Just got back from MSG

[W 23 AXL II]

I knew I'd remember more things!!

At the end of one song (can't remember which one at the moment) Axl held a scream for something like a full minute.? It was amazing!

Axl held quite a few looooong notes last night, and after each one, the crowd went crazy. i think you're thinking of Patience....?

the one he held during IRS, going into the solo, was sick. IRS over-all was just crazy, but that note really got the crowd screaming.

[LittleFly]

Yup, I think that's the one

[W 23 AXL II]

its a testament to just how HUGE guns n roses, and axl rose specifically, are. the crowd sang along to like 90% of the songs, and i mean they (we) were LOUD. everywhere you turned, people were dancing, rocking out....GNR and NYC jusy mesh very well.

[Z]

I didn't "just get back, but I sure as hell did "just recover".

Before I start with how the concert affected me, I'll say that I am a 20-plus year veteran of attending rock concerts.  i've seen everybody from Ozzy to Van Halen to Ted Nugent to Alice Cooper to Rush to ACDC, etc.  This was 7th time going to see GNR.

This was the best all around show I've ever been to.

Highlgihts:
- Best crowd I have ever been a part of.  That was the most singing I myself ever did and it was because the crowd sang entusiastically to every GNR classic.

- IRS and Chinese Democracy sounded tighter than any version I've heard including the IRS leak and any soundboard version of CD.  They absolutely nailed those songs.  I'm now even more psyched to hear the final versions.

- The video footage above the band on the screens was wild.  Especially during CD.

- I have wanted to see GNR replace LALD & KOHD in the setlist for awhile now.  After last night LALD can stay.  That was the best live performance of LALD that I witnessed.  And KOHD is such a "crowd involving" song that it can stay as well as far as I'm concerned.

- WTTJ, ISO & Mr. B were fucking amazing.  The best opening I've witnessed.

- Used To Love Her was amazing.  Everytime I saw it in the setlist, I thought "eh, boring".  NOW, I hope they play it every show I go to.

- Axl's voice was incredible.  He held notes like never before. 

- The solos were much needed for me.  I needed to sit the fuck down once in awhile and stop singing.  Well, except for Ron's Don't Cry.  I LOVED how everyone sang over his solo.  If it weren't for the solos I would have faded out by My Michelle and would have had nothing left for Patience, Nightrain and the encore.

- All solos were amazing.  Richard was most impressive.  I don't remember him doing much of a solo at the first Hammerstein show.  He's in my top 5 now.

Nothing negative will come out of me regarding this band.  The best rock show on the planet.

Just to remain objective, I thought Sweet Child O' Mine was a little off.  But that's it.

Does anyone know what Robin was playing during his first solo where Frank played drums over his playing?  It sounded familiar to me.

[Tyson]

I was there last night as well.  Axl sounded, for the most part, great.  The new songs are kick ass live and are going to be instant classics once released.  The solos definitley lost some of the crowd for a bit.  THe band was tight as hell.  They need to cut out some of these solos, it really does halt the momentum.  Regardless, Axl and the boys put on a really great show and anyone that was not blown away is either dillusional or unable to let go of the past.  I was in section 339 and loved all of it. 

[tHeElEcTrIcSiNtAr]

Great show. Second time this week seeing them and I already want to go to another show. Please come back around here. I wont really say much about it since mostly everything has been said already. But one of my favorite things was when Axl commented on Sebastian talking about Youtube and Myspace.

He goes" Sebastian I heard you talking about Youtube and Myspace earlier, and all I want to say is I want to stick my tube in her space."

It was so funny. I love Axl's jokes. I swear he could be a comedien if he wanted to.

[TAP]

This was a showcase gig and rather than choosing the path of announcements/new songs etc that some people (including me) predicted, Axl chose the better route of playing a show that was tight as hell. Hammerstein 4 was a kind of, fuck it, here's Izzy and we're going to play all night show - and it was great, but MSG was the gig to show the world that GNR is still among the very best live acts ever. The energy level never dropped, the solos were way better than in May, it didn't really feel like Axl was taking long breaks and it flowed beautifully. Truly a great show, and I'm in awe to have witnessed it.

