Madison Square Garden Friday night. ?That is really all I care about. ?I am pumped and the cancellation this week is kinda irrelevant to me. ?It was a great time in East Rutherford, and it will be a great time Friday night in NYC.

[Rainfox]

Great statement by GNR management. And needed, too. As always, reality has a different face then that of all the speculation, frustration and consequently thus.. unproductive and annoying whining.


Thanks Merck, Axl and everyone behind it! 



And oh yeah.. regarding the smoking issue?

I dunno, folks, but at The Spektrum in Oslo (the second GNR Oslo show this year), one of my 'crew' almost got thrown out for lighting up a cigarette.

"Hey, it's a rock show for fucks sake!" he yelled as a security guard came to his seat seconds after he lit up. "Alright, OUT!" and he was grabbed in no polite manner in both arms.

Through some sweettalking and a little, white lie of the cig being passed to us from behind, he was allowed to stay.

However, the security guard never left my friend Morten there outta her sight; constantly staring him down and on her walkie talkie and getting her two co-guards all worked up over Morten too. She stood in the aisle for the remainder of the show. Staring.

Morten was furious (he's a heavy smoker). I'm only a party smoker and have no problem with smoking bans at concerts, but I detested the - yes - draconian security there.

As I mentioned a few months back, another one of my buddies almost didn't get in at this show either. As he was told he was too intoxicated and the bouncers then did their own little I-Pardon-You schtick (Schindler's List) on him; humiliation and all.

As my buddy (he's pretty ribbed) told me afterwards.. had he been intoxicated, he would have knocked the lights out on that steroid-infested beefhead instead. And not gotten in, but be in jail. Funny, eh?

Instead - because he was sober and smelled the coffee the Spektrum security guards were brewing - he had to crawl under the carpet, wiggle like a dog and suck up to some dork because said security guard had a small penis.

It's frustrating.

While the Spektrum show rocked and was one of the best of the whole European tour, the security conditions felt like N?rnburg in the 30s.  And by the way... there was only one beer per customer.

I mean.. It was a joke. You get in line, get your beer. Get in line, from the back again, and get another. Fuckin' comedic.

I love and respect my northern Scandinavian brothers in Norway and Sweden, but alchohol and public entertainment rules and regulations are pretty goddamn strict there.

No wonder it was in Stockholm that the rent-a-cop incident happened.



Anyway.. My 2 cents turned a nickel.


Peace.

RF

 

[Ellroy]

Thanks for that info! They definately went the extra mile by giving us this statement. They certainly didn't need to do it after a press release and a statement from Beta. Any reasonable person should have been satisfied from those, but it was very nice to get a long statement from Merck and Axl and I'm thankful they took the time to do it. ?After a great show at the Meadowlands I'm ready for a great show at MSG!

[Dickeye]

Now that I think about it, the only thing I care about is a kick ass show at Madison Square Garden Friday night. ?That is really all I care about. ?I am pumped and the n-show this week is kinda irrelevant to me. ?It was a great time in East Rutherford, and it will be a great time Friday night in NYC.

No doubt. Guns are made for the big stage. It's also kind of a homecoming for the band too, conisdering all the time Axl spent in NYC, and that several of the band are from NYC.

[GetInTheJungle]

Thanks Axl, Meck and Beta! You rock... ?


And thanks to Jarmo for running such a great site like HTGTH! ?

I want to second that!
Hopefully the nonsense and undue negativity will cease.

[Hatts]

Very cool that they posted that.  Axl and Merck need to know that not everyone on these board are whining about everything!  Just a few of those people that have nothing better to do than complain about EVERYTHING!



Hatts

[markreed]

It's good that the band are communicating more openly. I think one of the problems with perception in the past is that there has been so little communication that speculation gets out of hand.

[PrettyTiedUp763]

Seriously, this is very nice of Axl/Merck to take the time to give this information to us personally, not that they should have had to, but a nice gesture.? Thank you very much!? Your true fans appreciate this!

I agree Bandita. They did not have to do that. But people are still going to bitch and complain. It feels hopeless sometimes. Some of us on the board are not complaining about every little thing, so I hope that they see that.

[JeRrYFaR]

I normally read through all pages, but I'm in a hurry at this time.  Let me just say that Axl, Merck and the rest of the Gn'R camp (which includes jarmo imo) did not have to say anything to us... It's obvious they took time out of their very busy schedules to include us in a notification that to me, is the nicest thing you can do for your fans..

Plus it's not just any old band or musicians that is speaking to us.  This is Axl 'fucking' Rose that is actually speaking DIRECTLY to us.. That in itself has very epic proportions..

I just want to say a big hearty "thank you" for keeping in touch with your fanbase and for not allowing anyone to 'give up hope'.. I could write a very long msg here, but I do have to get to work.. (I'll post from there anyway.. lol)..

Thanks for everything,

-Dave