Lots of highlights, but I just want to give a shout out to Ron Thal. Great guitar player and great guy from all accounts, how cool was it to see him soak up the applause from a packed MSG (and the kudos from Seb Bach) after getting the whole crowd to sing Don't Cry.

[ElChino]

SLASH'S SOLO ON THE JAP ILLUSION VIDEO RUNS LONGER THAN THE CURRENT 3 COMBINED, SO IT'S NOT REALLY FAIR 2 PICK ON THEM...NOT 2 MENTION MATT HAD ONE 2


Everyone around me was loaded like a freight train!  I'm talking completely trashed!  Anyone else notice that?
YEAH, THERE WAS A GUY BAWLING HIS EYES OUT IN THE BATHROOM DURING DIZZY'S PIANO SOLO...AND A GUY ARGUING LIKE CRAZY WITH HIS GF 4 HALF THE NIGHT, I THINK THEY MISSED MOST OF THE SHOW CAUSE THEY WERE FIGHTING SO MUCH



 

[Mom]

My own mini-review:

Fucking great show. I was hoping for some setlist suprises (as we always are) but seeing as how this is my first GNR show ever it didnt bother me too much. A couple of points (a good chunk of NR and another song) Axl was being drowned out, but otherwise sound was great.

I was in GA, came in at about 10:05-10:10, by the end of the show I was no more then 5 rows back, dead center. It was great whenever I heard someone else doing some die hard stuff too, like singing to the new songs, saying "Ok Nevermind!" during The Blues, "Bullshit!" during Patience, etc. I found myself digging the solos, and as someone else said they were in a way a welcome break, especially if your job you have to go to the next day requires the use of your voice. If anyone is wondering I was the tall guy in black with the short guy who was doing a lot of hippyish dancing. I was yelling a lot about how I worshipped Axl as Christ, and would kill people for him. This kind of passion is only stirred in me by a select few artists brahs...

Other things of note: Saw someone towards the back of GA get hit by a piece of pyro shrapnel, he seemed ok though. There was some kind of fight to my right, and it looked like somebody got KTFO as they were lying on the floor for a good little while after what seemed to be a short scuffle. A mosh pit broke out at the beginning of Paradise City but security broke it up.

My friend doesnt even own a GNR cd or "even care about GNR" before the show, but said this was one of the best shows he has ever been to (and he's been to a TON of shows), so I made another convert.

In closing: Great conert, great one of a kind experience. Thanks to everyone that was there for making it such a cool experience.

[ElChino]

like singing to the new songs, saying "Ok Nevermind!" during The Blues
HAHA, WORD

[tHeElEcTrIcSiNtAr]

The Blues was INCREDIBLE last night. Axl's voice was really high in the mix for it and it was just so beautiful. I cant wait for the studio version. 

[W 23 AXL II]

I didn't "just get back, but I sure as hell did "just recover".

Before I start with how the concert affected me, I'll say that I am a 20-plus year veteran of attending rock concerts.? i've seen everybody from Ozzy to Van Halen to Ted Nugent to Alice Cooper to Rush to ACDC, etc.? This was 7th time going to see GNR.

This was the best all around show I've ever been to.

Highlgihts:
- Best crowd I have ever been a part of.? That was the most singing I myself ever did and it was because the crowd sang entusiastically to every GNR classic.

- IRS and Chinese Democracy sounded tighter than any version I've heard including the IRS leak and any soundboard version of CD.? They absolutely nailed those songs.? I'm now even more psyched to hear the final versions.

- The video footage above the band on the screens was wild.? Especially during CD.

- I have wanted to see GNR replace LALD & KOHD in the setlist for awhile now.? After last night LALD can stay.? That was the best live performance of LALD that I witnessed.? And KOHD is such a "crowd involving" song that it can stay as well as far as I'm concerned.

- WTTJ, ISO & Mr. B were fucking amazing.? The best opening I've witnessed.

- Used To Love Her was amazing.? Everytime I saw it in the setlist, I thought "eh, boring".? NOW, I hope they play it every show I go to.

- Axl's voice was incredible.? He held notes like never before.?

- The solos were much needed for me.? I needed to sit the fuck down once in awhile and stop singing.? Well, except for Ron's Don't Cry.? I LOVED how everyone sang over his solo.? If it weren't for the solos I would have faded out by My Michelle and would have had nothing left for Patience, Nightrain and the encore.

- All solos were amazing.? Richard was most impressive.? I don't remember him doing much of a solo at the first Hammerstein show.? He's in my top 5 now.

Nothing negative will come out of me regarding this band.? The best rock show on the planet.

Just to remain objective, I thought Sweet Child O' Mine was a little off.? But that's it.

Does anyone know what Robin was playing during his first solo where Frank played drums over his playing?? It sounded familiar to me.

i think they were just doing a minor blues jam, but the chords were more like an Am G F E progression...it might not have been in Am, but i think that was the movement.

[sexkitten]

I can't bare to take off my msg wristband.  Does anyone have pics from this show?  I especially want to see one of Robin crowd surfing with guitar in hand!  I will never get that image out of my head.     Is it really over???

[ElChino]

YEAH, IT'S PAINFUL WATCHING THE BOXING LIVE FROM MSG 2NITE...I WANT 2 GO BACK

[jazjme]

Was a great fucking show, and god damn did it rock hard!, I had such a blast , and THIS WAS THE SHOW ! This is what I was waiting for, !


As others have said , jarmo, GNR 2006, Sexkitten(big love) and so many others that were at the show , thats what its all about, having a fuckng good time,

And when a band is on fire like GNR, you have to repsect and just get blown away by it.

[IREEKOFAWESUMNES]

i slept til 6 pm today, didnt get home til 530 in the morning...i saw msg 2002, and 3 of the 4 hammerstein shows, and this was the best of all of them and im not just saying that bc it was last night...axl sounded literally flawless...the bands energy was fuckin outstanding...and like everyones already been saying, the crowd sang EVERY FUCKING WORD of every song...i was right up front in GA like 3 rows back just to the right of axl, so in front of robin for most of the show...i brought a friend along who is huge into all the music i listen to, but was skeptical about the new band and axls voice, etc, the usual...he told me when we left that was one of the 3 best concerts hes ever seen, and weve been to a fucking ton...granted were 24 and 25 but ive seen tons of shows and bands and so has he, so thats a big statement...all of tonight at a party we were at he was telling ewveryone how 'axls back, and his voice was fuckin best ive ever heard' etc...so...and to all those opposed........

[Chief]

I just read this review somewhere else, its long but check it out!!!

>>>>>>>>>>

Well last night has got to rank as one of the most surreal, exhilarating, and frustrating nights of my life. My old concert going partner George cruised up from Philly and we hit the road for MSG. I just couldn't believe I was actually on my way to a Guns n' Roses concert. It didn't seem real. This was a chapter of my life that I thought had been concluded long ago. No matter how much I love The Rolling Stones, no matter how much you think I love The Black Crowes, nothing can compare to the absolute mad dog fanatical love I had for Guns n' Roses in the early 1990's. If you put a gun to my head and ask me for my favorite band ever, Gn'R would be the only honest response. I didn't even get in on the ground floor. When Appetite came out in 1987 I was 13 and had just gotten into music seriously for the first time. I was in a pretentious "it has to be from the 60's or it sucks" phase, and all I pretty much listened to was Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. I remember sleeping over at a friend's house and watching Headbanger's Ball on MTV. Everyone was so pumped for the Gn'R videos and I couldn't have cared less. I lumped them in with all the other hair/metal bands and didn't notice anything that made them stand apart. Flash forward to early 1991 and I'm lying on my couch one night when the video for Patience comes on. I suddenly realized this band wasn't too different from The Stones. I just fell in love with the song. I got the Gn'R Lies cd from my girlfriend whose parents wouldn't let her keep her copy cause of the flap and I played songs 4-8 till I had them memorized. I must have listened to Patience and Used To Love Her 100 times a day. Eventually I discovered the greatness of the live tracks as well, especially their blistering, putting Aerosmith to shame cover of Mama Kin. I soon ran out and bought Appetite and memorized that disc as well. I'd walk around all day with Rocket Queen going through my head. That summer You Could Be Mine was all over the radio and I was holding my breath for the new Illusion records. Gn'R may have had fans as crazy as me (and clearly Summer Romance here qualifies) but they sure as shit didn't have any crazier. I ate, slept and drank that band. On September 17, 1991 (a date which will never leave my brain) I had my mom pick me up for lunch so I could go to CD World to buy Use Your Illusion I and II. I don't think I listened to anything else for six months. They were everything I hoped for and more. As I type this the boxes (remember when cds came in boxes?) are 2 feet away from me under my stereo record player. I even bought them on tape for my car, and I also bought them on vinyl. Oh how I love my vinyl copies of Use Your Illusion. (By the way, both I and II are double records in and of themselves.) When my friend called that November to tell me his dad had scored MSG tickets for December 11th I almost died from the extreme joy. The concert that night is still bar none the best I have ever seen. The following summer I set a land speed world record when I made it from my friend's upstairs bedroom to my car on the street in 4.5 seconds after reading in the paper that the local ticketmaster outlet was giving away wristbands for a second Gn'R/Metallica show at Giants Stadium. Both those shows were great and I continued to follow Gn'R until it was apparent they existed only in theory, and that Axl had gone from half crazy to totally fucking nuts. I eventually gave up on them and by the late 90's The Crowes and Stones were my two bands. I got slightly excited when the live album came out and they started playing some shows, but it was tempered by the fact that Axl was the only one left and the new album still had not been released. Then in December 2002 they fucked me by not showing up in Philly. It just seemed over for me and Gn'R, until George called two days ago with a ticket and I found myself on the way to the show last night. Surreal is the only word.

[Chief]

Continued.......
>>>>>>>


George and I went to Stout's, where I met several Gassers before the 1/18 MSG Stones show, and had a Guinness and a burger before heading to out seats. Let me tell you, Gn'R can still bring out the hot chicks like no other band. We sat down just in time for Papa Roach. (We missed Sebastian Bach as the first opener.) I don't know shit about Papa Roach, but they were a hard rocking band and for an opening act they were surprisingly tolerable. We were in the third level on the side of the stage and the sound and the view were both great. Papa Roach's set flew by and the roadies got the stage ready for Gn'R. Soon Robin Finck came out (looking suspiciously like Slash) and played the opening chords to WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.
Axl hit the stage and the show was under way. Just seeing him in the flesh again was a trip. I soon realized though that the sound, which had been perfect when Papa Roach was playing, had taken a horrifying turn for the worse. Axl's vocals were fading in and out, something that would be a problem for most of the evening. The drums were very low in the mix, and sometimes even the guitars would sound low, although on the whole the guitar sound was great. These sound problems really detracted from our ability to enjoy what was clearly a great show. Axl was in fine vocal form, and all three guitar players were phenomenal. Dizzy Reed, the only other (semi) original Gunner left, was also great on keyboards. The sound was certainly decent enough for us to hear the songs, but it could have been so much better. Axl's voice would come through clear on one song and be very low the next. Sometimes this problem would occur within the same song, or same line even!
They ran through three Appetite tunes to start, playing IT'S SO EASY and MR. BROWNSTONE in spots 2 and 3. The fourth song was Live AND LET DIE. Never understood why they recorded this, never understood why they played it live, never understood how it became a hit, still don't understand why they continue to play it. Next up was a Robin Finck guitar solo. Let me tell you, that motherfucker can play! His solo wasn't boring for a second and I really enjoyed it. When it was over he began Sweet Child O' Mine and of course the crowd went apeshit. The band was in fine form and Axl hit all the notes. I won't argue with people who say the band shouldn't be called Gn'R, but whatever you call them they're fucking great. Next up was their kick ass cover of KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR, a real highlight. A great mellow vibe and the crowd participation is always fun. YOU COULD BE MINE followed and it fucking rocked. Too bad Axl's vocals continued to be a problem. I don't know if any other part of MSG had this problem, but we sure did.
Next up was Dizzy Reed's piano solo, which was basically an instrumental version of ANGIE! It was absolutely gorgeous, he could have played for an hour and I would have been happy. The crowd even got into it and started singing the words. It was great to hear this song on a real piano. I sure wish it sounded this good when The Stones played it. The piano came through loud and clear and it was just a magical moment. I love how Gn'R and The Crowes always manage to give me Stones treats. Next up were two new songs that are destined to be classics if the fucking album ever gets released, THE BLUES and BETTER. They were just amazing songs. The Blues is a slower, power ballad (in a good way) type of tune, and Better was a more of a rocker. They fit in perfectly with the older material and are proof positive that Axl was the real creative force behind the band. (I haven't heard a single new song that hasn't been amazing, unlike the bulk of every other Gunner's solo material. Yes, even Izzy's.) Richard Fortus' guitar solo was also very cool and then the band played a blistering version of OUT TO GET ME. Finally Axl sat behind the piano and we got a beautiful rendition of NOVEMBER RAIN. The sound, including his vocal, was perfect on this one and it really took me back in time. I'm bummed the way they seem to favor the Appetite material over the Illusion stuff, but at least we got this one. One of the highlights. Next up was Bumblefoot?s guitar solo, which may have been my favorite piece of music of the night. It was simply an instrumental of DON?T CRY, but he made it sound incredibly heartbreaking. I can?t even say I missed the vocal cause this guy was saying it all with his guitar. Yet another moment that could have gone on forever as far as I was concerned. It was breathtaking musicianship and the embodiment of why anyone loves music. Never thought some dude named Bumblefoot could give me chills.
Sebastian Bach came out for MY MICHELLE and he and Axl traded lines. All of a sudden Axl?s vocal was totally clear and Bach?s was fading in and out. Axl would sing one line with total clarity and next one by Bach would be inaudible. Strange and very frustrating. At least Axl had a good mic at this point. Another classic new song, IRS, was next. A balls to the wall rocker and I loved it. God damn when will this record come out?!? After that was another highlight for me, my original favorite Gn?R tune PATIENCE. Axl can still whistle with the best of them, and his vocal came through perfect. The whole audience was singing with him and it just brought back so many memories. That song alone was worth the price of admission. They wrapped it up with a kick ass NIGHTRAIN and left the stage. The encore had two songs. CHINESE DEMOCRACY was yet another great new tune, and PARADISE CITY sounded as good as it ever did. Axl said a long goodbye and the show was over.
Closing thoughts: 1. This band is on fire and is lacking nothing in terms of ability. All three guitar players are phenoms and all delivered when soloing. Axl is in top form and seemed to really enjoy himself. I was amazed at how normal and at ease he seemed. I hope he can maintain this frame of mind and give us a second act to his career. I never would have thought it possible, but hopefully the guy will go on making records and performing live for a long time to come. Hey, if Brian Wilson can do it, anyone can. 2.The sound was sub par and someone should be fired. It was clearly a great show but it was hard to enjoy as much as it should have been. 3. It was pure joy seeing Axl again and hearing the old (and new) tunes. Got to recapture a bit of my youth. 4. It wasn?t, I have to admit, Guns n? Roses. I really don?t care what they call it (What?s in a name? Although it is more fun to say you?re going to a Gn?R show than an Axl Rose show) and my experience would have been the same, but George had never seen Guns n? Roses before and I could tell by the look on his face that afterwards he still felt the same. That?s all the proof I need. He had fun, but I could tell the Gn?R monkey was still on his back. Not until a reunion of the whole band will he be able to say he saw them. That doesn?t mean the band wasn?t great, it just wasn?t Guns n? Roses. 5. Chinese Democracy will be a masterpiece and all those who doubted Axl will be forced to admit he was the man behind the curtain.

[anythinggoes]

Well i am still speechless about this show after some hassles with tickets we got GA we entered as bach was playin & gradualy got towards the front during the sets. In the end i was 2nd row just behind sexkitten who was rockin out so hard. Axl was amazin you could see him smiling during the songs because of the crowd. Robins crowd surf was on top of me and i played bumbles guitar on Paradise.     

[GnR-NOW]

I thought they all were on ball.  Everytime they did alittle band jam, I thought it would turn into a new unheard song.  I thought the band played tight as hell.